INNformer #142

Hello from your Island Retreat, ANNUAL CHRISTMAS GREENING OF COUPEVILLE PARADE. As usual this parade began at sunset and lasted for 1/2 hour. Although the weather was a bit cold and the wind stiff at times, it didn’t rain! The town gathered along either side of South & North Main St. awaiting the arrival of Santa. Frosty led the parade of floats, tractors, vehicles of all sizes and shapes, clubs, H.S. marching band, dogs, and the police and fire departments. Each threw candy to the children until their pockets were bulging. This year the caroling entertainment was set up on the Anchorage Inn’s wrap around porch where the Mayor gave her welcoming speech, Coupevilles first Grand Marshal waved and the President of the Chamber of Commerce greeted the citizens and kids. After caroling had ended we witnessed the parks glorious lighting ceremony ….3…..2…..1!! With the inn laced in lighting & garland and the park aglow, this is probably the most attractive corner in town. The shops then opened their doors and welcomed everyone to enjoy finger foods and cider. We’ve already got a couple reservations for next years parade. GIFT CERTIFICATES are always available for CHRISTmas, birthdays and anniversaries. GOODBYE INSTANT COFFEE, hello Keurig coffee maker. We’re always trying to improve our service to our guests. One step in that direction was to provide Keurig K packs for a better tasting coffee for afternoons and evenings. Instant coffee just doesn’t quite cut it. GOURDZILLA’S CONVERSION. Just before Thanksgiving a portion of our family converted a couple wedges from Gourdzilla into 4 large pies, collected and counted his slimy seeds and took his remains to the Sherman ranch where our granddaughters tossed him over the fence, piece by piece for the cattle to enjoy. That’s the first time they’ve fed cows. The following week I returned and gathered up cow droppings to fertilize the garden for next years winning GIANT pumpkin for the Harvest Fair Oct 12th. Gourdzilla reveals his seedlings 2 of Gourdzilla’s 4 pies SPEAKING OF SLIMY SEEDS ……….. DRUM ROLL PLEASE ……………. We had 18 guests send us their guesses for the number of seeds within GOURDZILLA. They ranged from 5,555 to 167. I was surprised at how many slippery seeds my granddaughters and I found within that hollow. It came to 535. The closest guess was 550! Steve and Gwenn are looking forward to their FREE overnight stay. A GIANT FOOTPRINT ……. YEAR PUMPKIN NAME SIZE AWARD SEEDS 2004 1st Wiley 344 lbs —- 427 2005 2nd Tony 180 lbs —- None on record 2006 3rd Brooklyn 228 lbs PRETTIEST 21 2007 4th Cade —- died on the vine 2008 5th Jack Jr. 169 lbs died on the vine 2009 6th Squashinator 82 lbs died on the vine(255 seeds) 2010 None grown 2011 7th Pumpkinstiltskin 108 pounds second place (for ugliest) 264 2012 8th Gourdzilla 178 pounds Avis Award 535

OUR ANNUAL MID WEEK WINTER SPECIAL sale is on. Save 15% on any 2 consecutive days Sunday thru Thursday now thru April 30th. Make those reservations now. That special would make a great CHRISTmas gift and could be applied towards your Pancake, Omelet, Quiche or French Toast discount on your next visit to the inn!

IT’S BEEN A BUSY YEAR and has finally begun to wind down. With the inn fully decorated and the pace now slowing down to 3,2 or even 1 room per day, we can plan a few short getaways in the next few months. We’d like to wish all of you a wonderful CHRISTmas season and a beautiful new year ahead.

Merry CHRISTmas,
your innkeepers,
Dave and Dianne

Spring in Coupeville

A fresh breeze blowing off the Cove. Birds singing. And yes, lots of flowers blooming.

It’s a great time to plan some getaway time to relax, refresh and enjoy the new life bursting forth. Peak blooming season at Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens… just down the road from us… begins April 1.

