Scootin' in the Coupe

Innkeeping is such a stressful job....all that cookie baking, talking to guests and fluffing of pillows  can wear you out.  Luckily, my friend Lynne, fellow innkeeper at The Australian Walkabout, had the solution.  She suggested that we check out the new coupes at Strasburg Scooters. Great idea! And, since Lynne is a four-wheelin' kind of gal, I got to ride as passenger and just enjoy the scenery.

And what scenery it was.

 

We took the roads less traveled...except, that is, for the team of 6 workhorses coming up behind us...

 

We stopped to see some friends along the way...

 

some were two legged, some were four...

 

 

We got to breathe in the fresh air...and melt the stress away.

And we explored a couple of covered bridges almost too pretty to be real.

 

 

 

 

 

The coupes are very cute - you'll feel like you are riding in a cartoon car while My Little Deuce Coupe plays in your head, courtesy of the Beach Boys.

 

 

We visited some ladies on the farm,

and fell in love with the kittens (of course).

We saw Lancaster County from far and near...

 

including a house with telltale signs of young Amish boys living there!

And at the end of the day, we were ready to head back to our inns and greet our guests. 

So the next time you are feeling a little work stress, head to Lancaster County, stay at a bed and breakfast (we recommend The Artist's Inn and Australian Walkabout) and schedule a scooter tour.  We'll even give you a coupon for the tour.  We bet your stress will melt away.

Going the Extra Mile….All the Way to the Dressing Room

I recently shopped at the Vanilty Fair Outlet in Reading.  Unlike other outlets, they actually have quite a selection of jeans – you can get short, petite, medium, tall and extra tall in just about every size.  And they are located in the old factories, so it’s a great reuse of space, rather than putting up a new building. I like that.

I don’t go shopping much these days …I’ll blame that on my lifelong friend, Paula.  I think we used up our entire shopping quota in our 20s.  But this spring day found me trying on several tops and jeans and I left with a bagful because Tuesdays are senior days and (GASP!) the clerk assumed I was over 55. 

 Oh well, it was worth it to save an extra 10%!

When I got home, I realized that I was only wearing one earring.  A quick search of the car proved that I had probably lost it somewhere at the outlet.  I thought it was hopeless, but called anyway…to ask if I could talk to someone in the Lost and Found Department. Much to my surprise, the woman that answered the phone offered to help me.  She said that there was no earring turned in that day but she would be happy to look in the dressing room for me.  Wow!  I used the same dressing room several times, so I was able to direct her to the correct one…and she found my earring lying on the floor.

I was impressed by Allyssa’s patience and willingness to drop what she was doing to help me.  What great customer service….and a wonderful reminder  of how we should all treat each other, by taking the time to listen and help one another.

Good customer service is hard to find… especially in today’s fast-paced multi-tasking workforce. It deserves to be acknowledged.  So I asked Alysssa for her supervisor’s email and send off a letter that I hoped would become part of her file.

Customer service is an attitude, a courtesy, a better way of treating folks…and it can become contagious. It doesn’t matter what the job – if you have a person that is happy and sets a good example, chances are the folks around her or him will pick up the attitude as well.  And customers then feel better too.  So the next time someone goes out of their way to make your meal/experience/vacation better, be sure to thank them and pass that kindness along.

Most people don’t’ expect to be rewarded…which makes it even more gratifying to acknowledge their courteous and giving spirit. We all welcome a “pat on the back” – it just makes us feel good. Here at The Artist’sInn, a 5-star review on Trip Advisor or Google makes our hearts beat fast!

Good customer service is something that we strive for at The Artist’s Inn.  Although we don’t have dressing rooms, we’ll try to go the extra mile too!

Sweet Street Cafe

You have probably tried their desserts.  After all, Sweet Street desserts are featured by restaurants in over 60 countries.  They are as creative as they are yummy. 

This local success story takes place in Reading - only about half an hour from the inn.  Last fall, they opened a café.  Café Sweet Street.  It's only open for breakfast and lunch, but don't worry - they don't close until 6 p.m., so if you've had a substantial breakfast (perhaps at The Artist's Inn), you've got all day to work up an appetite!

A scoreboard announces the offerings of the day.

Our Chinois and classic Cobb salads were full of organic greens and local produce and the mushroom soup was yummy.

 

 

Don't worry if you're on a limited time frame - our food was out in a jiffy. 

They offer lots of burgers - beef, chicken, turkey or veggie, lots of sandwiches, salads, soups and hearty fare.

