Getting Ready…
Dear Friends,
It's almost time! Our doors open in a month and to say we're ready for the Summer is the understatement of the century! We thought it might be fun to give you a little glimpse behind the scenes about some of our “to-do's" before Memorial Day Weekend.
The main challenge for us in prepping for the season is that we cannot get into the house for most weekends in the spring because we are fortunate enough to be a popular wedding destination and the Inn is occupied by private groups. We live 6 hours away so it's hard to pop in during the week but we find little blocks of time.
Just last week we enjoyed a morning of flounder fishing on the creek with Stump and squeezed in some rocking chair time before the next wedding.
Prep for summer always starts with recipe review and testing to see what we might add /substitute in the summer line up. Actually, it's fair to say that we are testing recipes all year long.
What else is on that list? Here's just a quick peek…
- Walk the property and arrange to have the landscaping restored from the winter. Replace shrubbery and planting annuals as needed.
- Plan and plant the vegetable and herb garden; add the hanging baskets.
- Repair damage to the outdoor structures from winter.
- Replace linens and towels after inventory.
- Bring all stored equipment and supplies from the warehouse.
- Inventory the kitchen and rooms and replace losses/damage.
- Every dish, glass, utensil, pot in the kitchen gets washed and reorganized.
- Locate a reliable flower vendor.
- Restock liquor (very important.)
- Plumber visits to vacuum the sand out of the shower drains; HVAC preventive maintenance; ice machine maintenance.
- Wash slip covers as needed.
- Order from restaurant supply and shop Costco to stock up for the first week.
- Nicole sets up all the guest spaces for opening day.
Of course, you know that I have a master plan and laminated check lists to be sure that we get the basics covered. It takes away the anxiety to have everything organized so that we can have fun.
Most important!
Take a nap and get ready to have a fun summer.