Coal Stove Sink

What happens when a shower valve goes bad behind the wall? Bad things.

Puddles form under the coal stove sink.

Coal stove sink puddle. Uh oh.

A pinhole leak that went on for two days before discovery ended up forming an under the shower puddle on the floor and soaked up through the drywall into the tiles. Ouch.

Coal stove sink shower tiles soaked through.

All should be back to normal by next week.

This was my second visit to the guesthouse or my first visit to the Coal Stove Sink since my first visit did not include a coal stove sink…only a guesthouse. Of course my first visit didn’t include running water either. But let’s face it, Running Water is not as cool a name for a guesthouse as Coal Stove Sink. In fact, the coal stove sink is one of the most remarkable items in the guesthouse and certainly worthy of the name. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sink inside a coal burning stove before. It looks like a throwback to another era but this throwback actually functions. Oh, and so does the shower which I need to mention that for two reasons: [our host] likes showers or at least he likes to observe them and write about them, and I usually find myself in need of a shower when visiting the farm or the river or both. I can’t overlook the sturdy porch where Ike stands watch. Gives it a nice country feel with the rocking chairs.

All in all, guesthouse 2 or Coal Stove Sink 1 was very enjoyable although I am a wee bit biased since the Old Vine Zinfadel, Malbec and even the Virgina Cabernet Franc provide an excellent warm up for the flights of Kentucky Bourbon.

My most recent visit to Coal Stove Sink was a four day search for Aubrey. Never found him, but, I did encounter various speakers, a laptop and mixer, and many audio and power cables. See for yourself in this photo:

Other highlights included fence admiring, river sitting, mixology sampling, apothecary observing, and, oh yeah, adventures into sonic landscapes with violin, mandolin, guitar, and, a fisher price xylophone.

If only we could find Aubrey . . .

– R

I felt the calm of the balmy summer afternoon surround me as soon as I stepped foot on the grounds of this lovely spot. The horses roamed the fieds, the light breeze blew through the leaves, and the air sat warm all around me.

It was simply divine! After spending a few days whirling through corporate busy-ness, I needed this diversion. We gathered on the rocks in the river, the host and I, and had what was a delightful exchange of ideas about our work. Nice setting for meeting! I especially enjoyed the almost floating cooler of brews and a choice of lime or lemon. How unique to have a choice in such a rural setting! The added benefit of the afternoon soak was the unexpected fish “bodicure”. What will the river folks think of next?

Coal Stove Sink now has a porch.

The hostess of this respite is simply the most pleasant person, poised with intelligence, patience with barnyard antics and a lively level of enthusiasm for the Women’s USA Soccer Team ! Go USA!

Love the bar. Wish I could have stayed for more samples of the bartender’s favorite creations with the most diversely stocked bar I’ve ever seen. Three cheers for the rum concoction of the evening!

Dinner was tastey and I especially reaping the harvest from the garden and getting our river shoes extra mucky. What fun to trapse around covered in mud, and feeling most appropriate doing so.

Thank you to my host and hostess…I’ll be eager to return soon!

~your guest~

Hello all!

I had the pleasure of staying at Coal Stove Sink for two weeks. Between the rustic atmosphere and delightful furnishings, I felt right at home the moment I stepped through the door. There was a calming quality to Coal Stove Sink that can’t quite be accurately described. The chickens and the goats were a surprising, yet welcome addition to the experience, as well as the company of the lovable dogs.

I throughly enjoyed my stay, and recommend it to anyone seeking a unique and rustic getaway.

After a very enjoyable time with my hosts, and one of the best vodka/cranberry cocktails I have ever had, I went and snuggled in the comfy bed next door.

I woke up to a beautiful silent morning, and took my time getting ready, using the NP (no plastic)-shower and the coal stove sink. The animals were starting their day as well, and I enjoyed waking up the hens with my hostess and visiting their very own citadel.

