The Trinkle Mansion: Epitome of Bed & Breakfasts

Judy and I are just back from a two night stay

in the magnificent Trinkle Mansion Bed & Breakfast.

It was the perfect launching point for our long-planned

return to the New River Trail.

Hands down, it was our favorite B&B yet, and 

we are certain to return.

The overwhelming number of photos which follow

will show you this stately historic home inside and out.

If you're in a hurry, just scroll through.  But if you

have time, linger over them, and perhaps plan your

own special outing.

You can read details at trinklemansion.com  or read

glowing reviews at TripAdvisor.com

The mansion 

Enter friends, and meet Patti and Bernie, your hosts.

Welcome!

Rear view

Back yard.  From front to back, the property fills a
city block.

This guest cottage is in addition to the four guest
rooms in the main house.  Perfect for the extra
privacy of a honeymoon.

Guest cottage and some of the fine landscaping.

We read out on the huge front porch.  There
are also balconies upstairs.

The conservatory.

First glimpse of our room, The Wilson (named for the
mother of Bernie, our host).  Many things in town are
named after Edith Bolling Wilson, first lady of President
Woodrow Wilson.  Not this room, though.

This is typical of the fine furniture found throughout
the Trinkle Mansion.

A most comfortable night's sleep.

All four guest bedrooms are spacious and immaculate.

When the house was renovated, six bathrooms were added
so each room would have a private bath and shower.  Our
room had a clawfoot tub, original to the house.

The second floor common area, where we got better
acquainted with other guests.  This opens onto one of
the balconies.  Coffee and snacks were always here.

Another room

Another room

The view of main street.

From this high perch you can see all the way across
Wytheville to a tall steeple.

There are books, books, and more books all over
the house.  You know Judy and I loved that.

From the second floor landing, you can see through
the downstairs foyer all the way to the front door.

With my new knees, ascending and descending these
stairs was a breeze.  AND a pleasure to the eyes.

Every time we went up or down we were so busy
admiring the craftsmanship, we forgot to notice the climb.

A view outside from the second floor common area.
Patti was determined that their B&B would have many
common areas, something she found lacking in B&Bs
they had visited in their planning stages.

I wish I were there again right now!

Preamble to the Constitution

This Romeo balcony is perhaps the singular most
iconic feature of the house.  

Any guest feels like royalty when ascending these stairs.

This is the downstairs gentlemen's parlor, with a
portrait of William Trinkle, who had the house built.
He died at age 51, having lived here only 10 years.

There is plenty of open space between the parlor
and the grand foyer.

The conservatory is a bright and cheery place.

The ladies' parlor.

The main entrance.

The ladies' parlor adjoins the large dining room.

The table is set for eight guests.

Another veranda is immediately to the right of the
dining room.

The library is off to the side of the dining room.

I enjoyed examining this and other period pieces
displayed around the house.

Another view of the library.

I wish this were my veranda.

The chandeliers are beautiful.

And the chandeliers offer a serendipitous rainbow
here and there.

Local newspaper articles detail the renovation and
salvation of the old house in the early 2000's.

It's easy to imagine a festive occasion at the
Trinkle Mansion, perhaps in the roaring 20's.

This B&B has won widespread recognition.

The breakfast fare is listed each morning.
Ah, how it whets the appetite!

The first course.

The entree'.

And breakfast dessert.

Our second morning's entree'.

Our table full of satisfied guests.
All of us would be departing this day.

Something like this, perhaps.

Thank you to Patti and Bernie for providing us and
countless other travelers the experience Pattie had dreamt
of all the way back in fourth grade.  This is an excerpt from
their website:
It all began with a poem Patti’s fourth grade teacher had the class memorize which contained the line, “Let me live in the house by the side of the road and be a friend to man.” This wonderfully engaging thought stayed with Patti through the years. Although she didn’t even know the term “Bed and Breakfast,” from that day on she set her sights on having a house “by the side of the road” where weary travelers could spend the night in a stable, comfy environment. . . And so the dream was born

There was more to our Virginia adventure,

but the Trinkle Mansion was central to our

success. I will post separate blogs about other

area sights and our bike excursion on the

New River Trail.  Stay tuned.

