June 25th, 2009
Robert J. O'Brien
We are delighted to announce that noted Vermont artist Robert J. O’Brien will be “in residence” at West Hill House from August 9th for a few days, during the Vermont Festival of the Arts.
Robert will be offering a 3-day workshop among the beautiful perennial gardens, ponds and woods around the B&B.
Guests are invited to book in to West Hill House for 3 or 4 nights starting on the 9th and sign up for this workshop by calling us at 800-209-1049. Spaces are limited.
This is a sanctioned event of the Vermont Festival of the Arts.
Tags: Arts Festival
Posted in Arts Festival, Gardens, Summer activities | No Comments »
June 10th, 2009
Smoky and Snowball, our marvelous cats, are celebrating their third birthday! We knew when we moved into our B&B that to add the perfect touch we needed some cats. A local farm was suggested as the best place to get kittens so we went to visit the Turners at Simplicity Farm to see if there were kittens available. Lo and behold, their cats are so sought after that we had to go on a waiting list.
What a big dish!
Snowball gets a hand!
Well, the day finally came and we got a call to say that there were kittens and we could come have our pick.
They were just 6 weeks old and were they ever tiny! We chose two little balls of fur and brought them to their new home. They are brothers, from the same litter, but like siblings in a human family, they look different and they have very different purrsonalities.
Snowball sometimes needed a steadying hand as he learned to explore. While Smoky was quite adventurous and was off by leaps and bounds.
Now they are both quite adventurous and while Smoky continues to be the real explorer, Snowball has perfected napping.
Smoky up in the rafters
The purrrrfect nap.
Smoky and Snowball are off to the vet next week for their annual check-up and shots. If they could speak in “human” I’m sure they would say, “The shots aren’t as uncomfortable as both of us being in the carrying crate in the car on the way to the vet’s. It’s a wee bit more cramped now than when we were little guys. Fortunately it’s just a short trip to Dr. Hadden and to help keep us happy, our human mom sings The Owl and the Pussy Cat song to us as we travel along.”
Both Snowball and Smoky are very sociable and look forward to welcoming you to West Hill House.
Tags: Birthday, Cats, Vet visit
Posted in Cats, Vermont B&B | No Comments »
June 1st, 2009
Mozart 1756-91
What marriage was created in 1784, perfected in 1786 and is just as good today as it was then? Give up? Why the Marriage of Figaro! Based on a 1784 play, Mozart created this comic opera which continues to be enjoyed today.
The Marriage of Figaro is coming to the Mad River Valley complete with professional opera singers.
If you adore opera or if you’re not sure about opera, here’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about opera from the experts in a relaxed yet professional setting. Guests in the Mad River Valley are invited to attend open rehearsals, sit in on master opera classes, and participate in numerous other opera related activities between May 28 and June 21, 2009.
The full fledged opera will be staged on June 19 and 21 and tickets range from $10 -yes $10! to $50.
Check out the line-up of events and the West Hill House website for our special.
Tags: Mad River Valley, Marriage of Figaro, Mozart, Opera, West Hill House
Posted in Green Mountains, Mad River Valley, Marriage, Opera, Summer activities, Vermont B&B | No Comments »
May 28th, 2009
Attending a telephone company’s open house may not sound like a very interesting event but that’s probably because you don’t have a phone company like our Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. Our telecom company is a family owned, independent phone company which has served our area continually since 1904. You can bet there have been many, many advancements in telecoms since 1904 and the open house presented displays and demonstrations of products and services through the years.
We saw photos of the early days, like this photo collage displayed on the WCVT website.
Safety First
Peter examined some early equipment
Checking out equipment
and watched a demonstration of the best way to climb a pole!
We also learned how a step-by-step telephone switching unit worked “in the old days”. Invented in 1888 and patented in 1891,this type of switch was used in some locations up into the 1980s when they were then being replaced by digital switches.
The last demonstration we went to was fascinating to watch; the fusing of fiber optic strands. Total cleanliness and exact cleaving is required to prepare the strands. The two ends are then fused together with an electric arc in a small machine that exactly matches up the ends of the fibers. Quite amazing to see how technology has changed even over the last 30 years.
You can read more about this little phone company with a big history, it’s only one of the interesting aspects of the Mad River Valley.
Tags: Telephone company history
Posted in Mad River Valley, Telephones | No Comments »
May 28th, 2009
Amazing shades of green
What happens when the spring weather brings several days of rain to Vermont? Sure, the grass and dandelions grow like, well, like weeds! The gardens get a good watering so the flowers are happy. The creeks and rivers race downstream tumbling crazily over and around the rocks. And yes it’s true some of the roads do get a bit muddy. But stop for a moment and think about the word “Vermont” - from the French, vert = green mont=mountain and that is exactly what happens when it rains, the mountains get green. I don’t know how many shades of green the human eye is capable of seeing but I’ll bet they can all be seen from our front porch. The greens are amazingly intense and vibrant! The trees, decked out in their new spring finery, display everything from the palest of greens which look almost white, to the very dark and bold forest greens. Between rain showers the sun peeks through the clouds making the leaves glisten like they’ve been sprinkled with the finest crystals and the lilac blossoms shimmer silvery-lavender. Spring is a glorious season in the Mad River Valley of Vermont, a photographers dream, the chance to capture on film, a rain bathed leaf or an open flower blossom cupping droplets of water. Come visit vert mont, up close and personal through the lens of your camera. West Hill House B&B is a great place for a home base!