And pizza - can't wait to try that when their outdoor patio opens for the season.

Oh, and they serve desserts.  Wow, do they have desserts - huge cookies, cupcakes, pies, cakes and everything in between...available by the piece or the whole. 

 

 

 

Since the café is connected to the factory, the freshness is guaranteed. You need to try this place!

Just in time for Valentine's Day..

What would winter be like without chocolate?  Or spring, summer or fall?  We'll be serving these Ganache Filled Brown Sugar Bars at the inn all month. The recipe first appeared in the1995 edition of Food and Wine.  We hope you enjoy them here....or at home!

Ganache Filled Brown Sugar Bars

1/2 cup heavy cream1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped1 3/4 cup flour

1/4 t salt2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature1 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar2 eggs, room temperature1 1/2 t vanilla

1)      Boil the cream over medium heat.  In a food processor, finely grind the chocolate.  With the machine on, add the hot cream and process until smooth. Scrape the ganache into a bowl and let stand until firm, 30 minutes to an hour.

2)      Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 10 by 15 inch baking pan.  Line the pan with wax paper; butter and flour the paper.

3)      Whisk the flour with the salt.  In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed for three minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Beat in the vanilla. At low speed beat in the flour in three additions; the batter will be fairly stiff.  Spread the batter in the pan.  Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

4)      Cover the baking pan with a large wire rack and invert.  Remove the pan and peel off the wax paper.  Invert the cake onto a large cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, halve the cake crosswise.  Spread the ganache evenly over one f the cake halves, leaving a ¼ inch border.  Top with the other cake half.  Cover and refrigerate until the ganache is set – at least two hours. 

5)      Cut into bars.

Back to School...or Maybe Recess!

It doesn't matter in which direction you drive.  Once you leave Terre Hill, you're bound to pass by a one-room schoolhouse.  You can usually tell the percentage of old-order Amish and Mennonite kids attending these schools by the number of bikes (Mennonite) or scooters (Amish) parked outside.

And it doesn't matter what time of the day you drive by.....I have noticed that they are very fond of recess.  I've seen so many cute pictures that I couldn't bring myself to take - an older boy teaching a younger one how to swing the baseball bat, kids eating their lunches as they sit on the ground next to the outhouse, teachers pitching softballs,, two girls giggling while they swing.  They all seem to get along...no matter what the age. 

Perhaps there's a lesson here for the rest of the schools. 

We hope you enjoy these pictures - taken by several of our guests (with long, long lenses).  Feel free to post any favorites of your own.

And, the next time you stay at The Artist's Inn, we hope you notice that the local kids are not only back to school....but also at recess here in Lancaster County!

 

Melon Mania in Lancaster County

It's been a great summer for eating.  And there's nothing sweeter than Lancaster County melons. 

 

Farms stands and the local produce auction are exploding with several kinds of watermelons, honeydew, cantaloupes, canary melons and....my favorite - honeylopes.  They are a cross between a honeydew and a cantaloupe.

 

So, whether you're ready to buy one, a dozen, or fifty, the time to enjoy the bounty of Lancaster County is now!

Here's a pretty way we serve the melons at The Artist's Inn:


Melons with Mango-Plum Sauce:

Peel and place one mango and 2 unpeeled plums into a blender.  Add two tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of your favorite juice (we use white cranberry peach).  Blend until fairly smooth and spoon over three slices of melon.  Garnish with violas.   So pretty!

Old Houses – Where Love Lives

What is it about an old house that exudes warmth the minute you walk in the door?  Can it possibly convey the laughter and happy times that have happened within its walls?   I think so!

Last week my mom and I received the good news that her house had sold.  So we traveled back to a suburb of Cleveland to clear out some furniture, dishes and clothing.  I knew this would be a tough trip.  Yes, the packing was hard work, but the help of friends and cousins lightened the load.  I was more concerned with packing up my emotions.

This small house that my parents built so long ago and where I was raised would be called “home” no matter where I lived.  The one filled with laughter, late-night card parties, backyard bar-b-ques, and graduation pictures taken on the front lawn.  Even though the living room was now empty of furniture, I could still see the Christmas tree that held so many gifts when my brothers and I would travel back.

The old black wall phone used to be by the side door –when phones had curly-cue cords – and I would stretch it straight as far as I could out the door so that I could sit outside on the stoop and have long conversations with my girlfriends.

I could once again see the swing that my dad built tall and strong - and I can still feel the excitement when you swing just a bit too high and you lift off the seat for a moment. 

