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Celebrate the 254th birthday of Robert Burns

November 27th, 2012 by peter

Robert Burns

On January 26th 2013 we will be holding our 5th annual Burns Supper at West Hill House to celebrate the 254th anniversary of the birth, on January 25th 1759, of this great Scottish Poet, often referred to as “The Bard”. (Bard is a Scots word for a poet.)

A Burns Supper is a significant tradition in Scotland and among Scots around the world. The evening will consistent of traditional Scottish fair including Haggis (which really is worth trying!) and Scottish Trifle. Wine will be served with dinner and a wee dram of Scottish whisky will be served to toast The Bard (for those 21 and older; soft drinks will also be available).

The Haggis will be piped in by a local piper and will be addressed in the traditional manner by Peter:

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang’s my arm. …

We will then encourage you to try some Scottish Dancing after dinner – we’ll show you how!

The Burns Supper will be held in our handsome Red Barn and we have room for only 30 guests. We expect a sell-out so don’t wait till the last minute to book. Tickets must be purchased by January 21st.

The Burns Supper is just $50 per person (including tax), and it is sure to be a memorable evening. Book two nights including the 26th and we will include the supper at the reduced rate of $80 per couple. Advance reservation is required for all tickets.

Tags: Burns Supper, Robert Burns
Posted in Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, West Hill House, Winter activities | Comments Off

RoadID – Wear it!

November 14th, 2012 by Susan

I wear mine

RoadID. Pro cyclists wear it. Marathon runners wear it. Ironman competitors wear it. And, not that I fall into any of these categories, I wear one too. Whether you are an athlete or not, this comfortable little wrist band is a great way to have ID on you at all times.

For years we have watched the Tour de France on TV and have not only seen Bob Roll in some pretty funny ads for this ID but have also seen commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen and of course cyclists wearing the RoadID. The ID is available in numerous colors and styles including a style to thread in your shoelaces and even a RoadID for Fido.

Thanks to encouragement from Ted King we’re on board.

RoadID – never leave home without it – you just never know when it might help save your life.

Tags: Cycling, Marathon, West Hill House
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The Red Chair visits West Hill House B&B

November 2nd, 2012 by Susan

Red Chair warming up and being admired by Snowball at West Hill House B&B

Warming up with Snowball

The Red Chair getting shelter at West Hill House B&B

Dry again!

The Red Chair checks out the Lincoln Gap - the highest road crossing in the State of Vermont

I feel high!

Ski School for the Red Chair at Mad River Glen

Teach me if you can!

The famed Single Chair at Mad River Glen has a date with the Red Chair

I am sure I could ski it – need snow!

The Red Chair visits with the Sugarbush cow

Please don’t sit on me!

Red Chair socializing with skier at Sugarbush

This guy looks a bit stiff

Hay there! The Red Chair enjoys a high perch at Hartshorn's Farm in Waitsfield Vermont

David Hartshorn gave me this perch

Red Chair at the Hartshorn Farm Stand in Waitsfield VT

I can’t help feeling squashed!

The Red Chair visits the Alpacas at Hartshorn's Farm in Waitsfield Vermont

I think they are staring at me!

Red Chair at Warren Vermont covered bridge

The river is not too Mad today!

Hi everyone, I’m the Red Chair that has been traveling throughout New England for the past several months.

I arrived at West Hill House B&B in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and rain was the order of the day. Fortunately my hosts offered rain boots and an umbrella so I stayed pretty dry. Inside I was given a place by the fire to warm up a bit even had a pussy cat come curl up with me for a bit.

Once the weather cleared my first stop was at the top of the Lincoln Gap Road, the highest road pass in Vermont, where I set foot, or should that be feet, on the Long Trail. The air was so fresh I’m felt I could have walked the full 273 miles of the trail but I had places to go and things to see.

With winter just around the corner I wanted to be introduced to the Mad River Glen ski area. I checked out the ski school meeting place then of course had to have my photo taken with the single chair.

From there we went to Sugarbush where I had my photo taken with a local cow before going to sit beside the year ’round skier. He didn’t say much, we just enjoyed the solitude of the moment.

I visited the Hartshorn Farm and hey, for fresh food, maple syrup from their own trees and hay, head to their farm stand. And speaking of stand – look at me standing atop a huge bale of hay!

