The Arbor Inn Blog

Our Fire Pit from the Longworth Room

What a wonderful weekend here at Prescott Wisconsin’s one and only Bed and Breakfast!

We always love our jobs, but sometimes we really love our jobs and this is one of those times when we love our jobs so much it doesn’t even feel like a job. Now don’t get me wrong, owning a B&B is work, but it’s work that comes with some pretty awesome rewards. What made this weekend so special? Two very special, completely separate, and completely amazing events.

First, we had another weekend full of great guests. So much so that we stayed up a wee bit too late relaxing and having fun by the fire pit on Friday night. Usually it’s early to bed, early to rise for us, but who could resist such a beautiful night! So we sat and chatted and just enjoyed “being” for awhile. It almost felt like we were guests too.

She says "YES"

But Saturday held the big surprise. We had some previous guests (who have become good friends) staying in the Silhouette Room and little to Suzi’s knowledge, Keith had been planning something pretty special for her for awhile. It’s not everyday that we get to be there when someone gets down on one knee and risks it all. Yep, Keith asked Suzi to marry him, right outside on the private patio of the Silhouette Room. We even have pictures to prove it! Of course she was surprised…and she said YES! Way to go Keith! You pulled off an awesome surprise. The look on her face was priceless. Like we mentioned before, it’s times like these that make us LOVE our jobs.

Now, the second thing that made this weekend so special…well…it didn’t technically happen on the “weekend”, but it sure made Monday nice!  The Arbor Inn was profiled in the “Local Focus” section of Kaia Magazine, a forward thinking, sustainable living ezine.  You can check out the article (and full issue) for free on their website.  They did a full review of our Inn, complete with pictures, and the article was so beautiful that it made us want to book a room at this dreamlike place they created.  Then we realized it was us that they were talking about.  What a treat and what a beautiful publication.  Thank you to Amanda Hearn, Publisher, and the Editorial Contributors for their consideration.  It really is an honor to be featured.

Last but not least, like Kaia mentioned in their article, for every 300 “LIKES” that we get on our Facebook Page we are now giving away a free room!  So like away and share it with all of your family and friends.  You just might find yourself here at the Inn doing what we do best…helping you to rest, relax and rejuvenate.

As Carpenter Nature Center is so close and one of our favorite places to go to when we get the chance, we thought we would just drop their newsletter in to our blog and pass their information along to everyone.
They are located only a short mile away as the crow flies and five minutes max driving from the inn.
Enjoy:

Greetings from all of us at Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center-

The snow has blanketed the prairies and decorated the pines. Carpenter Nature Center is a scenic winter wonderland just waiting to be explored. As you hurriedly prepare for a busy holiday season our wildlife is hunkering down for a long winter’s rest. The Green Frogs and Northern Leopard Frogs in the wetland survive the winter nestled down in the mud and debris on the bottom of the pool breathing very slowly through their skin. A few of Minnesota’s other 14 species of frog and toad are bedded down under the leaf litter and snow cover, where up to 65% of their body fluid safely freezes during the winter. Bird species that rely on insects have migrated south, yet rarities can still be seen, as you will read in the story of CNC’s Summer Tanager. The energetic Black-capped Chickadee stays in Minnesota during the winter, surviving by lowering its own body temperature as much as 15 degrees to conserve energy. It may be difficult to believe, but some birds such as Snowy Owls actually migrate TO Minnesota and Wisconsin for the winter. Three of Minnesota’s seven native bat species have migrated south, but the remaining four species survive by hibernating and living on their fat reserves, slowing their breathing and heart rate, and dropping their body temperatures nearly to the air temperature of their caves. Whatever methods you employ to weather the winter, don’t forget to get outdoors, enjoy the sunshine and all the unique wonders that winter in Minnesota brings. Please scroll down to read about some of our news and upcoming events, and don’t forget to RSVP for our programs by calling 651-437-4359.

A REMINDER: CARPENTER NATURE CENTER IS CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS DAY and NEW YEAR’S DAY but will re-open at 8:00 on Monday morning. Look for our January-April 2012 newsletter to arrive in late December by email.

Thank you for your support throughout the year.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from ALL of us at Carpenter Nature Center.

Thank you, Green Beards and a big Give-to-the Max Day success!

THANK YOU to everyone who helped Carpenter Nature Center raise over $12,000 to support environmental education and habitat conservation. Sixty-one donors made gifts to CNC through www.GiveMN.org on Give-to-the-Max Day and the full $1,000 anonymous matching challenge was received. CNC’s executive director was featured live on KARE 11 that morning and to keep it fun, Jim Fitzpatrick pledged to kiss a toad if over $5,000 was raised and dye his beard green if over $10,000 was raised. Dana Nelson, GiveMN’s executive director, had the honor of holding CNC’s American Toad for the kiss. CNC’s volunteer bird banders helped Jim dye his beard “Give-to-the-Max Green” that Friday morning. A photo of Jim can be seen on CNC’s facebook pages and we are working on adding it to the website.

