We won!

Doctor & Author, Abraham Verghese

In case you haven't already heard, the Snapdragon Literary Club was chosen by NPR books to have Abraham Verghese join our conversations sometime this week as we discuss his book "Cutting for Stone". We are still verifying the time so our regularly scheduled meeting is still on for tomorrow night at 7PM and then we will meet back up later this week when he is able to call or video chat in. Yay!!!!

Check out this link for more information!

Now I am off to finish the book. I don't want it to end so I've been stringing it out as long as possible.

Snapdragon Inn:Reborn Episode Five

Marv Klassen-Landis lives in Windsor, Vermont and recently visited Snapdragon Inn on a snowy morning (you can see and hear the snow plows working) to discuss poetry, art, education, and his passion for the creative. There was no way to capture the diversity of Marv's work in one short video, but we hope you enjoy some of his wonderful poems and thoughts on art. To learn more about Marv visit his children's arts program page here and see his full artist profile at Vermont Arts Council here.

Bald eagles in our backyard

Photo via Mary Holland

It is quite a striking sight to see a Bald eagle soaring in the blue sky above you. Not to mention two! This has become a common occurrence in Windsor and Paradise Park, just a steps behind the Snapdragon Inn.

We never seem to have the camera (or good enough lens) to capture the majestic bird(s) but Vermont naturalist, photographer and author Mary Holland caught this photo the other week here in Windsor of Bald eagles courting and mating. From what we've heard, they are nesting in some tall trees down by the Green Mountain Smokehouse (very yummy stop by the way) which edges up next to the Connecticut River. Thanks for capturing this picture Mary! She also has a wonderful book on sale, Naturally Curious- A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England

Bald eagles, once on the brink of extinction, have made a come back in all states including Vermont (since 2009) but are still considered endangered here. It almost feels like an honor to have sucht beautiful birds calling Windsor home (for now).

Abraham Verghese at our book meeting?

Happy Friday everyone! Is it possible that we are already here? Time flies when you are reading a good book. Several of us our currently engrossed in this month's book, "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese.

It turns out, the NPR book club is also reading "Cutting for Stone" and you can register your meeting online at the chance to have Verghese "drop" into your meeting via phone or video chat to talk with the group. We are a little late to the game but thought we would sign up anyway. If you are planning to attend our meeting, please follow this link to sign in and show you are indeed attending. We need to have 10 attendees which we have but need them all to sign up today! Hey, it's worth a shot.

How are we connected to this iconic kissing scene?

We wanted to start a Literary Club at the Inn because we have such an incredible literary history in the building and keeping this alive is extremely important to us. It is the perfect setting for a literary gathering, don't you think? But how is this connected to kissing on the beach? Well...

The last 2 books have been published recently but we think we'll choose one of the books Max edited in the coming months. A little Hemingway or Fitzergerald to spice things up? Or what about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings', "The Yearling" which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1938. Perhaps "From here to Eternity" by James Jones which was of course adapted into film and went on to win 8 Academy awards including best picture in 1953 which answers how we are indeed connected to possibly the most iconic kiss on the beach ever! It's fascinating to see the ways in which Max Perkins is connected to so many creative projects.

We love it.

Our March Literary Club Meeting is just around the corner. If you haven't been able to read "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese, you still have a week. It is a beautifully written story that traverses time and county. We will be meeting in the Maxwell Perkins library at 7 PM next Thursday. It may seem late but it's after dinner and kids are on their way to bed so we can slip away.

See you there!

Did you see the super moon?

Danica Barreau Photography

Who saw the super moon over the weekend? We are wishing we had been able to get some better pictures of our own, especially since it doesn't happen very often. This site has some beautiful shots from a variety of photographers and tips on how to shoot the moon. What amazing timing is the "fetch the moon" picture above? Little Moose Photography (based in Vermont) got some fun shots of the moon as well. Did you get any or have links to someone who did?

Looking for a perfect meeting spot?

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Luckily, the weather is sunny and in the low 50s today which feels absolutely brilliant! It is wonderful to see the weather warming and our telephone ringing with inquiries and new bookings! Although, winter has its charms, it can start to feel endless and the warm weather sees more people on the move!

We've hosted some wonderful events recently. Are you looking for a special spot for a birthday party or business meeting? If so, give us a call or write us an email. We would love to host your meeting or party at the Snapdragon Inn and help make your event perfect.

