You can begin to tell that the B and B season is coming, and soon. It’s not that there’s a terrible foreboding anxiety about the place, but nonetheless, a sense of urgency does being to happen: there is lots to do, and only so much time to get it done before guests begin to show up. So Maria and her “crew” are beginning the annual spring “deep clean.” I see them beginning up high and working their way down. They are oiling wood and polishing furniture. They are thinking about bedding and what will be used and what will be replaced. Mattresses are being replaced; beds shifted from this room to that. “Fluff” that has accumulated in winter is being dealt with. Maria has been stocking the shelves with much needed supplies – whenever she goes to Anchorage.
A new barn door has been installed in the Rose Room – as a separation for the bathroom and the bedroom. There’s a new ceiling fan in the Blueberry Room, a new couch in the Moose Manor, some new wall-hangings in the Halibut House, along with a new microwave, and new this year – Maria will be displaying some of her personal art for sale, for you to take home as a keepsake, and I’m a firm believer that once some of you get to know Maria, and see the reasonable price tags on her art – you are going to want it!
New barn door in The Rose Room, installed by number two son Christian. Thanks man! Now our guests have added privacy, and they’re doing it in style.
Meanwhile, as I observe the ladies “doing their thing”, I also have my own things I’m doing. This has been the first year that I have spent the majority of the winter here in Homer, and I busied myself trapping in the state park across the bay, along with doing my online counseling job. It has been a blast as I was able to earn a living while working from home, and at the same time, run my first trapline in Alaska for a couple of “bucket list” species – the wolverine and the wolf. Yes, with a ton of hard work – I was able to catch one of each. But with spring coming, and the close of the trapping season – I pulled all of my traps and began focusing on the “man work about the house”: making the house and yard look beautiful outdoors, miscellaneous repairs, painting, staining, mowing, trimming, and the ever present “honey-do list.”
Yes – your “mountain man blogger” arrived home one winter evening, with a smelly but lovely wolverine draped about his shoulders. This is me in all my glory!
One thing I have been wanting to do is to revamp the chairs around our dining room table. I have been noticing that they are uncomfortable for my bony butt, so this was an experiment in learning how to “do it yourself” cuz paying someone to fix these things is expensive! Off came the seats. We cut the elastic and stretched it tighter and re-stapled. Nomar in downtown Homer had new 2″ foam cushion for chairs, and cut them to size. Maria bought new material for the chairs, which we added extra backing too with the iron, and put it all back together. I’m pretty happy with the results, and I think Maria is too. Guests will enjoy more comfort, and more attractive seating amidst the breakfast table in 2019.
“Do it yourself” chairs! Yes, we do a certain amount of handyman and handyman work here. Things should be a lot more comfortable about the breakfast table this summer!
Recently, after the last of the snow finally melted, and we had some sunshine to dry things out, I was able to reclaim the doggy yard – a fenced-in area between the house and the cabin, where we can keep the dogs “under wraps” when they can’t be supervised (often am and pm) and this is where they tend to “do their business.” I figure I removed one good tarp load of rubbish, leaves and such, and a good 15 gallons of the nasty stuff, and I will spare you the rest of the details – but it sure feels good to have THAT done!
The Blueberry room got a new light fixture/ceiling fan, and a fresh mattress – which are swapped out yearly on a rotating basis for your sleeping pleasure.
There has been ladder work to do with painting and staining, indoor and out. High windows to wash, inside and out. A ceiling to paint in the Moose Manor bathroom. Curtains and drapes to repair, doorknobs and doors and such. The driveway is freshly graded – done with my ATV and a make-shift drag I built; works great! I’ve done lots and lots of work on the “Majestic View Adventures Boat” – which I will blog about another time.
The Cottonwood got fresh new bedding. Look, made by Browning! Gotta love that…
Things came to a fever pitch the other day when the carpet cleaner, the satellite company guy, and the local handyman/electrician all showed up at the same time to “do their thing.” Some outlets and fixtures were repaired, the stairs, loft, and Rose Room carpeting looks fresh and new, and we are 100% certain that the TV’s are working in each unit!
Maria does this every spring, I just haven’t been here when it has happened – but Steve did a great job and I am impressed with how the loft and Rose Room carpet looks!
Bookings are coming in daily, for both Maria and I. She- with the B and B and me, with the adventure guide business. We want you to know that there is still plenty of openings for the summer of 2019, but space will fill rapidly, and if you wait too long, you might not be able to get the spot you wanted at the time you wanted. Best to make your arrangements sooner than later, as we expect to be nearly 100% full from mid June till late August.
New for 2019 is “The Maddox Road Property” – which will be used as overflow for when Majestic View B&B is completely full. This property is owned by one of Maria’s friends; it has been sitting vacant, and Maria is busy adding bedding and some basic furnishings to get people by when the town is “full up”, which happens often in July and August. This property may not be the most luxurious, but it IS clean and comfortable, has a full kitchen, two bathrooms, can easily sleep 6-8 people, has two decks and a small yard in a quiet little neighborhood on the edge of Homer – overlooking Beluga Lake (our little floatplane lake in town) and the Kenai Mountains across the Bay. If you see that our reservation system is filled, make sure and ask about the Maddox Property that will get you and your group taken care of in a pinch! I will add photos when the property is ready.
Hey – it’s a rainy day here, and a good one for blogging, but it is also Memorial Day Weekend, and we have a full house tonight – so it is time to get back to “work.” Whatever you do, have a great one!
Tims trapline in winter. Ain’t it grand? This day was particularly strong on the “eye candy.” I can show you these places if you book a trip with me 🙂
Tim your blog posts are amazing and always interesting keep up the good work.