One of the most peaceful spots at the Carriage House Inn is the gazebo that sits just north of the house. From early morning coffee, to a relaxing afternoon reading your favorite book, or an after dark candlight wine sipping, the gazebo is a great place for peaceful moments, and a beautiful view overlooking Lake Ontario. Here you can see Head Landscaper Claudine relaxing with a book after caring for the flora around the gazebo.

We’ve added quite an array of plants and flowers in the grounds around the Inn this season. Around the gazebo you will find geraniums, hostas, begonias, vincas, red coleus, echinacea, pansies and mums. In the front yard and entrance, joining the rhododendrums, azaleas, hydrangea, corn flowers and peonies we’ve added carnations, marigolds, phlox, boston ferns, petunias, and some beautiful flowers we don’t know the names of!!

Everyone is enjoying the flowers around the gazebo, including this hummingbird, who was sampling the nectar of the hosta’s flowers. This rare photo was captured by Beverlee Lewis one morning as she was enjoying coffee at the gazebo. Thanks, Beverlee!!

In this picture, Improvement Coordinator Claudine Karczewski inspects new linens for the beds at the Carriage House Inn.  We are always looking for ways to improve the comfort our guests experience when they visit us  in Sodus Point, NY.

Fresh new linens, pillows and comforters are just some of the items we have added in the past year.  Here are some of the other amenities we’ve added or upgraded:
–New towel sets
–Environmentally friendly shampoo, conditioner and lotion
–Homemade chocolate chip cookies in the dining room
–Fresh fruit available in the dining room
–Keurig coffee maker with coffee, tea, and other hot drinks available all day and night
–Complimentary bottled water in the guest refrigerator
–New dishes and water glasses
–Expanded breakfast menu
–New York maple syrup and local produce featured at breakfast
–Guitar in the dining room for guests to use (we’ve had some takers!)
–Kisses at the registration desk (Hershey’s Kisses!!)
–And last but not least: Focus on Coffee!!
These are just a few of the changes we have made to make your stay better….there are many others !!Come discover them for yourself when you visit the Carriage House Inn, where you will truly “Feel like home”.

At the Carriage House Inn, one of the sights we love the most are the gorgeous sunsets over Lake Ontario.  A picturesque sunset is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our front door!  A favorite evening walk of ours is to the Sodus Point Lighthouse Museum, where we can stand on the bluff overlooking the lake and watch the sun sink slowly into the water.

The picture above shows just such a scene. Our friends Mary Klein and Adina captured this breathtaking view as they watched the sun go down during a recent visit to the Inn.  Mary is a dog trainer from the Washington D.C. area.  You can follow her training adventures on her website, http://askandythedog.com/home.htm

If you are in search of the perfect sunset, come visit us at the Carriage House Inn, where the sunsets are beautiful, the breakfasts are yummy, and you will always “feel like home”.

Burnap’s Farm Market is a produce market and more on Maple Avenue a mile or so north of the town of Sodus. Always a source of fresh fruits and vegetables for us, Burnap’s Farm Market opened for the season just before Memorial Day weekend. We have missed going there all winter and spring, and welcomed the summer opening!

Last week, we did the first Burnap’s of the season. How does one “do a Burnap’s”? At the Carriage House Inn, there are two ways. The first way to “do a Burnap’s ” is by shopping for fresh produce for the Inn, as well as other items that make breakfasts for our guests a little bit more special. One favorite is the Black Bean Salsa locally made, which compliments such meals as our Sausage Egg Casserole, or yummy Cheese Strada.

The second way to “do a Burnap’s” is by enjoying lunch at the Garden Cafe, which is exactly what we did last Thursday. The menu at the Garden Cafe is full of great hot and cold sandwiches, as well as fresh salads and healthy pizzas. We both chose the option to “Create Your Own Cafe Lunch”, which includes a soup or half salad, a half sandwich, a bottled cold drink and finishes with an ice cream cone. Claudine had the BLT on toasted oatmeal bread, and Jerry had the Club on a French roll. They were great bargains at $9.99 each, and definitely a challenge to finish!!

