The two weeks just after Thanksgiving are typically the slowest of the year, mid-week at least. I think people are recovering from all that travel, family, eating, and anticipating more to come. Not the most opportune time for a romantic getaway in Maryland, I suppose.
So it’s been very quiet, but we’ve been keeping busy completing various home improvement tasks at the Brampton Inn:
Trying out a few recipes here and there.
Updating information in our guest books.
Raking leaves.
Cleaning.
You know it’s been a quiet week when the housekeepers ask if they can clean the chandelier in the dining room!
Not for a lack of work ethic of course, it’s just that we are ALL afraid to touch the thing. But they were very careful atop their ladders and it’s more sparkly than ever now!
The fixture was here when Michael and Danielle bought the place 25 years ago, although it is not original to the house. Mike’s best guess is that it was installed in the late 30’s or early 40’s. One of Danielle’s best stories (and she has quite a lot!) is how a few years after they started their Maryland Bed and Breakfast: The Brampton Inn, they were on a quick road trip to the Bucks County area for some reason. They were walking past an antique shop and noticed a chandelier in the window that matched this one.
“Oh look,” said Mike, “They have the same chandelier; we have to get that for the living room.” (If you’ve been here, you know that the living room has the same beautiful plaster medallion on the ceiling, but no fixture.)
So in they went. Imagine the looks on their faces when the clerk told them the price for the chandelier was $25,000! Yikes!! Well, of course, they lifted their jaws up off the ground and made an exit. Can you imagine how much one would cost today?
This was also the week that we got a new refrigerator. The current one is 20 years old and still kicking but on its way out. Getting the old one out and the new one into the kitchen and in its place took all afternoon, so I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t have any guests that day…
And no, that’s not a crime scene photo, that’s Mike on the ground attaching the wheels to this baby! They lock in place, so when you need to clean behind the fridge, just unlock the wheels and slide her out of the way. Awesome!
And there she is, fridge magnets in place, all sparkly and new…just like the chandelier!