We have rooms available; would love to have you join us!

(Sue)

INNformer #134

INNformer #134 Jan 12 2012 It’s a new year! Although it’s the height of winter, all in all it’s been rather mellow here in Coupeville. Not much rain has fallen on this island and not a flake of snow is yet to be seen. Looking out our kitchen window, wound amongst the rose bush branches, we still have a healthy Nasturtium alive and well with about a dozen orange flowers awaiting harvest to decorate our morning dishes. From one facelift to another the Anchorage Inn has changed from a colorful appearance of Fall for Thanksgiving and then again within a couple of days to welcoming twinkle of CHRISTmas decor just in time to welcome the annual Greening of Coupeville evening parade. Last week we neatly packaged her up and stored her away until Oct of 2012. Already, we’re planning the charming decor for Valentines Day. How about a lovers escape? Just one more thought about CHRISTmas. Those carols have come and gone, and with them some of our favorites. One song with mysterious lyrics is The 12 Days of Christmas. I recently learned some very interesting facts. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. -The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. -Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. -Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.- -The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. -The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. -The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. -Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. -The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. -Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. -The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. -The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. -The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed. So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol. For those who missed it! With the cold morning air and late rising sun a bowl of cold cereal doesn’t quite hit the mark. How about one of Dianne’s entrees from her well worn cookbook. She’s been serving this dish for years to thousands of guests. The Cheesy Egg Bake……. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Ingredients: 1 lb Monterey Jack Cheese (4 cups) 10 extra large eggs 1 pint creamed cottage cheese (2 cups) 1/2 cup white flour 1 tsp baking powder Preparation: Shred the Monterey Jack Cheese. In a large mixer bowl beat eggs until blended. Add everything else. Pour the mixture into a well greased 9″ x 13″ dish, or individual baking dishes and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately while it is pretty and fluffy. This will serve 10 people for brunch if a large fruit salad and rolls are added. It can be made the night before, refrigerated and baked just before serving. Allow extra baking time if it has been in the refrigerator over night. Our neighbor gave us a call last week and reported that his patio was almost flooded. He new that rain couldn’t be the cause and with further investigation he followed the wetness across his yard and found the source was coming from under our Calista Cottage. It wasn’t just wet, but actually almost had a bit of a current to it. We quickly turned the water main off and after opening a small trap door on the skirt of the cottage began to look for the cause. It was cold and dark under our old saloon with a floor that was only dirt or mud and a space of about 2 feet. This crawl space had earned its name. Had the pipes frozen and burst underground, under the house? As I slowly slid along I began to hear dripping beneath the bathroom and was somewhat relieved. I still couldn’t see it’s exact source but had a good idea. Our plumber discovered that the pipes had merely separated at a joint. The cause is not for sure, but the repair was quick with no damage to the cottage. He estimated that the water had been flowing at full flow for a number of days. Our 16th Innkeeping 101 student will soon be with us for our 2 day course. The whole idea behind our course is to give those interested in the possibility of becoming innkeepers a good taste, answer questions, instruct and have fun. Then they can make a wise decision about their next step. See our outline on our web site http://www.anchorage-inn.com. Of our last 15 to take the course, 11 are now successful innkeepers, 2 have learned that they are not yet prepared, 1 discovered that innkeeping was not for them and 1 are now successful inn “sitters”. World travelers since we last spoke, has only been Canada. For 2011, we set an all time record for our northern neighbors. Returning Guests that have been awarded Anchorage Inn discounts since our last INNformer totaled: Returning Guests that have been awarded Anchorage Inn discounts since our last INNformer totaled: 3rd & 4th visit reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 4 5th thru 9th visit reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 1 10th thru 19th visit reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 1 20 or more visits reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 1 Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away. Your innkeepers, Dave and Dianne

All decked out for Christmas!

We’re all decked out for Christmas. 

Photos from the Greening of Coupeville, first Saturday in December!

