Last week Bob and I had some free time so we decided to play tourist and visit Hildene the home of Robert Todd Lincoln, the only son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to adulthood. The home is a short drive (90 minutes) from Woodstock to Manchester, Vermont. This is a wonderful place to visit…..thought you might enjoy seeing some of the Lincoln home and grounds. A little preview until you visit in person! Check out Hildene’s website, www.hildene.org
This morning I decided I would avail myself to truly one of the best things about living in the Village of Woodstock, VT–WALKING. There isn’t a bad time to walk the village, but one of the best times is a summer early morning, when the sun is up, but not showing its full force, and many people are just starting their day. You might find some dew on the plants and grass and a coolness in the air. Perfect, for a nice long walk.
I decided that I would take my camera so that I could share with you what I see, walking out the front door, heading “downtown”. We would love for you to join us here at the Canterbury House, and do your own Walking Tour of Woodstock Village. Enjoy the Tour!
Have you made your plans for the 4th of July? It is just a week away? You have probably thought about the beach and yes, there is nothing like the sound of the surf crashing on the sand and frolicking in the water. But, remember the traffic, the crowds and don’t forget that major sunburn even after applying sunscreen! Wouldn’t you like to kick back and relax with a cookout, music and fireworks? Make plans to visit Woodstock Vt for a Woodstock 4th of July. We still have rooms available, here at the Canterbury House Bed and Breakfast, so give us a call (802-457-3077) or visit our website (www.thecanterburyhouse.com) and book your room. We are a short 10 minute drive to our wonderful Independence Day festivities.
Here is just a sampling of what is going on…. Walk from the Canterbury House to the Old Vermont 4th Celebration @ Billings Farm and Museum, starting at 10 am. They have the reading of the Declaration of Independence, old time debates, wagon rides, the fun just goes on and on! Oh, yes, Ice Cream consumption IS Involved. Starting at 4PM, taking that short drive that I talked about earlier, head over to the Woodstock Union High School for Carnival Games, Cotton Candy, live entertainment by the Chad Hollister Band, and of course the Cookout & Picnic, finishing up with some of the best Fireworks ever!
Doesn’t all of that sound wonderful? Don’t wait another moment….call us. Oh, and I almost forgot, you REALLY don’t want to miss the Canterbury House 4th of July tradition of Waffles and Ice Cream for breakfast (they are VERY patriotic too….you can be sure of a bit of red (berries), white (ice cream) and blue (blueberries). AND…if you bring your Bicycle, WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR PLAYING CARDS AND CLOTHESPIN, to attach to the spokes of your tires for that great noise when you ride! Come on, you remember doing that as a kid, don’t you????? Bob and I are looking forward to meeting you.
The Covered Bridges Half Marathon of 2011 is now a distant, happy memory. As innkeepers, Bob and I look forward to this week-end all year. When we decided to purchase the Canterbury House, all those years ago, we didn’t know about half-marathons or for that matter, marathons. Neither one of us were ever runners, so why would we? Well, 13 half-marathons later, we consider ourselves “armchair experts”. We now know that the runners’ breakfast is pretty straight forward, (less is more) they like to “carb” up the night before, lots of water and of course…the beer tent is VERY IMPORTANT at the end of the race.
Now, with all of that being said, let me tell you about our wonderful half marathon guests. We have been fortunate for the last 4 years to have a houseful of repeat guests. Barbara, Eileen, Richmond and Mitch, (okay, Richmond, Eileen’s hubby, wasn’t here in person this year, due to work commitments, but was here in spirit) are the poster children for what makes this a wonderful week-end in Woodstock. They arrive on Friday and go home on Monday. They have their “half marathon week-end traditions”. Now, all of these traditions have a general theme FOOD! Friday night starts out with cheese, olives, wine, etc., on the patio (It is amazing the weather ALWAYS cooperates). Saturday, I always serve everyone French Toast and Sausage (Eileen would kill me if I didn’t!), then off to Mt Tom for the Trek to Taste hike. (Great event by the way, you hike Mt Tom to various food stations….. Mitch thinks ALL hikes finish with free food!). Shopping is always involved. Dinner on Saturday is always the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce Pasta Supper (quite tasty, with pasta sauce made by area restaurants, farmers market and decedent brownies for dessert (okay, here is the disclosure….I am biased about the brownies, because many of my fellow innkeepers and I make these tasty treats). The new tradition they added this year was lunch at Simon Pearce on Sunday. (They used to go to lunch at Simon Pearce on Sat, but they got too full at Trek to Taste, so adjustments had to be made.)
