We have decided already that there are many wonderful parts of this new lifestyle/”job”. The best part, hands down, is the wide variety of amazing people we get to meet. We weren’t really sure on what the typical bed and breakfast guest might be, but in our first few months, this much is clear: THEY ARE FABULOUS!
Based on our location, many of our guests come from the Washington DC area. They arrive on a Friday night, after dealing with incredible traffic, gridlock, stress, and responsibilities. Their favorite part of their arrival tends to be sitting on our front porch, with a glass of wine and a homemade cookie, and gazing out at the mountains. Our DC guests tend to repeat this same ritual on their first morning here, wearing their Orchard House B & B robes, with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, staring out at those same mountains….it just doesn’t get old!
We also welcome plenty of folks from the Carolinas. They are either passing through our new area on their way home from a vacation, or heading back to the Carolina regions after being up north. These guests always rave about the multitude of birds, love the bunnies, and enjoy walking through our vineyard.
The balance of guests come from all over the country. Regardless of their home location, they love the peace and quiet, the wineries, the breweries, and antiquing.
We have recently had a few guests that really made an impression. One wonderful couple arrived with a big tin of Virginia peanuts to share with our family….they saw we were from Pittsburgh and had probably never experienced roasted Virginia peanuts! Another repeat guest shared canned jars of their homemade strawberry preserves and pumpkin butter with us. A wonderful couple from Florida brought us a bottle of delicious red wine from Biltmore Estates! We have appreciated these gestures more than we can say.
One of our most memorable pair of guests stayed with us for over a week….two California ladies who were here for a yoga retreat. As you would expect, they were very grounded, spiritual, and such a blessing. After spending all that time with our family, they presented us with a Tibetan Prayer Flag on their final morning. The flag lists special prayer requests for each of our family members for the upcoming year. WOW! What an amazing gift and gesture. They said we should hang it somewhere on our property, and the wind would naturally blow the prayer requests over our home, our property, and our souls.
What a blessing this new adventure has been for our entire family. We appreciate the opportunity to meet such diverse, wonderful, and memorable people. We take great pride in what we provide to our guests, and intense appreciation of what our guests provide to us!
