I just finished reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt and found this great quote about restoring old houses. It pretty much describes the way we're restoring the Bottger Mansion of Old Town--one project, one piece at a time.
"Step by step. Inch by inch. I learned an invaluable lesson from my old mentor, Dr. L. C. Lindsley. Did I ever tell you about him? Dr. Lindsley was a college professor who restored and lived in one of Georgia's great houses, Westover. It was built in Milledgeville in 1822 in the grand style. It had spiral stairs and a pair of white double-height columns on each side of the front entrance.
"Dr. Lindsley told me that an old house will defeat you if you try to restore it all at once--from roof to windows, weatherboarding, jacking it up, central heating, wiring. You must think of doing one thing at a time. First you say to yourself: Today I am going to think about leveling off the sills. And you get all the sills leveled. Then you turn your mind to the weatherboarding, and gradually you do all the weatherboarding. Then you consider the windows. Just one window at a time. That window right there. You ask yourself, 'What's wrong with that part of that window?' You must do it in sections, because that's the way it was built. And then suddenly you find the whole thing completed. Otherwise, it will defeat you."
Amazingly, The New York Times Book Review called this book "elegant and wicked... Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime."
I’m having fun--come on along!
KathyElvis Presley stayed at the Bottger Mansion of Old Town Bed & Breakfast in April of 1956 just before
“Heartbreak Hotel” hit No. 1 on the charts and performed at the Armory. In celebration of his stay in Albuquerque, New Mexico, you can stay the weekend of April 5-7, 2013, and indulge in all things Elvis!
Start on Friday evening with an Elvis karaoke concert on the Plaza with Elvis impersonation and look-alike contest. You can dress like the King and compete, wear 50’s-style apparel, or just come as yourself.
Begin Saturday morning with our own creation of peanut butter and banana-stuffed French toast while listening to the King’s greatest hits and learning Elvis facts and quotes with custom trivia cards. “Elvis” himself will stop by your table, so bring your camera for a photo op! Venture into Old Town, where classic cars will be parked around the Plaza on Saturday morning, and Elvis will be wandering through Old Town for more photo ops during the day. Events in Old Town will be provided by Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department.
The King loved bacon and eggs! Ours will be accompanied by house-made biscuits and jam on Sunday morning.
I’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy
If you’re familiar with the Art Deco period in the United States and Europe, wait until you see its
impact in Japan. Artists there incorporated the new look in
paintings, glass, ceramics, sculpture, clothing and jewelry. This special
exhibit will be on display at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History
through April 21, 2013.
As with all art movements, the Deco period in Japan caused a change in the social and cultural structure, creating the “moga” or “modern girl,” who smoked, drank, danced, and tried to free herself from some of the traditional Japanese norms.
Japanese artists and craftsmen found themselves finding the delicate balance between extreme artistic expressions of Deco style and more commercial items for the Japanese consumer.
Do not miss the Museum Store! They have done a marvelous job incorporating books, jewelry, paper lanterns, and other items both for display and for sale in a lovely space.
Indulge in the entire experience by attending one of the Museum’s special Deco Japan programs, which include “The Jazz Age Experience” (dance and music), gallery talks, the music of Madame Butterfly, “Women, Art and Creativity,” the Japanese Garden, and a lecture on the Art Deco movement. The café features menu specials including cold sake and potstickers!
Albuquerque Museum of Art and HistoryI’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy
Betty's Day Spa is just a skip up the road from the Bottger Mansion of Old Town, and any treatment you indulge in there is a delight.
Betty's is offering two specials for the entire month of February. The Hand-in-Hand special is a 60-minute couples massage, a 15-minute hand and arm massage, sugar scrub and towel wrap. The Self-Indulgence package is just for you--a 45-minute massage followed by a 45-minute sugar scrub. Both include candy treats at the end. What's not to love?
I’m having fun--come on along!
KathyWalking or driving around Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Christmas Eve to see the luminarias is a time-honored tradition. The Bottger Mansion of Old Town Bed & Breakfast is right in the heart of Old Town, which is illuminated by thousands of luminarias on Christmas Eve. We think the best time to see them is after 10:00 p.m. when the bus tours have stopped and most of the traffic is gone. The candles will burn until about 2-3:00 a.m., and people will often walk or drive around to see them after midnight church service.
If you would like to do your own driving luminaria tour that follows the route the bus tours take, we have a map of the route (click here), as well as our own turn-by-turn directions (click here).
Tips:
Feliz Navidad!
Kathy and Steve
The Bottger Mansion of Old Town Bed & Breakfast is pleased to be the lodging host for the La Catrina String Quartet from Mexico, which will be performing a holiday concert at the San Felipe de Neri Church on December 14, 2012, 6:30-8:00 p.m. This concert is free, and donations to the church are gladly accepted. Seating is limited, so arrive early enough to get a good seat.
San Felipe de Neri Church
2005 North Plaza Street NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
I’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy
It's fruitcake-making time again! I've finally learned to put it on the calendar for mid-November so the fruitcake has plenty of time to soak and mellow. Otherwise, it's an oblong doorstop. There's nothing better than a great fruitcake and nothing worse than a bad one.
