Birchwood Inn » Quinn’s Observations

Great Holiday for Dogs!

Ellen Chenaux — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:47:31 +0000

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which is every dog’s dream holiday! For some wonderful reason, people who carve the turkey always have some turkey drop on the floor. We woofs are right on the job and do the clean-up so that others don’t have to. Piper and I are experts on this topic as you can see from the photo of us with Aunt Ilene and Uncle Jeff. Hope your pickings are delicious!

Thanksgiving goes to the dogs.

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 Great Holiday for Dogs!.

The Dog Days of Summer

Ellen Chenaux — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:12:48 +0000

Posted by Quinn: Sorry that I haven’t posted in a while but I am so busy in the summer entertaining the guests, both human and canine; going to concerts and plays; and lunching on the patio at Church Street Cafe. Of the concerts at Tanglewood, Carole King won paws down! And I never miss the Boston Symphony’s final summer concert, Beethoven’s Ninth. I love sitting on the grass, under a shady pine, salivating at all of the picnics. (I am proud to say that I realize Tanglewood is sacred ground and over 10 summers of concerts, I have never mistaken Tanglewood lawns for bathrooms!) Concluding with Ode to Joy is a celebration of the summer. Sorry if you missed it!

Photo: Dog Day Afternoon. Beloved guest dog Phoebe joins Quinn (center) and Piper (right) on the porch for afternoon tea. Please click to enlarge.

Quinn, Piper, and guest dog Phoebe (left) enjoy afternoon tea on the porch.

Not a Great Idea to Try to Be a Pig

Ellen Chenaux — 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

Ellen Chenaux — 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.

We're Sweethearts!

Ellen Chenaux — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:03:18 +0000

Quinn: Twenty percent of humans prefer to spend Valentine’s Day with their pets rather than their spouse! Piper, Ellen, and I will be joining in the celebration together. After all, Valentine’s is for lovers and that includes dog lovers. [30% of our guests on Valentine's Weekend are also bringing their furry friends.]

Singed My Wagger!

Ellen Chenaux — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:48:01 +0000

Started off the day on a hot note. At breakfast I was sitting by the gas fireplace in the dining room when suddenly my tail was on fire!!! The guest sitting closest to be quickly put out the blaze, and I am just fine. My tail is tad shorter but no big deal.

Fortunately the day got better. It was a picture-perfect Berkshire day, sunny, in the sixties. Instead of grocery shopping, we drove on the newly opened road to the top of Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts (not the Matterhorn!), from the south end, north of Pittsfield, and meandered down to the north end, just outside of Williamstown. It is past peak but many of the leaves are brilliant golden and the red maples and Japanese red maples are outrageously scarlet. The muted rust tones have their own special beauty. There won’t be many more days like this this year, I’m afraid. See it now!

Chipmunks and Squirrels

Ellen Chenaux — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:51:26 +0000

I love chipmunks and squirrels! Thankfully, there are lots of them at Birchwood. For more than nine years, I have spent many afternoons barking and chasing the little critters, but I’ve never been able to catch one. Not one! They love to hide in the stone fences. I know they are there but, alas, they know I’m there, too. Nuts!

Since it is quite well known among my friends that I love bushy tails, my friend Amy gave me a stuffed squirrel. It was so realistic that guests often did a double-take!

Once I took the squirrel with me to an innkeeping conference, but in all of the excitement, I left it behind. No problem, Jim, the inn’s assistant innkeeper at the time, called the hotel. “Mrs. Chenaux seems to have left a squirrel in her room,” said Jim with a straight face. The hotel employee at the other end did not miss a beat and asked, “Sir, could you please describe the squirrel?”

Maybe we’re nuts but the squirrel did make it home eventually.

TRAVELS WITH QUINN

Ellen Chenaux — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:54:03 +0000

I know it has been a long stretch between posts, but it was a very busy summer! Lots of wonderful guests giving Piper and myself lots of love, toys, and treats, not to mention the crumbs in the dining room.

This was the summer we put an end to Piper’s Lenox wanderings with an Invisible Fence. I really didn’t think it would work for my most stubborn canine friend, but it did and in record time! She only needed two or three “adjustments” (broke Ellen’s heart). For a week or so, Piper was neurotic, refusing to go outside! But nature eventually took its course, and she has become a homebody. I will really miss the lobster shells she used to find and bring home!

Just after Labor Day, Ellen and I drove to Philly to participate in a photo shoot. In the spring, Ellen and seven other innkeepers (who share a passion for food) from across the US have created a blog, www.bedandbreakfastfoodie.com, with their best recipes. The “Eight Broads” descended on Philly friends for the event. Each of the innkeepers wore a T-shirt saying “Foodie” on the front and “Eight Broads in the Kitchen” on the back. What am I? Chopped liver? Not! I had my own T-shirt that said “Eight Broads and A Dog!” I’ll post photos shortly. We set up our shots and did lots of posing but most of all we had a lot of laughs.

Then Ellen and I set off for the Jersey Shore and some quality beach time. It was not to be. We had bad vacation karma, with the beginning, middle and end of a viscous nor’easter!Ellen read a great vacation novel, The Help, and highly recommends it. We did manage to get to two of Ellen’s favorite Shore restaurants, Red’s in Point Pleasant, and Klein’s in Belmar.

We’re back at the inn, and having an early but great fall. The leaves are changing, and the colors are brilliant. According to leaf-peeping experts, this is going to be one “wow” foliage due to the never-ending summer rains. Come and see for yourself!

Quinn's Account

Ellen Chenaux — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:49:12 +0000

I have just returned to the inn from Berkshire Bank where I made a withdrawal from my cookie account. They’re lucky I didn’t leave a “deposit”! Quinn

Quinn making a withdrawal from her cookie account.

So Busy Wagging

Ellen Chenaux — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:33:12 +0000

I have been so busy wagging at guests, old and new, that I haven’t had a moment to wag online.

What happened to July? Seems as if it got washed away with seven straight weeks of rain! While we all feel mildewed, Birchwood’s gardens are spectacular, a riot of color!

With a plethora of concerts at Tanglewood, theater at The Berkshire Theatre Festival and Barrington Stage Company, dance at Jacob’s Pillow plus hiking and watersports — it’s summer in the Berkshires.

My friend Piper is not a happy camper these days. She has wandered once too often and is now being trained for the Invisible Fence. She is doing just great and won’t go within six feet of a flag! At last she is learning to stay home where we belong!

Foodie highlights of the summer: Country Rhubarb Cobbler Cake and Chilled Peach Soup with Lemon Bread Croutons are but two of the guests’ summer favorites. And speaking of foodies, Ellen and seven innkeeping friends across the US have a new blog — www.bedandbreakfastfoodie.com. Please visit and indulge!

I’d better take a dog nap before check-in time! Woof!