Elizabeth and Roland Tita

Once in awhile, someone organizing a raffle or offering a promotion will find Inn on Main Street bed and breakfast online and fall in love with our Grandma’s House image.

That’s what happened when D’Jella Gray of WQMG radio station in Winston-Salem called last year to ask us to participate in the Kit-Kat contest, an on-air promotion that included a romantic trip to Asheville (and Weaverville, of course), and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We were honored that she chose us.

Turns out that the winner of the gift certificate, Tyisha Williams, had a friend who she said needed the trip more than she did. Because of Tyisha’s generosity, we got the sweetest folks staying with us, a couple who had sacrificed a lot for their family over the past year and indeed needed a romantic break.

Elizabeth and Roland Tita celebrated their fourth anniversary with us, enjoying a couples massage, an hour soak in a hot mineral bath, and a visit to the Biltmore Estate, all part of our Soaking Soulmates special. We wish them all the best, and thank D’Jella, WQMG and Tyisha for making it all happen.

Jayne and Bartholomew Nelson sample 12 Bones' famous blueberry chipolte ribs, which got the First Family's vote as well.

We love our British visitors.

They often seem to be on a pilgrimage of sorts. It’s only fair, since many Americans scour their country for our Old Country roots.

We’ve had British visitors on musical pilgrimages, visiting the home of bluegrass on their way to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.

We’ve had some literary buffs who have visited the Carl Sandburg home, Thomas Wolfe home, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s room at the Grove Park Inn and O Henry’s grave at Riverside cemetery.

Most want to see remnants of the colonial glory days at Savannah and Charleston as well as Asheville’s former frontier.

But Jayne and Bart Nelson are our first in search of the best American barbecue. By the time they got to Inn on Main Street, they had sampled pulled pork of both the vinegar and red sort. In the mountains, we stay out of the red-yellow debate. Our best-known ‘cue joint is famous for neither. The River Arts District is home to 12 Bones, celebrated on Good Morning America as the nation’s best rib joint. Candidate Barack Obama got a to-go order while here on the campaign trail. He must have liked what he got, because a month or so ago he was back here on vacation with the First Lady and got some ribs on his way in from the airport. The White House chef needs to get a couple gallons of that blueberry-chipolte rub.

Back to our Brits. Jayne and Bart were on a mission to try those ribs. 12 Bones is only open on weekdays, and then only until 4 p.m. The schedule was getting tight, but they finally worked in lunch before they left for the coast. The ribs must have hit the spot because they sent us photos when they got home, including several from 12 Bones. I predict we’re going to see a new pub food take hold in the Isles soon.

Go magazine, the in-flight magazine for AirTran Airways, is doing an article for the July edition on Asheville, and wants to give our huge bed and breakfast community some recognition in the article. Their representative called me to see if we had any photos of Inn on Main Street bed and breakfast guests enjoying the atmosphere at a local B&B. I sent out a message to all the members of the Asheville Bed and Breakfast Association to see if they could pitch in, then went looking through my own files. Unfortunately, dozens of photos of happy guests disappeared into the void when our computer crashed earlier this year.

Lucky for us, we had a lovely couple staying with us at the time, Bette and Tom Werlin of Houston. They are great sports and agreed to let us shoot them (they aren’t THAT great of sports; we shot them with a camera) for the article. We’re hoping they and we will share a month of celebrity if the photo appears in the magazine. In the meantime, their looks  are too good to waste, so here’s their photo, taken as Nancy poured their juice:

We are hoping the AirTran article succeeds in bringing more folks from Texas and elsewhere to Weaverville and Asheville. So much of what has been written about our area is so two-dimensional, focusing only on the Biltmore Estate and Grove Park Inn. Both are treasures that help make our area exceptional, of course, but the culture, diversity and natural beauty of our area don’t seem to get their due. And, of course, nether does the fact that the Asheville area is a B&B destination. If you want to understand the complexity of what our region offers, and you want an inside track on the best things to see and do, it helps to stay with someone who is a part of the community.

