The BOOM Pirates Invade The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn

We don't look much like pirates but it's the best I could do. This picture was taken last summer when we went to Sisters with my parents. On the way back to Albany, we took a road that is usually closed during the winter and found these lava fields. I think that is Mt. Bachelor in the background but I am not positive. Anyways, back to the pirates. Beginning July 31st which is this Friday, our inn will be invaded by pirates. Yeah, I'm serious. The Brotherhood of Ocean Mercenaries (BOOM) pirates will be coming to Albany for the Willamette River festival.

Three days of fun, pirate entertainment, beer and even a bbq cook-off and all only a few blocks from our inn.

Last August, we hosted the BOOM pirates for the first time. What a lovely lot of very well behaved pirates. I was a little worried when they all showed up Saturday night after the festival with a couple of gallons of rum and diet coke. But, they made Ray happy by joining him on his front porch drinking rum and coke, smoking cigars and singing pirate songs. I was happy downstairs nice and cozy in my bed and hearing the faint hum of them singing as they lulled me to sleep. Never thought I would be serenaded to sleep by a troop of pirates but it was kinda cool.

So, needless to say, "family friendly" soon became "adult only" pirate songs as the rum bottles emptied. My honey was a happy man to have the company of some of the finest pirates in Oregon and the pirates were happy to be guests at our inn.

If you are around this weekend for the Willamette River festival, sorry our inn is plum full. But, feel free to stop by and sing a song or two and hang out on our front porch. Gotta bring your own rum though! Pirates don't like sharin' their rum...arrrrrrrg!

Historically Speaking, Albany Boasts The Most!

So, what are you doing this Saturday? On July 25th, Albany's vintage doors burst open and let you come inside. Albany's Historic Home and Garden Tour begins at 11am and you are cordially invited to tour some of the most gorgeous vintage homes and gardens in the entire state of Oregon. Albany boasts the most in number (700) and the most varied historic home and building styles in the entire state.

For more information on the tour, go to www.albanyvisitors.com. We are also pleased to inform you that our inn still has a room or two available for Saturday night. Treat yourself and a friend or your honey to a night in one of Albany's treasures. Built in 1908, this Craftsman Bungalow offers a complete vintage feel with modern amenities and a gourmet breakfast too.

A day of touring, an evening on our old front porch sipping a glass of Pinot Noir and waking up to the lovely scents of french toast baking with a little cinnamon and pear liqueur with bacon sizzling on the stove and yum, our favorite Allann Bros. "Truck Stop" coffee.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Hey girlfriends! Everythings "French" At The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn!

Baked Brie anyone? Melted butter mixed with a little brown sugar, a little sherry, cherries and almonds all melded together and baked over a nice round of brie. What a way to start a morning...in France!

Join me, my sister and my mom as we enjoy the opening day of Julie and Julia on Friday, August 7th. We are hoping it is playing at our local Pix Theater but if not, it's ok, we will head to the Carmike Theater in Corvallis.

Book a guest room at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn, enjoy a little French wine before the movie, a little more French wine after the movie and of course the lovely company of a "girlfriends night" at the inn.

Book a suite for you and a girlfriend or a sister or your mom. Please go to our website for room descriptions and room rates. The room rate will include your movie ticket, wine, and a full-on "French" breakfast experience. Join me in the inn's kitchen Saturday morning as we prepare: Cinnamon Crepes with Berry and Banana compote, Baked Cherry and Almond Brie, Vanilla Yogurt, Fresh Fruit, Crusty Bread and butta! Oh yeah, custom lattes too!

You may book this evening with me personally by calling 541-971-9557 or emailing me at debatyourhome@thepfeiffercottageinn.com or by using the Webervations option on our Reservations page on our website at www.thepfeiffercottageinn.com.

For a little heads up, read "My Life In France" before August 7th and then you will also be ready for The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn's new book club beginning in September.

Bon Appetite!

Cuteness At The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn!

My parents are coming...oh my! Well, they aren't that freaky but you know how parents can be. Kinda pushy, kinda think they know everything, and now they kinda think they would like to be guests at our inn.

So, in their honor, if you are a senior citizen, 55 or over, and book a room at our inn any or all dates beginning Sunday, August 2nd to Thursday, August 6th, you will receive $20.00 off each night you stay with us.

How cool is that? Senior Citizens Rule!!! Well, as I am getting closer to being one myself, I'm thinking they are pretty cool! A few years to go but time does fly a lot faster as I am getting older.

