Showing posts with label Bed and Breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bed and Breakfast. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2009

New Look for My Blog...

The picture used in the header is one I took in Scotland about 4 years ago. I love, love, love Scotland and although it has very little to do with my kids, J. Crew, Northern Virginia, or mid-century modern architecture, it is my blog, so I guess I can do what I want! :) I may change it soon, or not. I never quite know when I will get sick of seeing that image or feel like a new "me."

The pic was taken on the Isle of Arran in western Scotland. The specific place is called Lochranza on the northern part of the island. We were staying at the Castlekirk B & B (which has a view of the Castle across the way--only accessible by foot when the tide is out--how cool)!

For more info on this place, go here: http://www.castles.org/Chatelaine/LOCRANZA.HTM
or http://www.visitarran.net/ or http://www.castlekirkarran.co.uk/.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Mankin Mansion Guestbook...


The other picture post was getting to cumbersome with all those snapshots, so I saved the pic of what we wrote in their guestbook for its own post.

Pics and such of Mankin Mansion...

Here is the lovely outside (ignore the fact that is January and grey--I can't fix the weather): Here is the info on a sign (if you want to call rather than e-mail).


Here is the room (notice the ample space for babies and parents):





Here is the outside with Rex and CW and me playing:



The great game room (pillow room has curtains and is one of the vertical pics):






Lovely Mankin Mansion in eastern Richmond...

I always seem to stay in the city center, Museum district, or the western portion of Richmond. I have never stayed in eastern Richmond (near the airport).

Well, hubby had other plans, and I must say I am glad he did. He knew I wanted to get the heck out of NOVA for at least part of the weekend (Obama will become president this Tuesday and everyone seems to want to be here). Now we only stayed one night at the Mankin Mansion but it was worth it.

First, it got us the first goal of getting out of town (too bad we couldn't stay more nights). Second, it let me discover a part of Richmond I had never explored. Third, and most importantly, can we say family friendly?

Even though this B&B is a wedding resort, they don't mind if you bring children and you aren't getting married. Some of the B&Bs Jim looked at were only willing to take children if they were "over 12 and well-behaved." Well, okay then. I guess you will be seeing our money either never (most likely--Jim and I are not in favor of subsidizing the snooty sort) or in the short 12 years before CW is that age (and this all provided we don't have more kids).

The room was not child-proofed, but I am now the master of child-proofing and it took me about four minutes to make it so...the room had a kitchenette with a sink, fridge, microwave, plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, glasses, and even a corkscrew (which I used, of course...). Turns out we used the kitchenette after our dinner out on Saturday night failed (there will be a post about the atrocious Andy's BBQ later).

The B&B also has awesome breakfast (a WHOLE lot of food), a game room (LOVE IT) with foosball, pool table, a basketball hoops game, dart-board, a "pillow room" to watch DVDs and videos, a well-stocked video/DVD library, books, a popcorn machine, a poker room, some sort of shuffleboard, and even two comfy couches (I nursed CW there). You could probably even take the DVD you want back to your room to watch it there--our room in the carriage house had a dvd player.

The outside was fun, too. The grounds are immaculately kept and groomed. There is even a huge chess set for the kids to play with!

I will post the pictures in the next post...with descriptions...

Mankin Mansion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Website: http://www.historicmankinmansion.com/