With my feet firmly back on the ground I posed with some squash then climbed up on the wall to sit with the boxes of pumpkins for a while.

My legs were getting a bit cramped so I hopped down and headed over to visit with the alpacas, The Finkles, who didn’t seem to mind my company. I certainly did not expect to see alpacas in Vermont!

A stop to pose in front of the Warren Covered Bridge that spans the Mad River then back to my temporary home at the West Hill House B&B and ready for a warm cup of hot chocolate and a little cake.

Wow, have I had fun! I can’t wait for my next adventure! Tomorrow I am off across the Green Mountains to visit Middlebury, Vermont – I wonder what adventures await me there.

Tags: B&B, Mad River Glen, Red Chair travels, ski Vermont, Sugarbush, West Hill House
Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, Summer activities, West Hill House, Winter activities | Comments Off

A Traveling Chair?

October 24th, 2012 by Susan

Yes, a Red Chair is traveling throughout New England and having a great time visiting B&Bs, historic sites, museums, gardens and beaches.

Keep your eyes open, it may be coming to a B&B near you!

Tags: relaxing, Vermont, West Hill House
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A love story

October 23rd, 2012 by peter

Nicky & Daniel 20Oct2012 married at West Hill House B&B

Nicky & Daniel and JP Greg Trulson

Dancing in the Handsome Red Barn

Nicky and Daniel were married at West Hill House on Saturday October 20th. Here is their story, as told by Nicky…

Who would have known 24 years ago that on a high school band trip up to Montreal, that my life would be forever changed.

As a young girl at age 16, I travelled from Long Island, NY, up to Montreal, Canada on a school trip where I met the love of my life.

Daniel and I met at La Ronde amusement park in 1988. We fell deeply in love and travelled back and forth (eight hours away) for over three and a half years. It was challenging but we were very determined. Through snow storms and traffic, limitations of parents rules, school schedules and crossing the border… nothing was to stop us!

As our love was strong, so were our challenges. Eventually we parted and went our separate ways, although we were forever in each other’s hearts.

Twenty three years later, after many life changes and through the benefit of technology, we reconnected and our relationship flourished. Quickly we planned our life together and our wedding at the beautiful West Hill House B&B. It was absolutely lovely to say the least. We were so fortunate to have the benefit of our closest friends and family by our sides, and the generosity of Peter and Susan to make our day magical and unforgettable.

Posted in Weddings & Romance, West Hill House | Comments Off

Soaring over the Mad River Valley

October 17th, 2012 by peter

Guest Blog by David & Tracy Platt…

Sugarbush Airfield and Airport Building with Café

Tow plane and Sailplane

Sunset on the Field

If you happen to be looking for something to do in Sugarbush, try the Soaring!

Had a great time during my visit and a chance to get a few flights in over 2 days. The folks at Sugarbush Soaring are fantastic and their instructors are excellent. It’s a great way to see the countryside and especially see the sights during foliage season. And who knows, you might find you like flying (the best part for me).

Getting to the airport takes you through some nice country and it’s not too far from the B&B. The airport itself I think is the prettiest airport I’ve seen. Panoramic views of the hills and a beautiful open grass meadow that can double for a runway. If you’re looking for a place to have a picnic (seriously) this is a place to consider. Even waiting between flights is just so peaceful over there. At times they also have a small café open in the main building which makes good food and has a great view.

When I went they paired me up with an instructor who walked me through everything and was very good about answering any questions. It was clear the folks there really know their stuff, want to help, and want you to have fun. Sailplanes are amazing machines. They’re very good at taking advantage of rising air and use it like an elevator. They’re sometimes called gliders but they’re really sailplanes and with a skilled pilot taking advantage of the various air currents can stay aloft for hours. I think its as close to flying like a bird as you’ll get.

Going up for my flights was an experience. My experience for one of my flights went something like this: You buckle in, close the canopy, and the tow-plane (after all you have to get in the air somehow) takes up the slack in a tow line. You give the signal, and off you go getting towed into the sky by another airplane! Climb for a few thousand feet and pull the cable release. The tow plane flys away and the real fun begins. We headed over to a hillside on our first flight that we thought would generate some lift (mostly thermals or rising columns of air). After some searching we found some and gained a little more altitude. Yes, we’re climbing with no engine! A thousand feet or so later and we’re off to another part of the valley looking for more. During this time we’re enjoying the amazing views from that height. We could see Lake Champlain and rolling hills for miles with the trees starting to turn colors. Amazing. After having our fill of the experience we came back in to a smooth landing and rolled to a stop on the grass at the airport.

