Stone & Steel

Sometimes, the best decisions in life take a while. We have wanted to add stonework and an iron railing to our front entrance since 1984 when we first asked the Barnes family (local stonemasons) for an estimate.  Other projects took priority but finally, in this our 30th year as innkeepers (after numerous discussions on design, logistics, and budgeting), we have just completed the job.  And guess who our stonemasons were?  That's right - the next generation of the Barnes family!!

Doug Barnes adds mortar to a second wall near The Bargain Basement in the Guest House.  He and four of his relatives politely worked around our schedule and the needs of our guests. They were fast, professional, and able to handle every detail that came up in the course of the project. The Barnes family's stoneworking skills can be seen all over Highlands, and we feel very fortunate to have a bit of their legacy here at Colonial Pines.

The center railing required years of discussion and finally drew design inspiration from a railing at the newly renovated Charleston Market. A nudge from our artistic niece Bonnie gave us the confidence to place it in the center of the front stairway and the craftsmanship of local metalworker Randy Branum made it happen. After all was said and done, it was the right location and the right design. We apologize to all guests who had to hobble up the stairs for so many years without the help of a railing. Please come back and give it a try!

MENTION THIS BLOG FOR THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL

Through September: arrive Monday and receive
your THIRD NIGHT HALF PRICE or your FOURTH NIGHT FREE.
(The Bargain Basement, always $90, is excluded from this deal)

NEW RECIPE BLOG

Click the RECIPES tab from the website:

www.colonialpinesinn.com

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON IN THE MOUNTAINS!

Donna & Chris Alley, Innkeepers Since 1984

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll Free

email:  sleeptight@colonialpinesinn.com

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

At Last -
Spring has arrived and allowed us to plant a new herb garden.

Your can that the tender baby herbs will soon 

find their way into our breakfast creations!!

LAST MINUTE SPECIAL THROUGH JUNE 20:
MENTION THIS BLOG and get your
 Second Night for Half Price!

EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT:
Arrive Monday and stay Thursday FREE!
(excluding October)

Call for quotes on longer stays.

HOW TO DO IT:

Chris constructed a couple of  20" deep x 30" high
 sawhorses out of pressure-treated lumber

and topped them with a marble top from an old dresser. 

An assortment of pots planted with herbs, mints,
and salad greens, and - voila! - the perfect little herb garden

right outside the kitchen door!!

Join us for a Refreshing Mountain Spring!

Donna & Chris Alley

Innkeepers Since 1984

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

541 Hickory St

Highlands NC 28741

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

www.ColonialPinesInn.com

Winter White, Spring Specials

 Have you ever seen a white squirrel?
We haven't, either - but a guest recently captured this photo
of the rare White Squirrel (not an albino) between here and Brevard.
How lovely it would be to see one on a 
beautiful snowy day like we've had lately.
Join us for a chance to see all things white and enjoy
these Late Winter/Early Spring Specials:

LAST MINUTE SPECIAL:

Now through April 15

your SECOND NIGHT will be HALF PRICE!
(Miss Rebecca's Cottage included)

EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT:
Arrive on MONDAY
and stay THURSDAY night FREE!
(excluding July & October)

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

www.colonialpinesinn.com

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

"Social Security" in Highlands

JOIN US WEEKENDS THROUGH APRIL 15
FOR SECOND NIGHT HALF PRICE
(excluding holidays)
and enjoy great off-season entertainment in Highlands!

The Highlands Cashiers Players present

"SOCIAL SECURITY"

Performances Feb 21-24 & March 1-3, 2013

at the Performing Arts Center

HALF A BLOCK FROM THE INN

www.highlandspac.org

 This joyful, laugh-out-loud comedy opened on Broadway in 1986 and has been a favorite with theater audiences ever since. Sophisticated art dealers Barbara and her husband David find their domestic tranquility shattered when Barbara’s sister deposits their eccentric archetypal Jewish mother on their doorstep.  The comic sparks really begin to fly when the mother--old enough for Social Security, but never too old for romance--hits it off with an elderly artist who is the art dealers’ best client.

The Annual
"CHILI COOK-OFF"
6:30-9:30 Saturday March 9
Live Music & Dancing, Chili, Salsa, Cornbread
Beer & Wine $20/person all inclusive
Highlands Conference Center - Two Blocks From the Inn
ENTER YOUR GOURMET CREATIONS OR 
JUST COME & HAVE FUN!!
Details at www.highlandschamber.org

The Bascom Arts Center presents

"WINTER BARN DANCE!"

Saturday March 23, 2013 7-10pm

Country, contra, square dancing, and more,

Complete with live bluegrass music and a world class caller.

www.thebascom.org

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON IN THE MOUNTAINS!

