Beach Glass

Beach glass, sea glass, fairy tears.  If any of these words make your heart race or raise your blood pressure then you will identify with my obsession for frosted, smooth glass that washes up on ocean shores or beaches bordering the great lakes.  Clear, white, aqua, lavender, navy blue, pink, yellow, green, brown, red and variations of those shades are sought by my eyes as they sweep the sand and pebbles for the prize - a perfectly tumbled piece of old glass that has washed ashore.

Some colors are rarer than others and the colors seem to vary depending upon where I am looking and how close the shipping lanes are to the area.  It is even possible to find beach glass along the Mississippi River!  The colors are more limited but being able to find any at all calms my desire to travel to one of the coasts and spend hours strolling the beach.

To me, the perfect example of beach glass is totally smoothed and completely frosted by its many years of tumbling in the water and sand. It should also be rounded, not flat. A hard-to-find color is an added perk - red, yellow, orange, blue - but I would still be happy with nearly any color
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Once you have collected jars of these "gems", what do you do with them?  Well, sometimes I just admire them.  But they make lovely jewelry and mosaics.  There are many internet sites that showcase items and ideas using "sea glass".  Etsy is a good place to start.  So what have I done with my collection?  NOTHING!  Though I do have hopes - perhaps I will have started (or even finished) a few projects by the time you visit The Sterling, but don't hold me to it!

Breakfast

Breakfast.

Ahh, that delicious half of "Bed and Breakfast"! How do we come up with those mouth-watering recipes? The real question is, "How can we limit our breakfast choices from the thousands, probably millions, of breakfast recipes out there?" Believe me, it is hard! We could have a new breakfast entree every morning. Do you have any idea how many ways there are to make french toast? Stuffed, puffed, baked, grilled, carmelized, fried - the choices are endless. And what to top it with? Syrup, fruit, flavored butters, powdered sugar, candied nuts? Don't even get me started on pancakes - chocolate chip, banana, pumpkin, oatmeal, ginger, blueberry, Swedish, potato, orange-ricotta (one of my personal favorites). Then there are all the egg dishes and the possible "sides" including meats, scones, biscuits, muffins, fruits, and more. Well, I won't serve anything to my guests without making a test run first to see if it makes the cut. That, in a nutshell, is how I make my choices - and limit my menu. I just don't have time to make every recipe I see (but I have certainly given it the old college try). Breakfast is my favorite meal both to eat and to make. So many tasty combinations and so many wonderful guests with whom I can share them. My current obsession is cheese souffle. Maybe you will find it on the table when you come.

 

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea. Are these two of your most favorite words in the English language as they are mine? When I think "afternoon tea", I am not imagining a tea cup filled with hot water sporting a soggy teabag. No, l am picturing a beautifully set table with crisply ironed table linens, hotel silver flatware placed next to vintage Limoges plates edged in gold, delicate china cups and saucers, and, the epitome of tea time, a three-tiered serving piece loaded with mouthwatering tidbits and flanked by a tea-cozy-covered teapot. I know of which I speak. For more than 25 years I have searched out tea rooms to experience. I have also held many afternoon teas at my past residences including the wildly popular Chocolate Lovers' Tea at our former bed and breakfast, The Oakhurst Inn.

Whenever I travel, I scout the area for tea rooms or hotels which offer this "step back in time" event. I have a son who lives in Los Angeles and he always indulges my goal of attending as many afternoon teas at as many different venues as we can pack in during each trip. Some of my favorites have closed over the years, or changed so dramatically that they have fallen off of my "favorites" list. While that can be disconcerting, it also forces me to look in wider circles and to investigate tea service at hotels. This has lead me to, hands down, the best, most wonderful afternoon tea ever - at the Peninsula in Beverly Hills, California. This is not an inexpensive tea, as you might guess. I came to try this hotel tea through a serendipitous encounter on my flight to California in 2010. I had already mapped out the various tea rooms/hotels I was planning to visit and, while the Peninsula was on my list, I had decided it was too expensive. A fellow passenger sitting next to me asked what my plans were for this visit. I told him and also expressed my disappointment that the Peninsula was too expensive to be on my final tea list. The woman sitting directly behind me on the plane heard the conversation, leaned forward to put her hand on my arm, and said, "You must go! It is worth every penny." I am forever grateful for her advice. My son and I went there for tea then and have gone on every trip I have made to LA since.

What makes tea at The Peninsula so very special? You sit in their "living room" for tea. It is a huge room off the entrance foyer, filled with lovely, traditionally styled but comfortable overstuffed chairs and long sofas with coffee tables lavishly set for tea. Pale green damask place mats and napkins are enhanced with matching plates, cups and saucers painted specifically for this tea time. A harpist plays softly and beautifully in the background. The food is presented on the requisite tiered server and it is outstandingly delicious. ( I especially recommend the curried chicken with the champagne reduction sauce). Each person gets to choose their own tea flavor but the tastiest is caramel pear. Jewel-toned brocade tea cozies cover your teapot, keeping your tea piping hot and you never have to pour your own. The staff members who takes care of you are amazingly attentive but never obtrusive. (If you are especially fortunate, you will be served by Ramon and Justin) They make you feel like a queen (instead of a bumpkin from the midwest). What more could you want? A posh and elegant setting, fabulous food, staff who deliver top notch service and a relaxing afternoon spent visiting with your son over unending cups of delectable tea. Life is good! (A big thank you to Amber Cope of Resnexus who encouraged me to write about tea)