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Merry Christmas – Video

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Christmas.

(Click on link for our video greeting)

Merry Christmas from Anchorage Inn

From Dave, Dianne and all of us at the Anchorage Inn!

INNformer #133

INNformer #133       Nov 18 Winter greetings to our Mainlanders, Islanders and all our Pumpkinologists, Yes, I said Winter. We’ve received our first light snowfall on central Whidbey this week and the temperature in the morning has been flirting with freezing. Most trees have lost a majority of their golden leaves, our clocks have once again fallen behind and we’ve lit our first fire in the fireplace. One thing nice about Winters arrival is that Spring is a bit closer and the pumpkin seed will begin its cycle once again. Speaking of seeds….. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest seed in the world is that of the giant fan palm Locoicea maldivica, commonly known as the double coconut or coco de mer near the Indian Ocean. It can weigh up to 44 lbs. and may take 10 years to develop. A single seed may be 12 inches long and nearly 3 feet in circumference. The smallest seed comes from the epiphytic orchid found in tropical rain forests and totals about 35 million seeds per ounce! That’s right, one seed weighs about one 35 millionths of an ounce. Orchid seeds are dispersed into the air like minute dust particles or single-celled spores, eventually coming to rest in the upper canopy of rain forest trees. Our professional seed counters. ” Because the month is 10, the temperature is 61, I have 4 grandchildren and I picked 122 apples and 92 pears, it’s obvious Pumpky has 289 seeds.” ” If Pumpkinstilskin weighed 108 pounds and the Anchorage Inn has 7 rooms, I’ll guess 756 seeds.” ” Mary says pumpkin has 7 letters. Pumpkinstilskin has 15 = 715 seeds. That wasn’t hard.” Pumpkinstilskin sat proudly on our front lawn, patiently awaiting the arrival of Nov 11th. One year, 2006, my pumpkin “Brooklynn” was so dense that it only had room to produce 21 seeds. My first pumpkin “Wylie” which was my biggest ever, had 427 seeds. We had 22 folks send in their guesses this year. They ranged from 21 to 5,555 seeds. Together, our visiting son, daughter-in-law and 3 grand daughters, opened Pumpkinstilskin by first removed his crow-pecked, sunken and scarred area and then peeked in. And what did we see??? A bright orange interior with only a few visible seeds! Portion by portion, As the sky grew darker and raindrops began to fall, I quickly cut out 1-2 lb sections. Just like a well lubricated pumpkin machine, we quickly bagged sections, scooped out slippery seeds and stuff and ran for shelter before getting too wet. Into the kitchen we took our bucket of orange slop and began the slimey job of searching and counting. Well, Pumpky had 264 seeds. Our winner, the closest, without going over, was Ed and Judy V. with a guess of 247. And the closest to the total was Wendie N. and Mike B. with a guess of 268 to win honorable mention. Good job everyone. What do you do with 108 pounds of pumpkin? Our son said we ought to make pumpkin pie. We all love pumpkin pie, so why not? So we gathered up 2 big chunks and went to Google. We found our instructions and the whole family got involved and like a well lubricated pumpkin pie machine we began. It wasn’t difficult but it was time consuming. After 3 hours we had made 2 pies included their crusts and they were delicious. This will be a family tradition I’m sure! The rest of the chunks went to our local farm to feed the cattle in exchange for some cow pies for next year’s garden.   World travelers since we last spoke have been Ireland and Canada. Returning Guests that have been awarded Anchorage Inn discounts since our last INNformer totaled: 3rd & 4th visit           reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 6 5th thru 9th visit       reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 1 10th thru 19th visit   reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 0 20 or more visits      reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 2 That’s quite a turnout of Pancake patrons!!!! Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away. Your innkeepers, Dave and Dianne