Okay, more about the Maryland gang later, let me tell you about our other great half marathoners. Polly and Jim have stayed with us 3 years, Neil and Colleen, 2 years (they missed last year, something about a wedding they had to go to) and lastly, Brian and Kelly, first timers to the Canterbury House and the half marathon. Now both Polly and Colleen ( who are childhood friends) have had babies in the past year, very cute babies, I might add, so as an “armchair runner” I am in awe of these two women. And by the way, another connection this group has is Brian and Neil are cousins.
That is a little backround on our group. All great people who, here it comes…..Are a wee bit Competitive!! Breakfast race day, everyone is “casually” talking about how they think they will do, but secretly hoping they leave each other “in the dust”. Okay, have Bob and I fueled this competitive air….YOU BETCHA! Remember Bob posts Canterbury House guest times on our website, with the House winner getting front page honors. Now, this year Brian (first timer for the house and race), won that honor. There were a few bruised egos that this first timer had the best house time…..next year could be very different, the Canterbury regulars, could put the new kid in his place!!!!
Lastly, a bit of braggin about our brood of runners and the event. Both Eileen and Mitch have been participating in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon for 10 years. Barbara has been running for 8 years. Isn’t that something? It shows you what a great event this Half Marathon is every single year. The REALLY terrific thing about this event, is that all monies raised go to various charities. It involves so many communities like Woodstock, Pomfret, and Quechee, who lend their support by volunteering or offer support by cheering every runner from start to finish. An all around “WIN WIN“ for everyone, don’t you think? Doesn’t get any better than this. Looking forward to next years’ race. See you June 3, 2012!
10 Years of Food...Oops I mean Running!
No, you are not going crazy…I know some of you have already read the blog about the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and the Canterbury House runners. Unfortunately, our host server provider was hacked last week end. What came up if you clicked on our website, well, let me just say….you didn’t see the Canterbury House. It, of course also effected our blog site. When everything was restored, yup, you guessed it….The Half Marathon Blog was gone. So…….. I will have to recreate the entire blog.
I am hoping to get the blog up again, in the next few days, so stay tuned, check back mid-week to read ALL about this great event and the Canterbury House FABULOUS runners.
PS If you follow my blog, you will remember that right out of the chute I told you I wasn’t the teckkie person, Bob is Mr Techno/Computer Guy. Now, when this happened, not only did Bob have to deal with the problem itself….boy, did he have his hands full, when he told me my blog was lost in cyberspace forever……(Not that I would ever whine and complain!!)
Woodstock is a wonderful place to visit, for so many reasons, and in late spring and summer one of the best reasons is GOLF. If you like to play golf, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to experience a Robert Trent Jones Sr. 18 hole course. The 6,000-yard, par 70 course, is a challenging sequence of fairways, sandtraps and water hazards guaranteed to test even the most seasoned golfer. (Just ask my brother in law!) You will be surrounded by breathtaking panoramic views.
Bob and I took a quick trip over to the the Woodstock Golf Club today, to check things out, took a few pictures and it looks very good, even this early in the season. People were already out on the course, greens were being cut, trees are starting to put out their leaves. Quite pretty, with all the light shades of green, that before you know it, will be magnificent and lush.
We invite you to come to Woodstock and this wonderful golf club. Give us a call (802-457-3077) or email us ( thecanterburyhouse@gmail.com), and we can reserve your room and get that round of golf started. You don’t want to miss out on a wonderful day outdoors with a great round of golf and a wonderful stay at The Canterbury House Bed and Breakfast.
Don’t you just love daylight savings? This week-end we spring forward! I love that whole spring forward thing. After a winter like this one, springing forward to spring sounds pretty darn good to me. I find that once we change the clocks my whole attitude changes. I finally believe that, the now ugly, dirty snow will go away, and the mud will disappear and okay, no groaning….the grass will be greener!