Colonial Pines Inn Bed & Breakfast

www.colonialpinesinn.com

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll Free

Passion Flowers for Our Valentines

Join us for a Valentine Weekend Getaway!!

All guests will receive a free gift of luxurious 16 oz Passion Flower Lotion

or 10 oz bar of Passion Flower soap, both made rich with

Olive Oil and Shea Butter.

While here, you can check out other fresh botanicals

such as African Violet, Zinnia Aloe, Fresh Holly, Winter Pear, Sugar Plum

Harvest Apple, Spiced Pumpkin, and Peppermint Frost.

Stay all other non-holiday weekends through March

and your Second Night Is Half Price!

See you soon in the mountains!

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

www.colonialpinesinn.com 

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll Free

A Happy 2013 to YOU!!!

This is what your Innkeepers will be doing in January!

Colonial Pines Inn will re-open on February 14, but
 Miss Rebecca's Cottage is always open and ready for your wintertime visit! Enjoy a third night at half price for Valentine's Weekend, and please check out our other 2013 SPECIALS.

Chris & I  both want to extend a personal THANK YOU to every single one of our fantastic guests who made it a come-back season in 2012! You were perfect guests - considerate, funny, kind, sweet, entertaining, helpful, and sometimes delightfully opinionated! We hope you thoroughly enjoyed your stay at Colonial Pines and found us to be polite and professional Innkeepers.  Yes, we were ready for a break by the end of October, but we loved every minute of it and we are honored to have been your hosts since 1984. We will be open and ready on
FEBRUARY 14 to do it all over again for our

30th YEAR AS INNKEEPERS!!!

To visit before Feb 14, check out

Miss Rebecca's Cottage

 which provides a warm, comfortable and private wintertime escape right here in town with a stone fireplace and full kitchen.

House-sitters Diane and Bob will be here to answer questions, take reservations or forward a message to us.  Please call early for your best choice of rooms in 2013. Highlands is no longer a secret and can be a very busy little town.

We hope to see you soon in the mountains!

Donna & Chris Alley

Innkeeper/Owners Since 1984

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

 (828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

Black Bottom Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free)

No more boring pumpkin pie!!
This five-layer recipe featuring chocolate, maple syrup,
toffee bits and cream cheese has AMAZING FLAVOR
and is a BIG HIT with our family and our guests
for the holidays!! Each layer is easy to make and
in a 9X13 pan, it cuts into (24) 2-inch squares.

For the Crust
Combine:
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Press into the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan
 and bake @350 10 minutes, then cool.

For the Chocolate Layer
Combine:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Microwave about one minute,
stirring halfway through.
Pour over cooled crust.
Sprinkle with:
3 Tbsp toffee bits
Chill until set, about 30 minutes.

For the Pumpkin Layer
Combine:
6 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
29 oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups half & half
(or evaporated milk)
Mix well & pour over chocolate layer.
Baked @350 about 80 - 90 minutes
or until set.
Chill thoroughly.

For the Cream Cheese Layer
Beat until smooth:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Spread evenly over chilled pie.

For the Whipped Cream Layer
Beat until foamy:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
Add & beat until soft peaks form:
1/2 cup maple syrup
Spread or pipe over pie just before serving.

Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!!

Here's a HOLIDAY DEAL for YOU:

(New Reservations Only)

Stay at Colonial Pines from
Dec 6 - Dec 9
 Dec 27 - Jan 1,
and take these discounts:

20% off a three night stay

25% off a four night stay

The same discounts apply to Miss Rebecca's Cottage
for these available dates:

December 3 - December 13

December 21 - December 25
(The Guest House Apartment is closed until Spring)

We Hope to See you Soon in Highlands!!

Donna & Chris Alley, Innkeepers Since 1984

Colonial Pines Inn Bed & Breakfast

Miss Rebecca's Cottage

The Guest House Apartment

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

A Family Heirloom Finds a New Home

Thanks to long-time guests, Barbara & Bob Higgs, Colonial Pines is now home to a wonderful old family quilt which was made by one of their aunts many years ago. Beautifully preserved, the quilt is in the traditional "Double Wedding Ring" style with interlocking rings, a pattern brought from Europe which became especially popular in this country in the 1920s.

The painstaking workmanship is evident at first glance with hundreds of pattern pieces cut from old flour sacks to exact shapes and meticulously sewn by hand and then quilted to a backing. We are honored to be able to display such a fine piece of American history as a backdrop to our "Piano Top Gift Shop" and the guest registry book where it looks great and everyone can enjoy seeing it upon entering the Inn.  Many, many thanks, Barbara & Bob. We will treasure it, we will take good care of it, and it will always remind us of you!