INNformer #132

Another chance to win a free night! See Round 3 below!!! INNformer #132       Oct 13 Autumn greetings Mainlanders, Islanders and all those pumpkinologists, Green, yellow and colorful are only three words that describe the farms across America. But you don’t need to be singing with McDonald on his farm, frantically looking for the root cellar with Dorothy, or lost within a dense forest of cornstalks to experience the joy that a farmer feels when it comes time to harvest the crop of the season. This feeling of victorious success is sensed with a golden mountain of collected hay-bails, a truck load of bright red tomatoes off to market or your pocket knife cutting off your entry for the giant pumpkin contest at the Coupeville Farmers Market! It was long in coming but well worth the wait. Battling the elements of a long drawn out winter, the hunger of deer and crows and the force of Spring winds, Pumpkinstilskin survived and made it to the pumpkin lineup at the markets festivities with 21 other giant gourds. I knew Pumpkinstilskin wasn’t a whopper, but it took 2 grown men and all our strength, with 2 rests along the way to drag him on a tarp from the back yard to the front yard and with synchronous timing, to lift him into the truck. With white knuckles and vice-like grips we didn’t drop him either. I’m not boasting of our strength but more of our agility! At the market “Pumpky” was quickly dwarfed by his competition. With his crow-peaked scar that was framed by a disgusting crater-like sunken surface, he was entered into the ugliest contest. Kids were the judges and he came in 2nd place! The largest weighed in at 877. We only received 9 guesses of our giants’ weight. Those are pretty good odds! The highest guess was 404 lbs and the lowest was 21.5 lbs. The winning guess was 100 lbs. Pumpkinstilskin came in at 108 lbs. Congratulations to Ron and Caroline, who have won an overnight stay at the Anchorage Inn. ROUND 3….. Have you always wanted to be a doctor but holding a scalpel in your hand wasn’t a comfortable thought? Has the the thought of blood or orange slime been a limiting factor? Well Dr. Dave is at your service! I’ll dissect Pumpkinstilskin for you and remove and count all his vital seeds from within. Now…… How many seeds does this gourd have? Third time’s the charm. If you haven’t won yet, this will be your chance for an overnight stay at the Anchorage Inn. Just send us your guess and the closest guess, without going over, will win! It doesn’t get much easier than that. This contest ends on Nov 11. “The falling leaves drift by the window. The autumn leaves of red and gold….” Some of you may remember the old classic song by Johnny Mercer “Autumn Leaves”. Its that time of year again when the leaves across the country begin to take on color, the nights are cooler and the pumpkins adorn the porches of many homes.  – Looking across the street from the inn to Cook’s Park – Have you ever thought to yourself “Why do the leaves change color?” The US Forest Service has put together a nice web site explaining just that at: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/pubs/leaves/leaves.shtm Or have you ever wondered “Does precipitation play a role in leaf color?” It’s now known that the amount and brilliance of the colors that develop in any particular autumn season are related to weather conditions that occur before and during the time the chlorophyll in the leaves is dwindling. Temperature and moisture are the main influences. The countless combinations of these two highly variable factors assure that no two autumns can be exactly alike. And if you are just trying to find out where the leaves are turning during a certain week or in a certain place in the country, the Foliage Report Network: http://www.foliagenetwork.com keeps track of leaf colors in the eastern half of the country and the US Forest Service keeps you advised on fall colors throughout the US at: http://www.Fall Colors.com. World travelers since we last spoke have been Norway and Canada. Returning Guests that have been awarded Anchorage Inn discounts since our last INNformer totaled: 3rd & 4th visit           reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 16 5th thru 9th visit       reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 3 10th thru 19th visit   reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 1 20 or more visits      reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 2 That’s quite a turnout of Pancake patrons!!!! Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away. Your innkeepers, Dave and Dianne

Phase 2 – Pumpkin Contest!

Update – We have a winner!

Pumpy weighed in at 108 pounds! The closest guess was 100 pounds and was submitted to Dave through a response to his INNformer newsletter! Congratulations to the winners of the FREE night’s stay at the Inn!