We are also happy to provide our guests with an itinerary of fun and interesting things to do in Albany and the Willamette Valley. Whether you are coming for the wine, the countryside, a tour of the carousel museum, or to be delighted by one of our culinary delightful downtown restaurants, we are sure you will be pleasantly surprised to find out just how sweet our town of Albany is.

Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley and known historically as the "hub" city, Albany, never disappoints. Boasting in their four historic districts, the most historic homes and the most varied historic home styles and buildings in the entire state of Oregon, it's no wonder Sunset Magazine, This Old House, and many travel writers and photographers find "this place" special!

So, grab your honey and don't forget your walking shoes for the self-guided historic home walking tour, your bike for the all the bike trails Abany has to offer, your binoculars for bird watching down by the Willamette River, or your golf clubs for golfing in one of the most premier regions of Oregon. See you soon...see you in Albany!

The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn Loves River Rhythms At Monteith Park!

Tonight was River Rhythms first concert of the summer season. Albany is host to the concerts held at the Monteith Park just a few blocks from The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn.

We grabbed our blanket and headed toward the Willamette River to enjoy The Young Dubliners tonight. No wine at the concert for us tonight as we both had jobs to do. Ray worked security for our Kiwanis group and I helped "pass the bucket" during intermission.

Our usual routine involves arms full of jackets, and a basket or two containing a bottle of wine, a couple of wine glasses, some cheese and bread, and of course a cookie or two. This summer, we hope our guests at our inn get to enjoy the concerts as much as we do. So, if they are here on a concert night, they will be treated to a basket of their own!

Cetic rock, country, jazz or even Pablo Cruise, whatever your favorite genre, we hope to see you at a concert in Albany some Thursday night.

la bella vita...In Our Garden!

Tomorrow evening we host at our inn, la bella vita...In Our Garden! It has been about one year since we became the proud innkeepers of The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn. So, that calls for a celebration! Wine, antipasti, crusty bread and of course cigars around the fire pit are all planned as we host our first garden party this summer.

Twenty years worth of B & B ideas in my brain and two and a half years of real planning, organizing, painting, remodeling, shopping and hoping, we opened in May of 2008. Since our opening, we have been hosts to over 300 guests, had at least 4 teas, (I keep telling myself, I don't do teas), provided meeting space for over a dozen or so meetings and played host and hostess to a family reunion, opened our inn for Albany's Historic Home Tour, The Christmas Parlor Tour as well as wine tastings, and many other large gatherings.

Since our opening, we have strived to balance our day-to-day lives while providing a unforgettable experience for those guests staying at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn. We hope we have achieved that goal by setting our innkeeping standards as high as possible. Our inn is first of all of our home, our dwelling, and our family's place to gather. It is then our inn where we open our doors and share ourselves with strangers whom some have become dear friends and return often for a visit. It is not until we have time to sit back and read a review or receive a letter of thanks in the mail, that we realize what we had set out to do in the beginning, has been accomplished. Offering our guests the most relaxed setting in the most uncluttered, unfettered atmosphere,and providing a perfectly sweet experience here, has not only been our pleasure, but our joy as well.

So, thanks to all of you that have played a part in helping us achieve our goals, provided encouragement and praise, but most of all gave us the opportunity to make our dream a reality.

We hope to see you Wednesday at 7pm...In The Garden!

Wine Tasting At The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn!

Hey, what's better than going wine tasting? It's having the wine tasting come to you!

Michael Bailey, friend and "wine dude" stopped by for a nice cigar and brought us a couple cases of Oregon wine last week. Michael chooses the "best" when it comes to Oregon wines so we may serve the "best" to our guests.

We have wine tasted north and we have wine tasted south and found that we love Pinot Noir's. Oregon is fast becoming the most popular wine region in the country if not the world. Our guests from Europe, California, Washington, the east coast and even those somewhat local, all come for the wine. We love it when our guests are so enamored with a wine they found and love, they bring us one to share. What a treat!

So, if you are around Albany this summer and it's afternoon, you can probably see Ray on our old front porch at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn with his stogey, his Pinot and occasionally his honey (that's me!), and an extra chair or two just for you!

God Bless America

Last November we watched these tanks and jeeps go by as our inn was the end point of the biggest Veterans Day Parade west of the Mississippi.

Touched, moved, awed and inspired, the dedication to keep our country free still never ceases to amaze me. The soldiers that fought and are still fighting so I can be free is something I will never take for granted. So, this July 4th, we are not only celebrating the freedom of "our" country, we celebrate all the soldiers, their families, and especially those that lost their lives preserving right to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Hang your flag proudly tomorrow and let it be a reminder of how privileged it is to live in America and God Bless those that fight to keep it that way!