Day One, Revisited I know I wrote that a year and a half ago, but now that the restoration is (almost) over and the innkeeping has begun, it seems just as appropriate today. Our first guests were a couple from Philadelphia just looking to get away on a Friday night. The sheets had arrived that […]
Tag Archives: restoration
The week after I thought the grand opening meant we were done. I’m not sure how I can still be so naive after everything else we’ve gone through, but I think that eternal optimism is one of my charms. Of course, that may just be me being optimistic… I’d forgotten about all the crystal and […]
The end of the beginning The building code inspector came out on Monday for the “final” visit and flagged us for a dozen issues, from a broken emergency light (which we knew about) to all of the shower lines being reversed (which we didn’t know about). Dawn has taken care of everything and so we […]
Grand Opening! The moment you’ve been waiting for — I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:
Down to the wire One week remaining… Saturday Buy coffee maker Install new mailbox Order sheets and towels Find (or order) window pulls Order one more kitchen pull Schedule clock guy Buy bathroom hardware (towel racks, etc.) Sunday Set up walkway, lay wood chips Unpack boxes, organize furniture Invite neighbors Set up canopy bed on […]
Independence Day First, the good news: Last week’s record rainfall did NOT do any significant damage to the mansion. Had it occurred a week earlier, when the driveway was freshly paved, I would not be saying that. Dawn, however, did not sleep for three days. When you’re sleeping in a greenhouse with a plastic roof, […]
Paymaster’s Office I think the Paymaster’s Office is the second coolest building on the property. (The coolest, of course, is the privy.) But you can’t live in the privy, and you don’t get all of these other benefits: The paymaster window. How many other buildings are divided by a wall with a double-hung window? The basement, […]
Todd Auker I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The people on this project have been fantastic. Todd is no exception. I’m not sure how Dawn found him, but it was a last minute thing, and he had to squeeze us into his schedule. (Which meant he would do one room, disappear for […]
Brian Schaeffer I feel bad for Brian because, while he’s probably put in the most time on the project, his work will be the least appreciated. That’s not because his work is poor — on the contrary, he does excellent work, and he approaches every job with such care and attention to detail that even […]
Leaders and followers Make no bones about it: I’m a follower. I must hold a record for belonging to the most Pennsylvania organizations without actually residing (or ever resided) in the state. Here’s the list I’ve joined, am joining, or am trying to join: Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Lititz Retailers […]