As good as the food is, the atmosphere of outside dining amidst the fruit fields and orchards is superb. A quiet and relaxing setting, there is truly nothing like it for lunch or a snack on a sunny summer day. The new outdoor deck provides plenty of room to enjoy the surroundings. The first Burnap’s of the season was definitely a successful one.

To learn more about Burnap’s Farm Market check out the website at: http://burnapsfarm.com/ or, if your are hungry now, go straight to the menu at: http://burnapsfarm.com/Menu2012Everyday.pdf . Happy eating!!

At the Carriage House Inn, we have had a busy start to the season, too, at our Sodus Point Bed and Breakfast. The weather has been great, and charter fishing at the Point is starting to hit it’s stride. The Sodus Bay Lighthouse and Museum is open and hosting many visitors climbing the 55 steps to the top.

We hope we will see you soon in Sodus Point; when you are in town, stop by the Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast, where you always “feel like home”

One of our favorite activities is to get in the car on a Sunday afternoon and roam new turf, traveling roads we had not been on before.  As Claudine and I drove through the countryside this past Sunday, our meanderings took us past thousands of acres of blossoming apple trees in the area south of highway 104, between Wolcott and Williamson.  A preview of the autumn glory when the trees are dripping with ripe red fruit, the delicate, airy apple blossoms gently blanket the entire landscape.

The soil and climate in Wayne county make it ideal for the production of apples; it is the largest apple producing  county in the state of New York, and the third largest in the nation.

To celebrate this beautiful time of year, Williamson, NY (just a 20 minute drive from the Carriage House Inn) will be hosting it’s annual “Apple Blossom Festival” May 17-20.  Come stay with us and enjoy an some apple blossom fun.  Here is a link to the Festival website: http://www.williamsonappleblossom.com/

Here are just a few “apple facts” for the New York state apple business (you can find more info at http://www.nyapplecountry.com/fastfacts.htm) :

How many apples does New York State grow?

Where are the major apple producing counties?

• 662,500 bushels (5%) are marketed directly by growers and “roadside markets”.
• 1,325,000 bushels (10%) are exported to other countries.
• 11,262,000 bushels (85%) are marketed domestically through independent and chain supermarkets, food service and military outlets.
  On average, 11,750,00 bushels (47%) are utilized for processing:
• 4,465,000 bushels (38%) are processed into juice and cider.
• 5,522,500 bushels (47%) are processed into canned products, including sauce, slices and pie filling.
• 1,175,000 bushels (10%) are processed into frozen slices .
• 587,500 bushels (5%) are processed into vinegar, jelly, apple butter, mincemeat, and dried products.

Spring has come to Sodus Point! The apple trees are starting to blossom, the lawn has had its first cutting, and our neighbors Jim and Vivian are busy planting new trees and shrubs on the rolling hills of their yard.

Downtown Sodus Point is showing signs of spring, too, as Grieg Street is coming alive, with pickup trucks and fishermen  everywhere, portents of more to come. The Coop Deck and Captain Jack’s, which have been open all winter, are seeing busier days, and Abe’s Waterfront Restaurant has just reopened for the season.

Daffodils are blooming all over town, with tulips not too far behind, and most trees are showering the ground below with blossom petals after a good wind and rainstorm.  The longer days are making it nice for walkers, joggers and bicycle riders around town, and let’s not forget that the longer days make it nicer for canine companions as well.

Here at the Carriage House Inn we are enjoying the spring and looking forward to the summer.  This will be our (Claudine and Jerry) first full year, and we are looking forward to welcoming back all the friends we made last year, as well as getting acquainted with new ones this year.

We have been busy decorating and updating the inn, and Claudine has been working on some new breakfast recipes to tantalize your taste buds this summer. 

At the Inn, our goal is to make you “Feel Like Home”; we hope you will visit us and get a taste of home at the Carriage House Inn this spring and summer.