Can you guess what this is a photo of?

This photo was taken during the Photography Workshop: Winter Landscapes.  Joe Klementovich, local professional photographer, provided guidance to the amateur teenage photographer who wanted to learn more after taking a photography course in school.  Having learned the mechanics of operating his camera, this student wanted to go out in a natural setting and apply his knowledge in a creative way.  He proved that he has an artistic eye in shooting photos from zeroing in on the minute aspects of nature to capturing a landscape. #Winterlandscape of #WhiteMountains.

Joe took this young man and his father out to Diana’s Bath during the morning shooting many photos.  Joe’s style is to provide guidance on camera use and allow the student to freely shoot photos.  Afterwards, they came back to The Buttonwood Inn #TheButtonwoodInn for lunch prepared by me and reviewed the photos.  Joe goes into the semantics of photography providing information on whether the shot is good or how it can be improved upon.  Other workshop participants favorably remarked that they felt the workshop was beneficial and enjoyable because of the intensive one-on-one instruction.

If you enjoy photography and are either new to it or more experienced, you may want to sign up for this half day workshop on Winter Landscapes held on March 21, 2015 or the Photography Workshop:  Capture Waterfalls held on April 18, 2015. 

Check out our two-day photography workshop packages at #TheButtonwoodInn for Winter Landscapes or Capture Waterfalls.  You can either reserve on-line or call us at 1-800-258-2625 today!

Our Guest Friendly Outdoors in the Forest

Bill and I wake up to a morning like every other looking out our windows viewing Merriman State Forest and various mountains which are part of the Green Hills. 

For example, if we look out our office and kitchen windows in the morning light, we see Bartlett Mountain and notice the wildlife, mainly birds.  On some mornings, we may get visited by a bear cub trying to scoff up some bird seed for its breakfast.

We've noticed over the past seven years of innkeeping at The Buttonwood Inn, that guests enjoy our acres of serene property as much as we do. We have purchased some very comfortable cedar Adirondack chairs, double benches, double Adirondacks, and an 8-foot long picnic table/benches, coffee table and various birdhouses from local Jackson woodworkers, RandR Woodworkers, who hand-cut and screw all furniture together from scratch.  Bob and Robin (the R&R in R&R) make a great product.

Here are a few photos of the woodworking as Bill prepared to stain it with Cabot Australian Timber Oil.

                                                       


Of course, whether it's hiking or snowshoeing you can always take the Buttonwood or Mt. Surprise trails right from our backyard and explore to your heart's content!

July 4th Cookout at The Buttonwood

July 4^th  Cookout at The Buttonwood Inn

As the summer approaches, we thought we'd talk about activities and events at The Buttonwood Inn this past July onward in this blog.  

2013 was another great year at the Buttonwood because we welcomed back many return guests and new guests who stayed with us from 3 to 12 days.  We enjoy it when guests stay for longer periods of time because we get to know them much better.  We especially enjoy it when our return guests come through the door because it feels like friends came to visit again.  We catch up on each other lives and we all feel comfortable and at home.

During the July 4^th holiday week of 2013, we had several families return and stay nearly the full week.  The weather was beautiful, but hot, which was great because all of our guests returned early to mid-afternoon.  They either swam in the heated pool, relaxed on the recliners, or conversed over a glass of wine by the table under the umbrella.  The children and adults also played the bean bag and ball string toss lawn games in the back yard, and the croquet game set in the front yard garden area.

Last summer, we added a new 10-foot long cedar picnic table, benches, and more Adirondack chairs from R&RWoodworkers.  In June, we purchased more vinyl Adirondack chairs to accommodate more guests in the evening around the fire pit.  We also purchased more pool tubes and lawn games for our guests of all ages to enjoy.

The Saturday after July 4^th, we invited all of our guests to a backyard cookout.  Everyone attended and got to know each other.  Paula made potato salad, pasta salad, and baked beans.  Bill manned the grill making hot dogs and hamburgers.  The hamburgers were especially delicious because the Johnson family provided their ground beef and goat combination burgers from animals raised organically on their farm.

We set out the food on the new picnic table and everyone gathered around to eat and tell their stories.  It was particularly enjoyable for Bill and me because we don’t get to spend time with our own families during holidays and our guests allowed us to be a part of their families for this short time.