Kate & Karen Go to Las Vegas !

Since closing the B & B, we decided to take a little vacation to Vegas! Karen's never been there and we got a great deal on hotel and airfare, so off we went. We had a fabulous time!

On Thursday, we flew on Allegient Air out of South Bend, IN on a direct flight to Vegas. The flight was fine, but we ran into heavy rain as we approached Vegas and the plane had to circle the airport due to the heavy rain. We then had a shuttle ride to the Hilton Grand Vacations hotel on the strip. We had a nice comfy studio there. We took a taxi to the Wynn Casino/Hotel and had dinner at Alex - great French food! The Chef, Allesandro Stratta, came out to meet us in the dining room. We opted for the seven-course tasting menu and it was well worth it!

Course #1:
Santa Barbara Carpaccio with Osetra Caviar, Giant Clam, and Celery Salad. Wine Pairing: Delamotte, Brut, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne, France, MV.

Course #2:
Butter-poached Maine Lobster with Sea Urchin Linguini, Lime Zest and Brussels Sprouts. Wine Pairing: Walter Hansel, Cuvee Alyce, Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2006.

Course #3:
Foie Gras Saute with Quince Puree, Roasted Persimmon and Orange Glaze. Wine Pairing: Jorge Ordonez, Malaga, Moscatel, Spain 2005.

Course #4:
Dover Sole with Gem Lettuce Chanterelles, Oven-Dried Tomato and Red Wine Reduction. Wine Pairing: Domaine Henry Gouges, Nuites St. Georges, Ier Cru, Les Chenes. Carteaux, Burgundy 2006.

Course #5:
Wagyu Beef with Parsnip Custard, Bordelaise Sauce and Crispy Bone Marrow Fritter. Wine Pairing: O'Shaughessy, Cab Sav, Howell Mountain, Napa 2005.

Course #6:
To Clear the Palate: Coconut Tapioca with Tropical Fruit (out of this world...)

Course #7:
Toasted Vanilla Brioche with butter-poached Apples and Maple Ice Cream. (Pictured here) Wine Pairing: Planeta, Moscato di Noto, Sicily 2007.

What a great way to start our trip! After we finished dinner, we could barely walk because of the amount of food we ate - and the number of glasses of wine didn't help, either....





On Friday, our concierge recommended the Peppermill Restaurant, so we walked there from the hotel and split a HUGE plate of fresh fruit and loaf of banana bread, and an omelet of asparagus, bacon and scallions with Hollandaise sauce and sourdough toast. (See below) Yum!

The Peppermill - lots of neon and fake trees! Loved it.

After that great breakfast, we walked south down the strip and stopped into several casinos: Circus Circus, Caesar's, the Mirage, Treasure Island, Wynn, Encore and Bellagio. While at the Mirage, we saw an exhibit of White Tigers that were previously featured in Sigfried and Roy shows, along with some dolphins that were part of a show, as well.

There were also two baby white tiger cubs that we could not stop watching, as they played and romped and tore up a large pumpkin. Cute, cute, cute!

We stopped at Starbucks for a latte and to rest, then took a very long walk off the strip to the Hard Rock Cafe. There, we had Jameson scotch and some spring rolls and bought some gifts for Karen's brother and Julie. We went back to the Belagio and had dinner there at their Buffet before taking a taxi to MGM Grand to see the La Femme show at Crazy Horse at 8:00pm. We had front row seats! Ten beautiful topless women performing several vignettes in various costumes, interspersed with some hilarious acts by other performers. After the show, we took a taxi back to the Belagio to watch the dancing fountain display, set to music, that was just gorgeous. Truly a Vegas kind of day!

On Saturday, we sat through a presentation at the Hilton, in which they tried to get us to buy a time share. Of course, we declined, and went back down to the strip to gamble away almost $20.00 in penny slots!! Oh, well, it was fun.... We walked through the Venician, and saw the half-size model of the Eiffel Tower. Window-shopped some very high-end stores at the Forum and went back to our room to have very good Chinese dinner - delivered to the room - along with a couple of Mexican beers. Had to go to bed very early so we could get up at 3:00am to take the taxi to the airport. Our plane flew out at 6:00am!

