Happy New Year!

We at the Alexander Benjamin House would like to wish all of our friends a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2011!!!

Happy New Year Friends!!

New Year's Eve

We still have limited availability for New Year's Eve, due to a last minute flu cancellation, so it's not too late to get in a beautiful Northeast PA New Year celebration!  Flow Restaurant in Jim Thorpe, part of the Carbon County Cultural Project, is putting together a wonderful party...Here are the particulars:

Greetings!

This New Year's Eve, dine at Flow for your special celebration. We are ready to roll out the red carpet for you with our specially prepared New Year's Eve Celebration Dinner featuring four incredible courses for $75 pp + tax/gratuity.

To accommodate your holiday schedule, we are offering two seatings at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Please join us for FOOD ART DRINK @ FLOW and have a Healthy, Happy, Prosperous and Joyful New Year!
Warmest wishes,

Joan Morykin, Victor Stabin

Chef Butinskyi, Chef Fitzgerald and the entire FLOW/Gallery Staff

MENU AS FOLLOWS:

First Course: (choose from)


Seared Sea Scallop-Carrot Risotto, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Butternut Squash Ravioli-Brussel Sprouts, Mushroom Gravy, Shaved Maytag Blue

Prosciutto- Melon, Fresh Milk Mozzarella, Grilled Flat Bread

Second Course: (choose from)
Arugula Salad- Goat Cheese, Toasted Hazelnuts, Raspberry Vinaigrette

Pear and Celery Soup- Pear Chutney

Mixed Greens- Shaved Fennel, Mint, Blueberries, Citrus Vinaigrette

Third Course: (choose from)
Filet of Beef- Roasted Garlic Potato Puree, Grilled Asparagus, Berry Gloss

Maine Lobster Tail-Bacon Risotto, Local Green Beans, Citrus Bernaise

Stuffed Chicken Breast- Apples, Walnuts,Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Red Onion Gatsrique

Fourth Course: (choose from)
Lavender Creme Brulee-Mixed Berries

Blueberry Cheesecake- Sugar Cookie

Warm Apple Tart- Creme Caramel

*******************************************

So, come hit the slopes for some New Year's trailblazing, and then head out for an elegant and sumptuous dinner at Flow!!!

Ski Season has arrived!

Blue Mountain Ski Area has opened over the weekend, and that means "Welcome Skiiers!!"

Here is the latest report for today, 12-13-10:

Snow Base: 30”-36”

MG granular

Trails Open: 13

Lifts Operating: 5
Weather: Scattered flurries with highs in the low 30’s

Snowmaking: We will resume snowmaking tonight

Skiing/Riding: Come Around Park open with 10 features

Tubing: closed

Special Events: We plan to open the Valley Lodge on Wed.

Hours: 8:30am-10pm

Our December ski special is 20% off your entire stay if you present a Blue Mountain Lift ticket, or if you reserve in advance, just let us know that you will be skiing at Blue Mountain Ski Area, and we will apply that discount in advance.

See you soon!

Area Fun Stuff!!!

Bull riders--Dave Martin's "Bullride Mania"

Fall is unofficially here, and there is lots and lots of fun stuff coming up in our area in the next few weeks...

First and quite interesting, is, the rodeo is coming to town!!  Dave Martin's "Bullride Mania" will be blowing into town on Saturday, September 7th, at 7 pm, at the Pleasant Valley Ranch.  There will be some really exciting bullriding, plus a cookout, and as they put it, LOTS of INTENSE entertainment.  I'm actually down to see that!  Tickets are available at the gate, or online, at:  http://www.apleasantvalleyranch.com/

Next, we have lots happening over the next few weeks at Hawk Mountain--migration season is starting, and they have lots of activities planned, including a Monarch Migration Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 18th, and the Hawk Mountain Art show and Sale, being held at Cabela's in Hamburg, Saturday and Sunday September 25th and 26th.  Also, several new lecture series are scheduled to begin, including "The Eagle Watchers: Eagles around the World" with Dr. Todd Katzner.  Be sure to check their website for details at:  http://www.hawkmountain.org/

Fall foliage celebration is coming to Jim Thorpe, and that's a biggie!  Lots of festivals,  including the upcoming Anthracite and Heritage Bluegrass Festival, tours, including the upcoming Art Odyssey, hiking, biking, shopping, FOOD, and good times! 

Anyway, don't miss out on the fun stuff that's coming our way--book early and avoid the crunch!