Thank you to all those who participated!!

_______________________________________

Robin was the lucky winner of our “Name the Giant Pumpkin” contest, with the name “Pumpkinstilskin.”  Farmer Dave decided to nickname him “Pumpy!”

Now we are ready to

Guess Pumpy’s weight at the Harvest Carnival

weigh-in on October 8!

These great photos of Dave with his giant pumpkin were taken on September 17, with Pumpy measuring 68″ around. Pumpy is quite small for his age because he has not had much sunshine. He did, however, survive the “bird attack” — you can see on top where the bird ate a hole in his side. But Farmer Dave’s careful nursing helped him pull through and keep on growing!

Not much longer until the contest on Oct 8th at the Coupeville Farmers Market.

We are opening up to the public the chance to to guess what Pumpy’s weight will be at weigh-in on October 8.  The person who guesses the closest wil get a FREE night’s stay at the Anchorage Inn B&B, so put on your thinking cap and send in your best guess!

Your choice of any room (excluding the Crow’s Nest Suite, Discovery and Calista Cottage) at the Anchorage Inn, depending upon availability. Reservation should be made for a visit anytime between Oct 1st, 2011 and May 30th 2012.

Sue for Farmer Dave and everyone at Anchorage Inn

INNformer #131 Sept 6

INNformer #131       Sept 6 Hello Mainlanders, Islanders and all those pumpkinologists, Has summer struck with a vengeance?!? After the morning fog burns off, the sun has been shining until sunset most of the time from Aug 11 thru Sept 6th. Although the temperature ranges from high 70′s to mid 80′s, it can get pretty toasty if you’re out in the sun for too long. Now our guests from AZ & TX all the way over to NY are expressing no sympathy I’m sure! But please remember that we’ve been in an overcast state for 10 months and our bodies are now in a state of shock. Sunshine is forecast for the next 7 days! Pumpkin Update: Yes, we’ve named our pumpkin! We had 26 names sent to us from our INNformer and Facebook readers. Now these were quite clever and some were rather funny. It was difficult, but we’ve chosen our favorite name and these are the 4 runner ups: Pump Zilla Captain Chubby Cinderella’s Coach Orange Crush Pumpkinstilskin began his (her) youth on the wrong side of the tracks of the garden. I went out one early morning to discover that a pumpkin that I had cut off of the vine had been attacked by, I believe, a crow. It had a hole pecked into its side and the bird had obviously been eating the seeds from within. He then went over to Pumpkinstilskin and began pecking a hole in its side. (This attempted hole can be seen in the bottom photo – right at the tip of the leafs shadow.) Fortunately it didn’t peck deep enough to allow air in and cause rotting to begin. It has made a nice scab over that wound. Then we had a small storm pass through and it sprinkled off and on all afternoon after I had watered the plant. I think that unusually wet day was the cause for the plant’s main vine to split in 3 areas. Because of this, Pumpkinstilskin has seemed to not be getting the same amount of nutrients and appears to be slowing in its growth. Oh, the trials of pumpkin growing!! ROUND 2 … Win another FREE night stay at the Anchorage Inn B&B. Every year we ask for you to guess the final weight of our pumpkin. Although summer has gotten off to a very late start, hasn’t been very hot, the crows are attacking and the vine is splitting, it is still growing every day. We weigh in on Oct 8th. The closest guess of weight without going over, will win an overnight stay in your choice of any room (excluding the Crow’s Nest Suite and Discovery) at the Anchorage Inn, depending upon availability. Reservations should be made for a visit anytime between Oct 1st, 2011 and May 30th 2012. Round 2 will close on Oct 7th. 14 inches circumference 65 inches circumference World travelers have arrived from Australia, Israel, United Kingdom and Canada. Returning Guests that have been awarded discounts since our last INNformer totaled: 3rd & 4th         reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 6 5th thru 9th     reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 1 10th thru 19th reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 2 20th or more   reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 1 These numbers are down once again because of reunions, weddings and vacationers during the height of the summer season. In 6 weeks business will drop, due to winter knocking on our door. Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away. Your innkeepers, Dave and Dianne

We have a winner!!

