Beautiful Grounds Add Beauty and Style to a Vermont Bed and Breakfast

Have you ever dreamed of spending a lot of  time in the summer outdoors? 

Well, if you visited  Applewood Manor Bed and Breakfast in Castleton, Vermont, staying outside would not be a problem at all.  As a matter of fact, the grounds are so lovely, you might want to stay outside until fall!  Everything is neat and clean.

The above shot of the side porch shows  white wicker chairs with cushions.  The porch has French doors leading to a lounge area where guests can read, watch tv, or just relax.

Here's a pink flower-covered table and chairs  on a side patio.

Wouldn't you love to have a meal outside on this patio table or spend some time on the swing?

Here's the path that leads to the luxurious pool:

In this photo, the pool is located to the left, inside the white fence:

Here's the little storage shed near the pool. Two white rocking chairs in front of it are perfect for watching the sunset.

Innkeepers Nancy Cameron and Ralph Hirschfeld do a great job making their Bed and Breakfast a top notch place to stay.

Wouldn't you just love to take a dip?                                                                                            

                                                

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEND A COUPLE OF NIGHTS AT THE APPLEWOOD MANOR BED AND BREAKFAST IF YOU WERE TRAVELING IN VERMONT?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment indicating whether you want to participate in the Giveaway for my 300th post! Check it out! It was Friday's post!

300 Posts Giveaway! Books for Tea Lovers

Okay, folks, it's time for a Giveaway, commemorating 300 posts!                                                              

 Today's post makes 297 since this beloved blog got off the computer screen in October of last year.

The Giveaway will be four little books themed around tea. They are not expensive since money is kind of tight right now. But they are charming, sweet little books filled with recipes, ideas, and cute writing.

You do NOT have to be a Follower of this blog to be included in the Giveaway.  Just leave a comment between today and 7 p.m. Sunday (east coast time), August 1st,  stating that you would like to be included. That's it. Sweet and simple.

The names of people who leave a comment telling they want to be included will be put into a basket  (see how computer techie I am?) and the winner will be pulled Sunday night. Then, the winner will have to give a mailing address so  the little books can be mailed out to you.

Okay. That's it!  Leave a comment on a post from today through Sunday night if you want to be included. 

 Thanks, so much, for your interest in Writing Straight From The Heart. It's wonderful to know people come to visit my labor of true love!

Simple Pleasures: Small Trinkets for the House

Today, I'm linking up with  a Simple Pleasures party, hosted by Dayle at http://alittleofthisandthat2.blogspot.com/   

Decorations for the house are part of the small pleasures of life. 

Finding them, like treasures, at yard and estate sale makes them even more appealing. 

Take the Victorian night light pictured above.  I found it at a yard sale. After perusing all of the tables, thinking "nothing I can't live without,"   the Victorian night light came to my attention. It would definitely add a touch of pizazz to the decor of the house.

Picking it up and looking at it more closely,  I inquired about the price.

     "Two dollars," came the answer.  Sold!

After finding out the price, the nightlight became irresistable since it was so affordable. It's creamy beige and has long, beaded strands hanging from a tufted satin top. It  now adds a touch of class to a downstairs bathroom.

Another little simple pleasure came in the shape of a tea cup!  It's actually a night light with a gorgeous rose on it.  One of my sisters gave it as a gift.  It's a perfect match for my set of Prince Albert Old Country Rose dishes. 

Simple pleasures absolutely do not need to cost much and can add to the joy of keeping up a house.     

Thanks to Dayle for hosting Simple Pleasures.                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                        

Countryside Orchard: Colorful, Plentiful, and Delicious!

Lake View Orchards in Lanesboro, Massachusetts, just happens to be a  favorite place to visit.

Whenever in that area, a stop for a hunk of mouthwatering, delicious Vermont cheddar cheese is in order. It's cut off of a huge round that sits under glass and the cheese, alone, is worth the trip to Lake View Orchards.

Tangy, melt-in-the-mouth goodness is found in every bite!   Melted, with tomatoes, on a piece of toasted multi grain bread, this cheese is a winner.

When fall comes, and Lake View Orchards close for the season, it's always sad to say "bye bye" to that yummy cheese.

Fresh baked goods are offered every day, too. Can you imagine slicing into a raspberry pie, fresh from the oven?

There's a variety of cookies, including chocolate chip, and different flavored turnovers. The donuts, (cider in the fall), look absolutely yummy.

 If all the baked goods are too fattening, one can always buy fresh berries or sweet cherries, peaches, or whatever fruit is growing at the moment.

How about a nice jug of Massachusetts real maple syrup? You'll definitely find that here. Real syrup tastes so much better than supermarket varieties that have added chemicals. Mmmmmm.  Pancakes sound good right about now!

