A very warm and thankful holiday wishes are being sent today from all of us at our bed and breakfast Inn here in Southwest Michigan. Hopefully everyone is spending this holiday weekend with those who matter most in each of our lives. Our romantic significant partner, our family and our friends. It’s very important that we all take time to reflect on how grateful we are to have these people in our lives.
As we were out in Holland Michigan yesterday and in the mall near Grand Rapids, it was apparent that many of the college students from West Michigan were returning already for the thanksgiving holiday weekend. Warm feelings are conjured up inside all of us when we think of the holidays and knowing that we all will be around loved ones soon during the holiday season. Yes, for many of us it may only be for a day or two, but nonetheless it is always comforting to become reaquainted with our relatives.
Anyone who lives in the West Michigan area and specifically in our Saugatuck Michigan community can attest that the extreme weather conditions are just part of what we expect here. But today’s shocker mid-30’s temps after yesterday’s mid-60 temps are especially shocking to us all. Early this afternoon I even saw a few flurries dancing in the air outside. And to think that just last night I was “almost” thinking of turning the air conditioning on for just a brief while.
One of the specials we have added this year is the offer of a bonus gift card for gift cards purchased for the bed and breakfast. Our bed and breakfast gift cards are valid for up to five years and fully transferrable and NOW they come with a bonus gift cards as well. The value of the bonus gift card is based on the amount of the purchase. See our specials and packages page for more details of this great offer.
Anyone who lives in West Michigan has to admit that this year’s weather has been one of the best in records. Our bed and breakfast guests enjoyed a phenomenal warm and sunny spring and summer season with a cool (but not too cool) fall season. Even our late fall has been very nice indeed as we are now entering late November and still have not seen any sign of snow yet this year. But the weather forecasters are now predicting our first measurable snow fall for this year starting on thanksgiving day. It seems appropriate though as we enter the holiday season to have snow in our forecast for this week.
This morning one of our bed and breakfast guests asked about hiking in the Saugatuck Dunes State Park and possibly considering other Michigan state parks for weekend fun as well. It reminded me that it really doesn’t matter what time of year it is as our bed and breakfast guests love to explore and hike this great park just about anytime of year. The wooded terrain as you hike along the parks trails is very enjoyable as it meanders out to Lake Michigan where one can then walk along the beach. Even in late November, this is a real treat.
This weekend is what many think of as the true beginning of the holiday season as our local West Michigan towns host their own versions of Santa parades in both Holland and Grand Rapids. Many of the local malls and stores also celebrate the arrival of Santa this weekend as well, kicking off the start of the holiday shopping season. Several of our bed and breakfast couples for this weekend are planning on going to these communities and parades over the course of the next couple of days.
Recently on a trip to run some errands for the bed and breakfast, a rock flew up and found the front windshield of my vehicle…ouch! It’s not a huge chip, but none the less, it is a chip. So today a service representative came out to the bed and breakfast and in no time removed the chipped windshield and installed the new one “like that.” It reminded me of what it might have been like to get something like this done had I still lived in a city. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much more difficult it would have been to get something like this done and so painlessly.
Today officially marks the beginning of winter here at the bed and breakfast (well at least in one respect it does). All the our beautiful Michigan trees have lost their fall colors and it was finally time for the grounds crew to do a final cleanup today around the bed and breakfast. It’s a true sign of winter being just around the corner when the final yard cleanup has been completed. But we are hopeful that this year’s winter snow will be just enough to create a pretty landscape, but not much more than that.
Tonight we celebrated Jeff’s birthday with good friends by dining at Phil’s Bar and Grille in downtown Saugatuck. Open year-round, Phil’s has been a Saugatuck staple for many years and with good reason. It is always a very friendly atmosphere and one of those places where all of the locals like to hang out. Try their broasted chicken or the portabello mushrooms for an appetizer….yum!!!