Congratulations to Robin Castiglione!!

Robin is the happy winner of our “Name the Pumpkin” contest, and has won a FREE night at Anchorage Inn!

At Robin’s suggestion, Dave’s pumpkin now proudly wears the name “Pumpkinstilskin.”

Congratulations to Robin from all of us!!

Honorable mention — and a night’s discount of 20% — went to:

Rob and Sandy – Pump Zilla

Paula – Orange Crush

Guests of the Inn – Cinderella’s Coach

Guests of the Inn – Captain Chubby

Congratulations, and thanks to everyone for participating.

Sue (for Dave and Dianne, and everyone at the Inn)

 

 

Community Yard Sale

We had a great time at the Community Yard Sale in Coupeville hosted by Inn Assistant Lynda. Although I came home with more than I took!

Dianne, Lynda and Chris hard at work setting things up!

 

Hmmmmm there MUST be a spot here somewhere to put this!
Dianne sets up for the sale.

 

Dianne and Chris… still hard at work!

 

Unexpected guests arrive!

 

Exhausted after the sale is over, but still having fun!
(L to R) Lynda, Dianne, Brianna, Dave, Chris

(Photos and post by Sue)

INNformer #130

INNformer #130 Aug 06

Hello Mainlanders, Islanders and those in between,

It’s finally developing into summer with the sun beginning to show itself more and more often. Our mornings usually begin with a regular curtain rehearsal. Quite often we awaken to witness a quickly developing marine fog layer. That curtain pulls completely back by 10am to present the show of summer. The lawn has slowed its pace considerably and has lost its deep green color, the flowers are of a different shape, height and color and have replaced those of last month. The wraparound porch is covered with falling rose petals and has the company of our guests all afternoon and into the early evening as they witness the golden display of the day’s sunset finale.

Pumpkin Update: Good news! We had 2 pumpkins that pollinated. Of those, I had to choose the one farthest from the root and it is gaining about 2 inches in circumference each day.  As of today it is 22.00 inches (55.88 cm) around and weighs approx. 6.27 pounds (2.82 kgrams). I’ve got it up on a pallet (I learned my lesson from last year). Now, if the sun keeps shining, the deer don’t eat it, the bugs stay away and a bolt of lightening doesn’t strike it, we’ll have a champ. It’s holding onto it’s blonde color. We have 64 days to get him really for competition at our Farmers Market on Sat. Oct 8th. See baby photo – 10 days old.

Win a FREE night’s stay at the Anchorage Inn B&B. Every year we ask for a name for our pumpkin. After all, it’s not an “it” any longer. It’s only been 3 weeks since our last INNformer, but we wanted to give everyone a chance to think of a name. Send us your clever, winning suggestion of a name before Sept 1st and the name which is chosen will win an overnight stay in your choice of any room (excluding the Crow’s Nest Suite and Discovery) at the Anchorage Inn, depending upon availability. Reservations should be made for a visit anytime between Oct 1st, 2011 and May 30th 2012.

The 3 Sisters: When growing your garden next year, here is something to remember.
The Three Sisters are squash (or pumpkin), corn and beans which grow and thrive together. Corn serves as the natural trellis for the beans to grow on. The beans’ roots set nitrogen in the soil to nourish the corn. The bean vines help to stabilize the corn stalks on windy days. The squash plants shelter the shallow roots of the corn and shade the ground to discourage weeds and preserve moisture.  Truly a symbiotic relationship.  I have read where it was a common practice to bury a small fish alongside the seeds at planting to nourish the “Three Sisters.”

World travelers have arrived from Italy and Canada. At this pace we may set an all time record for Canadian visitors.

