I have a Peaceful, Easy Feeling

One of the things that attracted us to Jefferson was all of the things to do in the area. There is always something going on here in town. I mean...always! This weekend was no different.

Tom had been bugging me all weekend to go to the Caddo Lake Ramsar Wetland Center Grand Opening that was going to held on Saturday. Of course when you have a house full of guests you don't get to go out and play on the weekends, so I got to be the bad guy and say no.

Friday night Belinda and Renee from the North East Texas Film Commission checked in. Look honey, new friends! We had a lot of fun talking with both ladies and learning more about the work that the film commission does. These two ladies work very closely with the Texas Film Commission and different production companies to promote our area. Frankly, I believe that we have so much to offer. If you are looking for southern antebellum mansions, we got 'em. If you need a scary atmosphere for a horror movie, we have it. If you need dark piney woods, fall color, or spring time flowers, we have it. It is these ladies job, to bring all of this to the attention of anyone who may be considering filming in this area.

Belinda and Renee were in town to observe the final days of shooting of Boggy Creek. They convinced us to go with them to the grand opening of the new Wetlands. This new wildlife refuge used to be the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant and was decommissioned in the late 1980s and became a Superfund site (think environmentally contaminated). Many people fought to clean up this area and keep it out of the hands of the developers. One of the people that lent his name to the project was Don Henley. He is originally from this area and is fighting to keep this land pure and pristine. Apparently there were plans to turn this site into another industrial park. Don't we already have enough empty industrial parks?

Tom and I got the chance to meet Don Henley. We stood there like groupies stumbling over our words. Mr Henley was very gracious in talking to anybody who came up to him and signing autographs.

At the same time that this was going on, the first annual Fire Brigade Car Show. People from all over the area brought their classic cars to show. I am not an antique car buff, but even I could appreciate the beauty of these vehicles. If you have a love for cars, then you will definitely want to make plans for next year's show.

If you are a garage sale fiend, then you definitely want to come to Jefferson next weekend. Next Saturday is the City Wide Rummage Sale. I know that I will have a ton of stuff that I will be selling. So come on down. There will be a lot of great finds!

First Weekend!

Every Bed and Breakfast innkeeper that we ever talked to said that there favorite part of the job was making new friends and meeting new people. I have to say that this was our favorite part of our first weekend. Every guest that came through our door was so wonderful! We enjoyed meeting you and having the opportunity to serve you.

The weekend was fast paced and just like for our guests, it was over too soon. We loved every minute and can't wait to meet our next set of guests. So to Fredricka, Charlotte, David, Irma, Ray, Susan, Monique, Tom, The Stovers, Garth and Audrey...thank you! We were honored to meet you and were flattered that you chose our bed and breakfast.

Preview Weekend

We did it!

We had our first guests last weekend. Tom and I needed to practice our inn keeping skills and so we invited our families and closest friends out for a fun-filled weekend in picturesque Jefferson.

Since many of our friends and family had never been to Jefferson before, we took them to all of the fabulous spots in town and in the area. They all enjoyed the fun quaint stores and antique shops in town. Saturday afternoon, we took them on the "Graceful Ghost" boat tour of Caddo Lake. If you have never been to Caddo, then you don't know just how beautiful that area really is. Caddo Lake is really more of a swamp then a lake and it is filled with beautiful birds, alligators, beavers and many other creatures. It was misting that day which gave the lake a very mystical, ethereal look to it. That night, everyone got to enjoy The Ghost Train. The wet and dreary weather only added to the scary ambiance.

What was the verdict...they loved Jefferson and had a fantastic time. Many of them are already making plans to come back and stay at The Carriage House again. We are looking forward to it!

This coming weekend, we have our first real test. We have our first "real" guest come stay with us. We can't wait to meet these folks and we are looking forward to being able to serve them.