Breakfast was composed of delicious pain perdu, and of some (undisclosed) parts of Sarkozy and Berlusconi. Being the vegetarian that I am, I decided to stick with the pain perdu, and left the body parts to my hosts who seemed to enjoy them very much.

We then had to leave to head back to the city life in my host’s Honda s2000 (yes I did yell a few times).

Thank you all again, I really enjoyed my time at the Coal Stove Sink guesthouse; not being the outdoorsy type I would not dream of achieving self-sufficiency like Thoreau did in his Walden years, but I certainly enjoy the countryside in these conditions!

PS: No presidents were harmed in the making of this story – just pigs.

I enjoyed visiting my [anonymous] friend and be hosted at the guest’s house. This visit happened during Memorial Day weekend that coincided with my wedding anniversary (7^th) with my wife Suzanne, so it was a nice way to celebrate it together with my host and his family. I particular enjoyed the time we spent all together especially the food and the wine.

The chef on staff  knew what he was doing: the herb crusted, farm raised pork tenderloin was the best I ever had along with wonderful pair of Malbec wines from Argentina (a rare label could not find in the States). The tray of cheeses and “melone” before dinner was also a nice treat for me, a perfect exploit of my Italian tastes.

I also had the opportunity to drink a very special bourbon cocktail at the bar (the chef is also a quite essential barman) that trained my tastes to a new level of drinks: vintage spirits and forgotten cocktails.  Among them, the “liberal” was my favorite cocktail, a mix of Kentucky bourbon + Italian Vermouth, orange bitter and a very rare Torani Amer. My senses got so exploited that had my brain disengaged for most of the night, frankly do not remember anything I said or hear besides what I drank and eat.

The night spent at the guesthouse was wonderful, waking up with a little of hangover with pleasant birds singing in the background (too bad my tinnitus cannot make me appreciate that 100%) it was nice to have a sustaining breakfast with a charging double espresso to get jump started for the day.

As myself, my wife and the host got engaged in farm work (I guess we tried to pay our deeds of so much guest luxury) I felt that as improvised gardener I scored pretty low. My job was to clean the veggie garden from weeds and I clean up [raspberry] plants that were planted instead. This was almost a flash back on several years ago, when I remember I tried to trim a pine tree to get a spiral looking shape that tuned out so ugly that had to be replaced. In essence, it was a confirmation that my green thumb is not very green, maybe more a greasy one more appropriate for car repair work. Anyway, as good friends do, this was forgotten after an humorous reprimand of being fired on the job. To try to compensate for the damage, I offered myself for cheap labor such as cutting and carrying logs for the fire. It was after all a very good sweat.

The highlights for the trip for me, were the time spent together at dinner and at the bar  in good company or friends and family, the walks to the Shenandoah River followed by four nice dogs, among them [Sophie] the basset hound was my favorite. It was also a very inspiring trip for me, because make me appreciate the simple things in life. My only regret, is that I did not engaged in any software security conversation with the master of the discipline (what a miss). [ed: ah but you did Marco.  I believe the liberals fogged your memory of that!] I hope to pay back my host with bourbon served at one of the Kentucky distilleries in the future.

Our host is amazing. Truly. After trying to sync up travel schedules for months, I finally figured out a flight path that would land me near the farm and guesthouse. Having completed several meetings in the city, I packed up my suits and ties, put on my jeans and sneakers, and drove out.

Getting to our host’s home in the early afternoon, I was greeted by four of the most friendly dogs I’ve met in a while. We had a couple of absolutely amazingly exotic mixed drinks and then walked out through the fields to to river. After a short walk, we ran into a herd of black bulls blocking our path. Expertly guiding us around them, and reminding me that if they charge we should stand our ground and look confident, my host and I continued on for a fantastic walk. On return we had fantastic wine and cheese at a table by the river, accessible over our host’s home-made rope bridge. Then came great, relaxing conversation, ending when the time came to prepare dinner.

