High Country Inn News - 2005

12-2-05
Hello to everyone, and our wishes that you will enjoy this beautiful season to the fullest, with time to share with special friends and family, and appreciation of all the gifts we take so for granted in this beautiful little paradise of ours! We have our lovely Christmas tree up again in front of the big windows, and the snow scene outside across the river already puts us in the holiday mood! We are hosting a small wedding up here tomorrow, and I think it will be the perfect setting and one for the bride and groom to remember! We find that gatherings up here at the inn are usually ones which bring lasting memories for our guests, and that's what brings them back. We are booked with several of our repeat groups who have planned their holiday party up here, so we will be busy the rest of the month with these dinners for employers who want to share some happiness with their staffs. If you are one of those who have just a small group of two or three that you would like to invite out for a special dinner, we do have some spots available. Most of our dinners are on Thursdays or Fridays which have space for a small table or two. Saturdays are full, on the 10th we do our annual catering in a private home which we have done the last 6 years, and we have a group coming from out of town on the 17th who are all staying the night as well!

The one event which we would like to have a nice crowd for is our annual Christmas High Tea, which will be on Sunday, December 18 at 3 p.m. Price is $15 for adults. Last year Mother Nature delighted us with a beautiful snowfall while Cathy was playing the piano during the tea, and it was awesome! This year we will have Patrick Donnelly playing an interlude concert for us on his Irish harp, in addition to Cathy's lovely melodies on the piano in between. Reservations are starting to come in for this special afternoon, and it is a wonderful opportunity to treat someone special to a gift to be remembered, a tea party at the inn! We know of one friend who is treating her staff to the afternoon as her Christmas gift to them. It is also an opportunity introduce children to the fine art of tea party etiquette, as we usually have some young guests dressed up in their finery, and enjoying acting "grown-up!" Special price for children under 12 is $8. Just e-mail, or call for your reservations! By the way, gentlemen enjoy our teas, too!

We have added a Bakery Page to our web site. We hope to add more pictures and offerings soon. We will pack these in special tins or boxes for giving. We invite you to order baked gifts, or a special dessert or a Christmas morning breakfast tea ring or rolls, all of which can be frozen until needed. We will be adding other cookies for the season soon, such as pecan sandies, thumbprint cookies, peanut butter cups, even pizelles, or if you have an idea of something you would like to order, such as homemade pies, just ask! We made several special order "Yule logs" or Busch de noel, as it is known in French, last year, which is a lovely dessert for the Christmas table and serves at least 12.

This is also the season for Gift Certificates, and we have those for giving to special couples you would like to treat for a "get away" sometime next year. These certificates can be used through next summer, guests just need to make a reservation for when we have openings. We also have certificates for just a dollar amount, which can be used for either an overnight or for one of our public events.

We will also be available to do post-holiday parties for those who want to wait until after the busy season....there are several groups who have learned they can relax and enjoy more getting together when everything else is done. We often forget that the Christmas season actually begins on December 25, not ends!!!

And then before we know it, we will be celebrating our 4th anniversary here at the inn, during February! We hope to see you before then, but if not, we wish you the very best this season, and may you be surrounded with those you love! We are planning on spending Christmas in Boise with three of our children and their families, if we can find someone to watch our place while we're gone! We are looking for trustworthy, dependable house sitters for when our usual help has to be away, which is the case this year! If you know of any and can give references, please let us know. In the meantime, have a joyful, joyful Christmas, and pray for those who won't.

Best wishes from Jo, Dick, Princess, and Jumper!

11-15-05
Please come to our High Tea, this Sunday, November 20, at 3 p.m. Patrick Donnelly will perform for us on the Irish Harp, a definite treat!! Enjoy the beautiful fall decorations before we launch into the Christmas season, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with friends! Children are welcome, $15 for adults, $7 for children. Reserve now and tell others!

Our cooking class on December 3 will feature the technique of rolling cakes for such classics as buche de noel, also working with filo dough to make baklava, another Greek classic. We will also make yeast breads, all for holiday treats. Class size is limited.

We will be featuring holiday treats on our Bakery page on our web site soon, to order for gifts, we can deliver locally and even mail some of them, especially biscotti.for holiday dunking.

11-9-05
Hello to everyone!
We hope you'll be able to take the time to enjoy the fine music of Patrick Donnelly when we have our High Tea on Sunday, November 20. He spends a lot of time preparing for his concerts, and doesn't do them for very many groups, so I feel very honored to have him consent to play, and would like to see a nice crowd here to appreciate his music! Time is from 3 to 5pm., I am allowing two hours so that Patrick can play several pieces between courses for our enjoyment. Please invite your friends and make up a table if you can! We do hope to have a holiday tea on the 18th of December, but we'll see what the response is before we plan any more.

Our Sunday dinners don't seem to have a following, so we won't continue those during the fall and winter season. We are booking some Christmas parties, and will do lunches, brunches, teas, or dinners for any group of ten or more. Our bed and breakfast business is thriving and ongoing, with several guests arriving next week. This is a niche we've found that we enjoy very much, and have had guests from several different states, from Florida, Louisiana, California and Colorado just the last few weeks. This week we've had a young doctor couple who have been filling in at our hospital.

Dick and I will be flying out to Ohio for a week's Thanksgiving visit with our son, Scott and his family, and look forward to seeing grandson Alex, who is a freshman at Ohio State, and grand daughter Karin, a freshman at St. Mary's at Notre Dame. When we return home, we'll be into the holiday season for sure! Our inn will be beautifully decorated again, through the efforts of my good friend, Cathy Curtis! Like a little elf, she'll be busy putting up our 12 ft. tree and greens while we're gone!!

This week we are gearing up for our big hospital foundation gala, the Harvest Moon Cruise, so we'll be preparing for up to 350 plus guests for this Saturday! I expect I'll see several of you there! If you've never been, it is the social highlight of the year for our whole region! This year we are celebrating Orofino's 100th birthday. There will be some nice birthday party surprises! You can call CVH for tickets, 476-4555.

Remember, too, we are offering retreats for quilters, scrap bookers, writers, crafters, etc. with really good rates for the weekend complete with meals. Tell hobbyists you know about our new venture, please? We've already scheduled some for March and April.

Due to the busy-ness of the season, I think the planned cooking retreat will be postponed and instead just be a day of cooking on Saturday, as we have other events the next two days to get ready for. So we will have one day of holiday baking classes on Saturday, December 3, to take home products for the freezer. Cost is $60 for the day, including morning snack, lunch, class and several products to take home. (9 a.m.-2 or 3 p.m.)

10-25-05
Hello to everyone and happy Fall! Our next scheduled event will be our Bountiful Harvest Sunday Dinner, on November 6. The afternoon meal will feature roast chicken or boneless pork loin, with dressing, cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, deluxe salads, vegetables, homemade breads, with Jo's Granny Smith apple pie and beverage., two complete dinners for $29.95. ($15 person) We will begin serving at 2 p.m. We hope you can come up and enjoy our beautiful fall decorations! This will be our pre-Thanksgiving celebration, as Dick and I will fly to Ohio for our annual holiday trek for a week with some of our family.

Patrick Donnelly to Perform.

We are looking forward to our first high tea of the season, on Sunday, November 20, when Patrick Donnelly will perform on the Irish harp for our entertainment. The high tea will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and will consist of three courses, including tasty hors d'oeuvres, scones and homemade jam, and trays of fancy desserts. A variety of teas will be offered during the afternoon. Do make your reservations early! Price of the full tea is $15.

Retreats a Success!

The last few weeks have been busy ones for us as we've ventured into the hobby retreat arena, with great success! Two weeks ago we hosted our first quilting retreat, with twelve hobbyists from Moscow who spent Friday through Sunday quilting, talking, eating, and having fun, even had a massage therapist on hand during the weekend! They enjoyed their stay so much that they've booked a three-night return retreat in March! They loved our cabins and our fine amenities, also the hot tub!

Then this last weekend we hosted thirteen scrap book enthusiasts from around this area, headed by Dianna Seeley. These ladies came in on Friday afternoon and the last didn't leave until almost 5 p.m. Sunday! We fed them well, and they went home with a lot of work done on their individual projects! They, too, had a massage therapist, who helped all our retreatants get relief from their aching necks and shoulders!

Interested in a Cooking Retreat?

So now it will be my turn to host a retreat, this one will be from Friday through Saturday evening or Sunday morning (at least one overnight, second overnight for those who wish.) December 2 and 3, and will be entitled "Craftin' and Cookin." Not only will we do some holiday breads and other gifts from the kitchen, but we'll have projects such as wreaths, swags, and log centerpieces to make and take home, all made from fresh greens and trees from around our property. We'll also do an evening meal together for Saturday night, Spanish Paella, a fun evening cooking with wine! (Maybe we'll even put some in the food!)

