The definition of success

Bon Jovi recently said in a popular song, "Who said you can't go home?"
Apparently, it was Thomas Wolfe, quoted as saying, "You can't go home again."
Jon can thank me later...

Thomas Wolfe and Max Perkins had a tremendous literary relationship as editors and authors go. Perkins was known for having the skill to handle difficult personalities such as Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Wolfe. All men who had to fight with their personal demons in order to produce literary masterpieces.

I find the following quote from Thomas Wolfe very interesting:

"If a man has talent and can't use it, he's failed. If he uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he uses the whole of it, he has succeeded, and won a satisfaction and triumph few men ever know.”

It makes me wonder if he put himself under the pressure of fully using his talents. I'm not sure any of us can truly, fully, realize our potential and use our "whole" talent(s). I'm pretty sure I don't use the whole of my talent on a daily basis, and I still have moments of complete satisfaction in my life. I've even had moments of triumph. Of course they were over things like potty training a child, or mastering the baking of homemade bread, but I was triumphant none the less. I think if I defined myself by my talent of writing, then I would feel like a failure because I am only half using it. Fortunately, I see that I have many other talents and my personal satisfaction is not merely defined by one aspect of my life. The quote makes me wonder if Wolfe himself felt like a failure, partial failure or success. It also reminds me a bit of the process of creating the inn. We are all combining our talents and using them the best we can, and it has been satisfying in a way that can't be explained, but will it be a successful venture? The jury is still out on that one.

A little food for thought as you contemplate the coming new year and things you have accomplished and the things you WILL yet achieve. Here's to wishing that each of us find those creative areas in our lives that bring us fulfillment and success in our own eyes. In my world, you are only a failure if you have the desire, but you never try.


Happy New Year!

Christmas Traditions

In our family we have a tradition of eating Hamburgers and Rootbeer floats on Christmas eve. My mom's family used to do it when she was a girl on the ranch she grew up on and it was a real treat. I don't think there is year I haven't done it, even when we have lived in Taiwan and New Zealand. See Mike grill through the years.

Mike on the grill, New Zealand 2005

Mike on the outside grill, New Zealand 2006

Mike on the grill, Vermont 2008

I remember in Taiwan, finding the ground beef was a bit of a challenge but we had been frequenting this Italianish restaurant called "Oodles of Noodles" and they ordered the ground beef special from Hong Kong for me.

In New Zealand, it is summer so we can actually have a proper BBQ and make traditional Kiwi burgers which sound different but are really good. They put fried eggs, pineapple rings, and beet root on their burgers with the usuals. Rootbeer isn't as popular here either, so we had Gingerbeer floats and they were Yum! And since NZ is a day ahead, it is Christmas today and we had our feast last night.

Kiwi burger and Gingerbeer 2009

It is a tradition I have grown to love and look forward to. I enjoy doing it with my family and love to see the little nephews and nieces getting into the hamburger spirit too!

Little Snapdragon M, Behold, Hamburger. 2008

What is a tradition you have? Enjoy your Christmas celebrations and your family traditions. It is a wonderful time of the year to relax, eat, and be with family and friends.

--Chris

Haiku for winter

Part of Mondays with Max is exploring all things literary. With Christmas quickly approaching, and winter beginning to really settle into Vermont, I thought this week it would be fun to try something different. I'd like to send out a winter Haiku challenge to all our readers-- put your thinking caps on and lay down some verse for us!

In case you need a refresher, Haiku is a three line poem centered around nature themes. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables, the final line has 5. They generally have two parts.

One of the young "Whipper-Snappers" of the family was kind enough to write up a sample to get us started. Just leave your mini masterpiece in the comments section and let's see how many winter or snow themed haikus we can create.

Snow is falling down.
Winter is all around us.
I love wintertime!
-A. Whipper-Snapper, age 11

Ice everywhere shines
Encasing branches and leaves
Earth’s own chandelier
-Joy, age unimportant

Happy Holidays to everyone! We hope you have a blessed and enjoyable Christmas! Now show me your mad poetry skills!
--Joy

And the Winner is...

Thanks for all those who have stopped by this week! Deb, please email us at innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com with your address so we can get you your paper goodies.

And for some Random links:

Nothing says, "Happy Holidays" like some festive sweaters. This link is kind of funny.

Holiday DIYs here and here.

These edible santas found here.


And go see Avatar. The world that was created is spectacular. I want to go to there.

Happy Weekend before Christmas!

Susan Lucci Ain't Got Nothin On Me...

Russell Morash is considered the father of of “how to” and “know how television.” Ranked twelth on the National Academey of Television Arts and Science list of top 100 Daytime Emmy winners, with 14 Emmy Awards including 11 for “Outstanding Director of a Service Show” Russel Morash resume speaks for itself. A native of Lexington Massachusettes , he began to make his mark on the industry in 1963 when he helped invite Julie Childs and The French Chef into our kitchens.

