Paint is Cheap; Labor is Cheaper

I must admit that I sort of 'borrowed' the title of this post from those folks at Habitat For Humanity in South Florida. When Bob and I were in ministry there, our youth group volunteered faithfully at the local HFH. They usually ended up being the roofing crew. The supervisors, in order to get the kids to use enough nails, would tell them, "Nails are cheap and labor is cheaper." Obviously the nails were donated and well, we were working for free.

So, as it is, when you own a bed & breakfast in Lancaster County, PA, you go thru A LOT of paint. I once sat down and calculated that in the 5 years we've been here, I've painted well over 50 walls; and that's a conservative estimate. I've gotten fairly adept at using a paint brush and making things look nice.


We had an apple tree right outside of our back door. It was pretty to look at, especially in the spring when it would bloom. Unfortunately the apples clogged the gutter, which the overflowed onto the porch railings, rotting them. Bob replaced them yesterday with new trim and caulk. Well, of course the whole thing had to be painted. The yellow was looking a a bit tired anyway. Here's what we ended up with: 

I painted it to look like the railings that go around the front porch. As I was brushing along, I got to thinking about what makes a good paint job. 

1. Prep work! You can't paint a surface (and expect it to turn out well) if it's dirty or peeling. And, as my father would say, "If you don't have time to do it right, then you sure don't have time to do it over."
2. Take your time. Make sure you have plenty of it! I've been involved in painting projects over the course of several hours in which time I'll change my clothes 3 or 4 times while greeting guests. If you're going to be away from your project for an extended period of time, put your brush in a plastic bag. Try to rush and you'll just make mistakes. 
3. Get yourself a good brush/roller. Yes, they can be pricey, but if you clean them well they should last you for several projects. Which brings me to my last point:
4. Clean up thoroughly. Rinse, rinse, rinse! 

Painting something is probably the easiest, least expensive way to change and/or improve the look of a space.

 

An Eggcellent Idea!

An innkeeper simply cannot exist without eggs. Oh, we use them for everything...fritatas, omelets, strata, French toast, pancakes, waffles, cookies, scones and occasionally we'll even scramble a plain one or two (only if forced to do so by insistent guests). So, purchasing eggs is a given. The question is 'where'. I don't think I've ever gone into a grocery store and come out with just one dozen eggs. I tend to buy them in greater quantities than that, so up until about a year ago, I would get them at Costco in the 3 or 9 dozen packages. Lest you think that I'm falling off the 'buy local' bandwagon that I've been on lately, the Costco eggs come from a farm in York, less than an hour from my inn.

However, about a year ago, an older lady knocked at my door one Thursday afternoon and introduced herself as "Phyllis the Egg Lady". Phyllis went on to explain that she lived over in the next town and had a couple dozen chickens that produced pretty well and wondered if I might be interested in purchasing eggs from her. I was thrilled and asked about the location of her farm so that I could come pick them up. "Oh, no", she continued, "I'd be happy to bring them to you." Phyllis said that she had a weekly appointment in my area and would just drop the eggs off on her way. BONUS!! We even save the empty egg cartons for Phyllis so she can re-use them.

So now, every Thursday around 12:30, Phyllis pulls in my driveway in her little pickup truck with her eggs snugly tucked in a cooler in the front seat. Do I pay a little more for these eggs and the delivery service? Sure I do. But it's SO worth it when my guests comment about how wonderful everything tastes and looks. The brown eggs, which are almost always bigger than the white store-bought eggs, give all of my breakfast items a beautiful golden glow.

So, here's another win-win. Phyllis makes a little extra pocket money to supplement her social security income and I get oohs and aahs from my guests. My money stays local.

Local Food

Today, I went shopping. Food shopping, or grocery shopping as we called it where I grew up. I remember in Louisville, they would say, "going to the grocery", which I thought was an incomplete sentence. Anyway, grocery shopping is not an unusual chore for an innkeeper, so why am I blogging about it? It's where I went shopping that's the unique part.