The retreat will consist of Friday's evening meal and lodging, breakfast, lunch, and dinner Saturday, and cooking projects to take home. (Holiday breads, jellies, foods for entertaining) Cost for this with the one overnight will be $200. The second overnight with Sunday breakfast will be an added $50. Materials for the crafted projects will be available for purchase, depending on each person's choices of what to make and use. The Craftin' and Cookin' Retreat will be limited to 12 participants. We must have a minimum of 8 to make the classes. Please let me know if you would like to register for our special weekend!

We are also scheduling holiday parties at the inn during December, so if your office or business usually has a dinner or party, please consider having it here!

10-3-05 Hello to all!
We hope you are making plans to attend our annual OKTOBERFEST, to be held next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9! A lot of work goes into preparing a Bavarian treat such as we offer, and we hope to have a nice group join us!

Retreats Offered

Also, we are proud to announce that we are now offering specialty retreats, with the first one being a Quilting Retreat, from October 14-16. This one is being attended by a group of women from the Moscow-Pullman area, and we hope to offer more for other ladies in the area if there is enough interest. The entire inn and its facilities will be taken over by the group, with lodging, dinners, and breakfasts provided. This one is full, but it is hoped that others will want to do one also.

A Cooking Retreat will be offered if there is enough interest, with participants joining in the preparation of meals while learning cooking tips. One is tentatively planned to take place November 4-5 (Friday evening, Saturday all day, culminating in Saturday's evening meal.) Let me know if you are interested. Retreat will be limited in size, and will include overnight lodging and camaraderie!

Dining events at the inn include the gala OKTOBERFEST, happening this weekend, Saturday, October 8, and Sunday, October 9, which will feature a full German buffet menu. Hours for serving are 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. Reservations are requested by calling 476-7570. A Wine Gourmet Dinner is also scheduled for Saturday, October 29, if there is enough advance interest shown by October 17., and a Sunday Fall Harvest Dinner will be offered in November.

Holiday dinners and parties are now being booked for companies and offices for December. Events may be booked from December 1-20. Holiday goods, including biscotti and specialty Christmas breads and pastries, can be ordered for home enjoyment or giving. Jo's homemade Italian Biscotti can be mailed with two-day priority delivery anywhere in the continental U.S.

9-14-05 Hello Friends!

Hard to believe it's fair time around here already, Dick and I just finished cooking up about 30 gallons of homemade chili for our church's food booth, and we still have to make "Cowboy" beans for it, too, but that will be after I feed about 120 people today and another 60 over the next two days!!! Catering is keeping us pretty busy, and with our rooms filled for the weekend and beyond, we're hopping!

Just wanted to let everyone know that our next scheduled events for the public won't be until the weekend of October 8-9, and we're going out on a limb, planning Oktoberfest for both Saturday and Sunday of that weekend. It's a lot of work preparing good German food, and I'm hoping the interest will warrant making it a two-day event, so that we can have a nice crowd come up and enjoy our fine meals, some rousing German oomm-pahh-pahh music on our Sirius system, plus enjoy the fall decorations and "biergarten" atmosphere we provide. We'll have some German beer as well as all the other beverages you enjoy, so we extend an invitation for you to invite your friends, make up a table, and help us make that weekend a big success!

Included on the menu will be sauerbraten, which takes about 4 days to prepare, (a top round roast marinating in a wonderful red wine spicy marinade that long before cooking!) hot German potato salad, our delicious cabbage rolls in marinara sauce, sweet and sour red cabbage, mashed potatoes and gingersnap gravy to go with the sauerbraten, applesauce, sauerkraut, garden salad, homemade bread, and apple strudel, of course! The meal will be $15 person, plus tax and gratuity. (All you can eat, buffet style.)

We were hoping to have our winemaker from Carmela here for October to do a dinner for us, but he is not available until after Christmas, in January or February. (We shouldn't have put it off, I guess!) However, I am thinking of offering a fine Wine Dinner anyway, that would be the last weekend of October, on Saturday the 29th. We will do it the same way, offering a different wine with each course, culminating with a fine port in chocolate cups! Do let me know if you are interested, we would like to have about 14-16 couples for this fine dining affair. The price would be $39.95 person, which would include the wines. (These dinners usually run at least $50 person, with wine being at least $25 of the cost per person) The menu will include several courses, beginning with hors'd oeuvres, soup, salad, sorbet, entree, dessert, and port cup.

We are ready to begin our custom baking, taking orders for our homemade biscotti, wonderful giant cookies, breads, and cheesecakes. We will have our web page up and running soon, and orders can be made online or called in. My first order of four dozen biscotti is about to be mailed to Atlanta, Georgia!

We're about to start our "biscotti" runs also for passengers of the cruise ships coming up from Portland, who take a Lewis and Clark tour with my friend Linwood Laughy, who is a wonderful scholar and Lewis and Clark interpreter. Those tours will last through mid-November, and it's always fun to meet these fine people, who hail from all over the country. We've even had repeat visits, from couples who fall in love with the area, and return for a more relaxed visit. We've had two couples already stay with us this summer, who were on one of the tours and decided to return and stay at our inn!

Dick and I will be heading to Boise on September 23 for an Air Force Reunion, and to celebrate my "70th Eve" birthday with several old friends from our days at Mountain Home Air Force Base. We'll entertain them with a barbeque at our daughter Sharon's home there in Boise, and after the reunion will be bringing back several couples from California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Washington, and Kansas to visit a couple of days, so they can see what we've done here with our inn and cabins.

We'll be catering again the weekend of October 1, a retirement party for about 100 guests, so that's why we won't be having anything up here before October 8 and 9. Then Sunday, October 2, will be Dick's and my 51st wedding anniversary, we're about to make it another year!

For all of you who have asked, Dick is doing much better, his congestive heart failure seems to be under control with some good meds, and he has been helping me a lot in the kitchen. If his foot didn't bother him so much with the neuropathy, he'd be working even longer hours, but he's doing so much better, and we are so appreciative of everyone's concern! It was a trying time during June and beyond, but thank goodness we found the cause of his problems in time! Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

We hope to see you on the 8th or 9th of October, and do keep telling your friends and relatives about us! (You can even forward my newsletter!

We are already scheduling our holiday parties at the inn, in fact, have December 10 and 17th reserved already! If you plan an office or family party, call us! We'll open for any day during the week during December, up until the 20th. Our Bed and Breakfast is open all the time, even when we're gone, with our very able housekeeper, Vicki, in charge!

9-6-05
We hope you had a nice relaxing Labor Day weekend. We had a great time with some of our family here from Eagle and Boise. Grandpa took the kids blackberry picking and they made jelly to take home. They also got out on the water for some skiing a couple times. 

This coming Friday, September 9,  we will have the last Casual Friday of the season, with our special smoked bbq brisket, sausage, and all the trimmings for dinner.  All you can eat!  $13.95

On Thursday September 15, we've been asked to prepare a special prime rib dinner for a party of six who are flying in from San Diego, so we will take a few extra reservations for that dinner if any of you have company coming in for the fair, or would just like to enjoy a mid-week special meal!  Just let me know by early next week if you are interested.

We hope to be able to offer an occasional special Saturday dinner, as well as Sundays, as we enter the fall and winter season.  Oktoberfest will be an October offering, with authentic German fare, as

8-24-05
Hello to All!

It seems that somewhere I've missed summer, I thought it had just started....and here in Orofino the kids are starting back to school today! I think we still have some nice outdoor days left, and our deck is really pretty right now for outdoor dining!

We are open this Friday for Tex-Mex Night, and would love to have you come! We'll have an all-you-can-eat Taco Bar and chicken enchiladas, plus side dishes and trimmings, always dessert!
open at 6:30 p.m., Just $12.95 person, plus tax and gratuity

We were not open last weekend as we were doing private catering, . including a family reunion at Three Meadows campground, so we were doing a marathon of cooking!

Next weekend, to kick off Labor Day weekend, Friday, September 2, we'll feature Pasta Night, with our delicious and popular Gramigna (Italian sausage with penne in wonderful sauce) along with antipasto, Mediterranean salad, foccacia bread, and dessert, open at 6:30 p.m., just $13.95 person, plus tax and gratuity

We've been busy with overnight guests, last week we had company for B&B from San Diego, Gig Harbor, Boise, and Lewiston. We've had guests from Coeur d'Alene here since Sunday, and tonight we'll entertain a couple from Atlanta, Georgia. People are starting to find us on our web site, and lots of word-of-mouth advertising around the Lewiston area is helping a lot! We hope you'll tell your friends who come to visit about us, also!

We hope to see guests at our Friday night public events; in order to keep these going we need mouths to feed!! These next two weekends will help us make a decision whether to continue or concentrate on our catering and Bed and Breakfast guests, which keeps us busy enough!

