January and then?

Where do I begin, well Happy New Year if I didn't do that already!
2015, record breaking in high temperatures and drought then in precipitation, El Niño, snow in November, great! Then Christmas came and went and here we are looking up and facing a new year with new challenges and expectations. 2016, that clock never stops!
Kids in 8th and 6th grade and towering towards me and probably surpassing soon. The Inn did fabulous last year and the Café is a big succes. I'm still guiding and taking clients down the river either in raft of driftboat.
Guests picked up on the 50% discount offer we ran in December and several guests already redeemed  their coupon. This morning we served garden medley omelets, yesterday our famous Belgium Hazelnut waffels. This is a great start of this New Year and February 14th on Valentines day we reopen the Crescent Moon Café for dinner from Thursday through Sunday 4 - 8 PM.
So, what are you up to?

Patio dining

We didn't have an idea when we started Crescent Moon Café that the patio would be the most wanted place to dine. With the very high temperatures we experienced this year we almost expected that customers would be more drawn into the air-conditioned dining room ...and there is were we obviously underestimated our guests.

We take reservations for we had to turn away so many people that came in at the same time in the first week, between 6.30 pm and 7.30. So, we quickly  'got the message'  and set up a reservation system with half an hour slots to be able to guide customers into a fine dining experience and above all 'not to kill the kitchen'.

After two weeks we can rely on more help in the kitchen and on the patio to make things run more smoothly and we have so many positive regards from our customers and recommendations for we are very grateful.
We pride ourselves to bring unique delicious food to the table and enjoy it in a great ambience with astonishing views from the patio of the McKenzie river. The Crescent Moon Café is a great addition to our resort and guests, locals and other visitors don't have to drive up and down the McKenzie river for an affordable and quality dining experience.

Great news!

This weekend we will have our annual Wine Tasting on Saturday and Sunday from 10-5 hours and a BBQ on Saturday. We also will have our bi-annual Weinberg[Reppert family reunion coming in on Sunday which is like having our own family coming over. And as if this is not enough excitement, we are going to open our Crescent Moon Café later this Month on the 21st, at least that's what we are shooting for. After six Months of hard work we think we have it all together to bring in dining with exceptional food and drinks......keep you posted!

spring wedding!

A great wedding yesterday, a fabulous ambience and crowd. Thank you Dana and Math for choosing the McKenzie River Inn for having your wedding at our niche on the McKenzie. Well organized and a fantastic clean up after. Wishing you all the best and have a great time at the Oregon coast.

Spring weekend?

What a great weekend we had, terrific weather, great guests and good times on the waterfront. Saw many boaters floating by and  are stoked to start fishing next Saturday when the season opens. Looking forward to the wooden boat festival two doors over to meet with colleagues and friends. In the meantime we are preparing for the high season and getting everything in order to open the deli/café this summer. Very exciting times indeed!

Red Chair Travels

Red has been impressed with the many wilderness trails in the McKenzie Valley. The McKenzie trail is recognized as the #1 mountain bike trail by many and hikers alike will take any opportunity to travel this 26 mile long trail. Coming of the hikes Red rested in the orchard of the McKenzie River Inn to soak up more sun and to take in the blossoms of the many fruit trees especially those from the Japanese plum and felt more than ever an outdoorsy chair...

Red Chair (continued)

After the chair holders meeting Red settled on the patio in front of the Lodge in the sun. Overlooking the river Red imagined fisherman wading out to cast out a fly, ...watching rafters with water guns spraying each other and see kayakers floating by. "This patio must be a supreme spot to have dinner on  when the health food restaurant will be open for business this summer", Red thought. "Or just to relax with a glass of beer, brewed here on site, after a day of travel and socializing with other guests. Or how about having a wedding here, a family reunion, a management team building course or seminar? As a chair of hospitality the possibilities just seems to be endless to me"!
Submerged in these positive thoughts Red leaned back to let the late winter early spring sun blushing his already reddish paint.

Red Chair

The Red Chair has arrived at the McKenzie River Inn Bed & Breakfast and Cabins. It found it's way to the Osprey Cottage, the original home stead, to spent time with vintage colleagues. Although not all chairs like to drink, one was more than happy to share a glass, of course red, wine from Rolling Bay Winery while enjoying the view on the river.

Where travelers once held photos of Flat Stanley in unusual places, photographers now shoot photos of a humble red chair. Long considered simply a place to rest after a long day, the lowly wooden chair has been elevated to celebrity status, and is being welcomed at inns and B&Bs throughout America.  

It’s all part of a multi-year B&B awareness program that focuses on a traveling red porch chair to highlight the comfort, hospitality and friendliness of bed and breakfasts. Since its start in New England in 2012, B&Bs and inns have taken inspiring photos of the Red Chair from beaches to bandstands.

Thanks to a partnership with BedandBreakfast.com, the Red Chair is making its way across the United States, bringing attention to B&Bs and beautiful travel destinations.  It traveled along the East Coast and Southern states in 2014 and is making its way to the West Coast in 2015.  Participating B&Bs and inns listed on BedandBreakfast.com host the Red Chair, chronicling its stay with blog posts and photos on www.RedChairTravels.com.

Lodge Remodel

Dear guests, please note that we are remodeling the Lodge into ad a health food restaurant and currently can’t serve breakfasts in the dining room until April 1st. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and are confident we can serve and accommodate you better in the near future.

Hubertina and Bert, owners

Spring?

Wow 53 degrees and sunny? Wait a minute ....New Years day was last week!?!

