Happy Independence Day!

Last night we watched an amazing fireworks display down in Freeland – about 20 minutes south of Coupeville. Sitting on blankets with our kids running wild in the dark on the golf course, it was loads of fun! This is the first fireworks our family has seen together, usually our kids are in bed, but we let them stay up to watch the show that started at 10:20pm.

There are more festivities today in Freeland, Langley, and a parade and fireworks in Oak Harbor. Coupeville doesn’t have any official 4th of July offering, other than Main Street being lined with American Flags. Unofficially, some Coupeville waterfront areas become a war zone with fireworks purchased from the Indian reservation (these are not the “safe and sane” variety.) So tonight, there will be multiple mini-fireworks shows and we’ll stay up past our bedtime.

Lovejoy Inn has guests form Napa, Everett and Chicago today!

From the “home of the free and the brave” – Happy 4th of July.

Coupeville Memorial Day Parade Tomorrow!

One of our favorite things about living in Coupeville is the Memorial Day parade held on the Saturday morning at 11:am of Memorial Day weekend. The parade route goes down Main Street, turns left on Front Street, and the up Alexander, and right on Coveland to the park where free hot dogs and sodas are waiting for the weary parade participants and viewers.

The parade often begins with a flyover down Main Street of a Navy Jet from the Naval Air Station that is located at the north end of the island. It's quite an impressive kick off to one of the sweetest parades in the Northwest. Here a just a couple photos from parades in years past:

Hooray for Coupeville Arts Center!

Hooray for Spectators!

Hooray for Central Whidbey Little League!

Come and witness some true community pride tomorrow! We will be scouting out the oboe player in the Coupeville High School Marching Band....and the new Lion in his shiny vest....and the Central Whidbey Softball player...

See you there!

Speed Blogger - Signs- Sunshine

Friday 4/23 8:46am.

I’m going to write and publish this post by 9:00am – speed blogger!

Sunny, high of 60 degrees, blooms on the fruit trees and tulips opening up around the yard.

We’ve had a number of Coupeville Arts Center students stay with us here at the Lovejoy Inn this past month and it has been wonderful. Nice creative folks, diving deeper into watercolor, art quilts, photography, you name it. We are a 10 minute walk to the art center so it’s the perfect place to stay – relaxed, peaceful, and easily accessible. The students and instructors we’ve had stay with us appreciate the high caliber of teaching and organization at the Art Center - and its run by incredible people.

8:54am. I’m running behind. Big news . . . We have our sign! The first one is on the front of the guest side of the Lovejoy Inn. The one in front will be hung today. I got the post in a couple days ago, painting the finial cap for the post and this afternoon – we will no longer be Coupeville’s best kept secret bed and breakfast.

This week we watched locals and a couple realtors slam on their brakes in front of the house since we have this sign post out front that looks like a For Sale sign is about to be hung. In a few hours, they can relax and we’ll be official.

9:00am – dang, it will be 5 more minutes. Seize the day!

Whidbey Island Marathon 2009

This past weekend, a couple thousand people showed up to Whidbey to run/walk in the Whidbey Island Marathon. It’s a stimulus package for Whidbey to have that many folks, most staying overnight, to come to the island. Here at the Lovejoy Inn, 3 of our 4 guests were here because of the Marathon – “Yay – Way to Go! Lookin’good!” When we get all these fit people around us, it gets us to start talking about training for next year’s marathon. Lynda walked it few years ago, I’ve watched it a couple times. Our 12 year old now wants to run the half-marathon (13 miles) next year. I’ll cheer her on.
Here’s a 2006 picture of Lynda, Andreas and Lisa of Christopher’s Restaurant, and Aimee (she did all 26 miles) at the end of the race in Coupeville (where the race used to end).
The other picture is of a young and in love dating couple who were about to run the Bloomsday Race in Spokane in 1991. I was still trying to impress Lynda. I could barely walk for the next 4 days. Ah, love.

What happened to February?

We were going to blog faithfully. I just posted about spring and found February was missing. Well, here’s what you missed – it was kind of quiet at the Lovejoy Inn. . . .

Oh yeah, Lynda went to Washington DC to visit her brother and – she got to see President Obama (along with 3,500 folks) while volunteering at the National Prayer Breakfast http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/this_is_my_prayer/.

Best parts were getting to know the other behind the scene volunteers and to listen and meet Paul Young, author of The Shack.

We applied for our SIGN with the Town of Coupeville and it was reviewed and approved by the Design Review Board (more on the sign in another post). Lynda finished the trim painting in the Garden Room.

We won two Whidbey driftwood vases at the Coupeville Lions Club Scholarship Auction and have them on the breakfast tables at the Lovejoy Inn - pictured in the breakfast room and with the wharf and Penn Cove out the window.
After writing this I realize, maybe there was a reason we didn’t post in February.

Spring! . . . almost

Greetings! We’ve missed you and are ready to be the bloggers we dreamed we’d be.

Spring is just starting to look like it may arrive in Coupeville. We cleared out a bunch of flower beds and found all kinds of purple crocuses popping out. Tulips too. Tiny buds are on the cherry, plum, apricot, pear and apple trees. I’ve been doing my favorite spring project – pruning. I think I sort of know what I’m doing. Lynda, however, gets a little nervous when I pull out the pruning saw and lopping shears. There’s a lot less bushiness to all the shrubs and trees and the Carriage House has greater view of Penn Cove. I can’t wait for the leaves to grow to cover up some of my uglier cuts. I have a gigantic pile of branches behind the barn – Lynda wants to get a chipper.
Hopefully we’ll have plenty of fruit on our trees this year. We serve the pears and apples with breakfast. The cherries, blackberries and apricots get turned into jam. This last picture is of the amazon looking flower bud on our tree peony.

Whidbey Outdoor Weddings (WOW) - in January?!

Whidbey Island has become a premier spot for destination weddings. Natural beauty, less rain, dramatic locations, catering, photography, all the stuff a couple needs.

Last summer, we hosted three dozen guests for weddings around Coupeville. We opened June 21 with the bride’s family staying in our newly renovated Lovejoy Inn. The groom’s family stayed at our vacation rental, The House Next Door. The wedding was at the Jenne Farm in the middle of Ebey’s Prairie. Cows in the front yard, barn and granary for reception, open field for the wedding. We had guests for 4 different weddings at the Jenne Farm, also two weddings at Captain Whidbey Inn and the Greenbank Farm.

Last fall, Joy and Brian from Centralia (pic at left)came to Whidbey to find a place to get married. (insert Joy-Brian pic). They chose the Greenbank Farm. They searched out lodging in Coupeville and fell in love with the Lovejoy Inn and The House Next Door. Wedding date: January 17 at 3pm. Here’s a quote from the brides website: “ Rain, sleet, sun, or snow … as of today, will be OUTSIDE so bring warm clothing and an umbrella.”

The weeks before the wedding were filled with snow and rain, little sun, sleet?(I don’t know what that looks like). Then, on Friday when the guests arrive – from Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, the temperature starts rise. Friday 4pm: sun breaks. Saturday 9:00am: a little fog. Saturday 3pm: bright sunshine, no wind, 50 degrees, sunglasses. Everyone said it was beautiful!

We are grateful to Joy and Brian for choosing the Lovejoy Inn and enjoyed seeing how well they get along the loving families they bring together. Blessings!

Mitch and Lynda, Seattle, WA, Aug. 25, 1991 (my hair is longer than Lynda’s – no it’s not a mullet!)