Guests Arrive at our B & B

Our recent guests are now settled into their own homes back in Connecticut and Massachusetts...but it sure was fun to have them here in Virginia for just a bit!

Have I ever mentioned that long ago I had a romantic dream that we could own a bed and breakfast and offer guests a place to stay here in our beautiful Valley...until I realized what that might mean to have various strangers appear on our doorstep.

A friend told me once that we already have a bed and breakfast...our home, not a business...and we could freely pick whom we wanted to host. Good advice!

Tom's sister Ellen and her husband Ed stopped by here for a couple of nights after their vacation in Florida. It was good to have them!  They introduced us to pickle ball in the driveway...a first for us!

Here's Tom with his look-alike sister Ellen:

After a morning of activities, we grabbed a pizza at Bella Luna's in Harrisonburg (I recommend the Ring of Fire).

And all too soon, it was time for them to head back to Connecticut. Come again, y'all!

Earlier this week, we hosted our friends, Tim and Donna. They've appeared on the blog before, and we always enjoy when they come. They were also headed back from Florida and stayed with us a couple of nights. What is this with everyone getting to go to Florida...without me???

On a side note: I've been to Florida only once in my life back in 2010. You can read about one part of the trip here. Who was reading the blog back then...14 years ago...and knew I won that trip? Leave a comment if you were one of the original blog readers back then. (I always respond back by email to every comment!)

Tim is a history buff and suggested Montpelier as a place to adventure to one day they were here. Montpelier is the home of James Madison, located about an hour and a quarter from us in Orange, Virginia.

Here we are having a little fun with the statues:

The tour inside the house was interesting...here are a few scenes. James Madison, bottom left, and his favorite picture he had painted of his wife Dolley, bottom right:

Some famous statues in the ornate sitting room:

Check out the dining room below with cutouts showing how they usually sat around the table...Dolley is at the head of the table because James didn't like to be in the spotlight. He enjoyed conversing with those men around him at the table, James Monroe and others.

In the far corner is James Madison's man-servant, Paul Jennings...a name I'd never heard before but one that our tour guide mentioned frequently in his lecture: The gardens and grounds were beautiful, too. Here we are with stunning flowering shrubs around us:

All the daffodils were in bloom. The day was absolutely gorgeous:

I loved reading these facts about the gardens..."a paradise of roses and flowers."

Click on the info plaque below to zoom up to read:

Just lovely!

This was the vegetable garden in winter below, partitioned off from the formal, landscaped gardens by a hand-crafted wooden fence. I would love to go back in the summer and see how they plant and tend the vegetable garden each year, if they actually do.

Heading out at the end of our tour, we were able to snap this photo that we missed when coming onto the property:
I thought the day was great...seeing new sights and being with friends!  Tom had never been to Montpelier before, but the kids and I had gone 30 years ago on a home school field trip. We still remember eating llama chili on the grounds at a festival, and the Montpelier mansion was then pink, yes pink brick!

Well, that catches you up on our recent excursions. We always thoroughly enjoy our B & B guests!

~Deb

Up Next: Celebrating my sister's birthday in South Carolina!

Comments

[Donna]

We enjoyed our time with you immensely and are so thankful for our fun time together. Your kindness and hospitality touches the heart. The Girotti B&B is undeniably the best anywhere - 5-star!

[victoria]

I do remember you winning that trip to Florida all those years ago and the report on the blog. Has it really been that long ago??!!! Think it is time for you to head to Florida again.
Looks like some nice visits with friends and family!

[Jill]

How nice to have special guests in your home. Everyone looked like they enjoyed themselves.

[Holly]

Dolley Madison and I are both happy in the same spot. :) My other option was the bench which makes it hard for a mom to jump up and get things. Eventually my husband preferred the bench to being responsible for filling the plate of our youngest. We tend to be like our cows and head for our usual "stall" even when we're the only ones at the table. My youngest hasn't needed help with her plate in quite a while...but that's still MY spot! :P It sounds like you are having some wonderful times. I enjoy it vicariously. :)

[Tammy C]

Oh my pickleball always looks fun but have never tried playing it.

Glad you had a fun time with family and friends.

I found your blog around April 2005.