So, don’t be too upset losing that hour of sleep….it is, just one night…..think of all the wonderful sunshine, colors and sounds that spring brings. Have you seen your first robin yet?
Oh, I almost forgot…do you like my clock? It isn’t just any Rooster alarm clock. This clock is from my friend Vita in Tennessee. Vita is an incredibly talented fiber artist. Her creativity never ceases to amaze me. Now you are wondering, “What does all that have to do with a rooster clock?” Well, Vita has a wonderful website that spotlights her artwork and her blog. Last year Vita and her husband Dan decided they were going to raise there own egg laying chickens! Her blog chronicled the baby chicks coming home, to the laying of the FIRST EGG and so much more! Now, Vita’s incredibly creative mind came up with a contest to guess how many eggs “her girls ” laid in 2010. This clock was the prize!! Now, I didn’t win the clock by guessing the right number of eggs, I “won” because I said “If I win, I will make sure that when Dan and Vita come visit us in Woodstock, the clock would be in THEIR ROOM. I also suggested, a better idea for a contest would be to guess how many eggs Dan and Vita have eaten, since the girls started laying eggs. Rusty, from Miami was the actual winner. Rusty said “If I win send the clock to Sue Frost, so it can be put in Vita and Dan’s room!!!”. So…..that’s how I got the clock. (Thanks Rusty!)
The point to all of this is, check out Vita’s website and see for yourself her wonderful artwork. Read her blog too! I guarantee that everyone of her posts will put a smile on your face. You really need to experience for yourself “The Girls”. The web address is www.vitamarielovett.com.
So, make sure you ”spring forward” Your clock this week-end. And I should also add that, if you decide when you visit the Canterbury House that you would like the Rooster clock in your room, it can be arranged. (I even think that if Vita and Dan are here, they would let you have the clock!!)
Enjoy “springing forward”.
Okay, I am NOT telling you anything you didn’t already know, or for that matter experienced, where you live….IT HAS BEEN BONE CHILLING COLD RECENTLY!! Last week-end (Jan 21st through the 24th, Monday) we had some pretty impressive temperatures, ranging from daytime lows of -6 to nighttime lows of -24! Despite the cold, and lucky for us, our guests Lynn and Mike came to cross-country ski. Anytime we get to spend time with our guests is great, but, what made their visit special is that Mike is a FABULOUS photographer and he is graciously allowing us to share them with you. All of these pictures were taken by Michael Skerry with his IPhone! You should also check out his website (especially if wedding plans are in your future. He will do destination weddings, Woodstock maybe?). www.derbystudios.com. If he takes this terrific a photo with his phone, the sky is the limit with professional photography gear.
These were taken Sunday morning, January 16th 2011, temperature around 16 degrees. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, but pretty. Of course Canterbury House guests are a hardy bunch….We fortified them with a tasty, full breakfast, and off they went to cross country ski and snow shoe. Stay warm!
Well, as the snow is falling (and piling up) today, I find I have the urge for “nesting” and enjoying all of those winter comfort foods. It is the kind of day that you KNOW you should be getting SOMETHING done, but truth be told….you don’t want to do anything. So, what do you do? I decided I would first indulge in the winter comfort food effect. A hearty vegetable and chicken soup is bubbling as I type. The aroma is wonderful and I can’t wait for dinner! Even better than dinner will be tonight, ahh the thought of the left-overs for another cold winter day.
The grown-up in me tells me, “come on…there are so many things on that darn TO DO LIST, get moving!” So I decided since the soup is doing its thing, I would at least (finally) get my 2010 Wassail Week-end pictures out on the blog. As I pick and choose which pictures will make ‘the cut”, it is nice to relive the magic and fun of one of the best events in Woodstock all year. Our wonderful Canterbury House guests totally embraced all that Wassail Week-end had to offer. It was great to see Wayne and Marybeth, our newlyweds again. They got engaged Wassail week-end 2009 and lucky for us, they made the Canterbury House part of their memories. Our first timers to Wassail…David, Melody, Bill, Sandy, Tom, Lynn and last but not least Angela and Donna (they came ALL the way from North Carolina) didn’t miss doing anything. From Pentangle’s show on Friday, the House Tour, Historical Society tour to the “10″ concert AND of course the parade. Whew, so many things for one week-end. So, here is a little view of all the fun. I know, December is a LONG way off, but it is never to early to think about visiting Woodstock for Wassail Week-end (December 9th through the 11th, 2010. It is a great gift to give to yourself!