Many of our guests are good sports, and many have become friends. We look forward to meeting many more as nice as the Werlins.

As you might expect, many are breakfast recipes, but we’ve also added several supper entrees and side dishes, salads and appetizers. We’re particularly happy that several recipes address folks with special diets. Though most of our guests are very happy with what we serve and how we serve it, we have a few who are vegan, diabetic, gluten- or lactose-intolerant, or allergic to a common item. In those cases, we try to adapt what everyone else is having to meet that person’s restrictions. Usually it’s a matter of mixing all the muffin batter, for example, except the eggs and buttermilk, then scoop out enough for a couple muffins to be made with soy milk for a vegan. As an example (and one that won’t be in the cookbook), check out our sweet potato muffin recipe below.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup brown sugar

1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and grated

1 tsp each baking soda, baking powder and vanilla

3 tbsp molasses

1/2 tsp each ground cloves and nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

2-1/2 cups white flour

For vegans, substitute soy milk for buttermilk and an egg. For diabetics, leave out brown sugar and molasses. For gluten free, substitute brown rice flour for white flour.

Mix oil, sugar, egg and buttermilk with grated sweet potato. Add remaining ingredients and mix just enough to reach a uniform consistency, which should be midway between pancake and cookie batter. Overmixing makes the muffins tough. Spray oil into a 12-muffin pan, and spoon batter up to top of cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until tops brown slightly. Makes 12 muffins.

Poppies at Inn on Main Street

Here at Inn on Main Street, you can count on May to be unpredictable. We put the air conditioners back into the cottage windows just in time to experience a late frost warning that sent me to the garden with buckets to cover the tomato plants.

Then the weather turned blazing hot, pushing 90 for a day or two. After a few days of window-opening weather, it’s turned cool again, which suits us just fine. Despite the seesaw temps, the flowers have decided they can’t wait any longer and have burst into a carpet of colors. Rhododendron, weigelias, irises, bleeding hearts, lupine, knockout roses, dianthus and even peonies are claiming the stage. Even the  banana plants, which we thought died in the heavy freeze this year, are sending up a few survivors.

My favorite are the poppies. The show they put on is short, just a few days and then they’re done. Nancy got a good photo of them so we can remember them the 51 weeks of the year they take a break. Wouldn’t that be a nice work schedule? When you have a bed and breakfast near Asheville, that won’t happen. But I can dream.

It seems peculiar that he would choose our mountains, when he has all the privacy and beauty of Camp David, or could jet off to some more exotic locale. I like to think that he loved the Asheville vibe while he was campaigning here. He picked up lunch at 12 Bones then and no doubt got a glimpse of our youthful (in attitude, if not always in years), hip, artsy and active culture.

Maybe he’ll drop in on a studio or two at the Weaverville Art Safari, or better yet bid at the silent auction on Friday, while he’s in town. Michelle Obama would look great in some handmade wearable art created by a Weaverville artist.

We can certainly use the exposure. Tourism has taken a hit from the recession. People still visit the Biltmore Estate, but on a budget. Everyone has downsized, so folks we would have gotten as guests here in better times are shaving expenses by staying at chain motels and eating fast food. We like to see the president stay at the Grove Park Inn (if not Inn on Main Street!) just to show there’s no reason to slum it. Bad food and bad beds should be stimulus enough to come back to comfort.

President Obama will be here when the mountains are at their best, full of redbud and dogwood blossoms, as well as delicate mountain orchids, trilliums and fiddleneck ferns. The songbirds are back and harmonizing. The days are sunny and the nights are cool. It’s a time we are thankful for the end of a harsh winter and the promise of a dawning summer. There is hope in the air, and we need our president to nurture that hope. Welcome home to Asheville, Mr. Obama.

Weaverville Primary School first-graders carry on a tradition.

We think we’re the luckiest bed and breakfast in the Asheville area this time of year.