The swinging rope suspension bridge inspired by Indiana Jones.

Wow – how can a guy be this talented in this many areas? Information technology, computer science, farming, construction, mixology, music, and now…. he actually has a chef’s hat???? It took him all of about 20 minutes to expertly prepare quail pollenta for 6. Amazing.

We finished the night with a rum tasting outside on the porch, and I then had a great nights sleep right next to the coal stove sink.

In the morning my host lifted a couple of chickens, grabbed their eggs, and cooked me an awesome breakfast. I returned home, refreshed and reinvigorated.

Definitely recommend the Coal Stove Sink guesthouse to anyone looking to have intellectual conversation in a fun, eco-friendly atmosphere.

My wife C and I had an absolutely lovely time at the Coal Stove Sink! Our hosts, whom I’ll refer to as Zane and Xena, did everything to ensure that our stay was one of comfort, good company, and high-quality activities.

Check-in Saturday evening was a snap – no fussy paperwork to fill out or anything! We stayed in the guest house, which is complete with a piano, a large globe, and the famous coal stove. The B&B is named for its ingenious sink installation, pictured here at the end of our stay. The mirror above gives the user a Cubist’s view of her or his face; of course, there’s a normal mirror in the bathroom.

The coal stove sink (having been put to good use)

I had the honor of playing assistant chef to Zane, while he prepared a marvelous stuffed pork loin. He used ingredients the names of which I cannot pronounce, so I know he must be an exquisite chef. Xena’s dad had recently harvested a boatload of awesome morel mushrooms at his nearby property, and we had them battered & fried as a side dish. There was even a taste test as an appetizer, comparing morels fried in butter with those fried in duck fat. Zane was surprised to realize that they were better done in butter (both versions were excellent, though, I assure you). Also accompanying the pork loin were fresh asparagus stalks just harvested by Xena.

Dinner was followed by several rounds of fancy drinks. Zane is studying mixology in hopes of earning his second PhD, though he is having trouble settling on a dissertation topic. Presumably it will involve an analysis of various bitters, again with names that I cannot pronounce. The drinks were all lovingly shaken (in one case stirred, actually) and served in wonderfully small aperitif glasses, so that we could try several drinks without getting too roaring drunk.

C and I slept very well and spent some quality time by ourselves in the guest room Sunday morning. I made coffee for Zane and C and myself in the main house kitchen, on the orb-shaped digital espresso maker, while Zane prepared the brunch casserole, using eggs fresh from their own chickens and chunks of bread made from 2 loaves from which he carefully removed the crusts. I snacked on the crusts while making and drinking coffee, and the rest of the scraps went into their pig bucket. Nothing gets wasted at Coal Stove Sink farm.

Zane and Xena had invited a friendly neighborhood couple over for brunch, and we had a marvelous meal and splendid conversation. After brunch we took one quick walk down to the riverside with the couple, who then left. We then embarked on a lengthier walk along the river and in the meadows of an adjoining monastery (I really couldn’t make this up any better than it is!). We made sure to leave plenty of room between ourselves and the cattle as we walked, since they are the true stewards of those pastures.

Berlusconi and Sarkozy (their real names) head to market.

It just so happened that Sunday was the appointed day for a friend to come by and take away Xena and Zane’s two pigs for slaughter on Monday. That was quite an operation to witness (and assist somewhat) – coercing the large animals to transition from their pen to the back of a trailer. We left soon thereafter, but we very much look forward to returning – and perhaps eating some pork raised right there at Coal Stove Sink farm!

After a drive into the wilderness (for an urban bugger such as I), across a historic river, and onto a meandering pathway after a sharp right turn off the highway, I finally arrived at the main residence’s checkin counter, where I was greeted by a bevy of friendly dogs, suspicious cats, curious pigs, scared chickens, a puzzled horse and a few other types of fauna… not the typical greeting you’d expect pulling into a luxury property, but exactly what you will encounter at this hidden gem.

