Joey's Rules of the Pool

As far as I know, we're the only B&B in Lancaster to have private indoor hot tubs. Here I am inspecting one after it has been drained, scrubbed clean and refilled. This takes about 2 hours total. What necessitated this laborious chore you might ask. Bubble bath! Yes, we had some guests who mistook our hot tub for an extra large bath tub and added about a half cup of bubble bath!! It did smell pretty nice though.

Nonetheless, the only way to get the bubble bath out of the tub was to throw the water out with it. Wait, haven't I heard that saying somewhere before? Involving a baby, maybe? Ah, yes, but I digress...

I love when the tub is full again and the chemicals, ph and temperature all back to normal. I like to look into the sparkling clean water and think how happy it will make our guests. Most of them are so appreciative of all the hard work we put into making our place a refuge for them. This hot tub is just one example.

If I had to list Rules of the Pool:

1. Please, no bubble bath.
2. Relax
3. Enjoy
4. Repeat

Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Casserole

2 C. of Milk (to make lactose-free, substitute soy, almond or rice milk)

¼ c. packed brown sugar

2 T. Butter (or margerine)

½ t. salt

1 C. Old Fashioned Oats

2 t. Cinnamon

1 t. Nutmeg

2 finely chopped apples (skins on or removed)

½ C. raisins (I prefer golden)

½ C. sweetened, dried berries (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, etc.)

½ C. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease medium casserole dish.  Combine milk, brown sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to simmer, cook until butter is melted (don't boil).  Remove from heat. Put oats in casserole.  Stir in milk mixture, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, nuts and raisins. Stir to moisten well.  Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve with milk or cream.

Oh, Sheet!

Joey again...last week, I explained the importance of folding all the towels just right so they fit on the shelf (hey, that elf has got nothing on me!) So, this week, I thought I'd move on to sheets. Most of the beds in the inn are queen sized. The Outback Cottage has a king-sized bed.

Regardless of the size, we have some really NICE sheets! Folding sheets is an acquired skill. The folding of the fitted sheet is very important. The fitted sheet then gets matched with its flat sheet and they're placed on the shelf in a nice, neat stack - all ready for taking to the guest rooms and putting on the beds.  One of our time-saving tips - the sheets for the king bed are either gold or chocolate brown so that they can found easily.

Pillow cases are ironed. Why? This is one of the little, unexpected 'extras' at our inn. We have certain parameters in between which everything must fall. Everything that the guest experiences must be just a little more special than what they might have for themselves at home (not many people iron their own pillow cases) but not TOO far out there that anyone feels intimidated (think of that really frilly hand towel that you see at Bed, Bath and Beyond that you think is pretty, but won't buy because if you did, you'd be afraid to use it).

So, after all the ironing and folding is done, and it's all placed neatly on the shelf, it's time to move on to other chores.

CATS

Most of our guests don't even realize that we have a cat. The cat, on the other hand, thinks all the guests come here just to pay attention to him and is therefore quite put out when I deliberately keep the doors shut to our owners'quarters and therefore isolating him from any potential belly rubs, ear scratches or head pats by the guests.

But, I'd like to discuss a different type of feline persuasion. Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS will debut at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater on May 16th and run thru June 29th. This is a production that should not be missed.

The Dutch Apple Dinner Theater is an easy 20 minutes from the Australian Walkabout Inn. Great food and superb entertainment, all in one package.

Mountains of Towels!!

Hi! It's Joey again. Today I'm helping Lynne fold towels. It's Monday, so there is lots and lots (and LOTS) of laundry!

The 'fold' is very important. There's a lot to think about. Separate types of towels - hand towels, bath sheets, spa towels, washcloths, makeup washcloths and bath mats. Each of these things has a specific area where it has to go on the shelf. If it's not folded properly, it won't fit on the shelves and it's not fun having to run all around the inn looking for things when they're not where they should be!

Now, this shelf might not look too organized, but in this space, everything has it's place! In this picture, I'm sitting in the basket that holds the washcloths and the bathrobe ties. These items go in a basket because they tend to get too messy sitting on the shelf outside of the basket.

Our innsitter, Anne of Two Hearts Innsitting is very impressed with our linen storage!

Next week...sheets!

Remote-ly Overwhelmed

Hi! I'm Joey. I'm the little kangaroo who usually lives in the Barossa Suite here at the Walkabout Inn. Lately, though, I've been out and about...getting into things like mischievous inn mascots are prone to do. Today I went around and counted all the remote controls. There are 13. And over 2 dozen batteries (AA and AAA) are needed to keep them operating in perfect order.

Keeping up with the technology of innkeeping is hard work. There are 5 televisions and 5 accompanying DVD players and 4 cable converter boxes. Not only do these things attract dust like magnets, but it seems that they all have different settings and quirks that you have to know in order to make them do what they're intended to do when they need to do it.

Just one more item on the 'to do' list of innkeeping. I'm hoping that you'll join me as I see what else there is around here to get into.

It's THAT Time of Year Once Again!!

Well, Thanksgiving is over and (most of) the halls are decked here at the Australian Walkabout Inn B&B. This year was a bit different in that we weren’t met with our usual early-November lull in guests thanks to Sight & Sound’s running Jonah through to the end of the year.

Speaking of the end of the year…that brings a NEW Year. Back by popular demand is our BOGO. Stay with us one night in January or February 2013 and add week-night for only $20.13! Of course, holiday weekends are excluded and some other restrictions apply, but you really can’t beat this deal!

But wait!!! There’s lots going on in Lancaster before the end of the year– too much to fully appreciate in just one day. You’re going to need two or three, at least.  And where else to lay your head after a busy day full of fun things to do? Well, the Australian Walkabout Inn, of course! Currently, we’re offering 25% off a consecutive 3-night stay.

            First of all – Shopping!! Outlets, including Rockvale and Tanger. Not to mention Park City Center, Kitchen Kettle Village, the shops in Downtown Lancaster and a myriad of other choices, both commercial and Amish. Don’t forget to get a little something for yourself!

            Next, we have theater! I’ve already mentioned Sight & Sound, but there’s also The Fulton, with a fabulous production of Singing in the Rain, but they’re also doing A Christmas Carol (my personal favorite) on December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 27. The American Music Theater has its original Christmas show, Home for the Holidays, that’s not to be missed. Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre is currently running a production of A Swingin’ Christmas. And, don’t forget Rainbow Dinner Theatre’s offering of Christmas In Paradise. Of course, all of these places also offer gift certificates, so you can pick up gifts for someone special while having a good time yourself.

            Historic offerings this time of year? Just a few…how about Wheatland Yuletide, Historic Poole Forge, or Country Christmas Village?

            If you’re interested in trains, we have just the ‘ticket’! All Aboard Railroad at Landis Valley is a 800+ square foot display of American Flyer Trains. The Columbia Historic Preservation Society offers a model train layout of over 1000 square feet depicting Columbia from the 1920’s to the 1950’s (eight trains running at a time at this display!) For life-sized trains, you can visit the Strasburg Railroad for their ‘Night Before Christmas Train’ on Friday, December 14^th.

            After all that excitement, you’re going to get hungry and you deserve to treat yourself to someplace special. Some of our favorite places to have dinner include – The Brasserie, The Greenfield Restaurant, Fenz, John J. Jefferies, Checker’s Bistro, Ciro’s, Lancaster Brewing Company or Carr’s. Here again, gift certificates are available – perfect for stocking stuffers!

            So, there you have it! Just the little extra push you need to schedule that much-needed getaway to Lancaster! See you soon.