Just before Easter break each year, Mrs. Landers brings her first-graders from Weaverville Primary School to hunt for colorful plastic Easter eggs on the Inn on Main Street front lawn. It’s always a hoot for us, and for the children it’s a memorable event. We’ve been approached by middle-school students who point out that they had a great time at the egg hunt back when they were first-graders.

This year was especially fun. One little girl squealed with joy each time she found an egg, and loudly proclaimed that “This is the best day of my life!” We’re sure there are many more best days to come, but we’re so happy this was a contender.

Over the years, we’ve seen more parents each time come to help hide eggs and keep the children from running out of bounds. As a former teacher, Nancy knows that parent involvement is the key to success in school. We think Mrs. Landers’ students are on the smart path.

If you’d like to see more photos from this year’s egg hunt, please visit our Facebook page, and become a fan while you’re there.

The Weaverville Art Safari is April 24 and 25, with the famous preview party on Friday, April 23, at Reems Creek Golf Club. Print a brochure if you aren’t already on the mailing list. We always tell our guests that the preview party alone is worth the visit, with a fun silent auction, dozens of door prizes and yummy hors d’oeuvres.

The safari is part treasure hunt, part cultural tourism, and part voyeurism as you see artists in their own environment, much like the magnificent critters on the savannah. Nobody leaves without a bargain piece to be admired for years to come, or even a functional item with attitude to give your day a smile. The Art Safari reflects that our tiny town shares the cosmopolitan nature of Asheville, yet has its own unique identity. The Art Safari symbolizes what makes our Weaverville a great place to live.

Inn on Main Street is likely to fill up with arts enthusiasts, so it’s always good to book early. We’ve made it even more attractive with an Art Safari special. When you are indulging your appreciation for nice things, it’s never a good idea to stay in a sterile motel rather than a bed and breakfast.

Other signs of spring are also arriving: The Biltmore Estate is opening its Antler Hill Village this weekend, and begins the Festival of Flowers in a couple weeks. It’s T-shirt weather again, a sultry 63 degrees today. Mrs. Landers called to schedule her first-graders’ annual egg hunt on the Inn on Main Street lawn. Our koi have emerged from near-hibernation and are exploring their surroundings again. The only folks in shorts are fresh arrivals from Florida, but we’re all fixing to break out the bags of summer clothes soon.

Spring brings promise on all levels. We innkeepers rejoice at the return of guests, and our bed and breakfast guests rejoice at a slow-but-sure improvement in the economy. Cabin fever is giving way to hope, and we’ve been yearning for that. May your spring blossom with hope as well.

The newly remodeled Ayers bathroom

Tourism is suffering in Asheville.

A rockslide cut off much of the traffic from the west. Winter keeps slamming us with record colds, then blizzards, then blizzards again. The economy just doesn’t seem to get past the sputter start.

Here at Inn on Main Street, we believe that if you are going be wringing your hands with worry, you might as well be holding a paint brush while you do it. We’ve taken advantage of guestless times to repair, repaint, upgrade and in the case of one bath, remodel, so the going is smooth when guests return.

We were particularly happy to be able to update the Ayers bath, which had an 1980s look that inspired the wrong sort of nostalgia. The Ayers is our largest room, and the most popular with long-term guests and girlfriend getaway groups. It begs for an elegance and comfort level that was lacking. We re-tiled, tore down dated wallpaper, repainted in a chocolate-and-cream combination, installed a new vanity and replaced the cute (but non-functional) antique commode chair with a dressing bench. We’re very happy with how it turned out.

We replaced the wicker setee in the Robinson room with a couple comfy armchairs. The wicker was cute, but not as conducive to watching TV or a fire in the fireplace. That room and others also got some fresh paint.

Nancy won’t let us rest on our laurels. Tomorrow we begin painting the kitchen. I groan to think of moving our huge pine cupboard so we can paint behind it, but it will all be worthwhile in a few days.

When our guests ask if we got a nice rest in during the off season, we’ll just smile and nod. It’s another idyllic period in the life of an innkeeper.