Here Comes Summer !

Every year Memorial Day Weekend seems to sneak up on me!  I like to change out some decorations to a patriotic theme for Memorial Day and keep it all out until after the 4th of July - which will also be here before I know it!

The wreath above is several years old....I added a new ribbon, some additional flowers, and a top hat from Dollar Tree to spruce it up for this year.  Mostly everyone in our building has a wreath of some kind on their apartment door and it really looks nice.  I added the Ukrainian flag to the wreath holder...praying for peace in Ukraine.

In the entry I added a red lantern and tied a flag bow on the top, along with a little metal star and a patriotic print.

A big thank you to Ann at On Sutton Place for the printables she shares.  I love to have one displayed in our foyer. You can visit her blog here - On Sutton Place

Dining room has a simple arrangement of silk hydrangeas with a flag tucked in...and the wicker stars scattered around are from Pier One many years ago.

A little colonial flag to dress up this blue candle holder...

and a simple display for the coffee table.  I used an old flag from years ago to fill the tray, added red and blue crystals to the candle holder, and then tucked in the firecracker picks I picked up last year from JoAnn Fabric after the holiday.

A little display in the kitchen.

And the only Boyd's Bear I kept after we downsized....I had so many and loved them, but when we moved and had a yard sale I almost could not give them away.  I ended up giving them to children who showed up with parents...and hope they all have a loving home.  This cutie with the flag sweater made the cut to come to Our New Vista.

One of the the things we LOVE about living here at Willow Valley Communities - and the list is long - is that once a year we get a deep cleaning of our apartment as part of our contract.  The team does an amazing job....9 people show up at 8 AM and do a fabulous job on every part of our apartment.  Wash all woodwork, windows, etc. - even clean the inside of the washer and dryer.   We love that our annual cleaning falls in May because they do a fabulous job on our screen porch....the floors, the walls, and even all the furniture.  We had our cleaning last week so I was ready to pull out my red/shite/blue pillows.

A little stars and stripes for the table with a star candle container.

Some patriotic coasters and the faux geranium that I have had for year.  We get very little direct sun on our porch, so this flower does the trick for us.

And lastly, my favorite spot for the summer.   I love to sit here anytime of day...with a coffee, tea, or wine...and relax, read, and sometimes nap.   I have the chaise angled so it looks out onto beautifully manicured shrubs ( that Willow Valley takes care of) and watch the birds and sometimes deer come out of the fields behind our building.  

It's time for summer reading and I am excited to go to an author lecture tomorrow ....and get some great new books to share.

Do you decorate in a patriotic theme ?  Are you a big time summer reader ?  Please leave a comment below and let me know - I love hearing from you! Until then, have a great summer and thanks for stopping by Our New Vista!

 Inn BoonsBoro Getaway

I love to read...and my husband and I love to travel - and the two things came together on a weekend getaway! 

During the past two years of Covid  and staying at home a lot of the time I read more than I usually do.  I always enjoy Nora Roberts books and came across the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy at my local library.  I really enjoyed the books, the details of three brothers renovating an old inn in Maryland and the stories about their life and loves.  When I found out that there actually was an old inn in Boonsboro, Maryland and that Nora Roberts bought it and refurbished it the same way as described in the books...and you could stay at the inn - well, it was on my list of places to go.

The books are entertaining, cozy, and I really enjoyed them.  You can find them on Amazon here

Inn Boonsboro Trilogy

Once we were vaccinated and boosted and things started to feel a bit better we decided to take a few days away and visit the Inn Boonsboro.  It is about a two and a half hour drive away from our home, and Boonsboro is close to Harper's Ferry, the Antietam battlefield, cute little towns, and other historical sites.

You can choose from among eight rooms - and with the exception of The Penthouse, all rooms have been inspired by literary romantic couples. We made our reservations for the "Westly and Buttercup Suite" as we are big fans of The Princess Bride.

We arrived at the Inn on a rainy afternoon and were warmly greeted by the Innkeeper.

There are beautiful fresh flower arrangements all over the Inn.