The Orchards are a pick-your-own operation, too. Cherries, raspberries, peaches, apples, and so on are available for picking. Consumers who prefer already picked have that option, too.

The farm stand sits against scenery that looks like a piece of heaven. Just to stand and look at the bucolic scenery makes the trip out to the Lake View Orchard worthwhile.

Here's a photo taken right behind the main building:

Car loaded up, mission accomplished, it's time to head down the road once again. Bye bye Lake View Orchards. Until next time....                                                                                                                

On the way home, visitors pass this breathtaking scenery. New England has got to be among the most beautiful places on earth!

                                                                                                                   

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ORCHARD OR FARM STAND THAT YOU VISIT?

Part Two: Wilson Castle in Proctor, Vermont (Post for TUESDAY, JULY 27)

The Dining Room in the Wilson Castle. (Click any photo to enlarge)

Touring the inside of  Wilson Castle, located at the top of a hill in Proctor, Vermont, is a fascinating and educational experience.

There is so much to see in every single room and tour guide Dianne Roy explains everything with amazing detail. 

Dinner in the dining room used to be announced via chimes on one wall.  The stained glass, shown to the right, depicts, quite appropriately, a scene themed around food.

Check out this attractive silver service:

This is a hand carved ebony chair, originally owned by a wealthy and powerful Chinese merchant. No one sat in the chair, the tour guide, explained. It became part of the Chinese household simply to show the wealthy status of the owner. Check out the dragon on the end of the armrest!

                                                                                                             

        

Here's another chair with an armrest that looks like a very wise wizard.

Hand carved beds can be found in the bedrooms such as the one below:

Tiles from the castle's many fireplaces were made in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the tour guide said. This one has the words "Tempus Fugit" on it which means "Time Flies." Snakes are shown around the opening and a lion is depicted against the back wall of the fireplace. Above the fireplace is a panel of  tiles with swallows.

Here is  the tour guide winding up an old-fashioned music box that is playing "Nearer They God To Thee." 

Many of the rooms in the castle have hand stenciled ceilings that are ornate and beautiful.

There are more photographs of items in the castle but I don't want this post to get any longer. If anyone is interested in seeing more of  Wilson Castle in future posts, could you indicate that in the Comment section?

 My concern is that readers will be "castled out" and not be interested in more pictures from the castle. I don't want to bore anyone.  Maybe you think "enough is enough."

 P.S. Please comment whether you want to see more, okay?  Thanks!

A Castle in Vermont: Part One

Wilson Castle in Proctor, Vermont

The rural countryside of Vermont offers picturesque scenery; rolling hills in varying shades of green; cows munching on grass;  blue skies with clouds so fluffy they look like layers of whipped cream; and a 32 room castle.

What's that?  A castle in Vermont?  Correct. It's called Wilson Castle and it's located at the end of a walking path through the woods in Proctor, near Rutland.

Apparently, the original castle was the brainchild of Dr. John Johnson, who studied psychiatry, according to a castle tour guide, Dianne Roy.  While in Europe, he fell in love with a wealthy patient, Lady Sarah Robbins. They married, moved to Vermont, and  her money financed the construction of the sprawling castle in the late 1880s.

Unfortunately, the money ran out as well as the marriage and ownership of the castle changed several times over the decades until Col. Herbert Wilson, a radio engineer, bought it in 1938. Five generations of the Wilson family lived there,the tour guide explained. Currently, a family member, Denise Davine, a granddaughter of Col. Wilson, continues to own it but lives nearby rather than in the castle. The guide told the group Ms. Davine wants to restore the castle which is apparently on the National Registry of Historic Places.

There are 32 rooms, 13 fireplaces, and 110 acres surrounding the castle.  At one time, golden Japanese pheasants and peacocks roamed the grounds and lived in an aviary.  There must have been some fabulous parties given there, too. The castle is located way up on a hill and a sprawling lawn rolls to the edge of the road.

Here's the figure of an eagle, right outside the front of the castle:

Dianne, the tour guide, says there have been reports of an unidentified woman crying in a room on the second floor of the castle.  Would I volunteer to spend an overnight there, to check it out?  Ahhhh, no way Jose. Not on your life or mine!

Here are shots of the patio which runs along the side of the castle.  The marble and slate floor is made with a basket weave pattern.   The views are absolutely gorgeous:

This shows a radio tower built by Col. Wilson:

                                                                                                                   This chair is on the huge patio:

Unfortunately, the huge structure is in need of a lot of repair and upkeep. Still, a tour of its rooms and some elaborate and unique furnishings is a most unique and fascinating experience.

Tomorrow, we will continue the castle tour with a peek inside. You will see some of the gorgeous stained glass windows,  tiles, and intricately carved furniture!

HAVE YOU EVER TOURED A CASTLE?