House Tour Success! 12/06/09

We had a lovely successful Bed and Breakfast House Tour to benefit Project SHARE, an organization that provides food and clothing to Cumberland Valley families. Over 125 people crossed our threshold and got to taste the wonderful cakes donated by Tami and The Fancy Cake Shoppe in downtown Carlisle as well as tour the entire house and get a peek at what an Innkeepers life is like? Our top question of the day? "What made you decide to become an Innkeeper?" Meeting great people like all the ones we met today. It was my first turn as a committee chair for our Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association and I had some wonderful support from Tracie, my good friend and innkeeper at Blair Mountain www.blairmtn.com and Mary at Carlisle House, www.thecarlislehouse.com. We raised $1820.00 for SHARE which actually results in the ability to purchase about $29,000! groceries from the Central PA Food Bank. Warms my heart. This is what this season is all about isn't it? Dee Fegan, President of the cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association and Innkeeper of the Fabulous Pheasant Field Bed and Breakfast are shown here presenting the big check.

Best Wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

Family Reunion and House Tour!

What a wonderful weekend this has been. Today we celebrated Joe Keller's Birthday here at the farm with his family. Joe and his wife Mary Jane owned Fallen Tree Farm, then Kellerhaus, for 20 years and were instrumental in the beginnings of the bed and breakfast movement in Carlisle and charter members of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association. We regret so much that Joe passed away late last winter. It was wonderful having his family stay with us and reminisce about the farm. We certainly feel blessed to have found the farm and hope we carried it on in a tradition they would approve of.

Just a little over a month until the first annual Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Holiday House Tour to benefit Project Share. Sunday December 6 from 1-5pm, 9 of our historic B&B's will open their door to the public. Come see the homes dressed in their holiday finest. Some wonderful local musicians and caterers are scheduled to appear at the B&B's. Come out and support a great cause and take a step back in time. Any guest staying at Fallen Tree Farm that weekend will receive two complimentary tickets to the house tour as part of the stay.

Best friend of Man's Best Friend

Wedding season has come to a close. We wish the four wonderful couples who were married here this season all the best and hope they will take time to celebrate their anniversaries with us in the coming years:
Congrats to Windy and Jason, Richelle and Josh, Rebecca and Mark and Kim and Etzer.
We had a really fun and interesting guest stay with us last week. Don Abney of
Abney Catahoulas was here for a week of canine tracker training with York County Dog Training Club. Don has literally written the book on canine tracker training "The Canine Tracking Guide". While staying with us he broke Sully of his sometime overly effusive greeting habit. Sully now manages to greet us and our guests in a nice pleasant "sit". We really enjoyed Don's stories with regards to his dogs. We( Sully, Sebastien and all us humans) were sad to see him head back to Louisianna. For more information on the amazing Catahoulas check out Don's website www.donabney.com

Don was kind enough to pose for a photo with his newest trainee and fan, Sullivan.

Wedding Success!

And here ends the tale of how the "Ruins" became the site for weddings at Fallen Tree Farm. After weeks of landscaping, brick and stone work, Richelle Hauck and Josh Dourte became Mr. and Mrs. Dourte on Saturday Sept 12, 2009. The wedding was lovely, the bride was beautiful, the groom handsome, the innkeepers tired! But they all lived happily ever after.

We had a fabulous staff of family and friends to help us park cars in our field which suffered from the previous day's downpour. The food was wonderful and all the associated vendors that came along with the wedding were great to work with. My only regret....We were too busy to take many pictures but we did get a few which I will attach here.

Thanks to all of our guests this year that have checked in repeatedly to encourage us and remind us to get some sleep!

Ruins no longer in ruins

WE'RE DONE!!!! We put the last brick on the last pillar this evening at 7pm and then turned around and took a look at the finished product...and we are pleased. Six weeks straight of laying a brick aisle way, building stone walls and raised flower beds, building and erecting pergolas and spreading stonedust and we are so happy its over! The entire project really started at the beginning of the summer with removing all the stuff that was in the area to begin with, but the last six weeks was where the real work began. We are seriously taking a break from "projects" for at least a week.
I'm posting a couple of pics of the finished project and one in which I am standing in the exact place where the brick pillars are now, which I took on the very first day we looked at the property to purchase, Sept 29, 2006. Wow, hard to believe its been just under three years since we found this place, courtesy of the B&B assocation. A special thanks to Brent's parents who showed up every day for the last six weeks to be our "work" crew. We couldn't have asked for a better crew or better parents.

Now-Bring on the wedding bells....