It Was All That and More!

Friday night was Loyd/Talbert/Kirby Family

Night, and a very special night it was.  In fact,

it exceeded the already-high expectations.

We had informed the grandkids two weeks ago

that we would have our first bonfire at the Loyd place.

Preparations included the fire hose.

We relocated the chiminea so we could

toast marshmallows.

The fuel was some scrap wood that was 

more "fire-starter" than I'll need for this winter.

Before the bonfire, and even before supper,

the kids were burning off energy on the swings.

You should have seen how these swingers

lifted the supports from the ground!

Then over to the "old" swing set for some

different stunts, including the trapeze act.

When dinner was served the playground emptied.

Listening to these four offer blessings is

truly  a blessing, and touches our hearts.

Later, while waiting for the grown-ups to

finish, the kids play cops-and-robbers.  Only

they could describe the action in this hallway,

but I believe the bad guys are goin' down.

WHAT?!  I thought Claire was a good guy!

At 7:00 sharp we headed outside.  Still 

plenty of daylight, but we started the fire.

I'm sure the kids were thinking at first,

"It's a dud, Grandpa."

For this smoky conflagration I dutifully

notified the Pinehurst Fire Department and

the Forest Service.

Well, let's give it a little time.

In the meantime, we've got a playground full

of other stuff to do.

What shall I fill my little basket with?

Hey, it's growing!

Claire decides the roof of the playhouse will

offer a better view.  She's the first grandchild

to attempt this feat.

And, no surprise, she makes it.  After all,

she's Jennifer's daughter.

Claire may be first, but she's started a trend.

Hunter, are you sure these boots are made for

climbing?

Going up!

Yep, we can see the fire better from here.

We can feel it, too.  Do you think Grandpa

could move the house a little further away?

Eat your heart out, Sir Edmund Hillary.

Not one kid needed assistance.  And, even

more amazing, not one fell off all evening.

As it darkened, I brought out a barrel of 

pine cones and told the kids they could

unleash their assault on the fire.

Bombs away!

Take no prisoners!

The next treat to be unveiled was an army-

sized supply of glow sticks Judy had happened

upon.  These would be popular right to the end

of the evening.

By now, we had a three-ring circus going on.

This was pretty relaxing for the grownups.

And what fun watching the kids!

Let's roast a few more marshmallows.

The bonfire gives plenty of light to keep

on playing.  And it was hot enough that

nobody was likely to wander to close.

We started with 50 marshmallows.  I don't

even know if any were left.  And who cares?

Evan pieces together enough glow sticks

for a hula hoop.

Let's take our light show up on the rooftop.

It's going to be hard to top this Family Night.

A bushel of memories.

Often, the kids will ring this bell to call

one and all to the table.  But this time,

Hunter seems to be ringing it to say . . .

It's bedtime!

And I guess it was.

The Most Important Post I've Posted-- And It's Not Even Mine

For a topic as important as the survival of public education in North Carolina, I'm dedicating this space for the next few days to this crucial blog by James D. Hogan.  It will take you 10 or 15 minutes to read and digest it, but it is the best and most detailed summary of the multi-front assault on our state's schools.


http://www.forum.jamesdhogan.com/2015/08/the-war-on-north-carolinas-public.html

Anatomy of Creating a New Game: GI Joe

Former students may recall that I loved to invent and adapt new games, both for indoor and outdoor recreation.  Many games I taught my classes were taken from The New Games Book,  volumes I and II.  Creating Math games was a fun way to practice less-than-fun concepts in a meaningful way.

Well, I'm still at it. Let me explain the latest "New Game."
It all started when I was at the recycling center and Judy noticed that a printing company had dumped stacks and stacks of these GI Joe posters.  We can't fathom why, but we rescued many dozens, hoping to share and re-purpose them.

