Smile at New Techology

We bought an I-pad to keep on top of e-mail and requests for reservations.  It has a handy camera but I couldn't figure out how to access those photos to add to our blog as we travelled.  A tech-savvy friend stopped by and showed us how to mail it to our blog.  She asked to use a photo for a test and I picked this one. 

Gordon A. Mueller

There was actually a reason for making this selection.  I was asked to participate in a panel discussing possible ways to improve recovery efforts for endangered fish.  The answers have been obvious for 20 years but the same questions are being asked. 

Anyway, just before I retired a fellow researcher wrote me a nice note saying I reminded him of the "Lorax" in the Dr. Seuss stories.  I wasn't familiar with the character but discovered it was the "environmentalist, the one wanting to save the trees"  that was quite a complement.  Anyway, the theme of my talk was Dr. Seuss, something I would never have gotten away with when I was employed.   At the end I showed the Lorax and diffused my image over it.  Fun!  I have to work on my mustache. 

January brings "TIME OFF!"

Winter is our slow time and since Gordon was asked to participate in a fishery meeting in Laughlin, NV, we thought we'd take some time off.  ROAD TRIP!  Gas up the Prius! 

We love checking out other B & B's as we try to compare and improve our service.  One place we stopped was the Sedgewick Antique Inn, located in Sedgewick, CO.  Sedgewick is a small (pop. 80) eastern Colorado town. There were two Google reviews on the establishment, one in 2008 and the other was only a couple of weeks old.  It had warned they were apprehensive seeing the outside of the building but would stay there again.  We thought we'd give it a try.

The business is operated and owned by Lupi, a charming and innovative retired school teacher.  Ten years ago she bought an old State Bank building which housed a 15 room hotel upstairs. 
Her Inn is unique and extremely casual to say the least; not your common B & B with all the 'frills.'  Her primary clientele are goose hunters which hunt at the local refuge.  Rates were $20 per person which included a continental breakfast. 

When we entered, we were greeted with a 'spattering' of yellow signs instructing us to use the phone along with other house rules.  We call the specified number and Lupi showed up.  She gave us a 2 hour tour of the building and we had a delightful conversation about Inn keeping, small town business, local politics, family and each other's dreams.

Our next experience was staying at the Inn On Broadway.  This B & B was an elegant, 4 bedroom Victorian home built 1880's.  It sits just off main street in Silver City, NM; the boyhood home of Billy the Kid.  We walked the old down town and we were given recommendations where to eat.  These appeared to be 'tourist traps'.   Instead we ate dinner at "Nancy's," a 'local' Mexican restaurant.  The small, commonplace restaurant served an OUTSTANDING meal.  It was really authentic and couldn't have been beat!  The hostess serviced and nice breakfast and we talked shop.  She had been in the business the past 8 years and offered that business had been down the past two years.  (No photo, sorry).


Our last B & B stay was at the Wisteria Hideaway in Luktin, TX.  The business had just been recently purchased by a young couple and this was their first week of operation.  The 1939 house was the home of Ted Trout, one of the founders of Luktin Industries.  The home was charming, breakfast was great and we had an enjoyable conversation with Candi who also runs a day care and a commercial bakery.  She's quite an energetic woman! 

Our trip took us through 12 states and 5,000 miles.  We stopped at Hoover Dam where Gordon had worked 30 years ago.  At that time they had started planning a bridge to span the Canyon walls to bypass traffic from the Dam.  It only took the Government 30 years to complete the project.  Regardless, IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE STRUCTURE!

We saw some remarkable sites.  We visited Lincoln, NM, the site of the Lincoln County War and the famed Billy the Kid.  Its a small, quaint village out in the middle of no where. We visited the jail where Billy escaped and killed the sheriff. 

We visited Saguaro National Monument to see the lush Arizona desert and walked the 'Cat Walk' which Gordon visited 30 years ago.  At that time it was the original suspended wooden structure which has now been replaced with a suspended steel walkway.

Saguaro National Monument

The 'Cat Walk', NM

We discovered the true meaning of 'snow birds.'  We've always enjoyed traveling along the Platte River in late winter and early spring to see the thousands of Sandhill Cranes that gather there.  It is quite a site.  I knew they went South for the winter but I really didn't pay much attention where.  We found out.  They are nearly in every refuge in the Southwest.  The one below looked like he wanted to save the flight and hitch-hike back with us.  Sorry!

We were in the neighborhood of Carlsbad Cavern, a site we visited on our honeymoon nearly 40 years earlier.  Linda insisted we make the stop and we're glad we did.  It was just as beautiful and awesome as before.  There are few things more beautiful than nature. 

We also stopped in the little town of San Antonio, NM where we ate lunch at the Buckhorn Saloon.  It's green chili burger was ranked 7# in the US.  It was early afternoon and we still had to wait about 30 minutes but it was worth every minute.  About a 1/2 fresh hamburger patty; grilled onions and green chili, topped with American Cheese and served on a HOME MADE toasted bund!  YUM!

Buckhorn Saloon, San Antonio, NM

We spent two days in Corpus Christi.  The first day we sent at the State Aquarium, beach and at the USS Lexington.  Gordon got to sit in the Captains seat on the bridge and said it gave him "goosebumps" reflecting on the action seen through these windows during WWII.  Locals directed us to their favorite restaurant for seafood.   We arrived at "Snoopy's" just before sunset and were treated to a wonderful meal and outstanding view.  

Gordon Mueller on the Bridge on the Aircraft Carrier; USS Lexington.  "FULL STEAM AHEAD MATES!".. 

From our table at Snoopy's

We had a great time and picked up some tips along the way.  All in all, we think we're doing pretty good at our new business venture.  We live in a beautiful county! 