In 1975 he teamed with Jim Crockett and walk us around Crockett's Victory Garden, later The Victory Garden. Finally in 1979 when Russell Morash brought This Old House into our livingroom it started a revolution and turned a nation into DIY's (Do It Yourself(ers)).

With a fan base thicker than the flannel on a Norm Abram shirt, This Old House has empowered its watchers to believe in their creative power and to find inspiration in the walls of their homes. The foundation(no pun intended) of This Old House lies in its charismatic cast of characters, who have been remodeled slightly over thirty years but have become an extended member of my family every Thursday night.

My sister Chris and I use to have battles of epic proportion of what was going to be watched on one of our three channels growing up. There were three shows we settled on after all of the hair pulling, pinching and punching ceased. Day time soap opera, General Hospital, Square One/Mathnet and This Old House. So as much as I loved following the daily saga of Luke and Laura, the dynamic Mathnet duo of Monday & Frankly, it was with hushed tones that every Thursday night Chris and I like religion huddled in front of the magic box and watched master carpenter Norm Abram, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook work their magic with wit, humor and expertise.

There is a great sense of camaraderie in what This Old House brings to America. It is that same sense of camaraderie and magic that the Snapdragon has created for our family and the community. We may not have the longevity of This Old House but we hope to achieve and surpass it. On this Thursday Thought I tip my hat to Russell Morash and This Old House for being a pioneers and extend an invitation from one DIYer to another that you will always be welcome at the Snapdragon Inn because the adventure regardless of the sacrifice is worth every effort. We hope to see you there.

To abbreviate Garrison Keillor : This is my Thursday thought from Lake Runnemede where the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average.

Until next Thursday this is JD signing off...

Cornish Colony Museum

For those museum lovers that are looking forward to staying at the Snapdragon Inn you are in luck. The human to museum ratio in this small town is astounding, you could spend multiple days visiting museums and never have to get in your car.

The museum we’ll be highlighting today is the Cornish Colony Museum. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Windsor played a brief yet lively part in American history as part of the Cornish Colony. Many of the influential artists of the time would leave the bigger cities like Boston and New York and gather in this little pocket of beauty that became the Cornish Colony. Painter Maxfield Parrish, dancer Isadora Duncan(the mother of modern dance), and former owner of the Snapdragon Inn and writer Louise Saunders (previously mentioned in this post) are a few of the many artists that gathered in this and surrounding towns. This museum features the work and preserves the history of the artists colony.

The current winter exhibit, Illustrating the Imagination features Childrens Illustrators from the Cornish Colony and today.

In the following clips the museum curator, Nicole Ford, gives a few examples of the pieces in this exhibit as well as some of the permanent pieces in the museum.

--Chelle

Furniture!

The Topic for this DIY Tuesday is Furniture, yay! While I can report that there are projects in the works, unfortunately we do not have any pictures to show right now. But the before and after photos will be up soon. Many of the Brimfield beauties are underway. So to just get you prepped for the final showing of many pieces that will grace the Snapdragon, we are going to have a crash course in the process of choosing a piece and then giving it a face lift.

In our nine rooms, we are creating an atmosphere of comfort, luxury, and with a bit of history. So we have gone about it, by picking pieces from the same time period, or that have similar shapes and detail, for each individual room. For example, the recent chairs that have received their face lift will be paired with low stream lined side tables, and a low streamlined headboard.

So a quick little lesson on refinishing an upholstered chair:
-Always check the structure before purchasing the chair, if it is broken beyond repair, do not buy it.
-Then once it is purchased, remove the fabric, and save the pieces for a pattern for the new fabric.
-Cut the new pieces, and staple them to the chair, sounds easy right! Now the tricky part of this is all the finessing and trial and error that comes with doing re-upholstering.But the after makes it all worth it.

Just a bit on refinishing a table, first it must be stripped, or sanded down. Once you have cleaned the old finish, apply your new finish, whether it be stain or paint. Once that is completed, apply a top coat of varnish, this will protect the new finish.



Here are some snap shots of the side tabled in process: The tables are in good condition, but have a few stains on them, so here are some shots of the process being started. The first is a circular stain, then there is a picture of it sanded out, but the final coat of satin has not been done and polished yet.

--K80

More Vermont Books to Share

Here are a few more titles that I've stumbled upon that I think would make great holiday gifts, particularly if you are looking for something unique and specific to the Vermont experience.


Elsie's Biscuits: simple stories of me, my mother and food by Laurey Masterson
A memoir of illustrated recipes from the author who spent her childhood in Vermont. Her parents ran the Blueberry Hill Inn and even wrote cookbooks. I think this would be a great addition to our Maxwell Perkins Library collection.

Hands on the Land: A History of Vermont landscape by Jan Albers
An award winning look at the development of Vermont's landscape and the efforts to preserve it's rural communities.

