Winter Closing

If I were a tourist, I wouldn’t want to come here today. It is rainy, windy, and harsh. All the trees are in a glorious color display but the weather is ruining the fun of looking at them. The Lake is moody and grey and lonely. I did the loop, which is usually rimmed with lake watchers and found only 2 cars. I didn’t even stop, just drove on through with my dog and went for a Frosty at Wendy’s.

I had two rooms booked last night—both left notes that they loved their rooms and would be back. Debbie and I hope that next season we see many of you and lots of new guests. Our goal is for you to have a wonderful experience. We think many of the little touches do go to that end: we’ve got soft blankets, new sheets and towels and – as of this winter—new carpet. The whole setting of the rooms, though, remains vintage retro all the way. That will never change.

It’s hard, though, to close up the Blue Spruce. I love this work and hope through it I can shine for God.

In early 2010 I’ll be posting some bird news. Bird watching is big here in the spring, so if you interested in birds, look for our spring special packages. Fishing will be good in the spring too—nice hungry fish, eager to eat, but not to be eaten (the sad life of a fish). And walking the trails on the look for wildflowers is always a treat.

Next up is Thanksgiving—and you’ll be at your home and I’ll be my Ohio home in the country. I will pray a prayer of thanks for all the joy my guests have given me this year.

During the winter I will finish my novel, Murder by Mother-in-law. Fortunately, it’s fiction.

Blessings to you.

Guest Comments from Summer of 2009

These are just a few from the many comments in our guest book during the summer of 2009. We feel grateful for them. We share them so you can feel confident about booking with us:

~Cozy, clean, cute, convenient to the lake. We will definitely come back and tell our friends.

~Thank you so much for letting us stay at your lovely motel. We really felt right at home and we loved your dogs, Shane and Rory. We loved walking the dogs and it was a special privilege to get to.

~It was wonderful to stay again after the Blue Spruce was shuttered for so long. Room 1, our room, is even cuter now. Try to keep the prices as reasonable as possible for all of us aging travelers. (Muriel’s note. We sure will!)

~It would have been enough for the place to be just be spotless, but you’ve done so much more here. Little touches—the honor system snack counter in the office. The make-up towel in the bathroom. The paper mat in the shower. These show you have trust in your patrons and a keen eye for what they might need during their stay. There is nowhere else I’d rather stay then here. I only wish you were in every city I visit.

~Really enjoyed our stay. Clean rooms and very personable owners. Look forward to reading one of Muriel’s novels. Best of luck with this adventure.

~I appreciate the cleanness and neatness of the room! I gave it the “white Kleenex test.” Also the Christian books, poem on the wall—all lend to a very peaceful atmosphere. Nice talking with you—and loved the great breakfast. I took 4 of your information cards to give to others. Keep up the good work. God be with you. (I so much believe God is with us, for He is our focus.)

~Thanks for having us share your world for a brief (two weeks would be better) time. We look forward to a future stay.

~What a pleasure to have warm, private room to land in at 11:30 p.m. and then to be treated to a great breakfast in a real kitchen, dining room, and a breakfast nook. Thanks for the interesting conversation at breakfast. May the Lord bless your dreams here and continue to provide for you. We will plan on coming again to see you.

~An instant time portal to a cozy, warmer world. A place where you’re asked to wash before dinner, something warm is always ready in the kitchen. People sit on porches and doors are never locked. Soft, starched, clean linens feel warm and dry after a day in the sand and the sun. If there is a clock it can be ignored because time only follows the sun and moon. (Muriel’s note: I love the poetic thoughts)

~I am so lucky to have found your lovely place. It is so unique and it has a very welcoming atmosphere. Thanks for the thoughtful gestures, such as waters waiting on the desk for us thirsty fishermen coming off the lake. See you next summer.

Fall Barn and Historic House Special

I’m hoping this fall to meet some of you. Summer is great here, but fall is better: it’s not so crowded and the leaves are spectacular.

There is a special event on October 10, the Barns and Byways Tour, a look through 8 barns east of Ludington. In addition, there is a drive map past centennial farmhouses, a horse and plough event, and a host of activities at the White Pine Village.

On October 9, a Friday night, Paul Schoenharl will speak about barns and farm houses for my guests at the inn. He’s connected with historical preservation in Ohio and has, in addition, been involved in barn restoration.

Our special pricing for this weekend event will be $150 for two. This includes barn tour tickets, Paul’s speech on Friday night, and a continental breakfast on Saturday with fresh fruit—etc.. Tax is not included in pricing.

Paul loves old houses and barns, more than most people on earth, so I think you will find him uplifting and fun.

If you are a single or if you are a large group, wishing the apartment, pricing will be adjusted for you.

Sunny Day and Happy Owners

We are so pleased with all the recommendations from guests--one even wrote the Visitor's Bureau/Chamber of Commerce to recommend us. I think we get so pleased because we are striving not to be just a room for guests, but a happy experience for them.

This morning a woman called asking what was our cheapest price for a room. That's when I totally realized that providing a cheap room and cutting thin on amenities is not our vision.
We want the retro charm, the better towels, the modern I-net, the cozy breakfast in our thirties dining room. We aren't the cheapest in town, but we are still very affordable. August rates are: $89 for 2.

My arm is now in a cast. I type one handed--a pain.

My thought is--hurry up and come to us in Ludington where there are now blueberries all over the place. And where the sun shines over the deep blue lake.

Irish Wolfhound

Just as the motel faced a busy July 4, I fell over my grey Irish wolfhound and broke my arm. What a mess. I sat on the sidewalk with her and wondered how on earth I would get up, much less get back to the motel. It did work out though, but I’m still in a splint.

Everything seems to need attention when you open a motel that has been closed for a few years: like moss on the west end of the roof that somehow has to be removed. The drive needs a resurface. The carpet is okay, but won’t be in a couple of years. Roots get into the sewerage system—lovely trees, but bad roots.

My grand kids are drawing pictures to put on the guests' beds and we are putting flowers in the rooms. The former owner was a master gardener and so flowers bloom all over the property.

So far, Debbie and I love running this motel.

We are not nearly as booked as other motels. The chains are very busy—Holiday Inn, Day’s Inn, and Best Western. People know what to expect there. They don’t with me. When they see my review, they must wonder, are the rooms as special as this owner says they are? We know the chain motels are so nice, so let's go there. I'm trying to highlight our inn as charming and close to the beach--300 strides. The chains are 2 or more miles from the beach.

The begining of the motel

Debbie, my daughter, and I bought this inn nearly six weeks ago because we fell in love with it. It didn’t even matter to us that we had never owned a hotel because we just knew it would be good endeavor. By occupation, she is a tax expert and accountant and I am a writer—novels mostly.

We plan to blog about what’s going on for us as new owners.
Our most prominent experience is one of slowness. Waiting for guests to notice us. We are doing all we can think of to make our rooms homey: roses from our rose bush, lots of pillows, lots of scrubbing. We aspire to be a cross between a bed and breakfast and a motel—perhaps you’d say a bed-mot.

Our first customer found a spider in his shower, which horrified us so we set off bug bombs in all the rooms. He also found that the hot water hadn’t been turned on, so he took a cold shower with a spider. We could have died of mortification. But we took it to heart and thanked him for pointing out these flaws. We prayed he wouldn’t write a review and he didn’t.

Now people say they love our rooms. The bugs are dead. The water is hot. The roses smell so good. The ruffled curtains and chenille spreads remind them of home.
Tonight we have three motel rooms out of six filled. The apartment rental is empty.

--As an owner, I’d like to know what you most like to have in your motel room.