What's happening at Belle Vue Bed and Breakfast

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Season is upon us again.  We wish you all wonderful, peaceful and serene days ahead. 

We spent a fabulous family Christmas in Nurenberg, Germany last year, and learned that the holiday tradition there encompasses reflection: inner contemplation and outer expression of joy and love.  The old German songs are slow in tempo and rather quiet in volume, the stories are read and told in calm voices without much animation, allowing the audience to feel the resonnance and spend some time thinking about their contribution to their environment.  It is a calmer more quiet approach, compared to our boisterous, joyous celebrations. 

Here at Belle Vue we watch the ocean tides approach and recede, the various shades of grey reflected from the clouds in the water, listen to the waves, the wind in the trees, the crackle in the fireplaces, smell the scents of pine and fir in the home, as well as the hot wine in the afternoons - all senses are ready to be calmed and thus revived for more energetic activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking and more. . .

Mt. Washington is open to the public this entire winter and many of our regular guests coming from Victoria and the mainland, are taking advantage of short  lift lines and sleeping by the sea. 

Let us invite YOU too to come and check us out.  We do have a new availability calendar on our site, a few clicks and you'll know what days suit you - give us a quickie call or email and you are on your way to enjoy a few days off!  Our specials will also support your wallet!

Spend some wonderful Holiday time this season, warm thoughts and glorious vibes from

Belle Vue Bed Breakfast, Walter, Haideh and Tip too

Reviews from our guests

From the time we opened our doors, way back in 2002, we have had guest books in the rooms for feedback.  We are now running out of space and have to begin new ones.  It is a heart break to put the full ones away, as the comments mean so much to us.  So we decided to immortalize some of the comments here in our blog, for you to read and enjoy as much as we do:

----Warning---  Prolonged stays in Gabi’s room at Belle Vue B&B have been found to result in:  1.  prolonged napping  2.  uncontrollable day dreaming  3.  increased amorousness 4. decreased desire to return – ever 5. excessive bathtub-hogging

Furthermore, studies * have shown that repeated stays at Belle Vue B&B may result in: 1. inexplicable desire to immigrate to Canada   2. compulsive use of multiple table settings at all meals  3. disgust with every-day breakfast foods, bed-linens and bath tubs.

*Studies conducted over a 3 year on male and female subjects, code name “Mr. and Mrs. Jello”.  Further studies will, of course be required to substantiate those findings!  We’ll be back!      H&V

Beautiful rooms, amazing breakfasts and wonderful hosts.   A truly outstanding experience. I rate it 6 star out of 5.  Thanks for everything  S&E

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride and this would be my house. . . . “  Fabulous!  N&S

When one is fortunate to discover a gem like this – one does not tell their friends -  lest it not be available next time – for us -      J&S

Wonderful to be back after 4 years!  Great picnic on the shore – watching 3 cruise ships sail by – delicious breakfasts (thanks for the recipe) – fabulous views – warm friendly hosts.  Thanks for a great – too short – stay.     A&K

Never slept better - to wake up to the view of the ocean with the coastal mountains...  All the beauty made me smile and made my day.  Your place is a creation of classic beauty and art.  Well done.  Would come again in a heart-beat.   Thanks.  T&D

Haideh and Walter, or is it Howard?  (joke)  Our room is so nice, my wife has major plans to renovate our own bedroom to be like Gabi’s room.  This will be a challenge since it is the size of your bathroom and our view is the paved driveway.  Thanks for everything.  G&M

I was going to say it was as comfortable as being at home – but it was actually more comfortable.  Should I be worried about that?   Look forward to seeing you again.       A&B  (I have written my witty little breakfast here, in case you would ever like to use it on your website)

Our first B&B . . . Boy, the next ones have big shoes to fill!  What a dilemma . . . wishing for a rainy afternoon so we can curl up cozy and warm with a book, or loads of sunshine to show the remarkable view!       B&T

A jingle for the French Toast

                        A "Great Scott" painting for the View

                        A sonnet to the Hot Tub                  

And many thanks to You

                   On our happy anniversary,  J&L

 

WOW!!  Everything from spectacular views to decadent breakfasts and warm hospitality!  So happy we had this peaceful retreat from the Music Fest frenzy - AAHH!  The hot tub was so soothing.  We will be back - lucky for us they lost our reservation at "The Other Place" .  Cheers J&C

 

Now that we so shamelessly tooted our horn ~~~ we hope you'll come for a visit soon.

