Bits & Bobs

Happy February everyone! It's been busy week at the Snapdragon Inn and we are gearing up for another sold out weekend. This was a lovely review from one of our mid-week guests

Snapdragon Inn is the place to stay in Vermont! The rooms are impeccably decorated and have the most comfortable beds you will ever sleep in. In addition to creating a very peaceful environment, the owners have preserved the unique history of the inn...making it a true destination.Not only are the accommodations and amenities top notch, the entire staff at the Snapdragon Inn are people who put you at ease. They give just the right of amount of attention to your stay and provide the comfort of genuine hospitality. I wanted to unpack and stay awhile. This is an exceptionally beautiful inn where you feel right at home.

Some bits & bobs:
The book choice for February's literary club meeting has been chosen. You can get more details here.
We only need 9 more to hit 500 here.
This company makes amazing products. Looking forward to using them on our Spa menu.
These always make our day!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Snapdragon Literary Club February meet-up

Thanks to everyone who attended our first meet-up of 2012 and for the unfolding discussion of "Suite Francaise" but Irene Nemirovsky. If you haven't read it or skipped the Appendices at the end, go back and read them! They add a complexity and a revealing layer to the book. Haunting, thought-provoking, humorous, and a true re-telling of human nature during war, and one that the characters have no idea is just beginning.

February's book will take us back a few decades, over the Atlantic to Chicago, and gives life and voice to an American icon:  "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan

 I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.

 So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. 



In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright. 

 

Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel’s stunning conclusion. 


Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.

All are invited (even if you don't finish the book) to come visit in the Maxwell Perkins Library and discuss.

You can see more details here as well. See you there!

Lovely shots

Wow, it has been an incredibly busy week but look at these lovely shots Kristiiina captured last week at the their lifestyle shoot here at the Inn! It was a pleasure working with these two local talents and thanks so much for the lovely mention here.  Don't forget to check them out on facebook (here and here) and visit Kristiina's blog.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Literary club last night to discuss "Suite Francaise"--what a fascinating, horrifying, and brave book. We will post next month's book on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Lifestyle shoot at the Inn

Yesterday we were thrilled to host Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kristiina Sheree Photography for a lifestyle photo shoot at the Inn. It is exciting to have such incredible talent in the area and we can't wait to see some of the pictures from their shoot. Check out their Facebook pages here and here for more information and like their pages. We hope to share some of the photos once they are released. 


Photos care of Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kriistina Sheree Photography

A look back at the books of 2011

February: Room by Emma Donoghue

March: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

April: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

May: My name is Mary Sutter by Robin Olveira

June: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus

July: Water for Elephants

August: The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble

September: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

October: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

November: Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky

Our first meeting of 2012 is next Thursday, January 26 at 7:30PM. Even if you haven't read, "Suite Francaise" but would like to come and mix and mingle with the group, come on by. We have great discussions. We rotate who chooses the book each month so we have a variety of perspectives and interests represented. 2011 was a great success for Snapdragon Inn's Literary Club.  We were taken on journeys all around the world across diverse settings and time periods. Certainly, a hi-light of the year was having Abraham Verghese,  join our conversation via phone back in April as we discussed his book, "Cutting for Stone".

Is there a book you have been itching to read? Make a list and bring it to the meeting. Here's to more great books and great discussions in the Maxwell Perkins library this 2012!

Just curious? What was your favorite?

Are you frozen yet?

It has been bone shatteringly cold here the last few days but that hasn't kept people off Lake Runnemede (aka Evarts Pond) back behind the Inn. It is a prime spot for ice fishing and these cold clear days are perfect for it. Recently, an 8 year old, Windsor resident, pulled a 15 pound Northern Pike out of the lake and has become the envy of the ice fishing community. That is one big fish!

You can head out on the lake during your visit to the Inn and see for yourself.  Not to worry, after your walk, you can warm right back up by the fire in the Maxwell Perkins library. 

Oh, and it will be warming right up into the mid 20s later this week ;)

New Reviews!

Usually on January 10th the ground is covered with a thick layer of snow and ice so this is certainly an odd winter for us in Windsor.  In Saying that, it is quite a treat to be able to walk around Paradise park without skis or snowshoes. We are so lucky to be steps away from such a beautiful lake and park reserve. This is definitely a highlight that so many of our guests enjoy.

Everything in Snapdragon is perfect - the location is right on a cute lake but at the outskirts of a little town, only 4 hours drive from NY. The inn itself is a beautiful house, exclusively furnished and very well maintained, with correct touches of luxury and the nicest inn keepers. The area offers many touring and dining options (don't miss Simon Pearce). Overall we couldn't hope for a better b&b experience. Highly recommended! -Guest from NYC 

~Photos taken in Windsor, VT. First Ice Settling and First Ice Chorus. Visit this site for more stunning local photography. You can read more reviews here on TripAdvisor.