Yellow Breeches Creek - Fishing

Day 91 (Last day of March)- 45° - Cloudy, Drizzly - South Middleton Park
Day 90 - 55° - Sunny, Cold - Spring Meadows Park

I have completed 3 months of walking! and feeling great!

Today is the first day of fishing in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This is a big deal around here. Fishermen have been camped out since last night, to be able to make the first cast at 8:00 am. Even though it is cold and damp, they have been out on the Yellow Breeches Creek all day.

The Red Cardinal B&B is surrounded by great fishing spots along the Yellow Breeches as our B&B is but a “stone’s throw” away from some great spots. You can walk out the door, over the foot bridge and cast a line in less than 5 minutes.

The Yellow Breeches Creek originates in South Mountain, in the Michaux State Forest. It then meanders for about 56 miles through the local towns of Walnut Bottom, Huntsdale (site of the fish hatchery), Mount Holly Springs, Boiling Springs, Williams Grove, Lisburn, New Cumberland and empties into the Susquehanna River.

Here in South Middleton where the Red Cardinal B&B is located, the Yellow Breeches is a popular spot for fly fishers who flock to the mile-long catch and release section near Boiling Springs. The Yellow Breeches is stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The stream has a mix of stocked, wild, and fish that have carried over from the previous season. Brown and brook trout are the most prevalent wild fish in the stream. Rainbows are stocked each year and it is not uncommon to land a 20 inch fish.

It is one of the designated Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers.

The story is, that during the Revolutionary War, when the British soldiers, wearing their white breeches, crossed the creek or washed their breeches in the creek they became stained from the yellow tint of the water. Hence the name, "Yellow Breeches Creek".

So make a reservation at the Red Cardinal B&B. You can relax after a great day of fishing and if you are up early, we will prepare “breakfast on the run”.

STRUDEL

Day 89 - 52° - Sunny, windy - Spring Meadow Park
Day 88 - 71° - Sunny - Spring Meadow Park
Day 87 - 52°- Sunny, cold - Lerew Road

Yesterday evening I took my first cooking class at The Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle. This is an excellent store for kitchen supplies and offers cooking classes year round. This year, the store will be celebrating 38 years! in business.

I took the Strudel Workshop. I am always looking for something new and tasty to bake for breakfast, so I decided a strudel might be good.

There were about 16 people in the class and many of them had taken classes at the Shoppe before last night. My table of 4 women included a caterer and a woman who had a cookie business; the latter drove in from Pittsburgh for this particular class.

This class, as noted in the catalog was back “by popular demand”. The people in the class wanted to learn how to make the dough. The “trick” to a great strudel is in the dough. We were divided into groups of 4 and what we had to do is make a ball of dough, then pound it and roll it and stretch it. This ball of dough to my amazement stretched out the length and width of our table. I couldn’t believe it. Then our group made this delicious apple filling. The other groups made cheese and cherry strudels. I would say if I had to make this alone from start to finish, it would take the better part of a day.

The best part was when we got to sample our work. It was delicious. It was an enjoyable evening and I can't wait to take my next class. Of course, I hope to make a strudel as well.

SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE

Day 86 - 52° - Sunny, WINDY, cold - Spring Meadows Park
Day 85 - 58° - Partly Cloudy, Cooler - Spring Meadows Park

Yesterday, the Red Cardinal B&B hosted an open house/Timbali Crafts Fundraiser. The beautiful tote bags, aprons, placemats & table runners are hand-made by women from Swaziland, Africa. The patterns in the fabric they use are so colorful and each bag has a tag with the woman's name who made it. 100% of the proceeds go to the women. They use the money to buy cinder blocks to build a 10' x 10' structure to live in.

It was a perfect day to have friends drop by, as it was overcast and cool. In between “shopping”, the guests were offered some home baked cookies - oatmeal -raisin, chocolate-chocolate, molasses and a cinnamon coffee cake.

I will have the items here at the Red Cardinal B&B for another week, so give me a call and stop by. Any one of these items would make a perfect gift for someone. I bought a set of the placemats for a wedding gift.