I am receiving requests from people wanting to do quilting as well as scrapbook retreats up here. If you know someone who conducts workshops in either of these areas, we could offer these as well as other types of workshop/overnight retreats, as we have plenty of space now.

We are also thinking of offering Sunday dinners as a regular feature, instead of the Friday or Saturday public events, in order to fill a niche that might be more open for those wishing to dine on a Sunday afternoon. We welcome feedback!

8-13-05
Hello All!

I don't usually send out a newsletter so often, but so many of our friends have been concerned about Dick's health, that I wanted to send you the good news....Dick's heart cath test at the Heart Institute in Spokane showed no blockage or other bad stuff, so we're not facing any other procedures, just some good meds which promise to take care of the problem!!!  We will continue to be monitored by the cardiologist and our great primary care doc, Dr. Michael Meza.  We are so grateful for all the prayers and good wishes, and wanted to share this with you! Dick is feeling good except for his chronic foot pain, but that has nothing to do with his heart , as far as we know! He'll be cooking steaks for us this evening, and we have two couples coming for our Bed and Breakfast, as well as dinner.  We still have room for a few steak lovers, so call if you'd like to enjoy our "Steak Night" tonight!

Also, wanted to tell everyone that there was a bit of excitement, and much concern for our safety, when a fire erupted quite close to us on the Old Ahsahka Grade, all this while we were in Spokane, Thursday afternoon!  I guess the flames were quite high, and friends were calling here, and trying to come up to help, and in the meantime both CPTPA and other rural fire departments were on the job.  We had a family due to arrive to spend two nights with us, having driven from Bozeman, but the sheriff's deputy wouldn't let them come up our road, so they had to go elsewhere!

They were still mopping up yesterday, with someone there all night last night to make sure it didn't get started again.  We drove up the road last evening to check on it, and while there was still smoldering and a small flame or two, it was under control. The scary part was the winds were quite strong, and little flames can certainly be whipped into big ones!  Everyone probably knows that we have fires all around us right now, up on the prairie as well as north near Spokane and west especially with the Pomeroy fire. We'll keep our fingers crossed that the fire season won't last much longer, and we'll get some much needed rain to help out.  Hope you are enjoying the somewhat cooler weather, and we hope to see you soon at the High Country Inn!  Call us when you'd like to see something planned, and we'll see what we can do!

8-9-05

Don't know how hot it is in your neck of the woods, but those of us sweltering here in the Clearwater valley aren't finding much relief these days! The temperature has gotten as high as 107 degrees in some spots, and the dogs don't even want to be outside!

Dick and I will be traveling back up to Spokane on Thursday of this week, hoping to get an answer about Dick's heart problem. If they find the problem at the Heart Institute, they'll fix it right on the spot, and we'll be back home on Friday. We're crossing our fingers that we'll get good news!

We hope many of you will want to join us for our first Steak Night in a while, to be this Saturday, August 13. I'm not planning too much ahead right now, as our dinner attendance has been pretty light the last couple of weeks, so we'll see how Steak Night goes before we plan other events. We do have some catering the next two weekends, so we'll be busy enough. The Bed and Breakfast business is catching on, and we're happy that our guests enjoy themselves so much when they stay with us!

Saturday August 13 menu:
Custom-grill your own NY steak or watch it cooked!
served with sautéed sweet onions, herb-roasted new potatoes,
deluxe garden salad, corn on the cob, garlic toast
Dessert and beverage, $18.95 person

We will accept last-minute reservations if we can. If you want to call for reservations while we're gone to Spokane, just leave a message with your phone number, and we'll confirm when we return.

8-3-05
Dear Friends, Family, and patrons near and far,

We are going to try our best to offer something each weekend for your dining pleasure, with the hope that our Friday, and in some cases, Saturday, meals will become popular with everyone around the region. This weekend we are trying a twist on our barbeque, this time good old fashioned spareribs, to be gnawed on and enjoyed like some of the famous barbeque places have. You'd have to travel some to get ribs this good, and we hope to have a lot of you mosey on over and enjoy some good summertime dining pleasure! Some people hesitate because they have not made an early reservation, and we'll do our best to accommodate last-minute decisions to come up to the inn. If you decide that afternoon that you'd like to come up for dinner, just give us a call, and if we have enough, we'll surely welcome you! It is hard, with us not being open every day to do this, but we are sincerely trying to build a regular clientele who enjoy dining at the inn, as much as we enjoy cooking and serving you! We realize that many people don't decide until the last minute to go eat out, or sometimes our friends get unexpected company and would like to come up. So we'll accommodate you if we possibly can! I usually cook too much anyway!

Thanks again for the well wishes for Dick, a catch-up note: he had a Thallium Bike test in Spokane, he does have a problem, but we'll return to the Heart Institute in Spokane on August 11 for heart catherization to explore it more thoroughly, and if they find something to fix, they'll do it on the spot. We are confident that he'll continue to improve. He's already doing a lot more now, and his meds seem to be doing the job. It's been great to receive so many cards, calls, and care messages!
We hope to see you soon at the inn!

We're happy to accept last-minute Reservations if we have room!
Just call 476-7570

Complimentary Appetizers always served for your pleasure!
Open at 6:30 P.M. for casual dining in our high mountain setting!

This Friday, August 5
Mesquite Smoked Spareribs, Finger-Lickin' and Messy! Served with Jo's Special Potato Salad, Slaw, and Beans, Plenty of homemade bread for sopping up sauce!
Dessert and beverage $15 person

Saturday, August 13 Come on up for Saturday Steak Night! Custom-grill your own NY steak or watch it cooked! served with sautéed Walla Walla onions, herb-roasted new potatoes, deluxe garden salad, corn on the cob, homemade bread Dessert and beverage, $18.95 person
Reserve early!

Friday, August 19 Italian Pasta Night
Gramigna (Penne with Italian Sausage)
Pasta Primavera (lots of summer veggies)
Caesar Salad, Italian Bread, Dessert, Beverage
$15 person

We also hope to be open August 26 and sometime Labor Day weekend.

Bed and Breakfast, new cabins always open!
visit us at our web site, join our newsletter list, tell your friends about us!

7-25-05
What a busy week we've had!  For the first time, all our rooms and cabins were occupied all week, including our guest bedroom up at our house! A boating instructor class was with us from Sunday through Friday, then a canoeing group from Slickrock Expeditions of North Carolina joined us Friday night, along with a couple who rode their Harley in from Hamilton, Montana, making fifteen overnight guests with us for the weekend!  Plus we were doing Tex-Mex Night for dinner on Friday, and our numbers swelled to a full house of over forty dinner guests. We had a great time all week getting acquainted with our visitors, who hailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Gulf Coast, including Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; Port Angeles and Kennewick, Washington.

Other guests from this group were from Zimmerman, Minnesota and Idaho Falls, and they had a good time getting to know one another as they spent the entire week here at the inn when they weren't out on the water or in class.

We also had a Lewis and Clark tour group who spent time up on the Lolo Trial with guide and scholar Linwood Laughy. They joined us for dinner, and enjoyed the inn immensely. This group included five couples who were previously acquainted, and planned this tour as their summer outing together!  Later in the week we had a family from Puebla, Mexico, who came in to Orofino to pick up their son who has been an exchange student with the Gasaway family.  We fixed a special dinner for them, and I had great fun using my Spanish, which doesn't get much use any more, since I stopped teaching for the college!  Other guests during the week were 17 PEO ladies from Lewiston, who were here for their first meal with us, and who have promised to return soon.  The weekend was capped off with the 90th birthday party given for Dr. Myrick Pullen, who with his wife Julia have been longtime residents of Orofino.  The Pullen family gathered at the inn for a special dinner, and it was our pleasure to be a part of the celebration!  Our newsletter list swelled by about twenty new entries this week, so we greet all you newcomers to our e-mail!

Now, here's what we've planned up here at the High Country Inn.  We hope to see many of you sometime these next few weeks of mid-summer.  If you haven't been up since we've finished the cabins, by all means, come and have a look. We continue to make improvements...the next project seems to be a "washhouse" to be built between the cabins to afford our guests not only washing facilities, but also a refrigerator, microwave, and other little amenities not provided in our "getaway" cabins!  Thanks for telling your friends about us, do pass on our news, and patronize the inn for your dining pleasure.

Everyone Welcome, come up and Escape the summer heat at the High Country Inn!
 
