Bob Dropped By

Last night, one of our guests saw a bobcat in our driveway. Then this morning my neighbor tells me that in the middle of the night she heard a scuffle on her roof and her domestic cat, Mau Mau,screaming like a banshee. I myself have never heard a banshee scream. However, I do believe we had this visitor and just sorry I didn't see it myself.

It's easy to forget that the Florida panhandle is still home to lots of wildlife. We're very rural in a lot of places and there's plenty of critters, most being driven out of their natural environments due to development. A mile west of the motel there's a bear crossing sign. My guess is that the state wouldn't have paid for that sign if there weren't some bears nearby. Bobcats are plentiful in our area, but by nature rather reclusive. I'm guessing that Dan's fish cleaning station might have been an attraction.

I welcome Mr. Bobcat. They're pretty much nocturnal like most domestic cats and they feast on rodents and other small prey (like Mau Mau.)

Nascar Room

I know, I know, it's not HGTV worthy, but I do have a Dale, Sr throw coming for the futon. Karen & I finished a deep clean and checkered flag kitchen curtains on Monday. We were very proud.

Tuesday, a couple of workers checked in for a two night stay. Wed. morning, everything looked good, but this morning when we went to turn it over we found that the new bedspread on the twin was dotted with white paint. I tried to scrape it off with my fingernail, but no go. I washed it hoping the hot water would soften the spots, but no go. I put it back inside out. So, so depressing. The carpet was also spattered with paint spots and 2 water glasses were missing from the kitchen. These same guys have a reservation for 3 days next week in a different room. I'm going to let them know that guests who cost me money are really not welcome.

Catamaran Couple

A couple of days ago, Dan checked a couple into unit #6, but didn't say there was anything unusual about them and I didn't ask. I have very little curiosity. I'm pretty much a live & let live person.

Yesterday morning, I went in to collect the towels and was shocked to see the room jam packed full. Not just suitcases, but boxes, appliances, a computer printer still in the box and a table set up with a sewing machine, bolts of fabric and an ironing board. Now, my rooms are small to begin with, so I was wondering how this woman was actually doing sewing projects & why.

When I told Dan what I found, he, being the more inquisitive of the two of us, knew the whole story. These folks are from Washington state & they bought a used catamaran to travel on. It has a cabin for living and sleeping. But the boat was used & in need of refreshing. They are moored in the canal down the road while they paint, recover all the cushions (hence the sewing machine) and generally remodel the interior to make it liveable.

They've been working from dawn to dusk, so I haven't had the opportunity to talk with them. I went out this morning to try and find their boat, but couldn't, so in the meantime, I took a couple of pics at our marina which is about 2 miles from the motel.

Multipurposing

I don't check the pots & pans in my kitchen units after every check out. I sorta rely on my housekeeper. Today, though, I went in #11 to strip the beds, collect the towels etc. & one of the frying pans was in the dish drainer. I noticed that the teflon was pretty scratched, so I decided it needed replacing. When I picked it up, I saw that it was quite dented and the middle was pushed up from the underside.

I brought it in to Dan, showed it to him and asked, "how do you suppose this could have happened?" After one look he told me that someone had obviously used it as a hammer. I don't know about you, but I would never, ever treat someone else's property with such disrespect. Am I in the minority?

When we first bought this place, I wanted my guests to have the best I could afford, so I splurged on dishes, pots, flatware and linens. But today I went to the dollar store and bought a set of frying pans for $10. How naive I was then. I've learned the hard way, but am still capable of being shocked by peoples' behavior.

No Vacancy?

I'm truly amazed. Here it is, traditionally one of our slowest months of the year, a midweek night at that, and we are completely sold out. We have some workers on extended stays, but a surprising number of travelers as well. I think our lower winter rates have really appealed to a lot of people. Of course, our cleanliness and cuteness doesn't hurt either.

Since the winter specials were such a success, I just went through last year's spring rate schedule and lowered all prices for March and April across the board. Just call it the Dixie Belle economic stimulus plan. If we stay busy, I can keep my housekeeping staff (all 3 of us) working and pay the bills too. I'm good with that.

Red Sky At Morning

When I went out this morning to get the paper, this is the sky that greeted me. I ran in for the camera so I could share this lovely sight. I take that back, I didn't run, I strolled in to get my camera. I'm slowing down. By design, not by necessity. Somehow, I haven't been able to shake that NJ hurry up mind set. It really doesn't work down here.

Two years ago, there was nothing but forest across the street. Developers came in and these "condo cottages" went up in about six months. They just came in & started stacking boxes on top of boxes. They're not ugly, they actually have that "old Florida" look, but they sure are close together. We were laughing about the residents being able to pass cups of coffee from balcony to balcony.

Tonight's sunset wasn't nearly as spectacular. In our location we do experience some dramatic sunsets, but in my experience, the best ever were from the deck of our home overlooking Lake Oneida in upstate NY.

Oh, Happy Chinese New Year! Our spiritual selves put great stock in Chinese tradition & we look forward to a steady upward trend in this year of the Ox.

Positive Outlook

I hate to get too optimistic, but the motel phone has been ringing off the hook today and even though it's early on a Fri eve, we've got 6 rms out of 10 occupied. We don't rely on drive ins for business, but it's possible we'll pick up a tourist or two tonight. Reservations seem to be ahead of last year. We're already booking 6 months ahead. What a great sign!



A couple of our guys who are working on the deep water port brought their wives up from Miami for a visit. It must be tough working so far away from family and paying for 2 households. It just shows how far people are willing to go to make a decent living for their families. I admire them for that reason.



The fishing in the canal is great right now. Yesterday some flounder in the 19" range were brought in. The fishermen know to read Dan's fishing report on our website and call us for reservations accordingly. I'll be updating my portion of the website soon, reflecting our new reduced rates for 2009. Gotta be flexible in hard times. That's the way we all win.