Leaving the Nest

Two of the robins from the nest on our front porch have stretched their wings and gone off on their own.

One was intentional and the other accidental. We were sitting on the front porch having coffee (well away from the nest, of course), when one of the robins slipped from the nest. He made a good try at flapping his wings, which at least slowed his decent. He was soon hopping around on the porch calling for his mother!

Then a moment later, not be be out done by his sibling, another baby robin flew out of the nest. This one hopped around a few minutes and then flew off into the trees. He was definitely ready to leave the nest.

It was funny to watch the remaining robins eyeing the two who were out of the nest, trying to decide if they should do it too, or wait til mother was back to give them another meal or two.

They finally setting on waiting.

The Robin Babies Are Growing!

Everyone has been enjoying sitting on our front porch to watch the robins nesting on top of the croquet mallets hanging on the wall by the front door.

They are growing so fast that they hardly seem to fit in the nest.

If you sit real quietly for a while, the mom or dad robin with come to feed the babies.

I wish I had a better telephoto lens!

The Dog Days of Spring

Our inn dogs like just about any kind of weather, but with the Spring sunshine finally drying out the back lawns, Hudson, our Dalmatian, is very happy to be taken out to play fetch.

The lawns and trees are that lush green of early Spring. It is a joy to just stroll along taking in the fresh air and bird songs.

The lilacs are still in bloom near the cottage, but soon the lavender and roses will be coming flowering.

Robin's Fixer-Upper Nest

The robins are once again picking some questionable nest locations around the inn.

One particular family decided to move into this fixer-upper (the nest was built last year). They re-lined the nest and shored it up with a little mud to make sure it was sturdy.

I guess there will be no croquet playing until these little eggs have hatched and the robins flown the nest!

This nest is located right on our front porch, next to our front door. Not the most private of locations, but in past years a robin has successfully raise 3 babies in a nest on top of a Christmas wreath that I waited too long to take down.

The Spring flowers are blooming all over the property.

The magnolia in the side yard has put on a magnificent display despite losing a number of big branches to a heavy winter snow.

Wee Forest Folk Coming Soon

We are excited to announce that the Greenville Arms 1889 Inn will soon carrying the highly collectable Wee Forest Folk figurines in our gift shop!

Wee Forest Folk are fanciful miniatures (mostly of mice) handcrafted by the Petersen family in Massachusetts since 1972.

These wonderfully expressive figures are a sought-after collectors item and even have their own fan club and annual convention!

We will have them available at the inn gift shop starting sometime next week and hope to have them available from our website later this year.

Blue-Eyed Grass is Wide-Eyed and Looking Fine

The Blue-Eyed Grass under the cut-leaf Maple is in full bloom.

This is always a sure sign that Spring is definitely here to stay.

And speaking of signs, here is one that we are happy to announce will soon be coming down for the season!

Last year our 50 ft. pool was closed for renovations, but they are almost complete and the pool will be open as usual during its regular season - May to September.

Remember the Ladies - Women of the Hudson River School

Contrary to popular understanding, landscape painting in the 19th century was not exclusively practiced by men. The 2010 exhibition at the Thomas Cole historical site in Catskill seeks to increase awareness of a previously little-celebrated but highly talented and accomplished group of women artists, and to examine the ways in which women artists were trained and exhibited their work alongside their male colleagues.

Opening Day: Sunday, May 2, 2010. There will be lecture at 2pm by co-curators, Nancy Siegel, Associate Professor of Art History, Towson University and Jennifer Krieger, Managing Partner, Hawthorne Fine Art. Admission to the lecture is $9.

This exhibit runs from May 2 - October 31, 2010.

The Main House and Studio are open by guided tour. From the first Saturday in May through the last Sunday in October, tours are offered Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10 am-4 pm. Tours are offered at other times by appointment.

The Thomas Cole house is about 20 minutes away from the Greenville Arms 1889 Inn - one of the main historical sites in our area.