Seasons Greetings from your innkeepers Bob and Sue Frost at the Canterbury House Bed and Breakfast in Woodstock Vermont. We hope that all of our guests, past, present and future have the merriest holiday season. We also wish you a healthy and happy new year.
This past year has seen many new events come to Woodstock for our guests to enjoy. Great summer concerts at Suicide Six, Art shows on the Green, many new programs at Billings Farm just to name a few. Happily, many of the tried and true events continue, like the Covered Bridges Half Marathon, The Quechee Balloon Festival, and of course, Wassail Week-end (blog to follow soon!), We can’t wait for 2011!!
We were happy to see many of our returning guests in 2010. Always nice to catch up with everyone. For those guests who visited the Canterbury House for the first time in 2010, we are thrilled to add them to our “bed and breakfast family”. We look forward to our “family” growing in 2011.
We are excited about the new year approaching. Our new web site will be launched early in the year. Re-decorating projects are scheduled. Gardens are expanding (Bob is happy, I expand garden beds, he has less grass to cut!). So stay tuned, or better yet, come see for yourself.
May your holiday be filled with all your favorite traditions and most of all, family. See you in 2011!
Here it is….two days after Thanksgiving and it is SNOWING! Okay, it isn’t much, but we have to start somewhere. It doesn’t get any better…we are starting the holiday decorating and snow is gently coming down.
With Wassail Week-end two weeks away, it could be a white one! Snow will make an already perfect week-end total perfection. We have just one room left, so give us a call and book that room.
Bill--Crossing Mile 365! He's in white shirt & grinning.
He has done it!
As I write this blog our nephew Bill Frost has passed the 365 mile post of his crusade. He is running in the New York Marathon and around mile 17 he met his goal. Family and friends were there to cheer him on. Technically, he will be doing more than his 365 miles when he crosses the finish line. (total miles 374)
If you read my earlier blog about Bill’s crusade to raise money for cancer, in honor of his stepmother who passed away in April, his good friend Tom and many others close to him who have had cancer touch their lives. Last check Bill has raised approximately $8,000. Pretty terrific!
Okay, I AM bragging again, but we are really proud of Bill. This was quite an undertaking, and he never waivered in meeting his goal. He gave up many a week-end, running, biking and swimming through lots of very hot weather. This has pretty much filled his life since March 2010. Now, we are waiting to hear what he is going to do next…knowing Bill, he will certainly try and top this.Check out his website, http://web.me.com/wmfrost/365CancerCrusade/Home.html
GREAT JOB BILL!
JUST IN….AS OF 11/15/10, BILL RAISED OVER $10,000.00. AMAZING!
As the fall foliage season comes to an end, I thought you might enjoy some of the sights of the 2010 season. See you in 2011!
Early last week Bob and I had a chance to sneak out for lunch at one of our favorite places in the area. We went to the Long Trail Brewing Company in nearby Bridgewater. Whenever we want to “kick back” and take some time to enjoy our surroundings, off we go to the Long Trail for lunch. Food is decent (bar type ) and inexpensive. When you walk in you are greeted by the smell of the continuous popping of the pocorn, that you can scoop endless bowls. Goes great with their selection of Ales. The ever popular IPA, Double Bag or of course, the Long Trail Ale. It is always fun to do a “sampler”. Now, there is nothing fancy about this place….it is a Brewery. You sit at picnic tables, no fine china! When the weather is nice you can sit outside on the deck and watch the river meander by. (Although in early spring, it tends to Roar by, with everything thawing and melting.) We sit outside every chance we can.
Over the years we have sent many of our guests here and I have lost count on how many times we have gone ourselves, or with friends. We find it to be consistently good. It is our “CHEERS’. A place to see familiar faces and where they know your name! No matter what the time of year, visit the Long Trail for lunch. If you get there before us and you take “OUR” table, it is okay, we will just join you!
