News from Village Victorian B & B

Quiet Season” so rates are very reasonable..... and it also gives us time to catch up on a lot of things...even write a new Newsletter! We have come to enjoy the respite from late October through early December.....ah...then it all begins again with the Holidays.

We even shut everything down for 2 whole weeks and took another real vacation to visit our daughter Jennifer, her husband Dano, our now almost 5 year old (in March) granddaughter Lian Mei.....and meet for the very first time our newest granddaughter Anna Mei. What fun! Had a chance to touch base with a few old friends both on the way and when we got back. We deliberately book our flights out of Manchester, NH so we can do that.

Philip cheated and brought our lap-top and cell phone...... running the business from Seattle! That left him with around a dozen transactions to process upon our return. Which is a very good thing since the truck dropped its transmission on the way to the airport, we had just installed a railing around the porch at the Lake Cottage, the hot water heaters both in the cottage and the B&B, decided they didn’t want to work any more and our big maples came down in an August tornado like storm, just after my brother Bruno visited. Of course the year before, during my brother’s visit here that August, lightening struck the house..... send us your vote on whether or not to invite him any more!

As you can see from the pictures, we will need to be doing some new landscaping in the Spring.

The business was setting all kinds of records this year as the Lord has blessed our latest understanding of prayer and honored our stand against the greed of the oil companies. Our plan for 2008 is to continue with the roll back we did over a year ago, to our 2004 rates......and the decision to go up only $20 during foliage and holidays. The words we heard were “Just because people understand and are willing to pay increased rates, does not make it right. Charge no more than what you would like to pay when you travel.”

This increase in our cash flow also came at just the right moment since our plans before all our “storms” came rolling thru, included a new shed in the rear ( to save Philip’s back from having to put everything up or down in the loft with each change of season). Then Ellen continued decorating the driveway side of the house with new garage doors, since one of them was coming apart and objecting to traveling up and down...... and... we started the new windows for the house project, with the Primrose Room........... Of course, just after ordering each of these things, the next disaster would pass thru.

We really believe that the Lord turns every disaster into something good. Not only did our big trees coming down bring about some serious Ellen tears, but when we stood back and looked at how it “opened the house” to those driving by, we were stunned with the beauty of our own home from that direction. Our neighbor from the corner came over to comfort us, which leads us to another whole “newsletter” of its own.....so...suffice to say .... this brought us to an arrangement where we are now marketing his beautiful Victorian mansion which they are restoring to its original grandeur.... Check out the new Village Victorian “ANNEX”.

Ellen joining Philip in the great adventure was the best decision we ever made. What a blast it has been working together. We just want to do more and more things together......and we are.

All of her projects have also really started taking off this past year....the Gift Shoppe in the back (as well as its ONLINE version – check it out - might as well mention the portable version of the Shoppe too) and then her Victorian Tea Parties may mean we are going to need some more help around here. We are discovering how to use our different gifts together to put out a really great product here.

Then there are always the wellness products, wellness seminars, retreats, massages, fishing schools and...... our expanding little House Church...... who knows what’s next (?)......we just love retirement! Come enjoy it all with us!

Blessings
Ellen and Philip