Returning Guests that have been awarded discounts since our last INNformer totaled:
3rd & 4th reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 1
5th thru 9th reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 2
10th thru 19th reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 0
20th or more reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 1
This number is down considerably due to the number of reunions, weddings and vacationers we’ve had during the height of season.

Well, I could chatter all day long, but i know you’re anxious to put your thinking caps on. Besides that, the Inn hasn’t had a vacancy in 3 weeks and we’re busy as bees.

Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away.
Your innkeepers,
Dave and Dianne

(Leave your pumpkin name suggestion by Sept 1, in the Comments section.)

The Nameless Pumpkin

Dave’s Giant Pumpkin

Name the pumpkin and win a FREE night’s stay!

Note: See our latest INNformer newsletter also on the blog for a photo and later update!

Pumpkin #1 – the larger of the 2, was only 4 feet from the root. As it grew, chances are good that it would pull its root out of the ground. Not good.

Pumpkin #2 – the smaller, was 7 feet from the root. So a couple of days ago I snipped off #1 so all nutrients would go to #2.  Here is it’s progress:

the day of the snip it was 13.0 inches in circumference

day 2 it was 15.0

day 3 it was 17.75 and weighed 2.23 lbs.

day 4 (today) 19.50 weighing 3.85 lbs

We’ve got 64 more days till contest on Oct 8th at the Coupeville Farmers Market. He’s about a month behind schedule – long winter and weak summer!

We are opening up to the public the chance to offer us a winning name for this year’s pumpkin. The name that is chosen, those folks will get a FREE night’s stay at the Anchorage Inn B&B, so ask the world to start sending in names!

Your choice of any room (excluding the Crow’s Nest Suite, Discovery and Calista Cottage) at the Anchorage Inn, depending upon availability. Reservation should be made for a visit anytime between Oct 1st, 2011 and May 30th 2012.

Farmer Dave

Note from Sue 8/12/11 – Here is another photo I found of Dave with one of his giant pumpkins.

(Leave your pumpkin name suggestion by Sept 1,  in the Comments section below.)

Art Show Photos

Several people have asked to see the photos I am entering in my very first art show so decided to post them here. They look soooooo much nicer when printed on 13×19 paper, and are being professionally framed. (Sue)

“Rainy Morning” – the Coupeville Wharf

“Day’s End” – another Coupeville shot

“Bothell Biker” – taken in Bothell WA

“Velveteen Doll” – taken in Bothell WA

“Serenity” – taken in Coupeville

INNformer #129

INNformer #129       July 17

Hello Mainlanders, Islanders and those in between,

Time Rightly Spent. So you roll out of bed, stretch, yawn, pour the coffee, collect the paper from the sidewalk, flip on the early show, and watch young men and women being far too cheerful as they report the weather and some community goings-on. Yet most of the morning’s information is a rehash of what you heard before you went to bed and, worse yet, most of the news is bad. Your mind flashes back to your stay at the Anchorage Inn B&B and you realize that you’re back in the old grind. Don’t be depressed, just find your bootstraps and pull yourself up …. You’ve got the latest INNformer to read.

Happy birthday everyone. We had a perfect 4th of July with clear skies, a mild sea breeze and comfortable temperatures on your island. A panorama of fireworks could be seen in every direction across Penn Cove and as far away as the mainland. The aroma of BBQ’s and the sound of anxious celebrators could be detected all day long. At the breakfast table we all sang our national anthem, including our visitors from Canada. Quite an honorable sound I must say! This is a great place to celebrate a birthday, hint, hint.

Pumpkin Update: As of the 16th of July, I have 2 hardy plants stretching their broad leaves towards the sky in an effort to find some sunshine. 2 days ago was our 7th day this summer with clear skies. It rained yesterday and half of today. One plant has been producing flowers but they’re too close to the root of the vine to accept. Should they produce a pumpkin, this “Atlantic Giant” would pull the plant right out of the ground. July 10th is the standard date to choose a pumpkin from your patch and snip off the others. Well needless to say, the season is behind schedule this year for all pumpkin growers so we’ll have to hope for at least a successfully pollinated flower by the end of the month. I put a boy and girl flower together yesterday, so cross your fingers.