BB's is a locally owned, Amish-operated grocery store. They're not open on Sundays, nor do they accept credit cards. To say that they have an 'internet presence' is a gross overstatement. There is a substantial 'hitching post' where the buggies park separate from the parking lot. There are no electric lights in the store. Today was cloudy, so browsing the aisles wasn't the blinding fluorescent experience like you get when you go into Target. You have to literally walk into the refrigerated and freezer sections through a 'door' made from thick pieces of  plastic that sort of remind you of vertical window blinds. Oh, don't worry, if you forgot your jacket there are several hanging on the pegs outside the cooler area that you can borrow.

BB's is the epitome of "Think Local". Fruits and vegetables from local farms, eggs, milk and cheese from nearby dairies and meats from neighboring smokehouses are all available at BB's. Yes, they have soups, crackers and cereals in boxes, bags and cans, too. They employ local Amish people to work the registers, bag the groceries, stock the shelves and gather the carts from the parking lot.

This is one of the propane gas lights in the parking lot. Since BB's is open Monday thru Friday till 8pm, I imagine that they actually need to use these in the winter months. I've never been there in the evening.

And THIS is what I bought for about $65. That included: milk, lunch meat, cheese, cereal, crackers, yogurt (4 containers for $1), fresh fruit, bacon ($2.99/lb), several frozen items, brown sugar (91 cents a pound), raisins (two boxes for $1), vinegar, toilet bowl cleaner, body wash, baking items, orange marmalade, tortilla chips, pasta and a few other things that I can't recall at the moment. Had I gone to a large superstore to buy these items, I probably wouldn't have gotten out the door for under $100. So, here's yet another example of how I can enjoy the benefits of keeping my money local and making it stretch further.  

Local Flowers

I LOVE plants! Each spring, I can hardly wait to get out and start digging in my window boxes, hanging baskets and flower beds. This year, because of the warmer weather we had early in April, the urge hit sooner than usual, but inside projects were still not complete and there were guests to attend to. So, the first opportunity I got to pull on my garden gloves and get out my tools was late last week.

This year, I approached things a little differently. For the past few years, I've gone 'nursery hopping' with fellow innkeepers from the Artist's Inn, Flowers & Thyme and The Harvest Moon. However, due to crazy schedules, we weren't able to get together this year. So, I was on my own. Time and budget were important factors to consider.

A few miles away from The Australian Walkabout Inn is a little place called Perfect Pots Container Gardens. Yes, it's a nursery and greenhouse like so many multitude of others here in Lancaster County, but it's just a little different. Not only is it locally owned and operated, but it provides a service like no other place that I know of. I actually took my hanging baskets and window boxes into the shop, filled them there with the plants suggested by owner Laura Lapp, and brought them home. Laura even supplied some extra potting soil, fertilizer and insect repellent. Best of all, I got to leave the mess behind (ok I did clean up after myself - habit, you know) I brought my wonderful creations home this morning after Laura kept them safe from the threatening frosty night temps over the weekend.

You can even drop your containers (pots, baskets, boxes, whatever!) at Perfect Pots Container Gardens and Laura will fill them for you, while keeping in mind the light and watering requirements, desired color presentation and, most importantly, your budget.

Recently, we joined the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce's Think Local initiative. By joining, we've agreed to:

• Think local first before making purchases;
• Employ local people;
• Contribute to the local tax base; 
• Support the local community

I can't think of a better way to support my local community! I get beautiful accents for my B&B AND I get the satisfaction of knowing that I helped someone else put dinner on their table. Thank you, Laura!

Holidays in Amish Country!

Everyone is curious about Lancaster during the holidays. After the long days of summer and the harvest is in, what is there to do in Amish Country? PLENTY!

