Ten Acres Lodge - A Stowe Vermont Bed and Breakfast

It’s been awhile since I posted last and much has happened here at Ten Acres Lodge.  First, we celebrated our 4th anniversary of ownership in late August.  Hard to believe it has been 4 years!  As I’ve told the many people who have graced our establishment, this has been the most frustrating, challenging, exhausting and REWARDING thing I’ve ever done.  It is a difficult line of work but I can’t think of anything I’ve done professionally that has given me more pride or satifaction.  So we’ve popped the champagne, had a toast to the past four years….and got back to work!

The coming weeks bring a busy time in Stowe and for good reason.  The British Invasion Car show is an popular annual event that takes place this month.  Hundreds of classic British sports cars invade our little town and make for a fun filled atmosphere.  Even if you aren’t a car “enthusiast”, this show brings back memories of a time gone by.  The cars are terrific to look at and the people driving them and admiring them are even better.  This is one of my favorite weekends in Stowe because the people who come here for the show are fun loving, easy going and friendly. 

The big event to bless Stowe in the coming weeks is, of course, the fall colors.  Theories are abundant on whether the colors will be good this year.  Some say it will be a great year since we had a wet summer.  Other say it will be a bad year because of the wet summer.  I say, the colors are always good!  To be sure, some years are better than others but I can honestly say that the 4 years we have been here, it always takes my breath away.  Some have noted that some trees are already turning though I can’t see it.  I do know a few leaves have fallen here at Ten Acres but that is normal for here this time of year.

I do know one thing for certain…if you want to come and enjoy the magic of a New England Autumn, make your plans now!  We are already fully booked on Columbus day weekend and the weekend before.  But that still leaves plenty of time to explore Vermont’s wonders.  Anytime between Sept 25 and Oct 20 is pretty certain to have plenty of color in the trees.  It’s not an exact science so its hard to guarantee but… this time frame works most any year.  The biggest problem won’t be seeing colors, it will be finding a place to sleep!  So if you’re considering getting away from life for a few days and taking in the splendor of New England, make your plans now.

I will do my best to post observations from here as to the colors we’re seeing, with no spin, so you plan accordingly.  You can also look at the web site foliage network for good info as well.

We hope to see you here in the coming weeks.  It promises to be a great time in Stowe Vt! 

The summer is heating up in more ways than one here in Stowe.  While we have had our share of rain lately, things are looking up for the rest of the summer.  There are so many events in the next few weeks that its hard to mention them all.  The Antique Car show…Taste of Stowe Arts Festival…Summer Music festival, Mozart Festival, The British Invasion Car show and much, much more.  If you want more information, visit here http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo_calendar.php?month=9&year=2008 to learn more.

Even with all the gloom and doom on the news concerning the economy and gas prices, our humble little town seems to be filling up with visitors.  If you plan to come up, make your reservations soon as most weekends are filling up fast.  August is a great time to visit with pleasantly warm days and cool nights.  At Ten Acres,  we have the gardens full of flowers, the pool is pristine and the surroundings beautiful.  Makes working so hard worth it!  Now if I can only get some time off to catch a few of these events!

Hope to see you in Stowe and at Ten Acres Lodge.

icytrees at stowe

Originally uploaded by paul+photos=moody

Unlike the past two winters here in Stowe, we’re excited that mother nature has decided to give us an early Christmas present…SNOW and lots of it! Well, maybe not LOTS but certainly more than we’ve had at this time of year in the past. The Mountain (Stowe Montain Resort) has gotten over 3 feet of snow in the past two weeks and down here we have about 6 inches on the ground now. Haven’t seen the grass (or the leaves I didn’t pick up) for two weeks now. That’s good news for most of our guests who come here for downhill and cross country skiing. This morning looked much like this picture that was taken in 2005…a blanket of white powder covering the trees. Perhaps this is the winter many of us have been waiting for. I have heard our snowfall is greater so far than out west which is unusual.

On another front, I am excited to announce that our lodge was featured in a full page ad in USA Today on Nov. 28. The ad is for Megellan GPS devices. Their ad agency had contacted us for permission to use our picture and we were happy to let them use it. It is a great picture, taken by a friend of mine, Jim Armstrong. He is a professional photographer and it truly shows in the ad. I hope you have a chance to see it…we are proud and grateful for the opportunity to showcase our place. We hope it sells a lot of GPS devices….and maybe a few rooms for us. The ad will run several more times in the coming weeks in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

If you like winter…if you like snow…if you like skiing, you must head up to Stowe. It’s looking like a banner year for skiing!

August brings to us at Ten Acres Lodge several memories…some good, some not so good. But it does mark a time for reflection as we bid farewell to summer and look forward to nature’s colorful display called fall foliage.

