In the December Pinehurst Inn Newsletter, Whispering Pines, it was announced that for every 2012 reservation made during the month of December, we would donate $10 to the Bayfield Regional Conservancy. We joyfully announce that during that month, we got 19 reservations for 2012 resulting in a $190 (actually we rounded it to $200) donation.

We are so pleased to support the great work of this land trust organization. BRC works with citizens, local government, private landowners, tribes and state and federal agencies to protect important habitats on Lake Superior, northwoods forests, inland lakes, rivers, wetlands, and farmland.  They have worked to protect some critical lands in our region including Mt. Ashwabay, Nourse Sugarbush, Frog Bay Tribal National Park to name a few. These are places that both locals and visitors can enjoy while knowing the land preservation is critical to the health of the land, the waters and forests.

A healthy environment is vital to healthy communities and nature inspires us and nourishes our soul.  We hope you will visit some of these specialplaces and consider the work and funds it takes to make this preservation happen.

Their activities were right in line with how to do Bayfield in the winter. Arrival at Pinehurst to order a pizza from Maggies and sit in the parlor by the fire talk, laughing and just kicking back. Saturday morning shopping. finding great opportunities to get to know Bayfield through the eyes of a couple of fun business owners. A Wolfsong Dog Sledding adventure that they will remember for a lifetime. And a catered dinner served by Molly Lewis Siegler where great food provided more opportunity to celebrate.

It isn’t about programming every minute. It’s about truly experiencing the place for what it has to offer. This group will remember the weekend for years to come. And they truly made connecting adventure, environment and personal rejuvenation their goal. All to the backdrop of Pinehurst Inn and this small community of Bayfield, Wisconsin. And as innkeepers, we watch this and it really makes our day. Thank you!

Yesterday, I noticed my mother had posted on Facebook that she was going to start decorating the Music Tree and get out the carolers. Alone. The pangs of guilt certainly hit me. I was tired and had been fighting off a nasty head cold for almost a week, but I didn’t like the idea of her doing things like that alone. These were a part of our family tradition. Okay, so I must confess that I didn’t run over to Pinehurst right away, but I did go. As I walked in the door, she said to me, “The carolers are ready to go out if you want to help.” I didn’t jump up and down or get as excited as I might have 20 years ago, but without question, I went to the landing and starting arranging. The music was once again playing (I think I may have even heard a muppet or two!). Placing each of these carolers in their appropriate space and laughing with my mom about their silly faces was a perfect moment. It was tradition.

While this is certainly a quieter season here at Pinehurst, we do love having guests at this time of year. There is something so warm and welcoming about this big old house when there is snow on the ground and a fire in the fireplace. If you haven’t been here at this time of year you are most certainly missing out. We really do love sharing our traditions with our guests and hearing about theirs.

We want to wish a very happy holiday season to you all, and hope that you enjoy sharing your family’s traditions as much as we do.

Stone's Throw, another great gallery in Bayfield!

Today, the day following Thanksgiving, is being trumpeted by the media (quite loudly) as Black Friday. But here in Bayfield, we are sounding off and actively promoting that locals and visitors support our area small businesses. Yes, this is happening all around the world, but when one lives in a small town, these types of efforts are palpable.

So here are the Pinehurst Inn top 5 hot spots for holiday purchases:

1. Big Water Cafe & Coffee Roasters – not only the place to go to pick up a great coffee drink or scone, but great assortment of coffee and tea goodies.
2. Apostle Island Booksellers – locally-owned, independent bookstore located in Bayfield. Their collection of books emphasizes the history, cultures, nature, lifestyle, cuisine and activities of our locale – the Apostle Islands, the Chequamegon region, Lake Superior, the Great Lakes, Ojibwe Country and the Northwoods.
3. Bayfield Wine & Spirits – Offering 60 – 70 different, individually selected wines from the U.S., France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and elsewhere – they have a great assortment of wonderful little wine/drink related items as well. And watch for periodic availability of Sassy Nanny Goat Cheese.  Yum!
4. Wolfsong Wear – Yup, these are the same folks who run the great dog sledding adventures in the area. They produce some of the best outerwear for adventure sports. They are all locally handmade with the highest quality materials: Woolrich Wool on the outside and soft comfortable Malden Mills 300 weight polar on the inside. AND they are running an incredible sale through the end of November – buy 1 coat, 2nd coat is half-price!
5. Eckels Pottery – located just South of Bayfield, Eckels Pottery has been in business since 1960. They offer beautiful, hand crafted ceramics along with a wide variety of other items large and small. We are pleased that most of our dishes used for breakfast service are from Eckels.