This week's Casual Friday, July 29
Special Mediterranean Night!
Jumbo Greek Salad, colorful Antipasto, Bruschetta,
Chicken and Pork Veggie Ka Bobs, Rice Pilaf
Dessert and Beverage      $15 person
open at 6:30 p.m.  Reserve by Friday noon
 
Casual Friday, August 5
Smoked Ribs, Finger-Lickin' and Messy!
Served with Jo's Special Potato Salad, Slaw, and Beans
Plenty of homemade bread for sopping up sauce!
Dessert and beverage     $15 person

7-19-05
Country Catering Celebrates Tenth Anniversary
Just ten years ago this month, Edward Moore, Class of 1985 OHS, called his mother, Jo, and asked if she would consider catering his class's tenth high school reunion, to be held at Freeman Creek Campground. Edward suggested that since his mother was always cooking for the Catholic parish, she could just donate any proceeds to the church, and this is what happened!  Jo and husband Dick, their good friend, Cathy Curtis, along with Cathy's dad, Randy Curtis, took on the cooking project, serving up a roasted pig and barbequed chicken with all the trimmings, and both Jo and Cathy were hooked on catering from then on!

Then came a wedding, and a party here and there, and the holiday season found both busy, working in weekend festivities while both were fulltime teachers for Joint School District 171.  It was two years later before the little business had a name, and the catering was done from Dick Moore's GMC truck!  By 1999, when Jo retired from teaching, a catering van was bought, and doing a wedding for 250 from the home kitchen became too much, so the idea of a new professional kitchen was born.  Now, six years later, visitors marvel at the lovely facilities at the new High Country inn, where not only catering, but dining for the public, occasional cooking classes, a bed and breakfast, three brand new cabins, and now, horseback trail rides are offered!  Overnight guests enjoy all the amenities of a first class lodging facility, with luxurious robes and slippers for their visits to the hot tub, complimentary snacks, full dining service if desired, and always, warm hospitality.

By the way, welcome to the 20th high school reunion of OHS class of 1985 the first weekend of August!  (Trivia:  Edward Moore, President of Marketing Media Group, an ad agency in Boise, is  the public relations agent for Brad Duke, Boise, who won the 202 million in Powerball earlier this summer!)

P.S. to all our friends!  Dick is doing much better, is now back in the kitchen for kp duty!!  He'd love to see you!  We'll be in Spokane Thursday of this week for a nuclear test and see a cardiologist.  Thanks again for your many thoughts and prayers!

6-28-05

Thanks to all who have sent cards and wishes for a speedy recovery to Dick, just a note to let you know that he came home from the hospital this lastweekend, and I'm taking good care of him at home.  He is still quite weak,but we hope he'll soon be back to his old self, helping me in the kitchen!He has enjoyed receiving your cards!

This Friday, July 1, we will have our All-American barbeque, and hope to seeyou here.  Some of our kids should be here by the time of the dinner, and it's a great way to kick off the holiday weekend.  Reservations can be madethrough Friday afternoon. 

Our next public event is scheduled for Saturday, July 16, with a summer picnic supper.  More details later!

The inn will begin offering horseback trail rides for its guests, beginning this weekend.  This is a great activity for our out-of-town guests, and we will also offer overnight lodging for travelers with horses, with pens just across the road from us.  Homer and Sharon Ferguson, of the F Lazy SRanch, will be the operators of the rides and lodging.  Help us spread the word!  The cabins are being booked, and we look forward to building our business through the kind word of mouth on your part.  Thanks a bunch!

Jo Moore

6-23-05

Hello to all our patrons and friends!

It's been a while since you've heard from the inn, and although it's as busy as can be around here, there hasn't been much to report on our events for the public, with more private gatherings being scheduled to keep us busy. The B&B business has been steady, we've had a wonderful visit with our five cousins from Texas, and lots of dinners, including a full house for our Father's Day celebration. This week we're gearing up for two big luncheons, one at Spaulding for over 100 guests, and one at Dworshak Dam for 60 for a teachers' tour. Tonight is the annual appreciation dinner given for our hospital donors and volunteers.

I've been rather short-handed lately, as Dick  has been seriously ill for over two weeks, and has been hospitalized.  We spent several days testing for causes, thinking it might be the gall bladder or something else, only to finally learn that it has been his heart all along, giving him such stress. He is presently at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, and has been for a week, with perhaps another week to go before his enlarged heart is stabilized and his lungs can remain clear.  His spirits are good, though I don't get to spend much time with him, running back and forth to Lewiston every day.  I do ask your prayers for his speedy recovery!  Hopefully he'll be back in the kitchen soon, slicing and dicing away! 

Our next event will be Friday July 1, an all-American barbeque to start the Fourth with a bang!  Our son, Scott and grandson Patrick will come in from Ohio and be here for the following week to visit, so we'll put them to work! The weekend of the 4th we hope to see more of our family, but thought we would at least be open to start the weekend,  and hope you can come to meet our son who doesn't get to come very often.  Scott stays busy many weekends working with Habitat for Humanity, and as soon as he returns to Ohio he'll be off to Ghana again, this time to be a consultant on energy.

For Friday the 1st of July we'll serve up some good Texas-style "all-you-can-eat" barbeque brisket and pork boneless ribs with all the trimmings, including dessert, for $14.50 per dinner, plus tax and gratuity. Make your reservations early!

If you haven't seen our new cabins yet, be sure and come by soon.  Our lodging business is off and running, and we're proud to announce that we'll begin offering horseback trail rides for our guests in July!  We'll even have overnight lodging for horses available, under the operation of the F Lazy S Ranch, Homer and Sharon Ferguson, owners. Watch for our details on this new activity available at the inn!

6-7-05

Just a quick note to our friends, to let you know that the Winemaker's Dinner will be postponed until later in the summer, to see if there is enough interest then.  We weren't able to garner enough reservations to do it for June 25, so have cancelled the winemaker for now. Those of you who are still interested, do let me know, with some possible dates in August, and we'll see what we can do.  This is always such a special occasion, and a real treat to be held here in Orofino!

We will have our Casual Friday this week, June 10, with Tex-Mex cooking at its best, opening at 6:30, serving at 7 p.m.  A full dinner, including appetizers, dessert and beverage, for just $12 person, plus tax and gratuity.  A welcome to all visitors to our area; I understand some Rotarians from Australia will be with us! (Along with our cousins from Texas!)

On Sunday, June 19, which also happens to be Father's Day, we will offer a grand dinner, with steak and shrimp for all the special guys we know! Invite your favorite man, or get together with another couple, or even make it a party, and come up to enjoy our delicious food and ambiance.  Our place has never looked prettier, all the landscaping work is paying off!  We will open at 4 p.m. that day.  Dinner includes appetizers, dessert, and beverage, is $18 person, plus tax and gratuity.

6-3-05

We're starting to get busy with booking of our cabins and other overnight accommodations for the summer, and it is gratifying to see that people are finding us on our web site! So far this last month we've had visitors from England and Iowa, and are expecting guests from Wisconsin later this month.

The NAIA World Series even brought money into Orofino, and that's good! Our guests for the games stayed four days with us.

Looking ahead, we invite you to our next Casual Friday, June 10th, for our Tex-Mex dinner, featuring chicken enchiladas, taco bar, homemade salsa, and lots of condiments, including dessert and beverage.. Our cousins will be here for a short visit, and you'll enjoy their "Texas" drawl! We open at 6:30, dinner is just $12, plus t&g.

We hope many will be interested in our Father's Day dinner, June 19, not just for fathers, but husbands, friends, company from out of town! We'll feature Surf and Turf, (wonderful Angus Tri-Tip and shrimp) and lots of trimmings, including herb-roasted new potatoes, deluxe salad, homemade bread, dessert, and beverage. Price for dinner is $18, plus tax and gratuity.

The other weekends of June are taken up with catering or private events held here at the inn. We're not sure about the 4th of July weekend, whether anyone is interested in an event, but we do plan on being open the
15th-16th of the month. We'll have our son, Scott, here from Ohio, from
July 1-10. He's good help in the kitchen, too!

Do remember, that if you have company, and would like one of our special dinners, we do those anytime during the week that we are here and not otherwise busy! We love to accommodate small private parties!

If you expect company this summer, and need a place for them to stay, please recommend the High Country Inn, where we treat everyone like family! A full, home-cooked breakfast and use of the hot tub in included in our rates.

We hope to see you soon, and thank you for telling others about us!!

5-22-05

It seems my e-mailed ad to the local paper got lost in cyberspace, so no ad went out this last week for our plans for this coming weekend. Thought I'd send out a note in case you can help spread the word that we will be open on Friday the 27th for Casual Mediterranean Night, featuring chicken kebabs, Greek salad, and lots more, for $12.50 person. Then on Memorial Day, Monday, we'll be here all afternoon, ready to serve barbeque sandwiches, beverages, dessert, for any who are driving around, or have company to entertain. We'll have our cabins open for inspection if they're not still occupied (we do have guests arriving from Iowa for the NAIA World Series for the weekend, that all depends on how the games go!)