Lehigh Valley Zoo

Labor Day has come and gone, and now the kids are all back in school, and all of the wonderful Autumn events are gearing up...Autumn happens to be my favorite time of year, but then, all of the seasons have their beauty, and I'm looking forward to all the crisp days and cool evenings that are soon to be here!

We went to the Lehigh Valley Zoo recently, and here's a cute picture from there (I happen to adore penguins)...the kids had alot of fun, and was a really enjoyable and interesting afternoon.

It is about 15 miles away, but for those of us that reside in rural Pennsylvania, that's just a "hop, skip and a jump." Heck, the "corner" store is five miles down the road, so this trip was "nuthin"

Anyway, visit our website to see all of the upcoming fun events in our "neighborhood," and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Upcoming Labor Day!

The Lehigh River is still bursting with activity, even now in late August!

Well, summer is fast coming to a close, kiddies go back to school, and all of the fun Fall activities go into full swing~

There is so much coming up, I can only begin to post it in increments, as we go along, which is how I can tackle it with some degree of organization :-)

In the meantime, enjoy summer's last hurrah with a final fling--enjoy some awesome rafting down the Lehigh River!

Here are some cool links to help you arrange that end of summer splash down:

http://www.jtraft.com/

http://www.whitewaterrafting.com/

Weissport Canals/Lehigh Valley Canal System

We took another long, peaceful walk today along the beautiful canals between Weissport and Jim Thorpe.

It's so very peaceful, and this time, we almost went all the way to Jim Thorpe, so we got a nice, healthy walk in. We saw lots of different fish species in the canal, and the dragon flies were plentiful, zipping back and forth over the clear waters. We also saw many frogs, and caught a glimpse of a small, golden colored snake by the reeds of the canal...only when we approached, he jetted very quickly into the green and disappeared.

The broad-winged hawks were flying low over the mountain gorge, so we were able to see all of nature's splendor on this fine, bright blue day!

There were occasional, leisurely bicyclists that would meander onto the path, then back off to the bike trails, and here and there, couples could be seen enjoying each other's company, and the beauty of the day.

Definitely not a place to miss when you come to our place for a lovely Autumn visit!

Cabela's

We headed out last night for a relaxing night, first stopping at Hawk Mountain at early dusk, to take in the beautiful and serene views. Heading up rt.895, we then turned on to rt.61, and headed the 4 miles to Cabela's!

Cabela's is definitely not a place to miss if you are avid about the outdoors, as we are. They have an immense selection of gear (we were looking for kayaks), from camping equiptment, clothing, guns, fishing gear, you name it, it's there. They also have a gift shop, a restaurant, and lots of really cool displays of taxidermed animals and a live aquarium.

Initially, the taxidermed animals made me feel queasy, since I felt bad for them, but they are actually pretty interesting, and have been dead and gone for many years (all animals are tagged as to their origin and date of demise), so at least I know they weren't killed to be on display at Cabelas!

After, we went for some good old fashioned comfort food over at The Cracker Barrel, which is right across the street...all in all, it was an enjoyable evening!

Area Fun Stuff!

Late summer is bursting with cool stuff to do in this area, but amongst the favorites, is Musikfest in Bethlehem.

It's already in full swing, running from August 6th to August 15th, and it always has some great music and good times to be had. I mean, their line up is completely filled up with something for everyone, from Polka to Heavy Metal, Latin techno to Classical Bach.

So, don't miss your chance to have a great music filled day, get your culture on, and even have some good local treats while listening to musicians that range from school kids to Lynyrd Skynyrd (which BTW, are playing today).

Here is the link for more info:

www.musikfest.org


See you there!!

Dog Days of Summer!

"Inside the chopper" Dutch Springs scuba diving "wreckage" site

Wow, it's been hot and humid! With this kind of weather, one thing springs to mind--WATER!