GiveMN is available year-round to make secure, online gifts to CNC via credit card and it is one of the simplest ways to become a “sustaining” monthly donor. If you have any questions or would like to discuss pledging a challenge matching grant to encourage others to support Carpenter Nature Center, please contact me at Jennifer@CarpenterNatureCenter.org or at 651-437-4359. Thank you for all your support on Give-to-the-Max Day and throughout the year.

The Apple Shack is CLOSED for the season
A hearty THANK YOU to everyone who visited the Apple Shack in 2011

The Apple Shack doors have closed on another successful season. Thank you for supporting Carpenter Nature Center through your purchases of apples, pumpkins, jams and jellies. Congratulations to the crew of Apple Shack staff and volunteers who worked diligently to grow and harvest high-quality, eco-friendly produce. At the end of the season an annual tradition is to donate any unsold produce to Second Harvest Heartland, which distributes food quickly and efficiently to nearly 1,000 food shelves, soup kitchens, shelters and programs in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. This is just one more way Carpenter Nature Center partners with other non-profit organizations to help serve our community and extend the reach of our limited resources. Although the apples and squash are gone, there will be some jams, jellies, syrup and salad dressings available for sale at the Visitor Center throughout the winter.

Weird and wonderful wildlife: A Summer Tanager in winter and Snowy Owls “snowbirding” in the Midwest?

On November 14th CNC’s naturalist Alan Maloney spotted a “weird bird”. The beautiful reddish-orange bird turned out to be a Summer Tanager, a species designated a “rare regular” by the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union. There are only a very few Summer Tanagers spotted in Minnesota each year and the northern limit of their range is only southern Iowa. At this time of year, this “bee and wasp specialist” should be on its way to South America for the winter. The bird was most recently seen on Friday, December 2nd and is often found in the conifers near the raccoon sculpture close to the administration or feeding on the bittersweet berries near the Apple Shack. Carpenter Nature Center hosts a few breeding pairs of its relative, the striking Scarlet Tanager. An interesting side-note is that recent studies have shown that North American Tanagers are NOT related to the other 300+ species of tanagers found in the Neo-tropics. North American tanager species are actually more closely related to Cardinals! Perhaps that explains why CNC’s Summer Tanager was often observed hanging out with our resident Northern Cardinals?

This winter season is already providing nature enthusiasts with a treat. Large, white treats with talons and piercing yellow eyes. Snowy Owls live in a delicate balance with their primary food source, the lemming throughout their circumpolar range. Lemming populations go through a dramatic reduction every 3-4 years, called a “population crash”. In a good year a pair of Snowy Owls can raise a dozen chicks, feeding them up to 2,000 lemmings before the chicks are able to hunt on their own! When lemmings are scarce the owls might not even attempt to nest. During such a year, these huge owls head south for the winter to find more food, sometimes “irrupting” as far south as Texas and Florida! There seems to be some debate as to whether our current owl irruption was sparked by a low lemming population, or an overly successful Snowy Owl breeding season. Whatever the cause, there are snowy owls being spotted all over the region. A local bird watcher spotted a Snowy Owl near 100th St and Neal in Southern Washington County this past weekend. When observing Snowy Owls it is actually possible to determine whether you are looking at a male owl or a female by the amount on black barring. Experienced birders can even “age” the birds by the extent and pattern of the barring as male and female Snowy Owls get lighter with age. If you are heading out to look for wild Snowy Owls and are fortunate enough to find one, please enjoy the bird from a distance for the owl’s safety. There have been a number of Snowy Owls in our area that have died due to starvation and there will likely be many others killed by cars. Any additional stresses your activities bring to these magnificent creatures could end up being a matter of life and death for the owls. If you are curious about the extent of the irruption here is a link to the general sightings of snowy owls this winter: http://tiny.cc/soq91 Owl irruptions are truly an amazing winter spectacle!

Upcoming programs:

MOONLIGHT SNOWSHOE HIKES
January 6 & February 3 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Enjoy a winter night under the moonlight with a relaxing snowshoe hike at Carpenter Nature Center. Warm up by the fire after the hike and enjoy some fresh popcorn and hot apple cider. Snowshoes provided or bring your own; no experience necessary. Dress appropriately for the weather and wear warm boots; recommended for ages 10 and up. Choose which date works best for you and call 651-437-4359 for reservations. Program fee: $8.00 per person or $6.00 for “Friends of CNC”

WHO HIBERNATES?
Friday, December 9th 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Why not visit CNC with your children or grandchildren to enjoy the “WHO HIBERNATES?” Story time? As usual the program is 10:00-11:00 a.m. and incorporates a story, a nature walk, and an art or craft project. The program fee is $5 per child or $3 for “Friends of CNC”. There is no charge for accompanying adults. The Preschool Story Time series has been partially funded through support from Target.