Vacation

Back from a great vacation in the Redwoods....Kids back to school, wife back to work.....and I'm doing paperwork for the next five days! 

Surprised my wife today with a self made card and a bottle of Pinot Gris to celebrate our 20th anniversary! Dozens of Elk this morning gathering around to witness our event. The sun is out! Dinner with her and the kids tonight to make this a perfect day.

One of my last trips on the McKenzie today. Next week on the Clack. Just as the weather is clearing up I'm looking back on a fantastic summer of guiding and meeting all you wonderful people....a vacation is awaiting me since I didn't have one last year I really look forward heading out to the Redwoods with wife and kids!

Ballet & Jazz

Last week was our kids recital at the Newmark Theater in Portland. Cedric is doing ballet and Isabelle is doing jazz dance. All kudos' go out to the organizer of this great event the West side Dance Academy in Tigard. Especially their staff, teachers/instructors and volunteers deserve a round of applause making this to the highlight of the year. it is awesome to see and watch these talented performers on stage.

Louisiana style Crawfish

Last Sunday we were invited to a friends house for a genuine crawfish boil. And what a treat it was. Besides the Louisiana cuisine there was plenty of other dishes to munch from. If you grabbed crawfish that was too spicy for you a cold home made hazelnut brown beer from one of the guests could came to the rescue. The occasion? Our friends son Nick graduated from high school and is going to make his way from Portland to Eugene to continue his education. As an already excellent (fly-)fisherman he will orient himself into outdoor programs to fulfill his wish to enjoy working for the Fish and Wildlife department. We wish Nick al the best to get there and since this will be only a 35 miles drive from Eugene we hope to see him at the McKenzie River Inn more often to cast out a fly.

Marketing

Here we are in the swing of things, this week a tv ad regarding the wine tasting event on July12th and 13th will air on KWVT / KSLM / KPWC 17 - Willamette Valley Television
27 - Retro TV Oregon and
37 - Azteca Oregon
Further we have ad space in two newspapers, the East County Gazette in the Portland area and Westside newspaper in Salem and appeared in the Portland Guide and Oregon Symphony booklet during our own Chris Botti concert early May.
At the moment I'm working at a e-mail campaign to finish off this round of marketing. As reported before, this years wine tasting is in collaboration with the Eagle Rock Lodge and McKenzie River Mountain resort and features three wineries each stationed at one of the venues. I think we are off to a great start of this summer having the wine tasting at the same time as the Oregon Lavender Festival, which is just around the corner. Cheers!

The Move

In the last couple of days I've been helping a friend move to another house about a mile and a half from the old one. She's a single Mother of four and the oldest is a special needs boy. The new house is a great improvement over the previous dwelling. Since she is operating a daycare, as her only source of income, the layout and especially the back yard with deck greatly enhances her business. During the whole move it proves you'll never can get a big enough truck to transport your belongings. The 26 footer looks big empty, but it fills up easy.... again, again and again. I helped out with my 5x8 trailer and did nine loads and two loads with our friends van. I though moving from the Netherlands in 1995 was quite an undertaking?!?

Bugs and falls

My friends Jacob and Geno were here for five days and it was good seeing them back again. Unfortunately they brought a bug with them keeping them in bed for several days occasionally soaking up some sun on the McKenzie River Inn patio. Still they were able to pay a visit at the Koosah and Sahalie falls to enjoy the fast amounts of water accumulated by the rainy days days before and alongside the trail between the falls. They visited the next day the Terwilliger hot springs and later that day Bert's Guide Service provided a scenic float in the McKenzie driftboat from Hamlin to Silver Creek boat landing, which was very much appreciated. Bert also cooked an Indonesian dinner for both to accompany the mutual exchanged stories and shared memories about band members in the several rock bands Jacob and Bert used to play in, the tennis matches, the developments in the old country, family matters and of course wine from our beloved Rolling Bay Winery. Because that is what make friends so important, ...forgotten stashed away events in your memory banks resurface and they put a smile on your face especially when you say: "O yeah, now I remember, ...I almost forgot about it!"
Hopefully Jacob and Geno will make it back the the McKenzie River Inn soon, with loads of other subjects and memories and ...without that bug!

For cast: Showers with Friends

River is rising fast with these showers! I have my friends Jacob and Geno over for five days. They are from Santa Rosa California and for Geno it is the first visit to the McKenzie River Inn. Hopefully in the next couple of days I can free up some time to show them around and do a trip on the McKenzie, either in the driftboat or raft.
Still have good vibes about my trip to Seattle and Rolling Bay Winery on Bainbridge Island last weekend. Was also impressed by the restoration of the railway station in Seattle, What a great job!

Wooden Boats and Kings Day!

What a great weekend it was. As it has been for the last eight years the 9th edition of the Wooden Boat Festival was a excellent occasion the meet again with colleagues, friends, neighbors. Once more it was difficult to go around and take a look at all the boats displayed since I bumped again and again into someone I haven't talked to for some time or even years. The kids had a great time going around and eat a burger or catching up with everyone. Isabelle was able to stop by the Cascade Family FlyFishers and tied a couple of flies (I see a business opportunity here).
Sunday morning we took off to Portland for the celebration of the first Dutch Kings Day. A three hour event full with Dutch food, like raw haring (my favorite), french fries (the Dutch way) Indonesian Saté (pork or chicken on a thin skewer marinated in spices and herbs) Dutch pancakes and even Dutch beer. April ended really well!