We arrived a bit before check in time and our room was still being prepared - we were graciously offered tea and snacks...

and relaxed in the lounge while we enjoyed looking at the decor and reading information about the area.

There are several common areas around the Inn - inside and out - and the attention to detail is outstanding.  Beautiful artwork of all kinds decorate the Inn.

Within a few minutes we were escorted to our suite...

Our room had a private entrance onto the balcony and a small seating area.

Here we go...

A cozy sitting area

Fresh flowers on the windowsill

 

There were two televisions with DVD players - one in the bedroom and one in the sitting area.   Each room has the book and the movie that fit the room's theme. ( Hah - we did not know this, and brought our own DVD to watch....)

Very comfy king size bed...

Comfy robes...

It was chilly and raining, so the fireplace was nice an cozy.

The journal for the room had a Princess Bride theme - there was even a silver goblet.

As well as information about the Inn...including the wifi password.

But....THE BATHROOM !!!

You can see the panel near the toilet...we had never stayed anywhere that had a set up like this.  It was an experience...

Each room had diffusers with a scent created especially for the room's theme - and the toiletries also matched that theme.

After we explored the room and unpacked we headed down to have some wine.

The Inn only books 4 rooms at a time now due to Covid precautions...and wine is served with an individual  charcuterie board.

Very generous serving...way too much.  We could not finish it all and had to wait a bit to eat dinner.

Since it was still raining and chilly we enjoyed our treat in the library, in front of a fire.

It was perfect...the librarian in me enjoyed browsing the bookshelves for titles I had read...and want to read.

A map in the library has pins showing where visitors are from...in the USA...

and around the world.

After a great dinner at a restaurant recommended by the Innkeeper, we came back and made use of those cozy robes, some cookies from the treat table, and enjoyed watching The Princess Bride in the Westly and Buttercup Suite!

Well, a B&B needs a good breakfast...and WOW!  We were so full from the night before that we asked for half portions - 

Also teas for each room's theme....

and a large carafe of delicious coffee.

Everywhere you looked there was something wonderful!

We headed out to explore Boonsboro and the little shops nearby.

The Turn The Page bookstore is almost across the street from the Inn and has all of Nora Roberts books as well as every other kind of book you can imagine - and great gift items, too.

Nowhere is willpower so weak as as in a bookstore!

Unless it is the in the shop where they sold the Westly and Buttercup room scented items!

Boonsboro is a very small town, but it was fun to walk around and explore...people were very friendly.

As we were admiring this man's Victorian house he came out to talk to us and show us some of the history behind the home.

After that we headed over to Shepherdstown, West Virginia - only 10 miles away - and enjoyed lunch and walking around the town...then stopping at the Antietam National Cemetery.

We headed back to the Inn for wine...and asked for just some fruit and nuts this evening - 

The weather warmed up and we were able to enjoy our treat on the beautiful courtyard...and I browsed the Inn's cookbook.

OK...the minute I saw that tub I knew I had to try it.  I brought the book I was reading, filled the tub with bubbles and got ready to soak...

But, the tub was so big that I started to slide under the water and had to prop my feet up on the side to keep from going under!  Still...it was BLISS!

Next morning on the way to breakfast we noticed so many other little touches that make this place so special...notice the bird on the light fixture.

And the mouse on the stair way!

Breakfast was wonderful...again - they keep track of what you had the day before so there are no repeats.

Lavender Creme Brulee to start...

Pancakes with strawberry butter, scrambled eggs, sausage, juice...and more of the best coffee!

We can't say enough about this wonderful Inn. EVERYONE we encountered at the Inn was friendly, helpful, and so kind.   We are already making plans to return and explore some of the other towns and historic sites in the area.  Don't know which room we will choose next time!  You can check out the Inn and all of the other rooms here- www.InnBoonsBoro.com

When you travel, are you B&B kind of people ?  We love getting to meet other people, and while Covid kept the number of guests to a minimum, we were able to meet a party of four generations celebrating a birthday and some other guests as well.  Please let me know of any special inns or B&Bs you enjoy.  I love reading your comments and try to respond to each one!  Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista - have a wonderful week!