M is for Maple Syrup by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds
A state to state alphabet book that will teach you that L is for Lake Champlain, and of course M is for maple syrup!

50 Hikes in Vermont: Walks, Hikes and Overnights in the Green Mountain State by the Green Mountain Club
This is a great guide for anyone of any level who wants to wants to get out and explore Vermont.

And here's a little literary challenge for you-- since the Snapdragon along with all of Windsor is covered in snow, let's pay homage to them with a little haiku fun. Next Monday be ready to comment with your original haiku poems on the topic of snow or winter. Can't remember what a haiku is? Click here. Be ready to amaze us. We know you can.
--Joy

Snapdragon Giveaway!

Happy week before Christmas Snapdragon friends. This will be the last giveaway before the holidays and we have a fun selection of paper goodies to share with you. One of our favorites is the pad "All Out Of" that is excellent to hang on the fridge and keep a running check list of what groceries you need. Grocery shopping has never been the same. Again, another fun pack of stocking stuffers or a few cool new prezzies for you!

Let the commenting begin!

How to Enter? Anyone who leaves a comment on any post this week (Monday-Thursday) is automatically entered in the draw and it will end Thursday December 17th at 12am GMT. The winner will be revealed on Friday!

Rules: To maximize your chances you can reply to EVERY POST this week but only leave one comment per post please.

And the Winner is...

Congrats Gail! Email Innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com so we can get your address and post you your puzzles--sounds like you really really wanted them!

And for some random links.

This before and after home renovation looks lovely. Can't wait until we can have one MASSIVE before and after for the Inn.

These winter photos.

And this fun little video. Thanks to all of our readers this week. It has been great to have your support and we LOVE your comments. Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you next week!

Thursday Thoughts: Sharing 26 Main

We may own the home that is slowly transforming into the Snapdragon Inn, but there are many people across town and around the world that feel a little piece of ownership when it comes to 26 Main Street. Some spaces inspire a loyalty and a love, and this building has that. I’ve had people tell me stories about the one time they got to go into the house, and how they can’t wait to see it again, and also stories from family members that breathe life into the historic figures who have lived within its walls. The one piece that brings them all together is a joy for the space and a desire to see it flourish.

With these stories also come precious gifts of history. We are always excited to hear memories of 26 Main, and encourage the sharing of them! We’ve also received another type of history – photographs. One of our local historians stopped by to bring us these photos of the home in another time and its occupants – I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Looking east on what is now Runnemede lane. Inn is on right.

Mrs. Evarts? This home is just south of the Inn - you can see it faintly in the background.

William Maxwell Evarts on back porch of the Inn.

The Inn as viewed from the south-west corner of the property. Note the porch that runs along the southern side of the building and the circular drive with large tree in center - these no longer exist, but boy are they beautiful!

--McKay

Windsor Wednesdays: Snowed Inn

Excuse the lack of post--we got a little snowed in today. It is a real Windsor Wonderland around here now. Don't forget to enter the giveaway. 1 more day to go!

DIY Tuesdays: The Return of the Tubs

A few months ago we discussed our search for the best solution in dealing with the historic claw foot tubs located at Snapdragon Inn. This previous post covers some of the main points and how we selected Miracle Method.

Well the results are in (though this post is somewhat delayed) and we could not be happier with the outcome of our decision to keep the 84 year old tubs and try to bring them back to life.

Below are some before, process, and after pictures that will illustrate how we restored the tubs. The refinishing process is not meant to make a historic item look new and store-bought, so the imperfections in the original iron casts of the tubs remain as they were when they were shipped to Vermont. But the finish is brand new and allows current use, better care, and long term maintenance of the tub for decades to come.

Legs were removed and tubs set up on covered surfaces in well ventilated rooms.

Additional ventilation was set up. The tubs were scraped and peeled to remove years of paint and residue from the cast iron. This stripping process took hours and was an attempt to bring tubs back to the cast iron to confirm condition and provide a surface for refinishing.

While our tubs had no major imperfections, any small nicks that could be improved were filled, sanded and cured to provide a new surface for the refinishing process. The pictures above show part of this process.

As we discussed in our first post on tubs, the next step involved coating the tubs with a new surfacing material. The process seems much like an auto body repair if you were to see it happening, but the artistry is in knowing how to apply the product, how to salvage the unique features of the tubs, and how to achieve a smooth finish. The picture above shows the interior coating in progress.

A before/after shot of the faucet holes on one tub. This is midway through the interior refinishing process. The improvement is pretty dramatic and in person, the finish seems brand new.

We were very happy with this vendor.

We will provide some final thoughts and pictures on the tub project once we have them in place in the finished bathrooms. One of our goals with Snapdragon Inn was to retain a sense of place and history with the property and figuring out a way to make these great pieces of history work for the inn was very satisfying for the team.

Have you seen me?

We are looking for a claw foot tub leg that looks like the one pictured below. Email us with any leads.