Birchwood Inn » Commentaries

It Was the Best of Times

innkeeper — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:19:14 +0000

Says Quinn: Despite Irene’s unwelcome end-of-summer visit, this was one of the best of my 12 summers at Birchwood Inn.

Ellen and I have created a Top Ten Best of Summer 2011 list:

# 10 -Best play we missed: “Sylvia” — about a dog of course — at the Berkshire Theatre Festival

# 9 -Best Tanglewood Concert we missed: “Porgy and Bess”

# 8 -Best book read this summer: “The Greater Journey”

# 7 -Best exhibit: Pissarro at The Clark Art Institute (until Oct. 6)

# 6 -Best new Lenox food experience: Berkshire Gelato next door to Prime

# 5 -Best new breakfast recipe: Peach Croissant French Toast Panini

# 4 -Best breakfast fruit course: Honeydew “Gazpacho” and Bircher Muesli

# 3 -Best food blog: Eight Broads in the Kitchen at Bed and Breakfast Foodies

8 Broads... and a Dog

# 2 -Best park for hiking or walking a dog: Kennedy Park

# 1 -Best summer weekend: James Taylor and the annual 4th of July Party Time at our Lenox MA Bed and Breakfast!

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here It Was the Best of Times.

Dog Days? I’m Insulted

innkeeper — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:53:11 +0000

As a most fine and upstanding canine, I am not at all happy that these miserably hot days in the Northeast, with unheard of temperatures in the 90s and humidity that even curls my hair, are called Dog Days. Dogs are cool!

Here in Lenox, in the heart of the Berkshire Hills in Western Massachusetts, there are gentle breezes in the garden and on the front porch at Birchwood Inn.

The leafy hiking trails in Kennedy Park across the street are very pleasant. There is plenty of shade under the ancient oaks at Tanglewood, and fortunately the air-conditioning is working mighty fine at Shakespeare & Co., Jacob’s Pillow, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Barrington Stage Co., The Colonial, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. I also love taking a cool respite at The Norman Rockwell Museum, The Clark Art Institute, and MASS MoCA.

And there’s nothing more refreshing than a swim in one of the many nearby mountain lakes.

Nothing doggy about it. Why not the Cat Days of Summer?

And that’s the way I see it. Quinn

On a Roll

innkeeper — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:11:39 +0000

Quinn says: Woof! Yay!First snowfall of the season, and Piper and I have already been rolling in it! Ellen may finally get to use her snowshoes (the price tag is still on them)!

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here On a Roll.

Quinn Is Thankful for Thanksgiving Turkey

innkeeper — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:12:03 +0000

Thanksgiving goes to the dogs.

Of course, says Quinn, I have a whole cookie jar of things for which I am thankful, but at this time of year, I am especially thankful to those who carve the turkey each year and share!

Carole King Rocks!

innkeeper — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:37:25 +0000

Quinn writes: Summer has begun on an upbeat note with Carole King in concert with James Taylor on the 4th of July! It was hot and so was Carole. I just couldn’t sit still when she sang, “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet.” Just wagged my tail in time with the music.

And the heat continues BUT it’s 10 degrees cooler in Lenox and the Berkshires than New York, New Jersey, and Maryland! So come up and cool off!

Birchwood Goes to the Dogs and Vice Versa!

innkeeper — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:11:55 +0000

Quinn says: Wow! We have had some terrific canine visitors recently! There was Gretchen, the dog-shy English Bulldog, who wasn’t wild about having to walk. During Gretchen’s visit, we had five-year-old Welsh Terrier Cory, who was adorable and very well-behaved. A sweet little Yorkie named Phoebe, a real mama’s girl! And lastly, the Prince, a Cavalier, who wagged his tail so hard that his legs would sprawl out beneath him, causing him to slide all over the floor. His big brown eyes were entrancing. I am so glad that we can accommodate four-legged furry tail- waggers at Birchwood Inn! Piper and I get to make new friends all the time!

Mother's Day Mystery

innkeeper — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:03:02 +0000

Quinn’s Observations: Piper and I love our mom but we don’t know how to tell her on Mother’s Day. Sometime a wag and a lick just isn’t enough. This year we had a little help from our friend Lynnette in Ithaca, NY. She helped us buy a card (with me on the front!) and used mom’s address as the return address. It was mailed from Rochester, quite a distance from Ithaca. Mom was enchanted as well as mystified. Who could have mailed this? She did think about Lynnette, who is always doing superspecial things for friend. But Rochester? For a moment she even thought that we had become the dogs in the Subaru commercials. Piper and I had fun watching our mom try to figure this out. Woof!

My Sniffer Is Working Overtime

innkeeper — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:43:20 +0000

According to Quinn: Nothing smells better than spring in the Berkshires so my finely honed sense of smell is in heaven!

The copious lilacs and blankets of lilies-of-the-valley. Freshly cut grass. That spring earthiness of tulips and daffs. All combined with the clean mountain air is a most heady, intoxicating experience.

Come up and smell for yourselves!

Please note that this message is being sent from under Ellen’s desk, where Piper and I are cowering because of a sudden thunderstorm.

Not a Great Idea to Try to Be a Pig

innkeeper — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:04:51 +0000

Yesterday was a blustery and somewhat soggy day, a great day for a pig. So I decided to emulate a pig and find out about their habit of rolling in mud. I rolled this way, and then I rolled that way. Fun! Cool! Until I came back to the inn. No one was happy to see me as they usually are. It must have been because I was covered in mud and smelled a little gamy. Ellen tried a bunch of old towels, but I had worked that mud in really well. So Ellen put on my leash and started to go outside. Uh oh. This didn’t augur well at all. I put on my brakes but Ellen somehow pulled me outside and turned the hose (remember it was 40F!) on me. Geez that water was cold! We finally went back inside. Ellen covered me with old towels and left me to ponder the concept of consequences. I hate the bath but boy it really was fun to play in mud!

Dog Angels

innkeeper — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:45:04 +0000

I know most of you don’t like to shovel snow or drive in snow, but I love snow, especially rolling in it! And with now 16 inches with lots more to come, I’ll be able to make dog angels for days!

I also love ice, but I discovered there can be too much of a good thing. A huge icicle fell from the inn, and I attacked it with a vengeance. Ah, bliss! Like a whole quart of ice cream instead of a children’s portion. I ate the whole thing! Alas, there is a consequence for being greedy — I shivered for more than an hour! The moral of the story — don’t eat a whole icicle. Winter according to Quinn

Our Inn in Lenox, MA offers 12 accommodations enjoy Berkshires, Bed & Breakfast,Inn in Lenox MA featuring private baths, cozy fireplaces and more. You can read the original blog post here Dog Angels.