We're still hoping to hear from more couples who would be interested in attending a Winemaker's Dinner on Saturday, June 25. We'd like to have about 12 couples to make it a nice party. If this is a bad time, but people are interested for a later date, we can postpone for another time this summer.

We had a fun time with our "HOGS" this weekend, I'll put some pictures on the web site soon. It was a thrill watching them cross the Ahsahka bridge, and then come up our driveway. They had no trouble at all making the turn and coming up!

If you haven't been to see us lately, do make plans and come on up!

5-17-05
We don't have much going on this weekend, except on Saturday, May 21, our daughter and son-in-law are bringing up some of their Harley-Davidson friends from Boise, and we are having a steak night for them. Any of you who speak "HOG" or have one of your own, are welcome to come and join us. We'll do NY steaks, baked potatoes, and the trimmings. We will need to know if you're coming!

For Memorial Day weekend, we have the place reserved on Saturday and Sunday, but on Friday night we'll have Casual Friday, with Mediterranean food, featuring chicken and veggie ke babs, Greek Salad, good bread, dessert, for $12.50 person. Reserve early if you can....we'll be in Boise all next week celebrating a grand daughter's high school graduation and getting my Grandbaby "Fix!"!

On Memorial Day, we're going casual, and will be open all afternoon for those wishing to stop by, and have a barbeque sandwich lunch or some dessert and beverage. We won't require reservations, but if you're bringing a group, try to let us know. We're still proudly showing off our new cabin project, and the grounds are getting prettier all the time!

We haven't had much response concerning our Winemaker's Dinner, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 25. If you are interested, or have some friends who might enjoy tasting new wines, let them know, and tell us so.

We're hoping to have a "Bring on the Summer" party to celebrate the end of school, start of vacation time, etc., the first weekend of June. We need to round up some entertainment first, so any ideas???

5-10-05
Hello from our soggy, boggy hill! We asked for rain, and boy, have we gotten it! Can't complain, though, but I'd sure like to get out and try to keep up with the weeds!

We had a wonderful Mother's Day here at the inn, with twenty-three guests, and everyone said they enjoyed our dinner! As soon as they were gone, our guests from the UK arrived, and they were starving!!! So we did it all over again, and the day for us finally ended about 9 p.m! We are enjoying our guests, and I'm starting to give new meaning to some of our words, like "biscuits" for crackers!

Come rain or shine, we're preparing a barbeque for this Saturday, May 14. Everyone is invited to join us, we're doing a "piggy roast" which will be slow-smoked barbequed pork loin (we didn't have this at our barbeque last month, so it will be different) along with some different salads, baked beans, homemade bread, dessert, and beverage, for $12.50 person, plus tax and gratuity. If it's clear by then, those of you who haven't had a chance to view our new cabins are invited to do so! The last and largest cabin, the "Gone Fishin' cabin," is ideal for small family reunions, as it will sleep eleven with room for a sleeping bag or two for more guests.

The weekend of May 20-21 we have a small group of Harley couples (HOGS) coming in, to stay overnight, so we might offer a dinner while they are here, also. Watch for it!

We plan on being here for Monday, Memorial Day, our wine and beer bar and light snacks, barbeque sandwiches, or dessert and coffee, will be available for drop-ins, in case you have company and want to show them around. We have catered events for the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, but if enough folks are interested in us doing a Casual Friday which would be May 27, we would be happy to plan one. Do let us know if you would be interested, and we'll go from there.

5-3-05
We're getting some response to our events this weekend, with Cinco de mayo this Friday, plus our special dinner on Sunday, for Mother's Day or whatever other reason to enjoy a delicious New York strip prime dinner! We
will open at 4 p.m., serve complimentary mimosas (champagne and orange juice) appetizers, followed by a served dinner, including a beautiful spring salad, stuffed baked potato, veggies, homemade bread, and as always, dessert and beverage, for $18, plus tax and gratuity.

This Friday, May 6, in the Mexican tradition, we'll have a grand array of Tex-Mex appetizers, followed by your choice of beef or chicken fajitas, with the trimmings of sautéed green and red peppers, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, etc., and or own homemade beans and rice, followed by Mexican wedding cookies and ice cream with kalua for dessert. All this for $12.50! We have a good selection of Mexican and Nicaraguan beer on hand, along with our regular wine and beer bar. If the weather cooperates like it did for our open house barbeque, we can also serve on the deck or in the sunken garden. Gather a group together and plan a fun evening out!

I have the inn booked during Memorial Day weekend for Saturday and Sunday, but we'd like to do something either Friday night or Monday during the day or early evening, if any are interested. If you'll be having company, let me know, and we'll arrange something.

Several of you have indicated an interest in another Winemaker's Dinner, and Neil Glancey, the winemaker from Carmela Vineyards of Glenns Ferry, called this week, and said he would be available in June to come up and bring some of his new wines. So I'm asking you to check your calendars for Saturday, June 25, if you would be interested in coming to a fine gourmet dinner, with a different wine served with each course, on that date. The cost would be $35 person, including the dinner and the wines. (Plus tax and gratuity.) Dinners of this sort usually start at $50 person, so this is a very good deal! If the date is not good, please indicate another possible date convenient during the summer, and we'll see if we have enough interest. Neil gives us a lot of good information about wines and winemaking when he comes, and it is a real education in itself!

Hope you had a chance to see last Sunday's Lewiston Tribune and the article they did on our new cabins. If you haven't viewed them yet, they'll be open for inspection again this weekend. Hope to see you soon!

4-29-05
I'd like you to help spread the news that we will offer a lovely dinner next Sunday, May 8, at 4 p.m., here at the High Country Inn. We will serve New York Prime roast, stuffed baked potato, a deluxe spring salad, veggies, homemade bread, and dessert. Dinner always includes appetizer, and we'll serve complimentary Mimosas. This dinner is not just to honor mothers, but for any who would enjoy a lovely outing to view our colorful gardens, new cabins, and spectacular view, not to mention the good food you are used to! Price of the dinner is $18, plus tax and gratuity.

We still have lots of room for our High Tea this Sunday, May 1, and hope we'll have several more call in to enjoy the performance of Karen Bird Goodwin, accompanied by Joanne Hutchinson. The tea begins at 3 p.m., and we look forward to seeing you!

Watch this Sunday's issue of the Lewiston Tribune for an article about our cabins. The photographer was here yesterday to get a picture and was very impressed! We're anxious to show them off, and Ron Gardner of the state department of commerce and labor called yesterday to get more information on them for an upcoming press release about recreation on the Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers. Also with our five British visitors next week, we'll hope to see some future business!

Don't forget our Cinco de mayo celebration next Friday, May 6, featuring lots of good Mexican food, including beef and chicken fajitas, cooked over mesquite, plus lots of other good Tex-Mex dishes! Hopefully the weather will be nice as it turned out last Saturday, when we had a deck full of diners enjoying the outdoors all evening!

Please send others our news who might not have been up here yet. We appreciate Norm and Laura Galey of Lewiston bringing up new guests last week for our opening barbeque, it's always great to welcome new friends!

4-26-05
Hello to all our friends!
A big "Texas-size" thank you to all who came to our open house barbeque last Saturday, we had about 60 all told, including our entertainers. The fickle weather finally decided to cooperate, and it couldn't have been any nicer for all the folks who sat outside on the deck and enjoyed their dinner.

Many thanks also to Helen Marshall and the "Prairie Dog Five" who provided such good REAL old-fashioned country western music with their instruments and singing. The western dress they all wore really added to the theme! We had some new guests from Lewiston, as well as many of our "old-time" friends who have been patronizing us all along...thank you again!

We had lots of compliments on our new cabins, especially the "Gone Fishin' " family-sized one, many were saying it would be a great spot to bring their grandkids! It will sleep from 8 to 11 guests.

Our big news is that we are going to have five British tour operators staying with us for seven nights in May, being hosted by the Nez Perce Tribe Tourism folks. This will be an excellent opportunity for us to show off our western hospitality. Hopefully they will plan tours which will involve visits to our area and inn during the bicentennial this coming year. We hope to have our trail rides in place by the summer, and that will be an enhancement for visitors, we think.

A special invitation to all the ladies and gents in the area who enjoy teas, this Sunday, May 1, will be our May Day tea, featuring Karen Bird Goodwin in a spring mini-concert, accompanied by Joanne Hutchinson. The tea will begin at 3 p.m. and will be in three courses, as usual. It is a most lovely time to come up to the inn, we have profuse blooming of spring flowers, and the view right now is spectacular! If you have anyone in mind that you would like to honor, whether it be a mother, or graduate, or just a good friend to treat, Sunday would be a great day to do it! Please e-mail or call in your reservation by Thursday if possible!