 Colonial Pines Inn Bed & Breakfast

(828) 526-2060 or (866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

Goodbye Hummingbird Specials

GOODBYE HUMMINGBIRD SPECIALS
THROUGH OCTOBER 4:
Arrive Monday or Tuesday and your
Second Night is HALF PRICE!
or
Arrive Monday and receive Thursday night FREE!
New reservations only.
 Does not apply to the Bargain Basement.

August & September are the best months for viewing hummingbirds in Highlands!  The babies are hatching and there are families of the cute little creatures buzzing all over the porch where we have added seven new feeders to see if that would attract more hummers.  Well, it did and they also buzz red hats, shirts, or lipstick! They'll be with us until mid-September or beyond when they begin their fantastic journey south. This great photo was taken last year by one of our guests.

Our feeders, like the one above, are from PARASOL and are made from recycled glass.  They come in many designs and beautiful colors.  This one is called "Camelot."  We have a few of these (and a couple of other designs) to sell, but we don't ship.  You'll have to come to the Inn to make a purchase. The best idea is to be our guest and spend some "porch time" where you can see them in action!

Buzz on up to Highlands and say goodbye to our little friends!

Donna & Chris Alley

Innkeepers Since 1984

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

(828) 526-2060

(866) 516-2060 Toll-Free

Patriotic Morning & "HOT" Deals

A rare and beautiful male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak visited our feeder last week during breakfast! He returned several times making us hope he's nesting nearby.  The dull brown speckled female was seen a few days ago, so maybe now she's busy with her hatching duties.  Hopefully we'll soon get to see their progeny - which can be interesting if they're males because they start off looking like the female and gradually change into the well-defined brilliant pattern you see above - all decked out for the Fourth of July!

Yes, we have rare days of hot weather.  No, we don't have A/C.  However, EVERY night the temperature goes into the 60s and we use fans to blow cool night air into the rooms.  Our average high in July is 77 and our average low is 57. Highlands is a temperate rain forest and cloudy, rainy days keep things cool. For example, after a record hot day, a rainy night took the temp down to 61 and at 3pm the next day it was 76.  That's typical Highlands weather. With rare exceptions, our guests are amazed and pleased the first morning they awake on our beautiful shady hillside.
Would you really want to spend your time in the mountains with the windows closed and the A/C running?

In fact, today was the first day this year the weather was warm enough to have breakfast on the porch, and we served "Red White & Blueberry French Toast" (fresh cranberries, fresh blueberries & cream cheese) served with Vermont maple syrup, fresh fruit and kicked up with Spicy Sausage.
  Thanks to Ed & Joanie for this great photo!! 

Here's a "HOT" Summer Deal to tempt you:

 Arrive on Monday and receive Thursday night absolutely FREE!

New reservations only.

Take advantage of everything Highlands has to offer this Summer:
BBQ, Concert, & Fireworks on the Fourth.

The Highlands Playhouse, 

The Bascom Arts Center, 

The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival,

"Friday Night Live!" Free Concerts at newly renovated Wright Square,

 Highlands Nature Center Events,

and much more!!

We'd love to be your hosts!

Colonial Pines Inn Bed and Breakfast

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free

A Honey of a Deal!

Recently, we made the 75-minute drive through bucolic backroads into Pickens, SC to pick up local honey from Carolina Honeybees Farm. Here, Chris is making friends with the goats and you can see the "Rainbow Row" of hives  in the background. 

 Charlotte Anderson, Master Beekeeper, produces honey that won "Best Tasting Honey" at the SC Beekeepers Association Honey Show at Clemson University.  Pristine honey houses on her farm border a babbling brook near her lush flower gardens. Here, she puts up the honey, makes honey & goat milk soap, lip balm, and beeswax candles.

 An array of beautiful hens wander around annoying the goats and providing color and humor for visitors to the farm.  We bought honey, lip balm, beeswax candles, and creamed honey (sort of like butter).  For more information go to www.carolinahoneybees.com.

On the way home, we stopped at Silver Run Falls, just south of Cashiers, with easy access down a short path to a beautiful falls that we had never visited before.
It was a Honey of a Trip!!

 HERE'S A HONEY OF A DEAL FOR YOU:

Visit us anytime mid-week, or weekend before June 28

and receive a 25% discount on a two night stay.
Email for a quote on longer stays or for the cottages:
sleeptight@colonialpinesinn.com

 Mention the HONEY DEAL and we'll include one of Charlotte's honey bears!

New reservations through June 28 only.
Does not apply to The Bargain Basement.

Colonial Pines Inn Bed & Breakfast
Donna & Chris Alley, Innkeepers Since 1984

(828) 526-2060

(866) 526-2060 Toll-Free