The Griffin Room

It seems that The Griffin House was such a major part of our lives that it’s hard to compress it into a few short sentences. A Farewell Address … It was with great reluctance and deep regret that after nearly twenty years of welcoming Family, Friends and Guests to The Griffin House Bed & Breakfast, the time came for us to close the doors and bid adieu to another era in our lives. We’re proud of “our creation” of the recognition by our peers and the awards we’ve received and of the far reaching contributions that it afforded the community at large. Most of all, we’re grateful for the experience of meeting, greeting and serving our guests; it was our very special privilege and we miss them all. Some of our fondest memories are associated with the conversations that took place around the breakfast table. The coffee flask was always a particular source for wonderment. When guests struggled with getting at the life giving liquid residing inside, we would comfort them by saying, “that’s alright, it takes a neurosurgeon to open it”. And then one morning came the inevitable retort, “I am a neurosurgeon, and I can’t get the damn thing open!”

Or…once, as Irene was washing up at the sink after the morning’s uniquely cerebral discussions, and the phone rang. The voice on the other end asked if we have hot water. Confused and believing that it must be a hoax or somebody looking for a room, she answered, “sure! of course we have hot water; where are you?” The voice on the other end responded, “I’m in the shower in the Griffin Room…could you send some up?” Irene turned off the water at the sink and asked, “how’s that?” He answered, “Great! Thanks!”

Lancastrian Room

Then there was the gentleman in the Lancastrian bathroom who ran out of toilet paper. He looked around and saw that there was a fresh roll on the ledge of the transom window behind him. Unfortunately, in his attempt to retrieve it, he dropped it and in the process of bending over to pick it up, he burned his bare buttocks on the exposed steam pipe, which immediately and violently propelled him forward, headfirst into the wall.

We’re sincerely grateful when guests and community members alike recall for us the very special benefits, fundraisers, and dinner concerts where Irene miraculously prepared six course dinners for forty people, and then followed with her own one woman show. Once the last dinner guest had departed, and the in-house guests were safely tucked away in their rooms, we would begin the cleanup of all of the china and silverware from forty diners…moving the catering furniture to the carriage house, and returning with the main house furniture, and finally setting and making preparations for breakfast.

                    GH Catering

Exhausted, we would fall into bed around 3:00am only to awake again at 5:30am for the early risers. We’re also proud to have played a major role in some of the happiest occasions in the lives of our guests. Many an engagement ring has found its way onto an accepting finger, and we are honored to have been selected for countless Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays and Christenings. Our own lives have been all the more enriched by the mutual joy that we have all shared. These amazing memories evoke a deep sigh and a contented smile.

Brides

Thank you, one and all! Please know that you are all fondly remembered and that no matter where the winds of time may carry us, you will always be “the wind beneath our wings”.