Change--the transforming experience--is part of the quest in travelling.--Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes
Like Frances Mayes my world has been profoundly changed by my travels and those dear friends I have met along the way. Gathered here, like a cluster of old dusty letters, is a sharing of my thoughts, images and feelings that convey the world that has opened up to me through travel and life experiences. It is an expression of how I think about the world, how I look at it, how it has changed/is changing me and how each new day I am reminded to be thankful for all that God has opened up to me through travel. Experiencing other cultures has been a truly transforming experience and I hope my humble observations might change you as well.
As a child one of my favorite memories of going to my grandparent's huge Pensylvania Dutch home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was spending time in my Grandma Wenzel's expansive gardens. She truly had a green thumb and spent hours and hours in her vegetable and flower gardens, all plowed by hand with the aid of their family workhorse named Louie.
I too spent a good many hours there helping to pick ripe lucsious berries in strawberry season, hulling waxy green lima beans--letting the feel of them play through my hands--and weeding, it seemed there were hours and hours of weeding.
The Victorian Gazing Ball
More than anything else in that garden I loved the mirrored colored globe sitting on its pedastal perched in the center of grandma's "formal" garden. Looking into it the world went wonky and large, and I felt as though I could see into it forever, no longer having tunnel vision but panoramic sight.
At times my own distorted image popped into view and at other times the sun hit it just so that it seemed like it had burst into a thousand chards. Colors seemed more brilliant and intense looking through that orb. As a small child that ball was ever changing and ever fascinating. To this day, as I leaf through garden catalogs, I am still drawn to pictures of those Victorian globes.
Each New Trip Brought New Life Experiences
Much later in life I began to realize that travel had much the same effect on me as Grandma's Victorian Gazing Ball. Each new trip brought about new life experiences, new ways of seeing the world and new ways of desiring to incorporate what I saw into my own experience in some meaningful way. Instead of being a casual observer, I began to internalize them, making them a part of me.
Rugged Country Lodge, A Product of all those Travel Experiences
As a hobby interior designer who has been lucky enough to do some traveling, I believe in some small way Rugged Country Lodge is a product of all those wonderful experiences.
For instance, while traveling in France I was struck by the quaint beautifully appointed Inns that used warm and soothing colors in their decors as well as how they served a lovely breakfast each morning. The thin slices of fresh meats and cheeses, organic yogurts,homemade pastries and fresh warm crusty rolls are forever in my memory.
Though things are different here in the US, where it is hard to find the quality of meats to be had in Europe, we try to bring a bit of that rustic European elegance to the Lodge. This year we've added a nice selection of meats and cheeses as well as our own raised croissants.
Creative Economic Decisions for the Winter
However, because we are a seasonal business, and as such we slow down in the winter months, we've made what I believe to be a creative economic decision (in these tough times). From Mar 1 until Nov 1 we will not be serving our regular breakfast in the Rooster Room. To offset this, we have adopted lower winter rates and we are giving you a breakfast coupon to The Saddle Restaurant, a short walk or drive right up the street from us. It's a great local favorite for a good cowboy breakfast in Pendleton that our guests have taken advantage of in the interim.
In the meantime, we are already planning on new additions to our breakfast, coming March 1st. So, please stay tuned!