Back to business.

Christmas Cheer -- 2011

Oft's Bed and Breakfast hosted a Christmas Party Wednesday night; about 25 guest showed up including two guests from DeMoines who stayed over night.  We served "Glogg" which is hot mulled wine, a Swedish Christmas drink; hot cider, finger foods and we made Annie Mohr's Pforden recipe.  Pforden is a round German fritter which is cooked in a special cast iron pan that has half ball depressions.  The depressions are half filled with grease and dough is spooned in.  As it cooks its gently rotated so it creates a round fritter. 

The hot fritters are removed in put in a sack with sugar and shaken and served hot. They are a traditional German holiday Treat!

We are considering serving them with fruit syrups and serving them next year for breakfast.  We'll see how that goes.

Everybody seems to have had a good time.  The ladies took over the dining room and the gentlemen gathered around to guard the 'Glogg' pot and discussed the problems of the world.  I don't think we solved any, but we had a good time finding the bottom of the Glogg pot. 

Paula, Lois, Maureen, Jean, and CoeLeta

Dick, Bill, Dale, Al and Diana making a hasty retreat!

IS That a Leg Lamp?

One of the funniest Christmas Movies I've ever seen was "A Christmas Story" that came out in 1983.  The story centers around a family in the 1940's.  The father (Darren McGavern) was a salesman who had just won a mysterious "prize" from a contest.  His son is scheming to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.   Dad thrill in winning the prize is climaxed by the arrival of a special delivery crate.  He opens it to find a "leg lamp" which he cherishes and his wife despises.  If you get a chance to see the movie, please do. 



The Magnificent "Leg Lamp"

 "A Christmas Story" has become a classic and leg lamps have been showing up in windows around the holidays for two decades.  I have actually been looking for a mannequin in order to build one. 

Guess what?  The Chinese and my wife beat me to it.  Linda arrived today with a very large box and proclaimed; "Merry Christmas."  I opened it and IT IS A BEAUT!!!   My very own Leg Lamp!!  She said I could display it during the month of December.  ??? What??  No!! It needs to stay out all year!   (Very doubtful) 

It is a Very Merry Christmas at Oft's Bed & Breakfast.  Happy Holidays to you!

Trip to Springfield, Ill to see Lincoln shrines

One nice thing about owning Oft's Bed and Breakfast is when business drops off, you can take off.  Last weekend were the last of our reservations for a while so we packed the car and headed to Springfield, ILL for our 39th Anniversary.  Gordon started his career at Lincoln's Home and John was born there.  This was our first time back in 34 years. 

We had driven by Hannibal, Missouri a dozen times and never stopped, this time we did.  We stayed at Lula Bells which was build next to the river in 1917 and served as a brothel in those early days.  Today, it's a restaurant and bed and breakfast.  The surrounding olde town is really neat and its interesting visiting buildings and drinking coffee in a coffee shop built before the Civil War.  We walked the Mississippi shoreline where Mark Twain grew up and worked before moving out to Nevada.

In Springfield, we stayed in the Pasfield B & B built in 1847.  Its located downtown and is owned and operated by Tony Leone, a very interesting and leading historian in the Springfield area.  This year he won the honor of the leading historian preservationist.  He is a fascinating guy and has a beautiful facility located downtown.  It was a great place to spend our anniversary.



The Pasfield Inn

 We have had several people stay with us that told us we simply had to go see the new Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.  We did and boy was it worth the drive.  It really drives home the extraordinary man that Lincoln was if you get a chance, please go.  The President and his family even took time to allow a photo with us.  That is special! 

Tall Men Marry Short Women

 We did a lot of walking in Springfield, parking the car and hoofing it around.  The weather was beautiful, sunny and 60.  It was about 6 blocks down to the Lincoln Home and it hadn't changed much.  Today, you have to have tickets to get admitted to the home.  In my day you simply had to knock on the front door.  Today a ranger takes you through on a personal tour, there were only the 3 of us, it was nice.  He was curious how much the home had changed in 34 years.   Afterward, we asked him to do what a hundred Home visitors asked me to do 34 years ago.  Some pay back!

Lincoln's Home and Tourists

 

Christmas and the Holidays

Our most resent guests were a military couple taking the opportunity to get away.  He flew for the Air Force and recently was in Russia flying reconnaissance to verify treaty mandates between our two countries.  He has an interesting and important job to say the least.  Anyway, after we got the cleaning and laundry done we broke out the Christmas decorations.   

The Oft-Gordon Home, Bennington, NE.

The weather was beautiful, cool but sunny.  The lights went up easier this year than last.  I added permanent hanging hooks and I simply had to hang the strands as I unwound the lights.  If you look closely, you might see Santa!

Is that Santa peeking out?

     

Woman's Club Festival of Trees

Living in a small town has its attributes.  One, being the fund raising meals served by various organizations.   There are a number in Bennington.  The Lions have a rib feed, the Legion a breakfast, The Bennington Foundation a park barbecue and the Fire and Rescue have a pancake feed.   This year the Woman's Club held a "Festival of Trees" which featured Christmas Trees sponsored by various businesses and organisations; a bake sale, "Grandma's Attic" (crafts and nick-nacks), and food.   Funds from the two day event goes to support the local library. 

This year we partnered on a tree with A/Art Glass which is owned and operated by Linda's brother and sister-in-law.  The Oft's Bed and Breakfast tree was decorated with hand crafted fused glass ornaments made in Jan and Morrie's shop.  The ornaments were really popular!




The Tree Decorators: Jan, Linda, CoeLeta and Maureen

We got second prize in the tree contest and had a lot of fun.