Walter and Haideh

Saw Orcas from the house today, June 22, 2009

Many of our neighbors have claimed to see orcas from their homes but today is the first time that I can say I have too!  The fishing directly off of Bates Beach is quite good this season, so probably that is what attracted the orcas.  I saw three traveling along leisurely up island and was able to keep them in sight for several minutes. 

For all you fishermen and women the fishing news has been really good lately.  The Echo, one of two local newspapers, has twice in the last two weeks run photos of folks with good sized springs weighed in at Bates Beach, just down the block from our place.  The spring salmon have weighed anywhere from 24+ lbs. down to a bit over 12 lbs.  The lucky anglers have been using various hoochies at depths around 190 feet.

I'm real excited at finally seeing the orcas from the house.  Many guests have asked me if we had and I've always had to say that some of my friends who live on higher up cliff homes have, but not us.  I've seen dolphins or porpoise from here before, but never the orcas.

Haideh missed this happening as she had taken Tip to Nanaimo for the Flat Coat Retriever of Canada Society annual specialty.  Tip was shown by two Jr. handlers, both of whom got first place.  Haideh just called to say Tip has passed his field test for a working dog certificate!  They have worked long and hard in all kinds of weather to prepare for this and it has paid off!  Congratulations Haideh and Tip.

Thats all for now.  Thanks for reading this,

Walter

Finally learned how to blog again!

Hey, where is everybody, the weather is awesome and business is way too slow.  We have had nary a sprinkle in over three weeks.  Seriously, this is a perfect time to be on the island.  Everything is blooming, temperatures are in the low 20's (thats low to mid 70's to you who think in fahrenheit).  We have used the downtime to do some much needed maintenance--- painting the deck and stairs, tons of garden work and the very difficult sipping Mojitios on the terrace.  Such is life.

Besides the amazing views and wildlife, there is a lot going on-- Mount Washington's summer activities, the Vancouver Island Music Business Conference, super local music (Music Fest is coming soon too--- check out www.islandmusicfest.com which will feature Arlo Guthrey), and for the fast lane people there is always Saratoga Speedway with everything from Bomber cars to drag racing.

I had my ablation procedure on June I in Vancouver at St. Paul's Hospital.  What an incredible procedure!  Dr. John Yeung is my cardiologist.  He and his team made a small cut to access an artery in my groin.  They somehow are able to send wires and whatever else they need up into the heart, find where the body's internal electric system is not working properly and "zap" the bad parts, creating new pathways that do work.  Dr. Yeung says the flutter problem is cured, and probably the atrial fib will not recur,  but won't know for a couple of months more.  I feel great and should gradually find myself with more energy, feel even better and be done with heart meds. 

Haideh took Tip to a big dog show and agility trial in Mill Bay a few weeks ago where he won best of breed two days in a row and was third in group once.  That is a super good showing and we are very pleased.  Haideh's diabolical plan is to breed Tip next year when he is 5 years old, which Catherine Preece, the breeder, feels is the optimum age for breeding healthy pups.

Haideh is up to her eyebrows in preparations for the upcoming Flat Coated Retriever Society of Canada Specialty, being held in Nanaimo June 19-21.  She took on the hospitality job and has discovered it to be an enormous one.  Right now our part of the house is overloaded with welcome gift bags stuffed with all sorts of treats (both for the dogs and their pet humans).

Canada Select made its semi annual inspection this last week and we passed with glowing comments about the house, location and amenities.  Our star rating (currently 4 1/2) is being reviewed and we'll let you know if it changes.

One final thing, we joined a community choir called "Letz Sing" several months ago and will be performing at church in Cumberland tomorrow evening.  Keep your fingers crossed that we stay on key and remember the words!!  This is a for fun choir, not normally a performance choir, but we are helping raise funds for a cheritable project in Mozambique and are glad to sing. 

