LIVING LARGE AT THE HOMESTEAD!

Oh wow, I could get used to this! Think large plush bathrobes, think multi-course dinners with multiple waiters, think large solarium rooms with chaise lounges and shelves full of books and the pictures of presidents on the walls, think tea in the Great Hall. This is not my normal way of life to be sure. But what a treat for 48 hours.

We arrived early afternoon and were able to check in. I don't know if it's the economy, or mid-week, or pre-season, but there are not scads of people here. So the service to those of us who are here is phenominal. To begin with we were informed at the check in desk that we were being given an upgrade. And what an upgrade. We're on the 19th floor (out of 21) of the tower section of the hotel. Our room is a suite with full living room, bedroom, bath, and two, count 'em two, balconies overlooking the golf course. Holy moly I've never seen such a room! We're not sure where the upgrade came from, but perhaps from Patti and Larry's connections from previous trips. But we're not asking questions! I choose to believe that some handsome,rich gentlemen saw two beautiful women checking in and sent the upgrade over, much like one would send a glass of wine at the bar. . . . but then I live in fantasy most of the time.

We explored the premises. . . Patti has been here several times, and I was here presenting a workshop once and watching Casey's band once. . .but I've never stayed here. We found the spa where we go for facials tomorrow. And adjacent to the spa was a bowling alley. . . empty but for the attendant. I dragged Patti kicking and screaming into two games of bowling. Patti managed to beat Barack Obama's score on one of the games. I bowled a 107, 106, which is not bad for how many years it has been. But what fun to have the whole bowling alley to ourselves. Patti was a good sport and still seems to like me anyway. But she said she absolutely would not go horseback riding, nor try to learn to shoot skeet!

From there we went to the Great Hall for tea. Big comfy furniture, impeccable service and a piano player. Bonnie and I discovered while we were in Massachusetts that afternoon tea is a very good thing and probably a tradition we should have clung to even as we ousted the British nearly 250 years ago. It's just so darned civilized!

We made our way to the presidents room which was a large library/sun room. We claimed two chaise lounges and spent about an hour reading our respective books (and me napping a bit as well). Heaven.

The dinner in the dining room tonight was phenominal. They kept bringing us little things we hadn't ordered: a tiny slice of tomato with a small hunk of mozzarella cheese, basil vinegrette and balsamic. Then a small dish of lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate. . . I'm not sure I've ever cleansed my palate before, unless you count gargling with Listerine. We shared an order of Risotto Fritters and I can't even begin to describe how fabulous that was. Tiny balls of risotto with a crumb coating and fried. Oh. . . .My. . . . .God! By that time I could have stopped eating. But the entrees were looming and I had a perch and risotto dish, and Patti had duck. Absolutely to die for. Eating is good. . . . . It appears the theme of tonight's culinary festival was Risotto! I'm a big fan.

Tomorrow is our full day and we plan to use the pool, sauna and steam-room before and after our facials. And back to the dining room for dinner tomorrow. Beyond that, we'll see what the weather is like. It was rainy all day which made it difficult to enjoy our two balconies. But we're not complaining. The birthday continues. . . . . Stay tuned. RP