We have two nice lakes nearby--Mauch Chunk lake in Jim Thorpe, and for the power boat and jet ski enthusiasts, Beltzville (swimmers are welcome too!). Both of these lakes have very nice picnic areas, swim areas with lifeguards, and beautiful, serene scenery for some wonderful family memories. Beltzville is really quite large, and has pavillions for the larger groups, and I really just enjoy it there so much, and have been going there for years. Mauch Chunk offers fishing and boat rentals for a lovely afternoon or overnight trip. Here are the links for these two parks so you can check them out before you check them out:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/beltzville.aspx

http://www.delawareandlehigh.org/index.php/visit/mauch-chunk-lake-park/

For the waterpark enthusiasts, now is the time to hit up Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. They are located about 30 minutes away from us, off of Route 309...this is a great amusement park, with some really cool coasters, and of course, their Wildwater Kingdom. They have a package right now of "All-you-can-eat-meal and Admission" for $47.99. You can check out their upcoming events, and specials below:

http://www.dorneypark.com/

And last, but certainly not least, is an awesome local waterpark that most people out of the area don't know about, and it's also about 30 minutes from us. It's definitely for the adventure-minded, but the kids can have a great time too. It's Dutch Springs, and it offers a 50-acre lake, with scuba diving sites, an aqua park for the whole family, on site restaurants, picnic area, lots of really neat stuff! If you are looking for a new and unusual vacation, or getting scuba certified for a trip, or if you are scuba certified, and would like to take a night dive to a "shipwreck" at 100 foot deep, this is the place for you!!

http://dutchsprings.com/scuba.html

All in all, there is some really hot places locally to cool down at! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Then, come relax with us and have a pampered evening in our country retreat! Hope to see you soon~

Attention Music Lovers!!

Well, we are just kicking butt and taking names when it comes to great music coming to our area! We have 80s rock giants Asia coming to the area in August, as well as Blondie, and other great acts coming, all to Penn's Peak.

Montage Mountain in Scranton has an awesome line up for the next month--we have KISS coming on Sunday, August 15th, for all you 70s Heavy Metal fanatics, the Goo Goo Dolls will be heading to Montage on Friday, August 7th, for all of you 90s Alt rock fans (like myself), and for you folks out there that love Country music, my personal all time favorite Country crooners are heading to Montage: Rascal Flatts! They'll be performing on Friday, August 13th, along with opening acts Kellie Pickler, and Chris Young. Should be some amazing shows and great times.

Of course, if you would like to stay with us and make a weekend of it, you should try to reserve now. Lately, we get hit with a lot of last minute business, and we feel bad to have to send anyone away because we are already fully booked...

So mark your calendars, make your weekend plans, and head on up here for all the cool stuff that is going on!!

Wine and Swine Event at Long Trout Winery

Long Trout Winery, Auburn, Pennsylvania

Long Trout Winery is having their 2010 Wine & Swine event in memory of Christian Moses Weikel.  This is a pig roast and wine sampling event, and the party proceeds go to the Berks County Animal Rescue League.

Long Trout Winery is located at 84 Fork Mountain Road, in Auburn PA.  This bohemian winery has a real laid back atmosphere, as you can hear with their motto:  "Where the wine is cool and the hippie chicks rule!"

The event is going to be on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, and there is a limited number of available tickets at $15.00 per person.  This includes the pig roast, 2 sides, rolls, drinks, dessert, and of course, free wine sampling.  There will be plenty to do and see, and also a Chinese auction.  Any donations of nonperishable food items for both humans and animals are always appreciated!

Have a great time while helping the animals!! Enjoy an earthy trip back to the 60s with some primo munchies and far out wines!!

Contact us for more info, or if you would like to make a reservation/get tickets.  Below is the link if you want to check them out!!

http://www.longtroutwinery.com/

Lunch at Madeline's

Madeline's Restaurant in Orwigsburg, PA

Yesterday, Mark and I ate at a wonderful restaurant in Orwigsburg, basically a stone's throw from Hawk Mountain.  It was Madeline's, and we were very impressed from the country setting, spacious and elegant accommodations, and mostly, their food was wonderful!

We had a party of 6, and we were meeting in central Orwigsburg, and sadly, although we drive through Orwigsburg quite a bit, we never stopped and dined there.  So, as the "locals" (our party was coming from Philadelphia), it was up to us to pick the meeting place.  There were quite a few restaurants, and not wanting to pick a "dud" I went and read some reviews (yes friends, they really are important!), and the good reviews, coupled with what I had heard about the place, plus it's location, brought us over there.

The outside is spacious with a lovely wrap around porch that is large enough to handle quite a number of people, and with it's awnings, and umbrellas, you won't be roasted while you are eating.  They even had fans set up to combat the humidity!

Since we were dressed and going on to another location, and my daughter was concerned about her hair "frizzing" due to the high humidity, we opted to eat inside in the air conditioning.  We were shown to their four season room by a pleasant hostess, which was elegantly appointed, and gave us the experience to that of eating on a cool and pleasant porch, yet still enclosed and refreshed,  with all of the views.