Sorry, I was too busy flying to take pictures from the air!

I can’t recommend going to the airport enough. Personally, we came up from Weston mostly for this. Do call and make reservations though if you plan to go just to be safe as they can get busy at times.

PS – we also enjoyed our stay at the inn. Fantastic place!

(For more information about soaring check the Specials listing.)

Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, Summer activities | Comments Off

Our annual thank you to Veterans – Remembrance Day

September 20th, 2012 by peter

Fully booked! Please consider us again in 2013.

Once again as a special ‘Thank You” to US and Canadian retired and active military, West Hill House joined with many other B&Bs across Canada and the US to offer one complimentary night of accommodation for military personnel on Saturday November 10, 2012, with the option to add Friday or Sunday nights at a 50% discount, for three of our rooms, and all our other available rooms for two nights at a 50% discount. Of course our wonderful breakfast is included each morning.

We are delighted that seven Veterans and active personnel and their partners have taken us up on this offer, and we are now fully booked for the weekend.

Tags: veterans
Posted in Attractions & Events, West Hill House | Comments Off

September flower show

September 10th, 2012 by peter

Yesterday was such a gorgeous fall day that I (Peter) wandered round the garden with my camera.

A classic challenge with a garden is keeping color all season long. Our gardener Patty Weston has over the years selected a marvelous variety of species and as you can see from these photos we still have a gorgeous display in early September. (Click on each photo to see it full size.)

These beautiful colors on the ground will gradually be out-shone by the radiance of the leaves on the tress, which are already to starting to put on their fall show!

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Excuse me….

September 4th, 2012 by Susan

Excuse me but what are you doing up there?

On the go from one place to another at the B&B, I always take a quick look around to see that everything is as it should be. But today I seem to have an supervisor relaxing in an unusual spot!

“Excuse me, but what exactly do you think you are doing up there?”

A quiet “meow” was the reply.

Not wanting to startle Smoky into moving too quickly and perhaps upsetting our heirloom grandfather clock I left him there and, after a few minutes, he delicately hopped down – as only a cat can do.

Tags: relaxing, Smoky & Snowball, West Hill House
Posted in Smoky & Snowball | Comments Off

Bird Seed Granola

August 25th, 2012 by Susan

Bird Seed Granola with melon.

Stirring it up! This past week breakfasts were gluten, soy, lactose and pork free. Wanting to increase my repertoire for such recipes, I searched the internet for something new and different. As often happens I got ideas but no recipe was exactly what I wanted or indeed, what I had in the pantry. So… here’s my made up recipe – and no, it doesn’t contain bird seed, it just looks like it does.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. honey (or you can use maple syrup)
1/4 c. canola oil
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. almond meal/flour
1 generous pinch of sel de mer (or 1/8 t. table salt)
1/4 t. baking soda
3 T. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. craisins
1/4 c. chopped almonds
3 T. pine nuts

Preparation:

Set the oven to 350°F.

Mix oil, honey and vanilla in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine almond meal, salt and baking soda and gently stir to mix dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the liquids and mix together. Add seeds, nuts and fruit, mixing well. Grease an 8X8 pan and press dough evenly into the pan. It is sticky so damp hands work well. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let the pan cool for about 15 minutes and you can use the granola right away by spooning it out of the pan and sprinkling it on, or layer it under, a bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt or even ice cream. It’s is fairly sweet so you don’t need a lot. When the amount remaining in the pan cooled completely I it cut it into squares which was ok but they didn’t really stick to gather all that well so when nibble, a crumb -catcher is a good idea. Hummm, guess that recipe needs a bit of tweaking before I can turn it into a good, stick-together snack bar.

Dishing it out! Before becoming an innkeeper/owner/chief cook and bottle washer, I had heard of lactose intolerance and celiac disease and had one recipe for gluten-lactose free cornbread. Now, over the last six plus years, I have prepared numerous types of breakfasts including vegan, frutarian (that one bothered me), dairy free, no pork, egg-free as well as oxalate free breakfasts. Thanks to the guests who have needed these I have had a chance to cruise through recipes on-line and in numerous cookbooks new and old and have discovered many great recipes, and made up a few along the way.

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