Our next public event will be "Cinco de mayo" on Friday, the sixth of May, with a Mexican Fiesta featuring fajitas and all the trimmings. As you know, we love to do Mexican food, and we'll be all decked out in the bright red, green, and white of Mexico, and lots of good south of the border dishes. Please come to our casual night and invite someone who hasn't been up here before! We will begin at 6:30 with appetizers, full dinner just $12.50 plus tax and gratuity.We are still in a quandary about Mother's Day, as we've had only one response to our request for interest. I will have to decide by this week, of course, so now is the time to let me know if you would like to come for Mother's Day dinner on May 8. I will wait to hear from you if you would be our guests. I am also open to menu, but am thinking of either Pork Wellington or New York Prime. Other ideas?

4-19-05
We're having good response to our invitation for open house this Saturday, with over thirty coming for our Texas Barbeque dinner so far. We still have room, so let us know soon if you plan on attending. The dinner will include beef brisket, chicken, and sausages, with all the trimmings, including dessert, for just $12.50 person, plus tax and gratuity. We will be entertained by the "Prairie Dog Five," a group of fine people from Nez Perce. Their group includes two fiddles, guitar, mandolin, and vocalist. We're happy to welcome this fine group for their first time with us.

Please invite others to attend our Grand Opening and tours of new cabins, to be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. We will serve light refreshments, and show everyone around. We are already renting the cabins, in fact, two will be occupied Friday night!

Our May Day Tea will be held Sunday, May 1, and what a beautiful time to have an afternoon affair!  We are hoping to have entertainment, and are taking reservations now for the event, which will be held at 3 p.m. Do invite someone and celebrate a beautiful spring!

Cinco de mayo celebration will be Friday, May 6, featuring fajitas and lots of other good Mexican food. We'll be all decked out in the bright red, green, and white colors of Mexico, with lively music and cold beverages! $12.50 person for complete dinner. We should be dining on the deck by then, weather permitting! Reserve now!

We hope to see many of you Saturday, do spread the word about us!

4-11-05
Dear Patrons,
We'd like to invite you to attend our "ribbon-cutting" and open house for our newly-finished cabins, to be held Saturday, April 23. We will have tours of the cabins and free refreshments from two to six o'clock. At six p.m. we will open for a Texas Barbeque in celebration, with a full three-meat Barbeque dinner for just $12.50 person. (For the barbeque we will need reservations.)

We are looking for some "western" style entertainment, so if you know of any entertainers, let us know!

Please invite your friends to come and view our newest project, we are booking already, and have had several guests this past month. We are especially proud of our "family-size" cabin, which will sleep from seven to eleven. It has a "Fishing" theme and is done in shades of cranberry, sage green, and beige. The other two, the "Yellow Rose of Texas" and the "Lone Star" are all done up in shades of red, white, and blue, and of course, are all "Texan!"

Looking Ahead:
Casual Friday April 29 Chicken Fried Steak, Country Gravy and Trimmings $12
May Day Tea, Sunday, May 1 3 p.m. $10
Casual Friday,Cinco de Mayo Fajita night May 6 $12.50

All events by reservation, and prices do not include tax or gratuity.

I would also like to know (as I did at Easter,) if we have enough interested in a Mother's Day (May 8) dinner. We were overwhelmed with the positive response for Easter, we ended up with two seatings, and I did learn to space them another hour apart to allow plenty of leisure time for our guests! I am open to suggestions for Mother's Day, including menu and times, but need to decide by this week.

May Day Tea on Sunday, May 1, a great way to have a combination celebration for graduates, mothers and daughters, or just for a fun get together with your friends!

Please continue to tell your friends and associates about us, we appreciate those of you who have forwarded our newsletter to others. Our best advertising is from folks like you!

3-22-05
Hello to all,
We've had great response to our Easter dinner announcement from both Orofino, Kamiah, and the prairie. It looks like we'll have a full house! Plus we do have a bit more room, perhaps for a second seating if necessary. We plan on opening at 2:30, with buffet dinner served at 3 p.m. The menu will include:

Baron of Beef, Ham with Raisin Sauce, Boneless Pork Loin and Dressing, Roasted Garlic Real mashed potatoes, two gravies, a vegetarian quiche, vegetables, condiments, rolls and butter, and desserts., coffee or tea. Price is $15 adults, children 6-12 $6, plus tax and gratuity. ($18.50 inclusive for adults)

We are planning events for April, including our ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the cabins for April 23, which will be a barbeque. Hope you'll plan on coming to that!

3-15-05
What a great St. Paddie's we had, with a full house and wonderful entertainment!

Now I need to know about whether to plan an Easter dinner and will decide today. I have had just a couple positive responses, so if you've put off letting me know, then please answer today. The dinner would be family-style, a buffet, and would start at 3 p.m., or could be at 2 o'clock if people would like an earlier dinner. (Children welcome!--we could even have an Easter Egg Hunt!) Price: $15 adults, $6 children age 6-12

We would offer at least two entrees and all the trimmings. We have already decorated for Easter, just need to know if people are interested. I am also open to menu options! The main thing is to make a decision, as we don't want to plan and have no guests!!!

We'll be busy all next week working on the grounds, and hope to have a grand opening of our cabins and a celebration by April 23 or so, with a barbeque and some drawings. Watch for it!

Also, we'll begin our luncheon offering on April 3, and would like to know if people will be interested in Wednesday or Thursday luncheons in the spring and summer.

3-8-05
Early or not, it's a celebration of the coming of spring, and our daffodils are blooming! We'll be decked out in festive green, yellow, and white for this weekend's St. Paddie's gathering, and we're expecting a nice crowd for our traditional Irish dinner. The entertainment will be our best yet, with both the Irish Harp, and a program following dinner with some of Orofino's finest talent. If you haven't made reservations yet, we still have some room and welcome you! We will open at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 12, full dinner and entertainment for just $15 person, plus tax and gratuity.

I would also like to know how many of our patrons would be interested in Easter Dinner at our place, served in mid-afternoon, around 4 p.m. on Easter Sunday. If enough are interested, we would be happy to plan one. We have such lovely Easter decorations, we hate to see them not enjoyed! We would need at least twenty-five reservations to make it happen. Let me know by next week if you would like to come, and I can plan the menu and advertise it.

We are also going to offer lunches on a trial basis, the first being Wednesday, April 6, for $10, including dessert and beverage. (plus tax and gratuity.) If we have good response, we will offer luncheons during spring and summer, and when the weather is nice, tables and umbrellas set up on our deck. We also welcome any sororities, Red Hatters, organizations and other groups and businesses to have their meetings up here. We are happy to welcome the Governor's Committee for the Bicentennial here on April 8, with guests from around the state.

We're really excited about the near-completion of our new big cabin, hoping to see it ready for guests by the end of this month! It has an enclosed bedroom in the loft for a couple, and a twin bed also in the loft. It has an interior staircase, tile and carpeting, wainscoting made from the old barn wood left from our original house, and lots of neat features. We hope to get enough beds in for it to accommodate up to ten guests. We will plan a "ribbon-cutting" ceremony and open house for all our friends and patrons, with a drawing for a free overnight or two, and I guess we should have a Texas Barbeque for the grand opening of our Texas cabins!

Happy spring to all, let me know about Easter dinner!

3-2-05
We just returned yesterday from a wonderful visit to Ohio, where we witnessed our first grandson receiving his Eagle Scout award, and what an awesome and inspiring ceremony it was. Our son Scott then presented his dad with three "Father of an Eagle" pins to represent our three sons who are all Eagles. I already had my "mother's" pins, but at the time our boys became Eagles, there wasn't a special recognition for the dads. That was special! So now we're back to business as usual!

Dining Out
We have this Friday, March 4, planned as a "Fish house Friday", however, I don't know if it's too early to be planning a casual Friday, as we haven't heard from anybody, but right now we're planning on having a delicious chowder and salmon dinner. We hope some of you will want to come.

Next Saturday, March 12, will be our celebration for St. Patrick's, and we've had the entertainers practicing for a few weeks already. It will be a night of great fun with not only a program following dinner, but the wonderful Irish harp by Patrick Donnelly during dinner! And for those who don't care for corned beef and cabbage, we'll have the Potato Bar and all the trimmings with special toppings. Dessert, beverage, and of course appetizers, are always included. $15 includes dinner and entertainment!

Cabin and Moose Room Special Extended
We had such great response during February for our coupon special for a couple's Getaway, that we've decided to extend it for one more month, until we have our "Grand Opening." So all during March couples can plan a night or two away for a pre-spring vacation, for the special price of just $100 for a dinner, overnight, and breakfast the following morning. (Plus tax and gratuity.) This is at least a $150 value, and we're told it is well worth the money! Get your coupon here. Pictures of the queen beds and cabin units are on the B&B page so you can see the beautiful new furniture. The new big cabin should be finished by mid-March, and will be totally different from the first two units, with tile, carpeting, indoor staircase, enclosed bedroom in the loft, and will sleep at least ten. It will be a nice place for a group!

