Raspberry Ridge

Raspberry Ridge
Spring 2010

Come Share in My Dream

My adventure started in earnest during 2002 when I began building my handcrafted log lodge. I have always dreamed of having a bed and breakfast to pamper new and old friends in the process.

The hard work is underway. Please follow my progress and plan a stay to experience what I lovingly call "Raspberry Ridge Bed and Breakfast".


Friday, September 24, 2010

The Bed and Breakfast of My Dreams

Dreams can come true.  I have had a recurring dream since I was a small girl growing up in northwestern Missouri.  In the dream I always see a home that I know has all kinds of potential but it is in some state of disrepair.  Sometimes I walk in and there is dust and dirt 6 inches thick on clutter everywhere I look.  Other dream versions have me fixing up old, historical homes as I uncover fascinating antiques and history of the people that had lived there before.  Always, I  transform the dirty, dusty, run down home into a sparkling bed and breakfast or restaurant.  You might say this bed and breakfast is truly my destiny and a very spiritual journey for me.  What will it really be like?  This home I am destined to create?

Raspberry Ridge will have a historic feeling.  There will be oiled log walls, handmade cabinetry and rock work using native rocks and pebbles from Lake Superior and our surrounding area.  There will be honed slate tile and warm red pine floors with handmade floorclothes throughout.  Some plaster walls with be painted with homemade milkpaint and stencils honoring our early colonial beginnings as a nation. 

Guests will have four bedrooms and two baths to choose from upstairs.  Three of the bedrooms will have fireplaces and all will have mature balsam, aspen and birch forest just outside their window.  In spring and early summer guests can hear the Beaver River rushing as it cascades in it's descent toward Lake Superior.  There will be handmade quilts on the beds, tea and homemade treats in the afternoon and evenings by the fire outdoors, in the living room or privately as guests retire. 

A Dining Room I Aspire To
Mornings at Raspberry Ridge will start by coming down a wooden staircase into the dining room to a community breakfast of local and seasonal, organic fare.  Guests will be seated at a long, hand made dining table modeled after a 17th century table used by our forefathers and an artisan made wooden chandelier fashioned of the same period will offer a warm glow.  The family style breakfast of hot coffee and tea, fresh and homemade fare will be served up as each guest passes to the next and we make sure there is enough for everyone.   

After breakfast, guests can hike down the path through towering old growth aspen and balsam forest to enjoy the peaceful solitude of the rushing river.  In the winter, guests can enjoy snowshoeing the mile trek down the Beaver River to Glenn Avon Falls.  The Superior Hiking Trail is across the river and Fault Line Ridge with it's blueberries and spectacular views of Lake Superior can be accessed  just two miles away.  Backpacker Magazine voted it as one of the ten best hikes in America and we're proud to live along some of the most beautiful vistas of the trail.

There is so much to do and see along scenic Highway 61 that stretches from Duluth, MN to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  We've added links of "Local Attractions" on the blog so take a look around.  There is biking, kayaking, canoeing, snowmobiling, down hill and cross country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, shopping, unique restaurants, waterfalls, Lake Superior, abundant, clear lakes, rivers and the beautful seasons of the Sawtooth Mountains.  You can view some images of the North Shore at http://jndphotography.weebly.com/ .

Raspberry Ridge is the place of my dreams - of our dreams.  Now, there is much work to be done as this dream has always been about the satisfaction of hard work and the fruits that come from our labor.

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