That's all for now,  Walter

It's been way too long

It's embarrassing to see how remiss we are in keeping up this blog.  Yikes, we’ve actually got lots to say, but seem never to think about sitting down and writing.  What with keeping the rooms as close to a “10” as we can, spending time with guests, keeping in touch with the family, volunteering in the community and a massive amount of yard and house work most of the year, we seem to rarely remember to “blog”.  One very fun thing we’ve begun recently is to sing with our local community choir “Letz Sing” where we finally sing outside the shower.  Haideh sings with the Alto section and me with the Tenors.  The Canadian Tenors, who recently performed at our local Sid Williams Theatre, have nothing to fear, but I’m having a great time.

 

The two of us are doing well.  Haideh took up knitting over the winter and is completing some surprise gifts for the grand kids.  She continues to cross stitch Christmas stockings for each new family member.  We both still enjoy the physical work necessary and especially the fun we have with guests.  Last year our visitors came from as far away as South Africa with many from Europe (especially many from Switzerland).  Because of the tight economy, more and more are taking close to home vacations and enjoying our beach as well as the opportunity to ski Mt. Washington and sleep by the sea, after all we are just a 35 minutes drive from the slopes. 

 

As some of you know, I’ve had an arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat) that has caused me some serious discomfort and can be quite debilitating when it acts up.  Luckily, the last time I had a serious episode it lasted long enough for the doctor to record an “F” wave indicating that the heart muscle is OK, but that I have a problem with my internal electrical system, which is curable.  I am scheduled for an ablation procedure soon, which is expected to correct the electrical issues and get me running right again.

 

Tip, our Flat Coated Retriever, will turn 4 on May 18.  He is the perfect lodge dog---  well mannered, loves people, doesn’t roam, rarely barks, doesn’t chew on things (except bones), and is excelling at agility where he has (thanks to Haideh’s incredible dedication) completed his novice rating and is nearly done with the advanced.  Tip continues to beguile our guests with his good nature and genuine friendliness.  Haideh continues to astonish me with her energy and commitment.

 

We’ve made some good changes here in the last year.  The living room now has an insert in the fireplace that allows us to have fires that actually help warm the house, besides just looking cozy.  The berry patch doubled in size as blueberries, blackberries and some new raspberries and strawberries were added.  Our herb garden is growing too and now offers fresh basil, oregano, mint, chives, and Italian and regular parsley.  We look forward to even better breakfasts as the new plantings mature.  So far, fresh herb omelets have been a big hit.  We stopped growing veges as we never seem to have the time to harvest them.

 

Sadly, we had to remove one of the big fir trees in the front as the trunk had rot in it and the arborist determined it was a danger.  The good part is that we have a lot more sun in the front yard now and got over three cords of firewood too.  Still, we hate removing any trees and overall have planted quite a few including about 100 Scotch Pines on the upper portion of the lot.

 

I’ve used up a page, so I’ll close for now and give Haideh a chance to write about the holidays and other neat things.

 

Walter

 

Hello to all again!

It has taken ages for me to figure out how to write on the blog.   Finally I'm back!

Belle Vue is improving with Spring.  Tulips are opening and the daffodils and hyacynths are in full bloom.  Our new pictures are on the web site and folks seem to enjoy them very much, as the reservations are coming in for this year. 

In our last blog I promised pictures from Antarctica, well I have to figure out "how to" yet.  It'll happen, just don't know when yet.  Though the pics are fantastic!   We did bump into a "lucistic" penguin - which we thought was absolutely awesome.  Although we were the only ones who were so taken with this little guy.   We couldn't figure why no one else was jumping with joy - can you imagine seeing the spirit bear or the spirit buffalo and NOT jumping out of your skin?  Well they are the lucistic version of their species.  BUT in Antarctica there is no one to make legends of this little penguin - no one lives there!  We need people to tell stories and others to keep the legends alive.  So here is the story of this little "lucistic" penguin, who was working hard keeping his chick alive and making ends meet within his colony of perfectly normal black and white gentoo cohorts.  We do have a photo of this little guy, and as soon I figure out how to do this, I'll post it.  If anyone would like a faster sample just emails us and we'll send it to you.