Ruins Update

As many of our guests have discovered upon visiting the B&B, most of our summer has been taken up with converting our 150 yr old bank barn ruins into a place where marriages begin and parties are held. We have been doing about 98% of the work ourselves with a few outside helpers . All of it has been done by hand with the exception of our little tractor as we discovered quickly that large machinery vibrates the walls down! Its coming along. This past week we finished the aisleway and the step up to the platform for the wedding party and started work on the brick columns that frame the two entrances. We've all become masons including Eva, who is getting great at mixing mortar as you can see from the pictures. Its certainly a labor of love for love. Each of the couples who are being married here this fall is unique and fun. We can't wait to be part of their big day. What amazes us most is that they managed to look at the ruins last year when it was covered in thirty years worth of moss and detritis and see the same potential we did! Those three couples will truly be part of history, both the farm's and ours as we enter our fall season with wedding bells ringing.

Everything Aches!

Hello treasured guests and friends! We are about 4 weeks out from our first wedding to be held in the ruins, and we are working at a feverish pace to complete the project while still attempting to take good care of the guests. Thank goodness for family who are practically raising our two girls, Maddy 6 and Eva, 4 as we endeavor to finish this project. While I complain about how much my back aches, Brent keeps mentioning how we will have "nothing" to do next summer, all projects will be complete... I haven't mentioned about the flagstone patio and breezeway I'd like to put on the barn and laying a brick patio where the current pea gravel area is... probably best to keep those ideas to myself for now. The good news... the ruins are really coming along. I am attaching a few photos.... The original floor was a mixure of dirt and concrete. We are laying flagstone excavated on the property during the ring project in the "pit" area . Next comes the brick runner up to the pergola area. The rest of the concrete will be level out with stone dust and packed down. Eventually we might decide to flagstone all out of but it will mean demolition of the existing concrete. You can see by the photos I have built my own walls(like a very heavy jigsaw puzzle to house raised flower beds). Next up is installing the arched trellis' over two of the entrances and building the brick columns for the main entranceway. We are installing some lanterns in the corners as well for some ambient lighting. Its going to be great... Hope everyone is staying dry( all it does is rain here.)

Some other Fallen Tree News. We partnered with Ski Roundtop for the ski season this year. Keep us in mind for snowmaking weather. We'll be doing some ski and stay packages as well as offering discount lift tickets. Also, I am heading a committee to organize a Bed and Breakfast Christmas House Tour featuring the B&B's of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association. We are partnering with The Cumberland Valley Visitor's Bureau and Project Share on this endeavor. I really think it is going to be a wonderful opportunity to raise money for some of our fiscally challenged local families while giving local patrons a sneak peak at the B&B's in our area. Don't forget us as a lodging choice for your loved ones when they visit the area to spend time with you. Let us keep your home from being overcrowded so you can concentrate on the important parts... reminiscing and food! Look for more info to come regarding the tour, scheduled tenatively for Sunday December 6, 2009.

Its really been a great year for us so far. While the economy has presented its challenges, we were very fortunate to see a strong growth trend from our first year to our second. I believe the new saying is " Even is the new Up!" In that case, thanks to all of you, we are doing better than expected. We have had many repeat visitors from 08 and several who we've had the priviledge of hosting multiple times in 09. We are blessed you have found us and continue to revisit us.

Have a great end of summer...

Kim

Happy July 4th!

Well its the beginning of the biggest weekend of the summer and we are chuck full of some wonderful guests! A family hiking the Appalachian Trail, a couple visiting Gettysburg, some relaxing getaways, a big bunch of fabulous personalities under one roof.

This was a big week at Fallen Tree. We had the former small paddock leveled and graded so we can put our wedding tents in there - extra bonus- Kim now has a proper riding ring to school the ponies, who are fat and think they are retired. The new arena has a stone dust footing that will pack down to be a nice dance area. It drops down from the stables so now I am thinking we should put a flagstone patio in front of the barn and perhaps a breezeway. We had one of those at our old farm and it was a lovely place to sit- or so my lesson parents told me... we NEVER sit down. Lighting is next and then putting the fence back in. Extra Extra bonus- the ground we took from across the drive to fill the stables created a whole new parking area- attn car show patrons- we now have plenty of extra wide spaces for your amazing collector cars!
A big thanks to the housefull of guests we had this week for making lemonade from lemons when excavators showed up to do the work... Everybody, coffee cup in hand, marched out to watch the process and several of the children staying with us had a fit when it was time to check out. It was amazing to watch the backhoe operator, Amos, flick 2oo lb flagstone out of the way like paper.
Kudos to Henry's Construction who did a great job and worked as best they could around the B&B schedule so everybody could get out the driveway and get a good night's sleep.

We also, thanks to Brent's Dads' patient picking, got a HUGE raspberry crop this summer. I've been researching recipes, raspberry flan and raspberry pancakes are just a few that I have found.

We hope all our guests, former and prospective, as well as family and friends, have a great fourth and take time to relax, set off some fireworks and enjoy the time off. Happy Summer!

Wedding Fever!

Congratulations to Windy and Jason Kuntz who were married here on June 7th. Best wishes for a wonderful life together!

