"Innkeep show us your wares" - Part 2

I, on the other hand also have a hobby, well not so much a hobby as a commitment to become friends with my industrial sewing machine - sometimes I feel like beating the stuffing out of it with one of Richard's black smith hammers - our working relationship tests my limits. Together  though we have repaired huge sails in close quarters, made awnings and covers for our boat Mandy and now with the help of incredible wool and linen fabrics donated from our friend Gwen Nowrick who has a historical clothing business and is also Jeff Hedgecock's other half, I have made and sold in our inn store several of these "dutch girl" hats which stay on in a stiff breeze skiing and cycling and are beautifully warm all through the winter. Creating something useful and or long lasting fulfills something very basic and definitely soothes the restless inn keeper.
To view Jeff and Gwen's Historic Enterprises website (a thing of beauty) and see their gorgeous newsletter go to: www.historicenterprises.com  
 

“Inkeep show us your wares”

Over a year ago Richard had his first black-smith lessons from our great friend and master armorer Jeff Hedgecock in California. When we arrived here at the inn after purchasing an anvil, joining the Applachian Blacksmith Association and making a small forge from instructions online, he began practicing what Jeff had taught him. Some of Richard’s first knives were made from old saw blades and some were fashioned from Baltimore and Ohio railroad spikes. The most recent knives he has worked on have the handles of deer hunted in these parts by local men for winter meat.
Inn keeping is exhausting and demanding work and it helps to have a creative hobby that refreshes the mind and has a product that will last generations. After a particularly trying week it must be nice to go outside and beat the stuffing out of a piece of metal.

Romance Package?

A couple of weeks ago a fellow called us at the inn asking what we did for a romantic week end for his wife’s birthday. Well we explained that we would have some complimentary sparkling wine on ice and chocolate covered strawberries with a birthday message waiting in their room. He replied, “All that sounds great but what else shall we do?” But there is only so much we can offer, after that the romance meter is theirs to play with. This guy did some homework though bringing a bath head cushion and a contraption for a relaxing bath time. There is a candle, a book stand but here is the question. What is the other support for on the right?

There will be a prize for the best answer. Enjoy!