Great and blessed Sunday!

MIGHTY 'MACS

Day 84 - 52° - Rain - Lerew Road
Day 83 - 75° - Sunny - Lerew Road
Day 82 - 70° - Sunny - Spring Meadows Park

There was a 20° change in temperature today, rainy and cloudy. I was happy to get a lot of yard work done this week and some early vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and spinach) in the ground. They got a soaking today. Everything is budding and with the temperature change, I pray there isn’t a frost this week.

Last night we watched the movie Mighty ‘Macs. It is the story of a woman’s basketball team from Immaculata College in Pennsylvania. In 1972, they won the first-ever National Women’s College Basketball Championship! The amazing part of the story is that this team, from a catholic college of less than 800 women, beat all odds to win the championship. They had no gym (as the gym burnt down), no uniforms, no team bus, no money. What they had was a dynamic coach who believed in them, and a dedicated group of women who worked hard to make a dream come true.

This movie was a “Rudy” for women type of movie, a real inspiration. The team beat all odds, and went on to win 2 more national titles. This team from Immaculata opened the door to women’s basketball as we know it today, but got left behind when the bigger schools could spend the money and recruit the best women. It is a dream team that only comes along once in a lifetime.

It was fun to watch the movie because I attended Immaculata College for 2 years prior to the Mighty ‘Macs. It was in my sophomore year that the gym burnt down the day of our dance! The scenes of the picturesque campus and the conversations among the women in the movie, brought back memories and an awareness of the cultural “expectations” of women for that time.

We are still attached to Immaculata (now a university and now coed) as my sister was a professor of education for several years. She died @ 14 years ago of cancer and is buried there. My folks celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with a mass at Camilla Hall, and many long-time friends from the College attended the event.

Way to go!

First Day of Spring

Day 81 - 64° - Cloudy - Spring Meadows Park
Day 80 - 68° - Cloudy - First Day of Spring - Lerew Road

The first day of spring and Billy was out on the riding mower making the first lawn cut of the season. It is hard to believe that he was cutting grass in March. It looked much neater and just in time as we had guests coming at dinner time last night.

Debra and her daughter, Lillie, were touring colleges, and Dickinson was on their schedule for today. As many of you know, junior and senior year in high school is time to traverse the country looking for the best school and the best match.

They were lovely guests. Billy and Debra chatted about our chickens, because her dad, who lives in Vermont, has chickens as well. He is also a big fan of the Civil War. The 20th Maine, the regiment from Vermont, was led by the famous Joshua Chamberlain. He is one of Billy's favorites.

As we talked, I served them a fresh fruit cup, a broccoli/swiss cheese omelet with sausage and a tasty cinnamon coffee cake.

They were off early, and after a general clean-up, Billy and I were back to work in the yard.

Gifford Pinchot State Park

Day 79 - 63° - Cloudy, Rain Showers - Spring Meadows Park
Day 78 - 73° - Sunny - Gifford Pinchot State Park

Sunday was another beautiful day, so we drove over to Pinchot State Park which is about a 20 minute ride from the Red Cardinal B&B. The park is over 2300 acres and has accommodations for all types of year-round recreation: fishing (ice-fishing), boating (iceboating), camping, horseback riding, swimming (ice skating), hiking and picnicking.


Billy had new line put on his reel, so he went to take a few casts and test the fishing rod before the 2012 season gets into full swing. The 340-acre Pinchot Lake has largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge, catfish, carp, walleye, crappie and sunfish. Pinchot Lake is designated a big bass lake.

While he was fishing, I took a short walk on the Lakeside Trail that runs along Pinchot Lake. There are over 20 miles of hiking trails in the park. I covered about a mile.

Spring fever abounds and there were fishermen on the shore as well as in their boats.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/giffordpinchot/index.htm

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

77 - 73° - Sunny - Beautiful St. Patrick’s Day - Spring Meadows Park
76- 68° - Overcast - Spring Meadows Park

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

It was a sunny, warm day today. I was outside most of the day, doing yard work and starting in on spring clean-up. The jonquils and crocuses are up, the forsythia is starting to bloom and the perennials are popping out of the ground. It is a pleasant change to spend more time outdoors than behind the computer. I also brought some early vegetables and pansies from Ashcombe's that I can't wait to plant.

