Happy Valentine's Day 2015

All of our guests found a little something sweet
waiting for them when they checked in.

Valentine's Day has been a big hit at the Ridge this weekend. For instance, one of our guests left us a great note:

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for another wonderful experience at Stevenson Ridge. Please pass on my appreciation to whoever did that fantastic set up the romantic package last night. It was simply over the top and a huge hit! You and your staff have me made look like a rock star--LOL--and I truly appreciate it! Stevenson Ridge is an amazing complex and we'll be back in the summer! 

Thank you again!

Was the Groundhog Right?

photo courtesy The Washington Post

I don't know if the groundhog has had anything to do with it, but we have had pleasantly mild temperatures at the Ridge this week. On, Monday--Groundhog's Day--Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter. Old Man Winter, it seems, is not ready to retire for the year--but for now we are enjoying this hint of better weather.

Groundhog's Day is actually my father-in-law's favorite holiday. I told you a little about him in a post earlier this week. Although he lives in Maine now, Bill is originally from northwest Pennsylvania and played a high school football against Punxsutawney, whose team mascot was the Chucks (short for "woodchuck," which is another name for groundhog). Punxsutawney is the home of Punxsutawney Phil, the world-renowned weather prognosticator.

"It's great fun," Bill says. "Maybe--just maybe--it's a little indication that spring is around the corner. It's a fun way to get a little glimmer of hope to get you through the last of the long winter months."

My Father-In-Law's Snowshoes

My father-in-law, Bill, shows off a pair of snowshoes.

Congratulations to my father-in-law, Bill Mackowski. The Portland Press Herald in Portland, Maine--the state's largest newspaper--ran a wonderful article about him this weekend.

Among his many talents, Bill makes traditional Maine snowshoes and pack baskets. He's done specially commissioned work for Orvis outfitters, and he's twice been named a Master Artist by the Maine Arts Commission. He has amassed a collection of traditional Native American snowshoes from across Canada and the northern United States--work so impressive that the Smithsonian Institution has liken him to a "national hero."