Heritage House B&B Blog

The Guests are the Best!

The most enjoyable - and  fascinating - aspect of being an Innkeeper is getting to know the guests.  Thanks to the world-renowned INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON, our guests travel from all over the world to visit this area.  We have had the fortunate opportunity to host guests from various countries and continents:  England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Chile, Venezuela, Portugal, Puerto Rico, China, Japan, Israel, Greece, Italy, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

We, along with our American guests, have shared conversations with these international travelers on topics ranging from politics to cultural differences to the media's power in shaping our views of each other.  Wow!  (We Americans are always impressed with their knowledge of our U.S. history and politics.)  These conversations have certainly enriched us all and, perhaps, broadened our views of each other in a positive way.

Michelle recently came across a magazine article about Samuel L. Clemens (aka Mark Twain) that she had clipped years ago.  Clemens was a consummate traveler during his lifetime and his thoughts about travel are as strong today as it was during the Guilded Age.  Of it, he wrote:

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."   

We should all aspire to follow his lead and travel a little more. 

Until next time . . . Gary & Michelle

They Paid the Price - "Deep Thoughts" on July the 4th

Our neighbor forwarded this message to us today, July the 4th.  We found it very thought provoking and hope you will, too:

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

-Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

-Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

-Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

-Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. 

-Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

-Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

-Vandals and British soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

-At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

-Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

-John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

-Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution.

They gave you and me a free and independent America.  Freedom came with a price - and they paid it.  So, please take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and quietly thank these  patriots.

Until next time . . .

Michelle & Gary

Innkeepers Need a Vacation, Too!

We just returned from a week at a resort on St. Maarten relaxing and recharging.  Believe it or not, our neighbors Jeff and Veronika were also vacationing on the nearby island of Anguilla.   Fortunately, we learned of each other's plans beforehand, picked them up at the ferry and had lunch together in Marigot during our vacation.  One of our new friends from our travels is a Statistics Professor and was amazed:  Statistically speaking, what are the odds that, in a town of 185 residents, we would be vacationing at the same time on nearby islands and spend the afternoon together? !!!

Yes, innkeepers need a vacation, too.  Our wonderful friends, Patrick & Rita  (former innkeepers of a  B&B down the street) came to innsit one evening.  In fact, we think they were just as excited about coming back to town as we were about going on vacation!  "Little" Washington is a wonderful place to visit, an incredible place to live and, no doubt, an even better place to return home from vacation!

" Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."   Samuel L. Clemens (aka Mark Twain)

Until next time . . . Michelle & Gary

May Days

Wow!  May has really flown by.  It's like they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!"  Rappahannock County is just beautiful in the Spring - so green, so undeveloped and the weather has been great (most days have been sunny in the 70s with nights in the 50s).  No cabin fever here!  Many of our guests are really enjoying sitting out on the Club House deck and basking in the views of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  Sunsets over the mountains are spectacular - not quite Maui, but close!

FAQ:  "How did you get into this business?" 

Answer:  Back in 1998, we traveled to Alaska with Gary's business, fell in love with the whole B&B concept while we were there and proceeded to research the industry when we returned home to Richmond, Virginia.  (Actually, Gary wanted to fly me back to Richmond and sell the house while he stayed in Alaska to look for available B&Bs or lodges.  I put the brakes on that idea!  As much as I love Alaska, I'm too much of a Virginia gal to move away.  Plus, I couldn't bear the thought of moving that far away from my East Coast family and friends.)  I found this place on the Internet and knew that the secret to a successful B&B is to find a location that is already a destination.  Of course, THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON has made this town a destination for foodies and gourmands.  We moved here in June 2002 and, never looked back. 

To all of you aspiring innkeepers, we would highly recommend you subscribe to the Yellow Brick Road newsletter and webpage.  Also, the Bed & Breakfast Assocation of Virginia has a really good aspiring innkeepers program.  We found these most helpful when researching the B&B business.  Also, if you are ever interested, e-mail us at hhbb@shentel.net and we would be happy to bring you in for a night to shadow us as we work.  It's a great introduction to the real world of an innkeeper.

Until next time . . . Michelle & Gary

Welcome to the Heritage House B&B Innkeeper's Blog

Gary & I have started this blog to give you, a prospective guest or prospective innkeeper, insight into the life of an Innkeeper.  We hope it also gives you some insight into the kind of hosts we are and what you can expect when you visit.  We will post some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) of our guests with our answers.  We also hope to maintain our photo album with pictures that accurately reflect our property so that you can be assured that what-you-see-is-what-you-get at the Heritage House B&B.

Owning a Bed & Breakfast has a romantic connotation and there are many perks - living in a historic property in a "travel destination" as charming as "Little" Washington, Virginia, and meeting fascinating guests from around the world.  Don't be misled - it is "work."  However, what other profession allows you to socialize with your guests and a glass of chardonnay while you "work?"  In what other profession are you allowed to just sit in the flower garden, amused, laughing at your kittens as they roll around in the potting soil and inspect your "work?"  It is a FUN kind of work and this is why Innkeepers are probably some of the happiest people you will ever meet. 

FAQ:  How do you like living in this small town? 

Answer:  We love it.  It's like living in Mayberry - friendly and safe.  "Little" Washington has a population of about 185 residents.  About half of the residents are "been heres" and the other half are "come heres."   (We are "come heres" originally from Southeast Virginia and New York.)   Living in a small town is like you would probably imagine:  Everybody knows your business and what they don't know, they make up! 

Until next time . . . Michelle & Gary