Glad to be home...

Riverbend is Closed!

Riverbend has permanently closed - well, until the next owners come along, anyway. Kate and Karen's other business, Avalon Case Management, Inc. - see www.AvalonCaseManagement.com for more info - is becoming more and more successful and it was becoming too difficult to manage both businesses simultaneously. We're had a fabulous time running the B&B and have met literally hundreds of nice people over the seven years we've owned Riverbend.

But, all good things must come to an end, and Riverbend is now for sale. The lucky new owners will have Kate & Karen right next door (we're moving in to the other house we own nearby) to help with inn-sitting or instructions on running the inn.

Kate & Karen want to concentrate on growing Avalon, and on enjoying the chickens and the garden and sleeping in on the weekends, reading the paper in their Pajamas on Saturday, etc., etc.

If you know anyone who might be interested in this beautiful home - as a home or a B&B - please forward a link to the site www.riverbendretreatbb.com to your friends. Thanks!

Betty went to chicken heaven....

Unfortunately, we awoke one morning recently to find Betty face down in her straw and unresponsive. She had died sometime during the night from an unknown cause and we already miss her.

The eggs are rolling in (sort of...)

Betty laid her first egg today! A couple of days ago, we heard quite a racket coming from the hen-house, and went out to check. We caught Mikiko in one box and Annabelle in another and got an unprecendented three eggs that day. Since then, we're getting two a day, but this is the first one from our beloved Betty!

Eggs! Finally!

The girls (not sure which ones....) have laid three small eggs in the past two days. Hallalujah! We found the first one yesterday and today there were two more! We've been waiting for what seems like an eternity to see an egg in the nesting boxes and are delighted to finally have some. It doesn't seem right to eat them, but I think I'll whip up a little omelet tomorrow and have our first taste!

Must have been those leftover raspberry muffins I gave them....

Catching up on the coop progress

Well, the coop is finally finished! Yoash and Naomi worked hard to get it done so the chickens could move from their cramped garage quarters to the Palace! They're very happy chickens now and we are patiently waiting for eggs! Yoash noticed a falling-down old barn nearby and we asked the owner for some wood. Yoash and Naomi artfully crafted the wood into siding for the Palace and it looks great!

Chickies all sleeping on the top rung!

First warm day of spring!

Well, the coop is finally finished and it is sooo beautiful! The chickens are all enjoying their new space and have developed a routine. When the humans get up in the morning, they go out to the coop and open the door to let the chickens spill out into the yard for some breakfast of leftover strawberry tops, melon rinds and fresh clover. At night, they chickens, one by one, go into the house for bed and take their places on the roost. Kate or Karen then closes up the door so they're all tucked in for the night, safe from predators. Most nights, all the chicks are lined up together on the top rung of the roost!

Now, the landscaping begins around the coop to beautify the chickens' surroundings!

The Chicken Coop is Almost Done!

The chickies continue their phenomenal growth! They have outgrown their Rubbermaid tubs (we had five in one and four in the other.) They have begun to squabble a bit and try to fly back and forth in the tubs. Sooo, to give them a little more room, we bought a third tub and now there are three in each. They seem calmer now that they have a bit more room.

Kate was working out in the garden one day and took some of the chickies out and put them in the fenced garden. They immediately began pecking away at bugs and bits of whatever and acting just like chickens! That went along just fine until Mikiko discovered that she could fit through the fence and popped right out, followed by Betty and Peggy Sue. Back into the house....

Here are updated photos of some of the Girls:

The Three Wyandottes:

At three weeks old, here are Mikiko, Emily and Annabelle:

Here's Betty's three-week old picture. She remains the most curious of the bunch.

Progress continues on the girls' new home. The roof is nearly complete and now has boards over the rafters, but we had to cover it with a tarp for a few days due to on-going rain. The wire has been nailed to the building and buried two feet down, with most of the trench filled in around the structure.

On the garden front, lettuce is planted and already coming up, and the peas are up half an inch already. Kate planted melons and 22 tomato plants this week.