Tags: Gardens, Lilacs, Mountains, Photography, Rain, Trees, Vert Mont
Posted in Gardens, Green Mountains, Photography, Vermont B&B, Weather | No Comments »
May 21st, 2009
C-A-T
How do you spell relaxation? Many of our guests know the answer. Arriving at the B&B for a bit of a break from their hectic schedules they get themselves settled into their room then come looking for Smoky and Snowball. Being most friendly and obliging, our two cats offer their backs for scratching and provide loud purrs of appreciation and more scratches brings louder purrs. It isn’t long before guest and invited cat are happily ensconced in a comfy chair enjoying each others company. How do Snowball and Smoky know when we humans need to slow down and take a few deep breaths?
For many a guest, relaxation starts with not wanting to disturb the slumbering feline so there they sit, giving our cats a little TLC whilst in return they are given the gift of a few minutes to be calm and unwind.
Your turn in the hammock
At that moment nothing is more important than quiet relaxation with a new found friend. So how do you spell relaxation? C-A-T!
West Hill House B&B is a great place for relaxation even if you are not a C-A-T lover. How about a seat down by the beaver pond or a nap in the hammock?
The weather’s great and the garden is busting with color, Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner - it’s Open Studio Weekend too. We still have availability for the long weekend. Come and Relax!
Tags: Cats, relaxing
Posted in Cats, Gardens, Memorial Day, Open Studio Weekend, Vermont B&B | No Comments »
May 14th, 2009
Peter’s mum had a little saying for this time of year, “Spring has sprung, the grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is.” Well, some of the birdies are in the trees at West Hill House and can be enjoyed from the comfort of our Sun Room on blustery days and the garden on fine days. Binoculars and a bird book are at the ready giving guests the opportunity to check out the local bird scene around the inn. Today we saw hungry nuthatches, fat robins, a noisy blue jay, and a brilliant yellow goldfinch. 
The goldfinch was amazingly bright, it looked like a sunbeam that had escaped from the sun. It sat in a nearby branch and preened for a few minutes giving us the opportunity to get a good look at this bright visitor. We have also been visited by a yellow-bellied sapsucker which, for some reason, though it might be productive to search for sap in the railing of our deck!
If you enjoy birding there are many places here in the Mad River Valley to go bird watching so grab your binoculars and bird book and book your room at West Hill House B&B, we’re an excellent home-base for your birding expedition.
Tags: birding, Mad River Valley
Posted in Gardens | No Comments »
May 11th, 2009
The gardens at West Hill House are starting to show the colors of spring! We are always amazed at this time of year when our beautiful gardens start to emerge from their winter sleep. The buds are on the old apple trees, the leaves unfurl on the maples, the flowers are blooming, and the chipmunks which scurry over and around the boulders in the garden are driving our adorable indoor cats, Smoky and Snowball, absolutely nuts! The crocuses were the first to brave the early spring poking their blooms through the snowy blanket which still lay on the ground. These gorgeous miniature tulips were the next flowers, spied by a guest one bright sunny morning, and flashes of yellow daffodils can be seen scattered throughout the gardens.
Our landscape artist, Patty, and her crew keep our extensive B&B gardens in tip top form for our guests to enjoy. Whether you are an avid gardener, like Patty, or just love the look of beautiful flowers, as I do, our peaceful gardens are decked out nature’s palette and await your arrival. Spring has sprung in the Green Mountains of Vermont!
Tags: B&B, gardening, Green Mountains, Spring, Tulips, Vermont
Posted in Cats, Gardens | No Comments »
May 11th, 2009
Curl up in a comfy chair.
Hello world! Bonjour tout le monde! We’re the new kids on the blog! We’re West Hill House Bed and Breakfast in the Mad River Valley of Vermont.
Surrounded by the beautiful Green Mountains, the Mad River Valley is home to Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski resorts and, most importantly we think, home to our classic Vermont Bed and Breakfast, West Hill House.
Through our blog we’ll share with you what’s happening in our small corner of the world. All our B&B news as well as information on what’s going on in the area summer, winter, spring and fall, will be right here at your fingertips. So welcome to our living room. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. You’re always welcome!
Tags: B&B, bonjour, Green Mountains, Mad River Glen, ski Vermont, Sugarbush
Posted in Vermont B&B | No Comments »