Don't forget that in April we will begin to offer luncheons on a trial basis, the first being April 6. You can make reservations at any time up until that week.

Please pass along our web site and/or newsletter to your friends. It is through your good word that we have new patrons! And do come see us soon!

2-22-05
A warm welcome to so many of you who have signed up for our newsletter these last few weeks.

We thank all of you who have promised to recommend us to your friends and associates. It has been a wonderful two weeks of hosting so many "new" visitors at our place! Our Valentine's dinners were all well-attended, as was the High Tea, and this last weekend saw a full house of overnight visitors as well.

Couple Getaways Popular!

During February the High Country Inn, as part of its third anniversary in business, has been offering a "Getaway Package" and it has been very well received, with the two new cabin units as well as the Moose Room Suite in the inn. Couples from Boise, Lapwai, Kamiah, and Lewiston have kept the cabins and suite occupied the past two weekends, all taking advantage of the package deal, which includes a fine dinner as well as breakfast the next morning. Just one week remains to take advantage of the special, though the redemption may be delayed through March.

All the couples who have stayed with Jo and Dick Moore at the High Country Inn have enjoyed their stay so much that they've promised to tell all their friends about this perfect "getaway." The new cabin units are furnished with a queen-sized handmade lodge pole pine bed, and also a twin bed in the loft.

Fishermen from Hailey and Meridian also stayed this past weekend, and have promised to return next time with their wives! Visitors to the web site will find a coupon for the "Getaway" which can be printed and used until February 28. Stays must be made by March 31. The Bed and Breakfast business of the High Country Inn is open year-round, and is truly a special retreat for busy folks who enjoy being pampered with fine family-style hospitality in a quiet, relaxed and beautiful setting.

We will be gone this next week, with a trip to Ohio to witness our grandson receiving his Eagle Scout award, the first grandchild to do so, following in the footsteps of our three sons, who are all Eagles! So the next public event will be on our return, and we hope to see many of you at our Casual Friday, March 4, when we'll bake a wonderful Chinook Salmon and cook up some delicious clam chowder. A full dinner will be just $12.50, for Salmon!!

Do make plans now and reserve for our St. Paddie's celebration, to be held Saturday, March 12. We'll have wonderful live entertainment, with singers, pianist, and Irish harp, to go with the traditional Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage, and all the trimmings, plus a baked potato bar and dessert. It would also be a perfect "Getaway" night, if you're out of town and would like to make it a nice overnight! We have one couple already reserved!

The following weekend we'll be open, but haven't decided yet what to do. If you have a suggestion and would like to get up a table or two, let us know your wishes!! Hope to see you soon.

2-10-05
As we celebrate our third anniversary of being in business in the inn, I want to express my thanks for your patronage, and wish you a love-filled weekend, however you spend it with your special ones.

We are gearing up for a big string of events, from Friday through Monday, and are pleased that we have couples coming to stay with us each night of our dinners as well. (We've been offering a special couple's "Getaway" coupon on our web site, and it's drawn some attention!)

If you haven't yet made reservations for a special dinner, we still have openings for Friday the 11th, Saturday and Monday have a nice group coming so far. We're looking forward to hearing the Big Guys sing on Monday evening!

The High Tea has a few spots remaining. We planned it so that those who wish to go to the Sunday matinee Community Concert can come directly up here and enjoy a nice tea to complete the day. The tea is from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and will have a hearty first course rather than the usual fare we serve as first course hors d'oeuvres.

We will be here for President's Day weekend, so if you have company, bring them up to see the place. We'll have overnight guests and be cooking dinner for them, so give us a call if you want to be included!

We're working feverishly to finish up our big cabin, which is really looking good. We plan an open house as soon as we're done, to show off our work. The new cabin, right now called the "bunkhouse," for want of a better name, and will sleep around ten. We'll know more after we start moving beds in! It will be tiled and carpeted, have stairs up to a private bedroom and twin bed in the loft, and beautiful wainscoting made from old barn wood that was in our old house!

Looking ahead: A new event for the calendar is our Casual Friday to be held March 4. This will be Fish House Night, with my homemade clam chowder, and Lemon-herb Baked Chinook Salmon!! The following weekend, Saturday, March 12, will be our big St. Patrick's celebration, with a full menu and live entertainment, including both singers, pianist, and Irish harp!! You don't want to miss this fun event. We'll see what we can do about green beer! If all goes well, we'll have a second Friday Fish House Night on March 18, with Fish and Chips, with all the trimmings.

We are pleased that we are getting several catering events scheduled, including the Idaho Governor's Committee for the Bicentennial, to be held here on April 8. We have overnight guests coming for that event, so it's an opportunity to show off our facilities for seminars, meetings, etc. Thanks to you who have offered help in letting others know about our corporate and business facilities!!

In April I would like to try lunches for the public on Wednesdays. If they prove popular, we will continue and expand over the summer. I'll need your help to spread the word, as we continually try to offer what our patrons wish to see us do. The first one will be scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, as I already have a small group coming that day.

We'll be gone to Dublin, Ohio the last weekend of February, to witness our first grandson receiving his Eagle Scout award, and we're very proud of his achievement. All three of our sons have their Eagle, so it's great to see some of our grandsons coming up in the ranks! Two others are on their way, so we're keeping our fingers crossed!

Again, Happy Valentine's to you!

2-1-05
Just a note to let you all know that I will be away from my computer from Sunday through Wednesday a.m., as Dick will have wrist surgery in Boise on Monday morning. (He'll be in a cast for seven weeks, so what am I going to do without my favorite chopper, slicer, and dicer??)

We hope to be back at the latest by Wednesday noon. If you'd like to make a reservation, for any of our events coming up, please call 476-7570, and either speak to Vicki, my housekeeper, or leave a message. Do remember to indicate your choice of entrees, either Pork Wellington (our favorite!) Chicken Saltimbocca, or NY Prime.

Valentine's Weekend will mark the third anniversary of the High Country Inn, for serving fine dinners to the public, as well as catering private events, such as reunions, weddings, and business seminars in its new facility, located just off Viewpoint Road on the way to Dworshak Dam. The inn is now in an expansion phase of adding cabins and will be known as a "country inn," with its ability to offer full meal service for overnight guests. The first two cabin units are ready for occupancy, and the third, larger cabin, which will accommodate up to ten guests, will be finished by the first of March. An open house for the cabins is planned for the spring, and the public will be invited.

We are about full for Mardi Gras, with room for about six more guests, and the Valentine's weekend dinner reservations are coming in, with Saturday the 12th almost filled. (About six openings left for Saturday.) There is plenty of room on Friday the 11th, and Monday the 14th. Don't forget we will have entertainment on Valentine's Day, February 14th, with Ted Leach and Merk Cannel, The Big Guys, performing for us! Their program will have a Valentine's theme and will be very enjoyable.

The High Tea on Sunday the 13th is still open, also. Remember, this tea is later than usual to accommodate those who wish to attend the Sunday matinee of the Community Concert, which starts at 2 p.m. The time is 4:00 to 5:30, and the meal will certainly suffice for supper! We are planning a filling first course ( a surprise!) to be followed by our scones, and grand finale of desserts. Each guest will receive a gift of a long-stemmed rose, and be eligible for drawings for prizes in honor of our third anniversary!

We've been pleased with the response to our "Couple Getaway" package that we've offered for purchase through February. We have couples staying with us each of the nights of Valentine's weekend dinners, and that's just what we were hoping to see! This coupon is good through March, and is on our web site.

We'll be adding more pictures by next week, and I hope to include some shots of our new cabin with the queen bed for couples. The big cabin is really coming along, with a finish date by the end of February. We'll have an open house and invite everyone to come see sometime in March.

Speaking of March, we have a big time planned in honor of St. Patrick's, on Saturday, March 12, with a full evening of live entertainment, including Patrick Donnelly on the Irish harp, and a full complement of singers, headed up by Carrie Bird, and pianist Joanne Hutchinson. This is an event you won't want to miss, and we'll have a delicious Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage as well as Baked Potato Bar, and other good foods, including dessert and Irish Creme coffee!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who wrote back with offers to help spread the word about our inn's facilities, I've been very gratified to see that many of you are so supportive! We now have a "Businesses" page on our web site. Also, we had lots of response when I "lost my list," with people telling me that they want to be included in our mailings! It took me a long time, but I think my list is complete now. Thank you all again, at this "slow" time of the year it's a boost to the spirit~! Do continue to let others know about us, with such a mild winter so far, the travel is easy! We will continue to strive to be your "Destination" when you want good food and a warm welcome!