This month marks the third anniversary of our ownership of Ten Acres. Time has flown by so much it truly is hard to believe its been three years. In that short time, we have accomplished much. For those of you wondering what an innkeeper does over three years, here’s an example. The past three years we have: Put new roofs on all three buildings, foundation repair on two buildings, a new water distribution system for all 4 buildings, new boiler for one building, three new water heaters, new fireplace doors for 8 rooms, new sinks for 8 rooms and on and on. Its amazing when I think about it. We’ve done so much, yet still have more work to do.

But this place is worth it! We’re on a beautiful spot of land with great views, with people who come to visit who are, for the most part, friendly and appreciative of what we have done. As I reflect back over the last 3 years, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished and determined to continue to improve this venerable place.

This August also marks the 1 year anniversary of my Father’s passing. A B Wilson was a career Naval Officer who loved to fly planes. I don’t know if I truly ever knew just how strong his love affair with flying was…that is until he was gone. Friends of his share stories of a naval aviator who proudly served his country and had a great time doing it. I knew him well, but don’t think I really understood his passions. So as part of my reflections, I wish I had taken the chance to understand him better. That’s not to say our relationship wasn’t good…it was better than good..it was a connection I doubt I will have with anyone else.

He lives on in many ways, not the least of which is the abundance of bird carvings we have around the lodge. I am grateful to have those and even more grateful to be able to share them with our guests. The last time I saw him, I told him when I look at the stars at night, I would know it was him shining down on me. Wouldn’t you know on the 1st anniversasy of his death, it was cloudy to start but as night began to fall, the clouds parted, and the stars were everywhere! That night, in August, I had a nice chat about how much life had happened in three years.

August…a time for reflection….

Killington

Originally uploaded by Styggiti

I attended a meeting the other day here in Stowe where the topic was the growth in mountain biking. I had no idea how many people had taken up the sport and how many trails there are here in Stowe for mountain biking. There is a local club in town that has been building trails and working to make more land accessible for bikers. I found it a typical Vermont story when he told us 30-50 people would gather on a Saturday morning with shovels and build trails all day. The people here are outdoor enthusiasts and often will contribute their time to make the area cleaner, spruce up the landscape or build whatever is needed. Stowe has trails for all levels of bikers. Many bikers who venture out to the roads during summer and fall are frequent guests of our lodge. One day hopefully we can put in a rack for bikers to keep their bikes overnight but for the time being, they leave them in our barn.

The meeting left me wanting to give this biking thing a try. Perhaps if I ever get some time away from this place, I’ll do it…after I play golf first!

My Pete At The End Of A Rainbow

Originally uploaded by knitswreck

The view from the front of our place is truly spectacular. A guest that stayed at Ten Acres several years back took this photo showing one of the many rainbows we get around here. Lately, there have been a few more than wanted as we have been getting a lot of rain, but it looks like the sunny days are ahead for us.

This view seems to be one the most photographed in Stowe as all the cars that pull over in our parking lot can attest. I’ve thought about charging a toll during foliage season! I guess the view is appealing for several reasons. One, the cows. Most everyone likes taking pictures of the many cows that are across the street. It’s interesting that the cows that occupy this land are all pregnant and every week or so, a truck will pull up, find the new mother and her calf, and take them back to the main farm. Then the truck will return and drop off another expecting mother.

The barn you see off in the distance is another reason for people to like this view. It was abandoned long ago but it is in surprisingly good shape. It helps one look into our past, to see America as it once was, a landscape dotted with family farms, as this land once was. Ten Acres Lodge was originally a simple farm house, built by the Bigelow family in 1836.

I like having a classic Vermont landscape right out my front door. It’s a view everyone should take in at least once in their lifetime.

Fed Cup 2005 Finale

Originally uploaded by mistercham

The Fed Cup is an exciting event coming to Stowe next week. The town is buzzing about the tourney and hopeful that the US can pull off a win. The Williams sisters are scheduled to play. It should be a great atmosphere around here. The visiting Russian team will provide stiff competetion but we are hoping for a USA victory.

I don’t know if any of you have followed the latest “format war” in consumer electronics. There are two competing formats in high definition for home video…HD DVD and Blu Ray. Some of you may know that I have an interest in home video with the cinema we have in our Hill House building. This week I decided to take the plunge…I could wait no longer. And the winner is…BLU RAY.

Why? Well, several reasons, most notably that more films are available in Blu Ray, with more hollywood studios supporting the format. Unlike a previous “war” ( can anyone remember VHS v. Beta?) all movies released are not automatically put on each format. The second reason is my affinity for Sony products. My projector and surround amp are both Sony and it seemed to make sense to have everything match up.

The picture is amazing! Both formats do this well but I was amazed on how crisp the image was on Blu Ray. I am excited to watch some movies on it in the coming days but equally excited to have some of our guests experience it.

I’m curious if any of you have entered this format war or what you think about it. The home viewing experience is changing before our eyes so if any of you have jumped into this hobby, let me know. Better yet, come up and see us and see for yourself how spectacular home theater can be.