We are busy busy busy preparing the farm for the three weddings we are hosting here in the fall. We are renovating the "ruins" on the property for the ceremony site. We 've been having great fun finding old stained glass windows and concrete urns for the site. We recently had the drive up to the area installed and are now working on leveling the floor space which previously was overgrown with 20 years worth of detritis and moss. Its all being dug out by hand because the stone walls are subject to the vibrations from machinery and may fall. When complete it will be a unique wedding venue as well as a place to have one heck of a party. I'm including a picture in this post so the after shot is all that much more impressive!

We host weddings for up to 160 people on the property. We provide a destination for your out-of-town guests with the overnight rooms and areas for your rehearsal dinner and post wedding brunch. We have plenty of room for parking in the horse pastures behind the buildings. Contact us if you are interested in more information. fallentreefarm@embarqmail.com

Officially Spring!

Okay folks, I believe it is officially spring here at the farm. Grass is getting green in the pastures which mean the horses ignore the hay we have painstakingly laid out in hopes of pulling up a few shoots of the new green stuff as it sprouts. They are all a bunch of hairballs, shedding out their winter coats. Jill, our stable help, and I are covered in hair after each grooming session. Sebastien and Sully are having a grand time chasing the bunnies and the old groundhog that lives under the corn crib. There isn't much chasing there. He is nearly as big as Sebastien, our westie, so when he turns and brandishes his teeth, both Sully and Bastien head in the other direction. Hence the reason he still lives as a permanent resident of the farm. Daffodils are just about ready to bloom and pansies are planted. The trees have buds on them. It really is a wonderful time of year here.

We are beginning to book pony birthday parties for the summer so if you know of a special little one who would like to celebrate their special day with Fudge and Sundae please give us a call.

Enjoy the warm up!

Kim

Remembering Sierra

According to the weatherman Spring is right around the corner. We have been busy preparing an additional room for the summer. Located on the second floor, "The Grey Mare's Quarters" features a queen size feather bed, huge windows overlooking the raised beds and walkways and pastures, a second bedroom with two twins that push into a king, a private bath featuring a clawfoot soaker tub, dvd/satellite tv in both rooms and perhaps most intriguingly, a pint size balcony that is perfect for a quiet cup of coffee overlooking the entire farm.

The room's name was derived from a beloved mare who resided with us for 14 years. My husband purchased Sierra, a lovely grey appaloosa for me as an engagement gift. For years she ran our herd of 8 with an iron set of heels. It was she who determined when the group ate, drank and went for a gallop. We tried a little bit of everything with her including dressage, which she loved, drill team( not so much), polo ( hated it!) and finally mostly trail riding as part of the rest of the group. This past January she passed away leaving a huge hole in our hearts and a big void in the herd. Our pony, Scout, has stepping in to become "Boss Mare." And so in remembering her, we named the new suite of rooms as a reminder of all the wonderful times we had with her and hope that our guests experience when they stay with us. Looking forward to all your thoughts about the new suite when you visit.

Happy New Year!

Hello Friends!

As many of you may know Fallen Tree closed out its first year of business in 2008. It was far more successful than we ever dreamed, with over 200 guests crossing the threshold. Brent and I are starting up on some major projects to improve the B&B for 2009. First, we are adding a spa tub to Coyle's Hideaway. So in the future, if you are brave enough to climb up to the room hidden in the treetops a wonderful new bath awaits. I'm jealous. The new bath is going to be clean and serene. As most of you either met or heard our daughters, Eva and Madeleine, you know that I currently share a bath with a three and a six year old. Plans are in the works for a family addition in the next couple of years that will get the kids out of my clawfoot tub! Yippee!!

Also in the works, to answer the gazillion requests for weddings that we get each week, we are putting a base footing in the training ring that packs down like macadam to provide a hard surface for all the dancing and eating that occurs under the wedding tents. No more leveling tables and chairs on the grass. Also to accomodate weddings is the landscape work being done to our barn ruins. Nearly everyone who comes to visit wants to know " what is that stone monstrosity?" In the sixties the couple who owned the property sold the wood from the bank barn located across from the front of the house for lumber. We are now left with a beautiful rugged shell that appears like an outdoor room. One wall was completely destroyed when the previous owner removed the stone for a walkway. We are hunting stone like what was removed to replace the wall and then plan to put into rustic arches and gates. Several trees need to come down to accomodate the tents. Brent plans to do this himself( power tools are VERY popular here).

We'll be taking time out to replace the wire fencing with split rail in our three pastures as well.

Keep in mind as the temps drop and your cabin fever rises that we are running a "Snowed Inn" special in January. For every night you stay with us you get an additional night free. Several of the rooms have fireplaces to snuggle up in and large tvs to enjoy a good movie( and we've got plenty of great new DVD's).

We feel so blessed that so many of you have chosen us for your lodging needs this past year
( some more than once!!) I promise that if you choose to return we will surprise you with improvements to the rooms and grounds... As I have said to many of you ... "you should see what it looks like in my mind" We have such big plans for the farm and invite you all to witness the changes as we go forward. Happy New Year.