1-22-05
Just a note for all who are making reservations for any of the Valentine's dinners on the 11th, 12th, or 14th; as several have come in already, when you make your reservation, please let me know which entree you will want, whether it be:

Pork Wellington (lean pork loin with mushroom pate encased in puff pastry)
NY Prime (choice beef cooked like prime rib, according to your wish of doneness)
Chicken Saltimbocca (chicken breast flattened, stuffed with choice ham and provolone or Swiss cheese, rolled, breaded, sautéed, and cooked in white wine sauce)

The dinner on Monday the 14th of February will feature live entertainment with the Big Guys playing wonderful Valentine songs!

Reservations are also coming in for the Valentine's Tea for February 13, which will be true high tea and consist of a first course of a hot dish, (something delicious in a puff pastry shell) followed by the scones and array of desserts. It doesn't begin until 4 o'clock, lasts till 5:30 p.m.

And don't forget Mardi Gras! Chris Steiner will be hammering out the tunes on the piano, and it will be great fun! (Saturday, February 5)

1-19-05
Just a note to our friends to say the roads are clear with this warm spell, and we're planning our Casual Friday Italian night this week, the 21st, and would like to see some of you join us! We have lots of room yet, and I'm in the mood to do some cookin'!

Menu:
Jumbo Italian Salad with antipasto (you could make a meal of this if you're staying away from carbs!)
Gramigna Our special lean Italian sausage cooked in a flavorful sauce with tomatoes, red onion, white wine, and tossed with ziti and parmesan cheese
Pasta Primavera a light dish with sautéed vegetables, pasta, and a creamy sauce
Focacia Bread with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs
Tiramisu for dessert
Special!! Dinner for two, just $25 plus t&g We open at 6:30 p.m., serve at 7 p.m.
Give us a call or e-mail for reservations.

Coming up:
Mardi Gras! Saturday, February 5
A full Cajun menu, with live piano music by Chris Steiner, who played for us last year, colorful decorations and favors. We'll have shrimp etoufee, chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice, homemade bread, a big salad, and King's Cake! Get up a table for a mid-winter party!

Help us celebrate our Third Anniversary of trying to build a business by attending one of our events, as we have planned a full weekend during Valentine's, dinners planned for
Friday, February 11
Saturday, February 12
Monday, February 14 with live entertainment of Valentine songs by
The Big Guys (Merck and Ted)

We are offering a choice of entrees for these dinners, let us know what you wish when you make your reservations: choice of Pork Wellington, (lean pork loin encased with mushroom pate in puff pastry) US Choice NY Prime, (better and leaner than prime rib) or Chicken Breast Saltimbocca, (stuffed with good ham and provolone cheese, breaded, cooked in a white wine sauce.

A beautiful candlelight dinner with lovely table service, plus a free fresh red rose for the ladies, a full dinner for just $25 plus t&g.

Sunday, February 13 will our Valentine's High Tea, from 4 to 5:30 P.M. This will be three courses, planned to follow the community concert that afternoon.

Looking ahead to March, we have a St. Paddie's celebration planned for Saturday, March 12, with a full complement of singing and piano entertainment headed by Carrie Bird, and the Irish Harp by Patrick Donnelly. You won't want to miss this!!

Thanks to all! Jo

1-17-05
I'd like to let everyone know that we do have a baking class scheduled for next Saturday, Jan. 22; however, only one has signed up, so it will only happen if 5 more add on.

We are planning on a great Italian dinner next Friday, January 21, and we do have some reservations, with room for lots more.

Mardi Gras will be a fun party, with live piano music, great Cajun food, and colorful decorations. This will be Saturday, February 5.

Reservations are starting to come in for our series of Valentine dinners, as well as couple Getaway overnights. We hope to see many of you up at the inn as we begin our third year of business.

1-11-05
Hello again to everyone!

I do have a favor to ask, but before that I wanted to let you know that we're going ahead and scheduling a casual Friday in January, which will be Italian Night, Friday, January 21. We've had some calls, wondering if we're going to have anything in January, so I thought I'd give it a try and see if anybody will come!!

Menu: Jumbo Italian salad with antipasto for starters, Lean Italian sausage Gramigna (we've had this nice pasta dish before and everyone's enjoyed it!) Also, a pasta primavera with lots of veggies, very colorful this time of year. Our homemade Focacia, and for dessert, Tiramisu Price: $12.95, or $25 for a couple, plus tax and gratuity. I'll put on my new Italian CD, we'll decorate in Italy's red and green colors, and have the welcome mat out for you! Get a table up and give us a call, won't you?

Now to the favor: I am getting together a marketing plan for my overnight facilities, and we'll soon have the big cabin finished, along with what we already have done. I'm want to concentrate on attracting professional/corporate/agency groups to our place, being able to offer workshop, seminar, class facilities in the Great Room, full dining, plus the overnight accommodations. If you know of any friends or groups who might be interested in our facilities for a "hideaway retreat or board meeting" etc., please pass along our web site. We've put together a "Businesses" page, as well as added a Lewis and Clark page, and added lots more pictures to our scrapbook. The big cabin should be completed by March, and by summer things should be looking great with some landscaping, etc. We have lots to offer here, just no one knows about it! I'm hoping some of you might have some leads and are willing to help us build the business. We'd also appreciate wedding or reunion business!

We can even offer some rewards for any who bring us new business! (Free dinner for two?) We also have added coupons and gift certificates to the web site, for those who look us up. Here's the link, just click on it and you're there!
http://www.thehighcountryinn.com

Don't forget our upcoming events in February:

Mardi Gras Saturday, February 5 Cajun food! Lots of decorations, beads to wear, hopefully, live music!

Valentine's weekend, Saturday is already getting lots of calls, we'll offer dinner Friday,Saturday, and Monday with a high tea on Sunday, February 13, 4 to 5:30 p.m., to allow community concert-goers to attend first that day and then come up for tea! We hope to work in a Sunday dinner during the winter, I'm anxious to try some good winter comfort food!

We hope to see our friends soon!

1-4-05

Dear Friends, here's our latest update in planning for the weeks to come. I wanted to let you know before the paper comes out about our Valentine's weekend, as we're already receiving reservations. If you'd like to make plans, you might want to do it soon! Also, Mardi Gras is one of our "funnest" parties...so why not get a table together, and plan on a lively fun evening. I'm working on getting some live piano music to enhance our enjoyment.

A class in making and shaping rolls and breads the easy way will be offered Saturday, January 22, a change from the January 8 date previously announced. This is the third in a series of classes offered the last year on techniques for satisfying that creative urge to offer the family homemade bread fresh from the oven, using the food processor and electric mixer. Classes at the High Country Inn include all materials, instructions and recipes to take home, a coffee break and lunch, as well as several products to take home and freeze for later enjoyment. The class is limited to six students, lasts from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the cost per participant is $50. Register online or call 476-7570.

Third Anniversary of Inn
February of 2005 will mark the High Country Inn's third anniversary in business, and several events are planned for the month, including Mardi Gras on February 5 with a full menu of Cajun food, and a full weekend of Valentine's treats. The inn's new cabins will also be open for couple's overnight stays, as well as the private rooms inside the lodge. A limited number of overnight packages, including dinner for two, will be available for $125, a $150 value, all during February.

Coupon for overnight package: A Couple's Romantic Getaway
Enjoy a gourmet dinner for two
Relax in our new Hot Springs spa,
Enjoy the evening by the fireplace in the inn
Spend the night in a cabin or our Moose Room suite
and savor a delicious breakfast the next morning
A $150 value, yours for just $125 with this coupon
Good during the month of February, 2005

Public Events
Mardi Gras Party!  Saturday, February 5
Shake off the humdrum of winter, join in the frivolity of beads, Cajun food, lively music, and fun! Full Cajun menu New Orleans style, including etoufee, gumbo, red beans and rice, homemade New Orleans style bread, muffalettas for appetizers, Kings Cake, Louisiana Bread Pudding with sauce, $16.95 person, plus tax and gratuity

Valentine's Weekend Fine Dining
Includes full dinner with a gift rose for your lady! Entrees include choice of Pork Wellington, NY Prime Beef, or Chicken Saltimbocca, Hors d'oeuvre, deluxe salad, entree, fancy potato, dessert, coffee, after-dinner drink
Friday, February 11
Saturday, February 12
Monday, February 14
$25 person, plus tax and gratuity
Reserving now!

The Valentine's High Tea is planned for later in the day than usual, to accommodate those members who wish to attend the "freebie" community concert that day, which will be at 2 p.m. It should be over in time for those who wish to drive on up for a nice tea! Remember, both ladies and gents are welcome at our teas!

Valentine's High Tea Sunday, February 13, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A three-course high tea, satisfying as a full meal
$12 person, plus tax and gratuity ($15 inclusive)
Reserve early!

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