New Reviews!

Our stay at Snapdragon Inn was just what we needed to get away from the stress of life and this Boston winter. From the moment out hosts met us at the door and we saw the roaring wood burning stove we started to unwind. Everything from there got even better, from the clean and spacious room with the exellent heated bathroom floor to the to Inn keepers warmth and hospitality. The simplistic and elegant decorations showed much thought and style. The location could not have been bettter with walking distance to down town and a short driving distance to everything Vermont has to offer. We will see you again Steve, Chaz and family next trip :)

This place is truly wonderful. As a frequent traveler, it's rare to have this kind of experience. Immaculate. Wonderfully decorated. Extremely knowledgeable and warm staff. And best of all, as the former home of Max Perkins (famous Scribner editor credited to nurturing the careers of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald among others), there's a terrific creative energy about the place. Five stars.

Top 5 places I've ever stayed. One of the most relaxing, comfortable stays of my life. As the lone occupant, I felt unworthy of the luxury of the room. But the most important thing was the attitude of the owner... instantly felt like a friend. I've found myself trying to design excuses to revisit Windsor.

We had a string of new reviews posted to Trip Advisor from our February visits. We would like to take a moment to thank our wonderful Innkeepers for making every guest experience so positive and we'd also like to thank all of the fabulous guests who have stayed with us! We can't wait to see you again.

Happy Monday. May this be a great week for all of you!

Snapdragon Inn: Reborn Episode Four

Music.

Take a moment to check out our latest episode in the Reborn series. Chris Velan shared his thoughts on his process and passion, "song writing for life". We like that. Thanks again, Chris!

Also, there was a feature story in our regional newspaper today about the local music scene here in Windsor, Vermont. It's an exciting energy that is boiling here in Windsor and so exciting to see it get a little attention. Check out their site, whatdothelife for heaps more information about the artists and bands here in Windsor.

Enjoy!!!

250 Years | 250 People: Windsor

We recently kicked off an exciting project to celebrate our iconic little town and the people who live here. 250 Years | 250 People will profile 250 residents of Windsor in a multimedia photo essay. The project starts this week and we have created a kickstarter page to help raise the funds for printing costs and production. Kickstarter is a great tool for direct funding opportunities that offers rewards for those who pledge. You can receive anything from a credit in the book, to free prints from the final show or a free stay in Windsor at, you guessed it, Snapdragon Inn.

Spread the link and the love and help us fund the project so we can produce something cool. Pledges can be as small as $1. In other words, there is really no excuse to not get involved.

See the full project.

For those of you with short attention spans, this is a 30 second trailer for the project. Visit the link above for the full video and the project info.

Some random thoughts for a wet Saturday

"Snapdragon snow yoga. Sunday AM Windsor, VT"

Hello Saturday!

We started the week out so well with that wonderful clip of Chris' performance and then nothing but we've been busy as bees working on all kinds of exciting projects.Here are some shares for your weekend to try and make up for our absence during the week.

One of our guests took the above picture during his stay this week. Quite a groovy little self portrait in Room 1.

Don't forget our next Literary club meeting is set for March 31st, 7 PM and we will be reading, "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. You can join the group here or get more information.

Some new reviews are up on TripAdvisor.

On a more serious note:

As many of you know, one of our family members is from Christchurch, New Zealand and his family and friends have been deeply affected by the earthquake that struck the city on February 22nd. His mum was in the centre city during the quake and was recently interviewed by the Canadian radio show, "As it Happens". You can hear her experience here (her portion starts about 16:15 of Part One) The city continues to shake, with a 4.3 aftershock rumbling the earth just last night. It has been a significantly traumatic experience for the people of Christchurch and we have them in our thoughts.

Live at Snapdragon Inn: Chris Velan

Here's a Tuesday treat. We were lucky to have Chris Velan and his band stay at the Inn over the weekend after they played at Windsor Station Pub. Before heading out early the next morning he was kind enough to play a song from his upcoming album and be filmed for our next episode in the Reborn series.

Chris is our neighbor up in Montreal and he'll be in Maine and back in Vermont this week if you want to check him out. He's got a smooth and engaging sound.

A big thanks to Chris, Gar, Aaron, and Michael for stopping by. We look forward to seeing you again!