A guest from 15 years ago came back recently to visit the inn again and to plan an anniversary party. We were talking and he said to me, “Whatever happened to that nice young couple that used to be the innkeepers here?” I said, Well, we’re still a couple!” That’s us twenty years, two children, four hamsters, two mice – no, make that twenty-two mice, Turbo Dog, Fat Martha, Mog, Jawler, Troika, and Spud ago.

We moved up here for two years from New York City, and here we are still, totally seduced and charmed by this village, its environs, its natural bounty and beauty: farms, forests, lakes, cultural activities, galleries, artisans. We never come to the point of saying that the inn is where we would like it to be. It is a constant work in progress. We no longer have marketing manager Turbo Dog coming in with us every day, but Sophie and Pippa are learning the ropes. We are fortunate in our life, the inn, our guests, and the people who work here with us. Come and stay and tell us about yourselves and we can tell you some of our favorite things: walking along the ridge from the Rock, tubing and kayaking on the Deerfield, the loop when the corn is high, Hattaporn’s Thai takeaway, x-country skiing in Wendell state forest, local corn and syrup,l farm stands and farmers’ markets, Pekarski’s meats, the Old Deerfield Crafts Fairs, local beer, 11 South Gallery, the Deerfield Valley artists show, Shelburne Falls, local ice cream, Clarkdale Farm apples and peaches……

(Above: Jane Howard and Karl Sabo in 1978, Jane and Karl in 2008)