We started our lunch with unsweetened iced tea with lemon, and lots of ice water.  Our party arrived, and the waitresses were discreet in giving us time to chat, yet not be intrusive, nor just forget about us completely.  They would pop in occasionally to fill our glasses, and then, after we had all sufficiently settled in, they took our order.

I had an absolutely wonderful lunch which consisted of a bowl of turkey and rice soup, in a nice, flavorful, light base of fresh tomato, and a delicious fresh spinach salad, garnished with croutons, hardboiled egg, and bacon, with a side of balsamic vinaigrette.  It was perfect for a light lunch, for a hot day.  Mark had a grilled chicken breast sandwich topped with provolone, lettuce and tomato, with a dijonaise sauce on the side, and an order of large, beer battered onion rings.  Noelle had a cheeseburger, with the onion rings, and all in all, the lunch was A+. 

The food was all fresh and made to order, with generous servings, friendly, competent staff, and clean, elegant accommodations.  If you are ever in Orwigsburg, or are planning a day of birding at Hawk Mountain, be sure to stop in at Madeline's...you will definitely enjoy the fine country food after a day of fine country air!

Dinner at Bake Oven Inn

The Bake Oven Inn, Germansville, Pennsylvania

We feel really blessed to live in such a beautiful area that is just stocked with wonderful things to do, and terrific places to eat, and trust me, we definitely take advantage of that.

We decided to go to one of our local favorites, The Bake Oven Inn. This restaurant is always a surprise and a delight, no matter how many times we go back. The staff and owners are so welcoming, and the ambiance is that of sitting in a quaint yet somehow sophisticated livingroom, minus any stuffiness!

Mark and I started off our dinner with the cornmeal dusted calamari and chili dipping sauce, which was cooked to absolute perfection, and the appetizer special of fresh mozzarella, tomato and arugula salad with a balsamic drizzle. Bake Oven Inn gets all of their produce and meats locally, as well as some of the local wines, so you can really taste how fresh and delicious everything is.

For our entrees, Mark chose the Roasted sesame thyme dusted Brazilian tiger fish, with herb coucous, roasted carrots and pineapple chutney, which was absolutely amazing (we always share!), and I chose one of the several dinner specials, which was a rootbeer marinated pork loin chop with roasted plantains and garlic spinach, also, amazing. I went for the chop since I was curious to see how a rootbeer marinated pork chop would taste (and it was surprisingly delicious and juicy), and since I trust master chef Mark Muszynski, I knew it could only be a culinary masterpiece, which his food always is.

For dessert, we had a warm chocolate cake with homemade chocolate raspberry ice cream, and fresh raspberry garnish. It was the "icing" on the cake, and absolutely mouthwatering.

So, if you come by for a weekend visit, be sure to put the Bake Oven Inn on your list of places to visit, for a truly unique, romantic and delicious experience.

You can view their information and menus at:

http://www.eatcuriousgoods.com/

Hope to see you soon!!

Bake Oven Knob

Top of the trail, Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh Furnace, Pennsylvania

Hello friends!  As avid hikers, Mark and I are grateful to have the Appalachian trail literally right down the street from our inn.  We took an early morning hike up to Bake Oven Knob, where the views are absolutely stunning.  If you love hiking, this is a trail you can't miss. 

To find out about the most scenic route, we suggest checking out: http://www.trails.com/    This website can give you some really good information about the topography, the length of the trail, historic landmarks along the way, and some interesting tidbits and advice from folks who have already hiked through.

I am looking forward to doing the entire trail to the Lehigh Gap...I understand it is a little bit of a challenge, at 9.5 miles, and this we enjoy very much. 

See you on the trail!!

Summer Specials!

We have some new summer specials up, so you should check them out. Summer time is really beautiful and fun in this region (actually, ALL of the seasons are really beautiful and fun in this region!) and there are alot of great things going on in our "neighborhood."

For all of you wine lovers, there are lots of things going on...for a quick list, check out:

http://www.lehighvalleywinetrail.com/

Also, now is a wonderful time of year to go rafting and tubing, so be sure to get your weekend secured for some fun times! Fly fishing, golfing, hiking, bird watching, and historical site seeing are also all awesome this time of year. Bake Oven restaurant has some amazing seasonal dishes going on, and all in all, it's great time to for a fun filled vacation!!

Again, check out our specials, or feel free to contact us if you have a special event in mind.

P.S. We have great midweek nightly specials of $85.00 per night--give us a call for details!!