Here was the back yard that once held the garden which supplied half the neighborhood with vegetables.

And the kitchen.  A tiny space that created an endless oasis of incredible food – cakes, pies, cookies, pierogies, turkeys, kielbasa, chicken paprikash, and that very special treat on Christmas Eve – shrimp cocktail.  This was the kitchen where I learned to bake – sometimes ending up with more flour on me than in the cookies!

That house held so many memories for both mom and me – it was difficult to leave it for the last time, and I was grateful for the pouring rain that mixed with my tears and rushed us along. It would have been unbearable to leave it in sunny weather.

Several realtors had commented about the “good feeling” of the house.  So maybe it’s NOT just me! 

 I do know one thing – I’m so grateful that our inn feels the same when I walk in.  Probably because we’ve been fortunate enough to know the Homans – a family that lived here from 1931 until 1989. They raised five children here and we’ve been lucky enough to hear their stories and share them with our guests.  And I feel that the house is grateful to once again have its hallways echo with laughter – this time with guests from around the world.
Of course a house witnesses both the good times and bad.  But I’m an eternal optimist and hopeless romantic.  So the good times will always take precedence.

Can people feel the good times?  Since so many of our guests return again and again, I kind of think they can. 

And perhaps, every now and again, we all just need to go “home”, to a place of love and laughter.

The Magic of Summer in Lancaster County

Maybe it’s the early morning dew shining in the sun, the corn leaves blowing in the breeze, or the never-ending succession of blooming flowers.

It could be the sight of an Amish farmer plowing his field, Amish children running down the lane, or produce bulging from the bike baskets of our Old-order Mennonite neighbors.

Perhaps it’s the song of the birds, the sight of a buggy crammed full of giggling girls, young Amish boys in straw hats, or young girls tending the family garden.

There’s corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden, and ice cream at a nearby dairy farm.

Farm stands are loaded with fresh produce, and cows watch as you bicycle by.  Seems like time goes a little slower, the air smells a little sweeter, and smiles are everywhere …..that’s the magic of summer in Lancaster County.

But sumer doesn’t last forever….don’t let it slip away.

Inn with the Old!

Most folks love new things and I am no exception, especially if it’s a gadget for the kitchen or pair of shoes.  But what really makes my heart beat fast is something old.  Something that has stood the test of time, been loved and cared for and has a well-worn patina.

Bruce was brought up in a household that always loved antiques.  But I didn't have much exposure to them until I met him.  And so a whole new world opened up when we started dating.  And my love affair with all things old is still going strong.

Friends were visiting last weekend.  They started out as guests in 2002, and after spending many weekends antique shopping, we have become friends.  These are dangerous folks because they have elevated the art of buying antiques to a level of incredible taste and style.  They asked us to go to the VillageBarn Antique Shop in nearby Churchtown.  While we had been there before, they said that the quality of the antiques was remarkable.  And so we innocently set out for a quick visit.

And there it was.  Across the room.  It was love at first sight.

Bruce and I have always wanted a grandfather clock, and we could kick ourselves for passing one up at auction several years ago.  They seem such a distant relative from the modern high-tech digital clock. And to have one that is beautiful, functional and patiently ticks - a piece of furniture instead of an accessory.

And so we talked....well, not for long.  But we did try to learn what we could.  

It was made in 1820 in Philadelphia by Thomas F. Joyce. This is the year that:

- Maine is admitted as the 23^rd state,
- Tomatoes are proven to be non-poisonous,
- Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 and 50, and
- 67 Philadelpians die of yellow fever in September.

A different time indeed.  You can't help but wonder who it was that first wound this clock.  And so it was decided, we'd take it home.  Now began the process of taking it apart,

inluding the pendulum

the weights

and the face.  We learned how to set it, wind it,

and level it. 

We finally welcomed it to The Artist's Inn!

with plenty of ceiling space

Not in the market for a clock?  No problem.  The Village Barn is only ten minutes from the inn, is open every day but Tuesday and Wednesday and has so many wonderful items.   It's located in a restored century old tobacco warehouse in Lancaster County.

We’ve bought several antiques before, but on my list right now are:

An adorable French lunchbox - the green one on the left

This antique tray

This really neat apple butter bucket (not sure what I'd do with it as it is REALLY big!)

and I loved these boots as well.  But our friends bought those, so I'll get to see them whenever we visit. Here are some more items that you might like!

But you are warned.  Visiting this shop may result in falling in love with something irresistable, something you may have never seen.....something old.