Since we had guests this weekend, Billy and I didn’t venture out for our annual St. Patrick’s Day toast. In the past, we have celebrated at Coakley’s Restaurant and Pub in New Cumberland, O’Rorke’s Eatery in Gettysburg or Market Cross Pub in Carlisle. All of them have excellent fare. Coakley’s, the most authentic Irish Pub, has Irish music as well. However, none of them compare to Liam Maguire’s, our favorite Irish Pub in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

I prepared an Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. I decided to cook the meal in a crock pot which usually makes the meat tender. The recipe called for a brine of apple cider, brown sugar, cloves, mustard and a dash of pickling spice in which to cook the ingredients. It was delicious. I also made Irish Soda Muffins. It was a new recipe for me and they were tasty. Billy added to the evening meal with his selection of Irish tunes.

I can use the leftovers tomorrow for breakfast and make Corned Beef Hash and eggs.

DISC GOLF

75 - 71° - Sunny - Spring Meadows Park
74 - 71° - Sunny - Spring Meadows Park

A few months ago there was an article in the Sentinel that an 9 hole, medium disc golf course was going to be set up at South Middleton Park. Last week when I was walking along the path, I noticed these metal poles with baskets along the path, and areas that were marked with red flags. I assumed they had something to do with disc golf.

Sure enough, today as I was walking along the path at the park, there were three men tossing Frisbees into the basket. I spoke with one of the men and he gave me a brief overview of the course that was here and the principals of the game. He was carrying a bag that looked like a camera bag, and in it were at least a dozen Frisbees. They were about the same size, but different widths and he described them in golf terms - putters, drivers, etc. The poles are the “targets” and the red flags are the tee “pads”. He said that it is played much like golf.

The game has been around since the late '60s and is gaining in popularity. If you are an avid “golfer” you might want to try out the course. The Red Cardinal B&B is very close. Why not be our guest and get out and play.

Support the American Red Cross

Day 73 - 71 - Sunny and gorgeous - Spring Meadows Park

Members of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association will celebrate National Red Cross Month, by making a donation to the Red Cross. The Red Cardinal B&B is part of this Association.


Any time during the month of March that a guest makes a reservation and stays at one of our lodgings, the innkeeper will make a donation of $10. In addition, if the guest makes a contribution to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, their host will give them a gift to show their appreciation.

We understand that beyond blood drives, the American Red Cross offers disaster relief in local communities as well as communities across the country. In addition they offer educational opportunities, support for military families, as well as international relief.

The demand for services from the American Red Cross has definitely increased in the past 4 or 5 years, and the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association wants to donate to this worthy organization.

The Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association has partnered with other organizations in the past, such as Project Share, our local food pantry and PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers International) to support worthwhile projects.

The Cumberland Valley Bed & Breakfast Association is made up of a variety of lodging opportunities. They range from Victorian homes to country manors and rural farmhouses. Each one is unique, but the common thread that runs throughout this group of innkeepers is hospitality and warmth.

Book a room today at the Red Cardinal B&B @ http://www.redcardinalbedandbreakfast.com/ and make a donation at the American Red Cross http://www.redcrosscv.org/ .

St. Patrick's Day

71 - 62° - Sunny and warm - Spring Meadows Park
70 - 45° - Sunny and colder - Spring Meadows Park
69- 50° - WINDY and cold - Spring Meadows Park

Saturday we celebrated my dad’s 92nd birthday at Fiddler’s Restaurant in Mayapple. This is a great local restaurant. The meals were tasty and the waiter served a delicious piece of chocolate, chocolate cake with a candle for dessert and sang “Happy Birthday”. Oftentimes, we recommend Fiddler’s to our guests.

My dad has lived through 16 Presidents! the Great Depression, and WWII. He danced to the music of Frank Sinatra and the Big Bands of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. He talked into a telephone and the operator talked back. Now he talks into the phone and the phone talks back. He watched TV when there was 3 channels, now there are 803! He is an example of "living" history.