The poster depicts GI Joe in 247 different outfits (13 x 19).
The game I created works like this. (Any of the details can be varied; games evolve according to your purpose).
Two players each place 4 (or more) toy soldiers on their side of the playing board (the poster).  Each players soldiers need to be distinguishable, either by color or some other characteristic.
Using a six-sided die or a spinner from any game, players alternate making moves.  On a turn, a player can move only one soldier, but in any direction: forward, backward, sideways, or diagonal. However, the soldier cannot change directions on the same turn.  If your roll of the die lands you directly on an enemy soldier, that piece is destroyed and removed (with all the sound effects you desire).  You can even whack him, but take care not to disturb the whole "battlefield."

By positioning players within striking distance of each other, risk is involved.  You may move within 3 spaces of an enemy, but if the opponent rolls a 3, YOU will become the victim.  Likewise, if you have two soldiers within 6 spaces of an enemy, you may have 2 possible numbers that would give you victory, but so would your opponent.  If an opponent develops a numerical advantage, you may develop defensive strategies and with lucky rolling, even the game up.
I would not suggest allowing too many playing pieces, but you can experiment. If there are a lot of soldiers, almost any roll of the die could result in a "kill," and that might be fun, too.

I hope you don't think this game is too violent.  I always thought playing army was a safe way to play out aggressions.  And all the plastic soldiers come back to life at the end of a game.

Using real action figures adds to the atmosphere, but you could just as easily use tokens from another game or even coins.  Use your imagination and I bet you can come up with a game better than this one.

And for anyone who has read this far, all you have to

do is contact me to get a free GI Joe poster.  You supply 

your own game pieces.  Happy Gaming!

Mattresses, Microwaves, Belts, and Hoses: Are we getting HOSED?

In trying to be eclectic, I decided to investigate mattress makers' claims that the weight of your mattress doubles in 10 years.  I found that the scientific investigators scoffed at such a ridiculous claim.  Only commercial mattress websites and light-weight glamour/consumer chat sites gave it any credibility.

 Since most of the weight of a mattress is from its springs, no amount of dead skin, dust mites (plus their poop) could conceivably add significantly to the weight, even in 100 years.  Plus, these items could only add to the outermost layers.  I've beat a lot of dust out of some throw rugs over the years, and I've never noticed one seeming even a tad lighter when I brought it back inside.  And these are rugs that are walked on daily.  I think the mattress "urban legend" was perpetrated by the industry, following suit with all manner of extended warranty scams and the like.

When we bought our last mattress we were told it was good for about 14 years.  Now the same one is being advertised as an 8 year mattress.  Remember when auto parts places started pushing "replacing your hoses and belts every four years"?  Aside from the fact that many people don't even keep a car that long, the recommended practice is to have your mechanic check hoses and belts whenever your car is serviced.  It's not hard to detect cracked or damaged parts well before they'll give you a problem.

 I still think the solution to falling for items like these  is better teaching for critical thinking at early ages.  But I'm afraid too many gullible adults are not qualified to provide the training.  Let's be skeptical of advertising claims, but not paranoid.  Let's buy into common sense, not nonsense.  We'll sleep better.

Oh, Deer . . . The Bold One

Do deer like petunias?  Well, maybe for an

appetizer.  He ate a few, then carefully crossed 

the road and ambled away through the stumps

of recently-cut pines.

He's become a recent visitor and didn't bolt

even when I took a picture and video from

our porch doorway.

Here's the 50 second video of his calm

departure.  Be careful, little one.

As usual, we are taking mild, but not extreme

measures to secure our garden.  But we don't 

begrudge the local deer their appetizers, as long

as they leave the main course for us.

And, of course, I don't eat petunias, anyway.

An All-Video Blog of June Fun

My previous post today was all photos and

text, and this post is all videos.  Since Blogger

seems not to want me to post anything over 

one minute in length, I will put a couple more

on Facebook.  Here's a sampler

Slip and Slide, Sprinkler, and Playhouse

Brianna: Stream hiking in style

A Couple of Swingers

Are You Dizzy?

Remember to look for a couple more videos

on Facebook.  You'll enjoy them, too.