As I was making the fruitcake this year (click here for recipe), I realized that operating a bed & breakfast has changed the way we cook and the tools we use. There are some tools that are essential and which we would never be without again.
First, a kitchen scale is so useful that once you start using one, you'll wonder how you did without it. It keeps everything consistent, so we weigh our flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, etc. It may not seem like it would make that much difference, but if you're using 5 cups of flour, your cookies could vary a lot between one batch and the next if you just "eyeball" it in a measuring cup. We have a Salter electronic kitchen scale. My memory is not that good, so I have a cheatsheet taped inside my kitchen cabinet that says a cup of flour is 5 ounces, a cup of sugar is 7 ounces, etc.
We also use commercial half-sheet pans, also known as jelly-roll pans" that have sides about an inch high. Forget all the fancy cookie sheets with or without Teflon. You can buy expensive ones, of course, but you can also go to a commercial restaurant supply store and they will be much less expensive. Don't worry about the coating, because to go with these, we use parchment paper sheets, which we also buy from a supplier, and you can get them in a size to exactly fit the half-sheet pan. I never spray a baking sheet any more, just put a parchment paper sheet in it. Your cookies will not stick, and if they are a little heavy on the butter, the parchment will absorb some of it. Put parchment paper on the half-sheet pan under your pie or casserole and you will have no more spills in the bottom of the oven. You can also cut the sheets to fit loaf pans (fruitcake!), cake pans or whatever. Clean up is easy and the parchment paper peels right off.
A very large mixing bowl is essential for mixing a large batch of fruitcake batter, the fruit and nuts. Again, you can get large aluminum bowls in many sizes at a restaurant supply house. And you'll need a box of latex or nitrile gloves within easy reach in the kitchen. The best way I've found to really mix the fruitcake batter is to put on gloves, dump everything into that very large bowl, and mix it thoroughly with my fingers. It is amazingly faster and better than fighting with a wooden spoon or spatula, since fruitcake dough is very dense and sticky.
Finally, the best way to test the doneness of anything, especially cakes, muffins, chicken, etc., is to use an instant-read thermometer. No more undercooked chicken or over-done pork roast, and no baked goods that are still doughy in the center!
Now that you have the right tools, it's time to make fruitcake.
I’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy
Bottger Mansion of Old
Town
historic
bed & breakfast
110
San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque,
NM 87104
www.bottger.com
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us on Facebook
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when stores--especially the big-box stores and the malls--start having their sales to jump-start the Christmas shopping season. Then there is Cyber Monday, which encourages people to buy things over the internet instead of suffering the madness at the mall. Finally, there is Shop Small Saturday, our favorite of the three, to remind people of local small businesses that need and deserve the support of their communities.
A bed & breakfast is the quintessential small business. We're in your town or neighborhood. We're your friends, neighbors and business associates. While we love selling gift certificates so that you, your friends or family can enjoy a stay at our B&B, we may also offer items that would uniquely fit your shopping lists. Many B&B's sell their house-made jams, pastries, soaps, or even cheeses. Some have their own restaurants for that special-occasion meal. We can offer packages so you can include tours, massages, fishing, hot air ballooning or an experience of a lifetime. Your niece may not need another toaster as a wedding gift, but she and her new husband will always remember the stay at a B&B you gave them as a gift for their wedding night.
Shop small. Shop local. Shop a bed & breakfast.
I’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy
Bottger
Mansion of Old Town
historic Bed & Breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM
87104
www.bottger.com
Bring your group to a holiday high tea at lunch time at the Bottger Mansion of Old Town. Start your event with a warm and savory Tomato-Orange Soup. Next is the main course of Leek and Goat Cheese Quiche accompanied by Cranberry-Apple Salad with Spiced Pecans, paired with a splendid hot tea from the New Mexico Tea Company in one of the fine china tea cups from our collection. End your feast with a sample plate of three desserts: New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce, tangy Lemon Bars, and our house Bottger Mansion Chocolate Chip cookies. Everything is made in-house just for your event, and We can accommodate food allergies or dietary restrictions for anyone in
your group with advance notice.
The bed & breakfast will be festively decorated for the holidays, and you are welcome to pile your gifts under the tree in our living room for your gift exchange after lunch.
Teas may be reserved in advance for groups of 8 to 16 people. The cost is $25 per person plus tax. Parking is available in the public parking lot across the street. Please note that our historic home is not handicap accessible (6 steps up to the front door).
Call 505-243-3639 to schedule this special holiday event for your group.
Kathy
Bottger
Mansion of Old Town
historic Bed & Breakfast
110 San Felipe Street NW
Albuquerque, NM
87104
www.bottger.com
The Western Music Association Festival and awards will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 14-18 at the Marriott Albuquerque Hotel. Events include western swing dances, concerts, mercantile area, music workshops, western poetry (including Baxter Black!), a dinner event, daytime stage (no charge--in the exhibit area), yodeling contest, Friday night Opry, cowboy church on Sunday morning, and much more. You can attend some of the events by a single ticket rather than paying for the entire festival.
I’m having fun--come on along!
Kathy