Well, these innkeepers went cross country skiing this week. It’s one of those activities we haven’t done much at all, but keep wanting to learn. Seems like a great way to be outside in the winter, a great workout, pretty simple equipment. If we owned our own skis and boots we could just go out behind the inn whenever we wanted, and isn’t that a wonderful winter activity? So, we finally got out with a friend who took us up to the Rikert Ski Touring Center at Breadloaf. It was a beautiful day. We’ve had a fantastic winter for cross country skiing because there is such a good, deep base of snow covering all the trails. I had high, high hopes for this activity.

Now, firstly, it’s hard to have high hopes for something when you also need to learn how to do it. Everyone else looks so relaxed and easy, and they are plainly having a better time that you are. Their limbs seem to work in conjunction with one another. They don’t have to follow the advice of the 10 year old boy swooshing past them who shouts over his shoulder ‘make a pizza wedge to slow down! Pretend it’s like you have to go to the bathroom really, really badly!’ as he disappears down the gorgeous avenue of trees.

This is really the best part, is getting all that good exercise and being able to be out in the woods where it’s quiet and still. Meandering down various paths for as short or as long a time as you’d like. The folks at Rikert are friendly and very laid back. The ski shop is a tiny room with a roaring fire, mismatched comfy chairs and sofas and a big pot of soup on the boil. We have discount certificates available for guests staying at The Shoreham Inn.

You may not, however, encounter us on the trails. The hubby says that quote about golf ruining a good walk is all wrong, it’s cross country skiing that ruins a decent walk in the woods. I don’t agree, and I had hope of this being our new ‘thing’ we did together. I’ve been told ‘no, it will not be our new thing’. I’m not giving up on cross country skiing, or on him joining me quite yet, and maybe if you came and stayed with us, used a gift certificate, and came back and told him how much fun it was, you could help my cause. Maybe.

Swim. Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim. It’s been hot enough here for a long enough stretch, that any ideal day is organized around getting into a body of water. We’ve also had quite a few guests recently staying with us as they pick up or drop off kids going to various camps located on several lakes nearby. So I’ve got water on the brain and thought I’d just write a little post about some of the nearby choices for getting into the water yourself, or just to point out that we are well located for several popular summer camps, and a night at The Shoreham Inn before the onslaught of Parent’s Weekend at camp might be a nice treat.

Obviously there is Lake Champlain. Granddaddy lake. Shoreham sits on Lake Champlain, though there aren’t any really great spots here in town for swimming, since most of the shoreline in Shoreham is private farmland. The best spots are further north at the DAR State Park or Button Bay. The Vermont State Parks website has lots of good information on all the lakes mentioned here.

Lake Dunmore and Lake Hortonia are not far, they both have popular summer camps located on them and good spots for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, etc. Branbury State Park is located on Lake Dunmore. A little further south sees you to Lake Bomoseen, which is a large, busy lake. A little further south from there is Lake St. Catherine, a very mellow lake, popular with families in this area. About a half an hour would see you from Shoreham to any of these locations. And there are more, smaller, hidden little lakes and ponds. But, I’m only here to ‘wet’ your appetite. (I apologize, I just couldn’t resist)

OK, I’ve been an innkeeper for more than six years now. There are things I know about this business, and many things I don’t. One of the things I know is that people like specials. People like packages. So, in celebration of six years, we are FINALLY going to offer some. No, I’m not slow off the mark and no, I don’t have so much business I don’t need to think about such things. I can really only blame the absolutely constant to-do lost that is longer than both of my arms. Owning an Inn and restaurant is a very busy life. Fun, exciting and ever-changing. Throw in the fact that the Inn is over 200 years old…and you can see where my to-do lost begins to grow and grow. I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to justify this six year lag to myself, via this blog.

But, here we are, and I’m working on some packages. Which is harder than you’d think. There seem to be 100 ways to structure them, and there are so many things to do here in our neck of the woods. I’ve started having some great conversations with other businesses locally, farmers, cheesemakers…one of the huge perks of this job is such a wealth of good will and good friends made through these connections. And so, The Shoreham Inn will be bringing you together with some of our great friends in the very near future. Stay tuned, a whole new page will appear someday soon with some suggestions of things to do while you’re staying with us and some special enticements to get you here to do them.

Well, here we are again, and let me tell you, it’s nearly impossible to believe. Six years ago, on St. Patrick’s Day, we opened the doors of The Shoreham Inn for the first time. We wanted to say hello to our new neighbors, welcome people to our new business and generally see what we could see. Wow. And wow, again. That’s all we could say on March 18th 2004. We used to joke that moving from London, England to Shoreham, Vermont was like moving to another planet. Absolutely everything changed when we made that move, so much so that it was hard to even begin to point out differences, hence, Planet Shoreham. As we discovered then, and continue to discover almost every day, Planet Shoreham is a pretty special place, full of funny, loyal, critical, helpful and generous people. We really don’t know how we got so lucky. Maybe there is something to the ‘luck of the Irish’.

And so, with that, St. Patrick’s Day rolls around again, and we take the opportunity to say thank you to all our customers and friends who make the Pub a pub. Dominic and I had an idea of a country village pub, and we did all we could to put the elements in place to make it happen. The final, and most crucial ingredient, is the customers. The customers that embrace a place and make it their own. Only then does a pub become a pub. And boy, has Planet Shoreham done us proud.

Thank you for 6 wonderful years.

It’s coming, the second annual Middlebury Winter Carnival and Chili Contest Saturday February 27 2-4pm. Here at The Shoreham Inn, we’re working on Dominic to enter some chili into the contest, along with about 30 other local restaurants. I know some fabulous chilies won in various categories last year, so the competition is steep. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce just named this one of the top 10 events for Winter 2010. There’s free music, dog-sledding, snowshoe races and of course, chili. Fast becoming a can’t miss activity for our area, come stay at The Shoreham Inn and enjoy all Addison County has to offer!

Now I’ve got your attention. It’s not just a cheap shot though, we do have skiing discounts available if you stay with us here at The Shoreham Inn. It’s just that we’re not anyone’s first thought when it comes to skiing in Vermont. (Heck, we’re not even, like, 20th) What I do have is discount tickets if you’d like to stay with us and downhill ski at the Middlebury Snowbowl or cross country ski at Rikert Ski Touring Center. Both are located on Rt 125 just outside East Middlebury, about a 25-30 minute drive from Shoreham. So, not ski in-ski out, unless you’re REALLY hardcore. What I can offer is a nice big breakfast to get your day started, clear directions to get to your destination, a recommendation for the Snowbowl chili – delicious,  a fire in the fireplace when you return, and dinner here in the pub before you stumble back up to your cozy bed. We love the Snowbowl, it’s got enough to keep everyone occupied, a great place for beginner skiers, a safe place for kids to ski by themselves – it’s no Killington or Stowe, but it may be just what you’re looking for. And Rikert has fantastic trails, for beginners to advanced skiers. So, think about it, maybe you could come ski at The Shoreham Inn.