We could easily turn this list into a top 10 or top 15…….there are many more wonderful options. But we’ll stop here. If you are an area resident, know that the choices for your holiday shopping are many. If you are a periodic visitor, come back and make us your “one-stop” shopping location.

Either way, we do encourage everyone to shop locally. Supporting the small business people in every community direct and indirect economic impacts.

Enjoy this great mid-week offering along with eco-elegant lodging, variety of fall activities , discounted Enso Day Spa services and delicious full breakfast each morning.

September Offer:

Stay three nights (Sunday – Thursday only) and enjoy a 25% discount off the third night! PLUS a $25 Bayfield Chamber & Visitor Bureau Gift Certificate to enjoy during your stay. PLUS enjoy a 20% discount on a facial or body polish at Enso Day Spa!

Ends September 29, 2011.

October Offer:

Stay two nights (Sunday – Thursday only) and enjoy a 25% discount off the second night! PLUS a $25 Bayfield Chamber & Visitor Bureau Gift Certificate to enjoy during your stay. PLUS enjoy a 20% discount on a facial or body polish at Enso Day Spa! Ends November 3, 2011.

Gift Certificate can not be applied to lodging during stay. New reservations only. Reservations  can be booked online or by phone at 877-499-7651.

Most days, if there is any sort of wind, we are cooler than the rest of the region. But, on those days where it seems miserably muggy, there is still a solution – go swimming! There is nothing quite as refreshing as taking a dip in this beautiful lake to cool off. So, while it maybe miserably muggy everywhere else around us, we don’t mind! We’ve got this wonderful lake keeping us cool and comfortable.

History comes to life with the traditional Blessing Ceremony this Sunday, June 12th at 1:00pm: commercial fishing boats, tugs, powerboats, sailboats, excursion and transportation craft, and rowboats parade through Bayfield’s City Harbor. As they pass by the tip of the pier, clergy from the Apostle Islands community grant each vessel a blessing for safe passage and a prosperous season on Lake Superior. Lake Superior is Bayfield’s lifeblood. The Lake has drawn countless people to this area, from the Ojibwe, to the fur traders and missionaries, to commercial fishermen, and finally to tourists and pleasure boaters. In the late 1950′s Bayfield inaugurated the Blessing of the Fleet to honor its fishing families who formed the backbone of the area’s economy.

This event is open to all boaters, from kayaks and rowboats to fishing and sailboats. The Ferry Line has even been known to bring a few of their boats through for the annual blessing. Come to Memorial Park for a brief ecumenical service before the ceremony and then enjoy seeing the variety of boats get their blessing for a happy, safe and bountiful boating season.

If you are interested in participating in the Blessing, feel free to contact the Bayfield Chamber with any questions at 715-779-3335 or email Erin at erin@bayfield.org.

This month is unique! Participating businesses will have sidewalk chalk available for guests to start their own chalk art design, or finish a design that is already there – and say “Hello Summer!” with friends and family. The design to the left is from Donalee Designs, a wonderful jewerly designer/silversmith south of Bayfield. Come to display your creative side.

To honor this fun promotion, Pinehurst will have our own supply of sidewalk chalk (yes, it helps to have a 3-yr-old grandson!) for our guests to enjoy. What a fun way to greet summer!

Of course as our day continued, we dyed eggs and had a brief Easter Egg hunt. The day ended with a perfect meal including chickens from our local farmers, asparagus and carrot cake cupcakes! What more could we ask for?

With the warmer temps here we are so excited to get into our gardens, paint a few more walls and simply make Pinehurst look as good as possible for all of our spring and summer visitors. We look forward to sharing our amazing home with you all very soon!

We at Pinehurst Inn really do make a strong effort to partner and work with other local businesses. One of our newer relationships is with StageNorth Theater in Washburn, WI. I have been very involved at StageNorth as it is an amazing community theater, offering opportunities for those of us who live here to experience theater on many different levels. We’re hopeful that we can share this experience with many of our guests as well.

This past weekend StageNorth put on a wonderful production of the Tony award winning play by Edward Albee, Seascape. This is the story of an older couple pondering what to do “next.” The entire play takes place on a beach with the sounds of the waves in the background. It is certainly a unique production with lizards as they other main characters, but what really struck me was the beach and the water. It really made me yearn for the next season to get here.

Ironically, as I was yearning for things to speed up a bit (and get that ice out of the Chequamegon Bay), there were the first thunderstorms of the year last night, and I woke this morning to a beautiful blue bay of water! Truth be told, the ice is probably still there, just sunk down a bit, but I didn’t care! It was a sure sign to me that things are changing and summer will be here before we know it.

If you’re nearby, consider coming up to Pinehurst this weekend to see Seascape at StageNorth, get a massage at Enso, and take a hike by the lake and enjoy the sounds of Superior.