World travelers came from far and wide. We had 3 separate couples in a week arrive from the Netherlands (Holland). These Dutch visitors were here for art classes, visiting friends and just traveling the earth. When I asked our first couple to sing their national anthem, we learned that the words included a devotion to Germany which, due to history, his family didn’t feel comfortable doing, which is understandable. His wife, from Spain, said she’d sing hers, but the best she could do would be to hum it because the anthem had no words. How interesting! We also had guests from Ireland, Australia, Bulgaria and Canada.

Returning Guests that have been awarded discounts since our last INNformer totaled:
3rd & 4th         reservation for the 10% Pancake discount = 6
5th thru 9th     reservation for the 12% Omelet discount = 6
10th thru 19th reservation for the 15% Quiche discount = 1
20th or more   reservation for the 20% French Toast discount = 2

The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority has announced the sailing schedule for the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain for the summer of 2011. The schedule marks the 22nd summer that Lady Washington has toured Puget Sound area ports. Ports of call are:

• Aberdeen: July 1-5
• Anacortes: July 9-10
• San Juan Islands (Expedition Voyages Family and Youth Camps): July 11-15
• Anacortes: July 16-18
• Bellingham: July 20-August 1
• Blaine: August 3-7
• Coupeville: August 11-14 They will enter Deception Pass on slack about 2:30PM 8/11. (Time could change). Expect cannon fire from under the bridge.
• Brownsville: August 16-21
• Port Orchard: August 23-24
• Tacoma: August 26-28
• Gig Harbor: August 30-31
• Olympia: Sept. 2-5
• Kirkland: Sept. 8-12 (Lady Washington only)
• Aberdeen: Sept. 16-28

Coupeville – The shortest distance to far away.
Your innkeepers,
Dave and Dianne

Pumpkin gets its start

Dave’s Giant Pumpkin

It’s that time of year again! Dave has carefully nursed his giant pumpkin through the cool, cloudy start to our summer.  Recently Dave reported:

“Well the plant is alive! I’ve had an early blossom, but obviously not mature.
It’s about 2 feet long and I’m hoping with the sunny days forecast it will take off.
That is, if the deer don’t eat the blossoms etc. Cross your fingers.”

He has been doing some pollinating, and we are hoping this one will be another winner!

Yes, another winner. In 2006 Dave’s pumpkin also got off to a slow start, but won two prizes in Coupeville’s annual Harvest Festival contest. Dave’s BrookLynn (named for his first granddaughter) won the prize for “Prettiest Pumpkin” and, at 228 pounds, was second heaviest.

Check out the “Giant Pumpkin” tab on our website for story and photo of Dave and BrookLynn.

Can he do it again? Stay tuned as we bring you regular updates. And, as Dave says…
“Cross your fingers!”

Sue

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Happy Birthday,  Dave!  Hope you have a wonderful day.

Wish I could be there to celebrate with you but this is the next best thing.

From your blogger lady… Sue

Click here for your birthday song!

Coupeville Patriotic Puzzle

Do you like jigsaw puzzles? Check out this one I just created of a lovely July floral display in downtown Coupeville! (Note: You can change the size and cut when you click on the link.)

Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Wishing all of you a safe time of celebration. It’s a good time to stop and give thanks for the many blessings God has and continues to bestow upon our great country! Sincere gratitude to all who have served to keep us free and strong. (Sue)

God Bless the USA

Lions Club Garage Sale

Do you like a good bargain?  Find great deals and support the Coupeville Lions Club at the huge annual garage sale this coming weekend!

Coupeville Lions Club Annual Garage Sale