Best Guest from the West

I’ve stayed in the guesthouse once or twice a year or so for the past five years.  For all you whippersnappers out there, that’s about four years longer than it’s had a shower, a toilet, or one of them newfangled “coal stove sinks” you read about these days.  The running water is a welcome change, but the essential nature of the place is still the same: a peek into country life, but without any of the sharp edges that might endanger a city slicker.

Twice I’ve taken my whole family for a weekend.  The guesthouse sleeps three easily.  Four wouldn’t be a stretch.  Plenty of farm animals, toys and games to keep a four-year-old entertained.  Enough musical instruments to keep the adults up way past bedtime.

Outside it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.  Plenty of blankets makes winter no big deal. The window air-conditioner is a lifesaver in the summer.  Keep the front door shut.  It’s not so much about the temperature.  The outside light is next to the door, and the moths and other night insects swarm it.  If you leave the door open for any length of time, they’ll all invite themselves inside.

The food is great.  The bar can’t be beat.  Catch a solstice party if you can.  HUGE bonfire.  One additional amenity: the nightlight I left there last year.