Today we got in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day. We attended a Celtic concert at the First Lutheran Church in Carlisle. The Fine Arts at First hosted Cormorant’s Fancy, a talented group of 5 musicians who perform a variety of Irish and Scottish traditional folk music. I thoroughly enjoyed the harmony of the tinwhiste, fiddle, concertina and bodharan; instruments that I don’t hear too often. Cormorant’s Fancy performs locally and their schedule is available on http://www.cormorantsfancy.com/

I will be getting out my Irish recipes this week - Irish Soda Bread, Corn Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s pie and my great-grandmother’s rice pudding.

If you are in the area this weekend to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, consider a stay at the Red Cardinal B&B.

SCONES

Day 68 - 67° - Cloudy (sun just went in) - Spring Meadows Park
Day 67 - 61° - Sunny, slightly windy - Spring Meadows Park

What is a scone? It is a light, biscuit like quick bread made of oatmeal, wheat flour, barley meal, or the like. The key word is light and cold butter is key. The butter can come right out of the fridge and mixed with the batter, but in the workshop I attended at the Mid-Atlantic Bed and Breakfast conference, Debbie Anderson used “frozen” butter which she shaved ahead of time.

I copied this paragraph from Debbie' site to explain the cold butter theory : to paraphrase Lauren Chattman (The Baking Answers Book)--the point in using chilled butter is so that it doesn't melt during dough assembly. What you want is for the butter to melt in the oven--freeing up space and creating minute steam pockets of expanding gases which aid in the rise of the dough. If the butter melts before you get to the dough to the oven, you lose those pockets of gas expanding, leaving you with a denser baked product.

Who would believe it is this scientific to make a delicious scone. If not, the scone will easily become a stone.

Debbie's business is Victorian House Scones. She sells mixes that have been perfected over the years, and some innkeepers in the workshop say the mixes are fabulous. Here is the site if you are interested: http://www.victorianhousescones.com/

I'll let you know how my first batch of scones turns out.

Mid-Atlantic B&B Conference - Williamsburg, VA

Day 66 - 44° - Sunny, slightly windy - Spring Meadows Park
Day 65 - 42° - Cloudy, drizzly - Historic Williamsburg, VA
Day 64 - 44° - Rainy, damp - Historic Williamsburg, VA
Day 63 - 55° - Heavy rains, clearing, overcast - Historic Williamsburg, VA
Day 62 - 55° - Rain, cloudy - Historic Williamsburg, VA
Day 61 - 54° - Partly sunny, - Spring Meadows Park

This week Billy and I drove to Williamsburg, VA for a combination business/vacation trip. Over the weekend, we spent time in Historic Williamsburg with our dear friends, Dennis and Grace. They are frequent visitors to this lovely area, and were excellent guides as we walked the streets of the village. It was rainy and overcast for most of the time, but we enjoyed the opportunity to “step back” in time to the mid-late 1700’s. A highlight of our time together was dinner at the King’s Arms Tavern.

After their departure, I spent the next 2 days at the Mid-Atlantic Bed & Breakfast Conference and Billy used the time to find the Harley-Davidson store and explore Yorktown and the surrounding area.

The conference was an excellent opportunity to spend time with other innkeepers and share “trade” secrets.


Most of the workshops that I attended had to deal with the internet. First, there were several speakers on Google and how it controls the hierarchy of listings, and how the criteria for being “found” is always changing. The other workshops were on social media - facebook, twitter, blog and now pinterest! The intricacies of how it all works and what has to be done to keep a presence on the internet are mind-boggling. It is interesting, but mind-boggling.

To give myself a delightful break, I attended a workshop on The Art of Sconemaking. There is a secret to making a perfect scone. It is all in the COLD butter! This was a great workshop as I got to taste the blueberry scones! I am anxious to making scones for my guests.

I’ll be writing more about the ideas that came out of the conference, but in the meantime if you have a good scone recipe, send it along to me. Thanks.