Changing our water offering - again!

I posted awhile ago about changing from generic bottled water to the Tumai brand - an award-winning local bottled water with some profits going to help the water situation in Africa. Unfortunately, Tumai has been so successful that they have now signed an exclusive distribution deal with a big distributor and they have been priced out of our reach - almost triple what we were paying for generic water. A budget-buster for us as a small business!

So we are taking another step towards decreasing our environmental footprint and will now offer a Shenandoah Springs water dispenser in our guest library, along with our ice machine and refrigerator, on the second floor. It is slightly more costly than the generic bottled water but still within our budget, and we have eliminated the bottle waste. In the rooms we will offer glass carafes and glasses (washed, of course, between guests and as needed - no wiping out with a rag). We also have ordered mini ice buckets for the rooms. The tap water is still perfectly okay to drink; if you want to take water with you, please bring your own refillable water bottle. We hope our guests will appreciate the need to choose even small actions to lessen the human impact on the environment and its natural resources.

Jeanne & Jim at the
Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B in Shepherdstown, WV

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum Grand Re-Opening!

Two weeks ago, Historic Shepherdstown had a special ribbon-cutting party, with our mayor doing the honors, as the Museum was reopened for the 2008 season after being closed during 2007 for much-needed repairs and upgrades. It really looks great - the exhibits are now professionally mounted and display, the look is less cluttered and the exhibits stand out more. I especially enjoyed the new Arts & History room, with the vintage quilt and samplers. I love looking at antique and vintage needlework and we have several samplers from the 1940s and 1950s hanging on the walls of the Inn. The exhibits give a nice little synopsis of the rich history of Shepherdstown going back to pre-Revolutionary war times when a regiment was gathered here to support General Washington in Boston to more current events like the peace talks held here during President Clinton's term in office.

The Museum is open from April through October and for Christmas in Shepherdstown, on Saturdays from 11 - 5 and Sundays from 1 -4. Special tours for groups can also be arranged at other times - just call the director for details (304-876-0910).

Jeanne & Jim at the
Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B in Shepherdstown, WV

House & Garden Tour - April 26 & 27

It's raining cats and dogs here today, which is good news for next weekend's Shenandoah-Potomac House and Garden Tour, as the gardens should brighten right up this week. This year is the 53rd annual tour, which takes you to seven houses with gorgeous gardens in Jefferson and Berkeley counties, our home county and a neighboring county.

Our garden (pictured on the right) is not on the tour, but two houses in Shepherdstown are - the Chapline-Shenton House 3 blocks away on Princess Street, built in 1793, and the Welch House, just 1/2 block down German Street, built around 1825. Both are beautifully maintained homes with well-cared for gardens, and floral decorations will be added around the homes by the Dolley Madison and Shenandoah Garden Clubs. Tickets can be purchased at any house on the tour on the day of the tour for $20, or $6 for a single house. More details of the tour can be found on the website shenandoah-potomacgardencouncil.org.

We still have some availability for next weekend - stay at the Inn and you can walk to two of the homes open for the tour. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, but we have plenty of big umbrellas you can borrow as a guest of the Inn.

Jeanne & Jim at the
Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B in Shepherdstown, WV

My Favorite Food Blogs

I am not a trained chef, but I enjoy cooking and am always interested in trying new recipes. I always start with a recipe, but I often like to play with it - adjust it for what I like or what's in season or what I have in the refrigerator. I have always read cooking magazines - Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Cook's Illustrated - and tearing pages out to try later. Now, though, I've discovered food blogs, and I don't have to wait for a monthly fix. Here are some of my favorites...

Serious Eats - This is the most content-laden blog about food, a collection of articles from other media which runs the gamut from video-links of the Saturday Night Live parody of Top Chef (hilarious! and I love that show) to AP reports about research labs on animal diseases, with lots of links to recipes thrown in. Grits with cheddar - could be a new breakfast dish!

Bitten - This blog is by Mark Bittman, a food writer of the Minimalist column for the New York Times and cookbook author. Since we lived in Manhattan for a few years, I enjoy reading his take on the dining scene in New York City and his recipes. He also posts about his travels and dining oddities, like the restaurant in the air. (Like everyone I know, my main concern about that is - restrooms?)

Tea and Food - This blog is a recent discovery, found by following links from another food blog. That's a fun way to while away an afternoon, let me tell you. I am a tea drinker (never have touched coffee and am unlikely to start now) so I was immediately intrigued by the title. Then I discovered that the main contributor is from Somerville, the town outside Boston where we lived before buying the Inn. The focus is on tea and food, of course, but the bloggers also talk about local buying and sustainable eating. It's good stuff.

Orangette - This blog is food-lit more than recipes or information, but I enjoy the style of the author and I love her stories, including the tale of meeting her now-husband through her food blog. It's very romantic, and she has a good eye for her photos. I predict this will be the next blog to go the way of Julie & Julia - a blog turned into a book for author Julie Powell, about her year of cooking Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Said book was a well-received Christmas present from Jim, and I liked it!

I hope you all might enjoy some of these blogs as well, and try out some of the recipes that are in them. Happy cooking!

Jeanne & Jim at the
Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B in Shepherdstown, WV

Shepherdstown, WV Featured in the Washington Post

There was a nice article about Shepherdstown on the back page of the travel section of Sunday's Washington Post, with a quote from yours truly. I can now go to my grave saying that I've been quoted in the Washington Post. With just a little notice, I'm sure the quote could have been more memorable.
The piece is about living in a small town - which could be the topic for a whole 'nother post - but mentions some of the fun activities and places to go in Shepherdstown. He mentions suspender-wearing residents in the article - I have to say that none of the folks I hang out with wear suspenders, with the exception of one friend who dons them when he's fishing or duck hunting to hold up his waders. Still, for the most part, his article is right on. I understand the Four Seasons Book Store will be restocking Wanda and Frank's 'Moving to a Small Town' in anticipation of the renewed interest the article will generate!

Jeanne & Jim at the
Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B in Shepherdstown, WV