SONGBIRD BANDING
Friday, December 23rd 8:30 a.m. – noon

Or stop by and visit the bird banders on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23rd between 8:30 and noon to watch BIRD BANDING and to learn about the many songbirds that brave our Minnesota winters. During the colder months the banders put away the Mist Nets and use Potters Traps to catch songbirds, which are then banded and released. At this time of year we typically band more ground feeding birds, such as Slate-colored Juncos and a few Blue Jays and Cardinals. As always this is a FREE program but donations of bird seed and suet are welcomed.

Volunteer opportunities:

We are still looking for some volunteers in the animal care area, with open shifts for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday. This is a fun activity to do on your own or with a friend. Duties include critter feeding anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are more interested in something you can do from home, or in the office, we have something for everyone from brochure design to greeting visitors to data entry, social media updates, mailings and more. Come and join our fun, friendly family. You will be glad you did.

Year-End Gifts and tax-deductible donations
Financial donations to CNC are generally 100% tax-deductible and you can rest assured that every dollar you donated is stretched as far as it can go to reach as many students as possible. Your official CNC Thank You Letter will provide the proof you need to claim your donation as a tax-deduction if you itemize. If you have misplaced your letter please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer for another copy. As always – we are grateful for your support, whether financial donations, in-kind donations, or volunteer assistance. Carpenter Nature Center is a regional asset because of the many wonderful people involved on all levels throughout its history. You can become a ‘Friend of CNC’ through our website www.CarpenterNatureCenter.org, through www.GiveMN.org or on our Facebook page. You can also visit our website to view our current wish list and find out which items we need-such as LIQUID HAND SOAP and CHILD-SIZED SNOWSHOES.

Thank you for helping keep nature and environmental education a vital part of our children’s lives, and for helping keep Carpenter Nature Center open to the public 361 days-a-year.

Fall in the St Croix River Valley already?
Wow can’t believe it is the first day of fall and when we looked out the window this morning and across the St Croix River, we could not believe our eyes. The colors are already starting to pop. Our Longworth Room is quickly becoming our most popular room in the fall season, as it’s private deck affords our guests views of the river valley. There really is nothing like cozying up in one of our robes for your wake up tray on that balcony on a cool autumn morning with a warm beverage, watching the eagles soar over the river.We really should not leave out the Silhouette Room, which although has no view of the St Croix, boasts it’s welcoming, warm, private hot tub to enjoy as the temperatures start to drop a bit.
As for activities this time of year;  Valley Vineyard is busy pulling in this years harvest and the tasting room is the place to be no matter what the weather.All the orchards and pumpkin patches (and we are very close to many) are in full bloom and fruit picking is a whole “bunch” of fun.We are offered great rates to pass along to our guests at Clifton Highland’s Golf Course, just 5 minutes away, as well as discount tickets to Afton Alps Golf Course only 11 miles from our door.Did we mention birds? Plentiful as they eat us out of house and home getting ready for the change in weather. They love our feeders and our guests love to watch them as they enjoy breakfast on one of our covered porches.
Fall in the St Croix River Valley… Enjoy it here at the Arbor Inn.
Cheers

Snowshoeing outside the Minneapolis St Paul area seems to have never been better. We have had above average snowfall this year which has made it ideal. Having a bed and breakfast in Prescott really affords us the best of all worlds in the winter time.

Little Deb doing a little P90X happy jacks in snowshoes

Yesterday Deb and I decided to go have a little outdoor adventure. So after our guests left for the day to go skiing at Afton Alps (only 11 miles away), we loaded up our snowshoes and headed to Carpenter Nature Center (1 mile away as the crow flies). 5 minutes after leaving the Arbor Inn, we were on the trails. Talk about awesome….With over 7 miles of trails, not to mention endless option on snowshoes, you can really have a blast. It was a holiday and we did not see one other person while we were out. Also we should mention that there is no fee for the use of this great nature area.

So if a nice quiet day with nature sounds like fun, strap on some snow shoes after a four course breakfast at the inn and head across the river. Heck, we could even tell you how to get there on foot if you really feel adventurous.

Can't forget the romance....Ahhhh Warm

John and Deb all bundled up

Snowshoeing the St Croix River

Almost forgot to mention just how great the hot tub felt when we got back home.

CHEERS,

John & Deb