There was no ‘checkin line’ and my host promptly checked me in based on a once-over to confirm my identity – no paperwork to sign, no financial guarantee to provide, and for that matter, no room key to boot either. I was offered a pair of walking boots though, after my host noticed the urban loafers on my feet. Needless to say, initial impressions based on the quality of greeting and efficiency at checkin were positive.

My host graciously invited me to dinner at the main residence, which I accepted for many reasons, not one of which was based on the rationale that there was no room service or in-room facilities to cook my own dinner (as I was told). The dinner invitation was a smart move on my end: I was promptly ushered into the bar (yes, a real bar made from family heirlooms) where I witnessed real mixology in motion (think sazerac, sidecar, etc.). After a few such initial libations, and a delicious home-cooked meal with the family, there were more such post-dinner libations to imbibe and enjoy. [The dogs, cats, pigs, chickens and presumably the horse, had dozed off by this time, so the decibel level was considerably lower than what it was when I arrived.]

After much chit-chat and a few more libations, came the hard part… for 3 key reasons: 1) I was unsure of my BAC level and therefore my ability to walk upright, 2) I had declined the walking boots offered by my host, and 3) it was pitch dark outside. I could actually not discern my room. On a positive note, I was informed that I did not need (and therefore, as previously mentioned, did not have) a room key, so all I had to really do was to: 1) find the room, and 2) and stumble inside without fumbling around with door locks.

Anyhow, the dormant adventurer in my soul finally came to life: Bag in one hand, bourbon in the other, I set out in the array of branches to find my bed using only the radiance of the starry night and a ray of light from the main residence as my guiding light.

A few steps to the right, a few steps to the left, I carried myself uphill on the short yet arduous (or so I thought; recall my inability to calibrate my BAC level) walk to the guesthouse. Had it not been for the radiance of the stars and the ray of the light from the main residence, I would have probably missed it. A brief fumble (on my own accord, no disrespect to my host), and I was in… even in that state of mind, only one word formed on my lips: WoW (= a TLA for ‘Wild Out West’). A baby grand piano (or was it a grand?), a tabla (percussion) set, shelves replete with books actually worth a read, a guitar and a coal stove sink manifested themselves upon the flick of a switch. The bed looked inviting, the quilt cozy, and a large coal stove sink (huh?!)… and that’s all I remember until the following morning.

[Side note whilst asleep: The hospitality of my hosts, the warmth of the room and the deafening silence of my surroundings collectively made me miss the wake-up call from my iPhone, which BTW managed to capture 2 bars as I recall.]

However, when I did finally wake up the following morning, I indulged in the comfort of my surroundings once again: Morning ablutions in a shower laced with marbled tiles (no plastic showers, as my host maintains to this day), over a coal stove sink, and in front of a wrought iron mirror – all this with a bevy of curious domesticated animals peering in through the guesthouse windows made this one memorable morning. It was finally after they [the animals] left momentarily, I gathered the courage to step outside. The handsomely built wooden rustic guesthouse perched on a platform slightly uphill was actually not too far from the main residence. There were no branches between the main residence and the guesthouse either as I had falsely perceived (blame on that 3rd Pappy VW 20) the night prior, though there there were plenty of other animals (and droppings) I had not witnessed the previous evening. I now understood the rationale underlying my host’s offer of ‘walking boots’. [NOTE to future residents in concert with other blog entries: Pack walking boots or accept your host’s offer.]

I could go on for a while, but I’ll stop here with a conclusive statement or two… 1) this little hidden gem is a welcome reprieve from the din and tedium of the ‘usual’ replete with all of the modern comforts (ease of reservations, hot water, towels), amenities (l’occitane toiletteries) and hospitality (did I talk about our hosts?), and 2) I could have done the ‘usual,’ but then again, but would that have been so memorable as to justify this blog to entice other potential residents and my next visit back to the coal stove sink.