 

Water line woes

It's a bad sign when the water line coming into your basement from the street always has damp concrete and sand around it - and the pipe is galvanized.  You hope and pray it is just condensation, but you are wrong.  You will have to put a new water line in from your house to the shut off in the boulevard - if you are lucky.  If not, you will need to replace the line all the way out to the center of the street which, in your case, also happens to be a highway so the paving is much thicker, the excavation more involved and street repair following the new water line hook up much more expensive.  But, it needs to be done so you forge ahead.  Your side yard gets dug up, a new water line gets put in to the shut off and, then, heaven smiles on you.  The pipe from the shut off into the middle of the street/highway has already been replaced by someone before you. Oh glorious day!!  You have just saved about $4000.  Never mind that you are still going to pay $5,000 for what you did have done, you feel like you have just won the lottery! A very bright spot in a long, stressful project - and, you have a brand new water line to boot.  Hooray for amazing water pressure and no more damp spots in the basement.

Dumpster Fun!

Rules of dumpster use.  Yes, there are rules for use of this construction staple.  Of course, our rules may not be the same as everyone else's but they served us well - mostly.  The first rule (only if you are trying to save money - which we were): stockpile your debris so you don't waste time renting the dumpster for weeks as you tear things out.  This way you get to move everything twice - once to the stockpile and then from that pile to the dumpster.  Second: get a dumpster with sides so high you have to stand on a stool to be able to toss anything into it.  Third: throw lath into the dumpster randomly so that eventually you have to climb into the dumpster to re-distribute it in order to utilize every available inch of space for the tons of debris you are having hauled away. Fourth: hand carry everything in buckets from the second floor, down the stairs and through numerous doors to the dumpster.  Don't place your dumpster below a window or have a chute into the dumpster made until you are nearly done with debris removal.  Fifth: over fill your dumpster by heaping the contents and trying to keep it inside the dumpster by covering the entire mess with carpet pieces.  This way, the dumpster weighs almost too much for the truck to pick up, the rental service doesn't want to loan you another one and you pay considerably more than the rental agreement specified.  Six:  make sure when you are dumping buckets of dusty, dirty plaster into the dumpster that you are not wearing a dust mask or safety glasses and that you dump the bucket against the wind so you get coated with a fine, filthy powder.  If you are lucky, you will get plenty in your hair as well.  A nice finishing touch to a delightful job.  Now that you have been informed of the proper process for dumpster use, go ahead and start that demolition project!  I'm right behind you - NOT!

 

 

Miracles do happen!

Miracles do happen!  Nearly 2 years ago, in January 2011, we purchased the house that would become The Sterling.  Thinking we were up to the challenge, my husband and I moved ahead with the plan to renovate and improve this lovely, however, somewhat neglected, structure.  There were many days I wasn't sure we were going to make it to the finish line.  One day, in particular, stands out in my mind.  (Actually, there are a lot of days that stand out in my mind - but more about those later).  It was November of 2011.  We were in a mad scramble to get more than 100 perennials into the ground. And I use the word "ground" loosely as our yard is basically small river rock with a dusting of soil.  It was cold, wet and sleeting as we used pick ax style tools to make holes barely big enough to plop a plant in.  We were cold, wet and muddy.  Inside the house, plumbers were working their magic but we had a long way to go.  There was one makeshift working toilet that a floor below our bedroom.  No sink other than the old kitchen sink and no shower.  The ceiling in our bedroom had the plaster removed but each night we looked up at lath, loose plaster pieces hanging between the slats, old newspaper and sawdust.  This was not the stuff dreams are made of!

I had reached the end of my rope.  I told my husband I had had enough.  I could not stay here one more night under these conditions.  We had to find another place to stay until some of the basic necessities of life were evident in our house.  I told my plumber we were going to look for a hotel room we could stay in.  He put his hands on my shoulders, looked me in the face and said those unforgettable words, "Tonight you will have a working shower."  I could have cried for joy.  No hotel, no more washing up at the kitchen sink.  We were going to have a real shower!!  That night, standing in a hot stream of water in our own shower in our ceilingless bedroom, I had a glimmer of hope that, yes, there was a chance that this project could  be completed after all.

Welcome to our Bed and Breakfast

Welcome to The Sterling Bed and Breakfast! Nestled in the Mississippi Bluffs area of Minnesota’s South Shore, Lake City is located on beautiful Lake Pepin, a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River.  The Sterling is a mere two blocks from downtown, three blocks from Lake Pepin and across the street from Patton Park, the hub of several Lake City celebrations. Situated an hour from the greater St. Paul and Minneapolis area, our bed and breakfast provides lodging and accommodations close enough to enjoy the attractions but far enough away for a quiet weekend getaway. Enjoy a full breakfast, complimentary beverages, and free Wi-Fi during your stay. Looking for an affordable, fun, last minute vacation? Let us help you plan your trip as well as provide you with a place to stay in the area.

Built in 1885 as a private residence, The Sterling retains much of its original woodwork, quaint architectural features and all of its charm. While we are not large in size, we do have a big heart and our goal is to provide our guests with Simply Outrageous Service. When you leave The Sterling b&b, we want you to feel refreshed, energized and blessed. We hope to see you soon.