Speaking of stories this blogging continues to be a wonderful means to spray out a part of our lives into cyberspace, not knowing where the chips will fall.   Do feel free to write a comment back, we'd love to hear from you -

Cheers for now, Walter and Haideh

www.bellevuebb.ca

Happy New Year!!!!

May 2008 be the best year ever for all!!!!

We are back and open for all of our guests who kindly called while we were closed.  The mountain has over 4m snow at mid-base, skiing, snow shoeing, and golf are still in high gear, and so is Belle Vue B&B (again).

Our journey to Chile and Antarctica has been breath taking.  We haven't managed to check our pictures yet, as we also been very busy with our new, and fourth grandchild - Jude Vincent, born Dec 28.  So you might imagine we have lots of pics to go through.   But we'll get to them in the near future and post some on our blog.  The glaciers and penguins are way to wonderful to keep to ourselves.   So keep checking.

Our storms have made a few changes to our beach line - our great big stump, which had graced the end of our lawn and beach is washed away and may be on its way to Japan?  It was huge and had been here as long as we have had this property - 7 years.  Now our view is even larger, if you can imagine that.  Otherwise the blooms are beginning to show their little heads.  We may need to cover them a little so as to protect them a bit.   Our friend and photographer Karen McKinnon is coming to take new pictures of the bedrooms and house, which will then be posted.  Again keep checking for new things.

For now we'll say so long - and hope to hear from all of you out there soon. 

Valentines is coming!  Cheers Walter and Haideh

www.bellevuebb.ca

Making improvements and taking a break!

As a very busy September nears it's close we are finishing up some landscaping changes.  A new sprinkling system is up and running, and we are excited about it.  Not only will the lawns get watered without us being up at 5AM to make it happen, but the window boxes and flower beds too!  This is super as it frees us up to pay more attention to actual gardening and to get a bit more sleep during the summer.  We have also used this time to dig out our flower beds, replace the soil and put in some amazing new plants.  Among the additions are: Hebe Katrine, Monk's Hood, three kinds of Rubekia, Mohonia, Burberry, Alium, Fritalia, Cone Hydrengia, and a Japanese Feather Maple.  We've just finished planting the front beds and will be working on an expanded back bed next spring.  Our summers are so busy that we've often simply not had the energy to harvest the produce we grow or keep up on the "deadheading" of various flowers.

We will soon be taking an extended break and traveling to Chile to explore Santiago, the wine country, and Patagonia.  The trout fishing is rumored to be magnificent!  Later we will spend Christmas with our family in California and help out a bit as Gabi, our daughter, and James, her husband, welcome a new baby! This will be our fourth grandchild.  We don't feel old enough to have grandchildren, but by the results...

We invite you to send us your comments when you visit our "blog".  Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!  Many of our guests have commented on this means of communication. So we know that you, out there in cyberspace do read this.    Let us hear / read from you.

All the very best,

Walter and Haideh

www.bellevuebb.ca

Thanks for a terrific August!

To any who stayed with us and those who made referrals, thank you!  August was our best month ever with room nights and vacation rentals well over 90.  We are exhausted from a busy summer but happy as clams with our business.  Haideh, with the aid of Nicole (a young helper) managed everything for the last week of August as I spent that time in the High Sierras fishing with Gabi, Pascha and Seth (our grown children and the names for our rooms) and three grandkids.  Time with the kids was warm and wonderful, the fishing darn good, and the scenery the next best thing to Belle Vue. 

A warm "thank you" to Nicole for her good work and to Paul, her dad, who helped out with the lawnmowing, and especially to Haideh who insisted I go and spend this time with our children at a place that holds wonderful memories for me.

Walter

www.bellevuebb.ca

Specials

Good morning to all you Bloggers!

Our summer is still awesome, BUT it is time to think of your fall and winter travellers.  So we have put together some wonderful specials starting September 15,2007.  Check our site under Specials and Packages and see what might fit your desires.

In the mean time have a great day

Walter and Haideh

www.bellevuebb.ca