Have you finished your shopping for the holidays? Or, have you even started? We have two outlet malls – Tanger and Rockvale.  At the Australian Walkabout Inn B&B, we can provide you with directories and coupons for both, to make your shopping cost-effective and time-efficient. If you’re looking for something unique, head downtown to the Gallery Shops. Here again, we can provide you with maps and other information. Looking for something Amish-inspired? We like local Amish-owned shops like Riehl’s Quilts and the Countryside Road Stand.

Rather than giving that special someone something in a box for the holidays, why not give them an experience? Our local theaters – Sight and Sound; American Music Theatre; Ephrata Performing Arts Center; Rainbow Dinner Theatre; Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre; and Fulton Opera House (just to name a few) all have special productions just for the holidays! I can tell you from experience, that this is some of the easiest gift shopping you’ll ever do, and the memories last a lot longer than a Wii game, tie or bottle of perfume.  

Other experiences might include a Segway Tour, a zip line canopy tour, a hot air balloon ride, a couples’ massage, or horseback riding. The possibilities are virtually limitless!

All this shopping, Segway-riding and theatre-going is probably going to make you hungry. We have a wide variety of food choices here in Lancaster. You can go the Amish-Dutch route at Katie’s Kitchen in Ronks, or Dienner’s Family Restaurant in Paradise (both minutes from the Walkabout Inn). Hungry for ethnic food? We have everything from Asian-fusion to Peruvian and Italian. If American fare is more your style, then we recommend The Brasserie. For an intimate dinner, we prefer the Greenfield Restaurant. The downtown area also has wonderful restaurants that rank right up there with places we’ve eaten in DC, Philly or other major metropolitan areas (without the high prices and long waits for reservations).

So see? There’s a lot to do here in Lancaster, PA during the holiday season. You’ll need several days to experience it all. Call today to reserve your favorite room. See you soon!

Two weeks

So, starting this Saturday, our daughter leaves on a two-week vacation. The first week she'll be staying with family and the second week will be at a church music camp. I'm not sure who looks forward to this more, me or her. She gets to experience what she refers to as 'freedom' and, well, so do mom & dad. I think all families should be this fortunate!

Her version of freedom includes sleeping till noon and then swimming the rest of the day; getting a pedicure; going shopping with grandma for those things that mom won't buy because they aren't 'needs'; eating whatever she wants whenever she wants and this includes ice cream for dinner (yeah, grandma, she told on you!) Fortunately, this is only the first week. The 2nd week is a bit more structured. It only takes me half of the remaining summer to re-program her.

Don't get me wrong. We love our daughter more than anything in the world! She's reallly a fantastic kid and we're very proud of her. Generally, she's a joy to have around. It's just that this two weeks is a very important time for her parents. We get to take a little time to 'reconnect' as a couple. We've made this a priority since our daughter was very young and like I've commented before in this post, she understands that this is important.

Our daughter has always been quite 'portable'. We've taken her with us just about everywhere except during the aforementioned vacation times. This year, vacation for mom & dad is going to include some of the following: Music and Wine on the Lawn at Waltz Vineyards; A Ghost Tour of Lancaster;
dining out at Greenfield Restaurant and/or The Orchard.

I think I need to make a list.

Commercial Approach

For over a year now, I've been the chair of the marketing committee for our local B&B association . I get to work very closely with a lot of very talented people who are passionate about innkeeping. In addition to marketing together as 40 unique B&B properties among about 160 in Lancaster County, PA, we also share ideas, stories and a lot of laughs.

We've done our share of rack cards, print advertising in newspapers & magazines and social media like Facebook and Twitter. This year, we decided to pull out all the stops. At the end of April, we produced a commercial for our association. We would not have been able to do this without the help of our local CVB and a matching grant from the state. It was a long day and a lot of people worked very hard to turn out a great product. You can see it here:

Another very similar version of the commercial is airing this week and next on cable stations and WGAL. We had great participation from the association members. Thanks to Bob & Vivian Abel of the Pheasant Run B&B - they were so gracious in hosting the event.

Just wait to see what we do next!