New Colours!

April brought us back to reality, and back to work!

Showing Off The New Colours!

If you have looked at our website lately, you’ll probably notice that the Channel Bass Inn is looking very lovely. She is now painted in four colours ~ the body is a light(ish) green, with paler green shutters, white windows and a “sweet rosy brown” trim.

Barbara on Assateague Island with 'arry the Londoner wot painted the Channel Bass Inn (Barbara on Assateague Island with Harry The Londoner Who Painted The Channel Bass Inn;)

The Front Porch - Showing Off The New Colours

The colours were chosen by our dear friend, Cathy, a long-time guest at the Channel Bass, and we think they are just absolutely perfect. Harry, the painter, originally from the London area, spent almost 3 months on this project, from May 11th through August 2nd, removing all the ivy, repairing every piece of wood, (including the two fire escapes,) doing everything that was needed to be done before starting on the painting. During that time he took only 3 days off, worked through the sweltering heat of the summer, maintaining his body fluids with enormous mugs of tea, jugs of water, and numerous cans of Coors Light. Thank you so much, Harry. You did a wonderful job!

Many Thanks,

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

Friends Carol and Chuck to the Rescue!

Newlyweds - Diana and Jan

When we needed to be in Chicago at the end of August for our niece Diana Wiedenheft’s marriage to Jan Kuebler, our friends Carol and Chuck Kalmykow, formerly Chincoteague innkeepers, came to our rescue. They flew from Sarasota, FL into Norfolk, VA where we picked them up (at the same time seeing our friend Debbie off, back to San Francisco) and drove them up to Chincoteague.

Looking North from the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building, Chicago, IL. (8/27/2010)

Two days later we drove back down to Norfolk to take our flight to Chicago. Diana and Jan were married on Friday, August 27th.The reception was held on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building and they now live happily ever after in Zurich, Switzerland.

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

Congratulations Lt. Michael! Many Thanks to Chuck, Carol, Maggie and Gunnar!

The day after the wedding in Chicago we found ourselves back on the island, and we were happy to learn that our experienced innsitters had been taking care of our guests in a most commendable manner. On the following Wednesday, September 1st, we took Chuck and Carol back to the airport, at the same time getting on a flight ourselves to Columbus, Georgia. You may be wondering why. Well, our son-in-law Michael was graduating OCS (Officer Candidate School) from Fort Benning the next day, September 2nd (Barbara’s birthday actually!). That was an event to be remembered, and we were so glad we could be there for Michael.


2nd Lt. pinning ceremony. , Fort Benning, Columbus, GA. September 2nd, 2010. From left to right: Jimmy Hickman (father), 2nd Lt. Michael Hickman and daughter Nina Hickman

You may be wondering who was taking care of the Inn at that time, since you know that Carol and Chuck were back in Sarasota. Well, Barbara’s twin sister Maggie and her husband Gunnar took over for us. (Everyone in this business should have a clone!) This was the beginning of Labor Day weekend, so we couldn’t stay away too long. Hurricane Earl decided to get to Chincoteague just before we did, but luckily didn’t interfere either with our flight home on September 3rd, or with our guests’ desire to get away for the long weekend.

Fondly,

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

Southern Living Magazine September 2010

In September we were very fortunate to be written up in that month’s edition of “Southern Living”(see our website to read the article). Both September and October proved to be record-setting months for the Channel Bass Inn and we are very grateful to the writer of that article, Christie Findlay.

Thank you,

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

October with Pamela, David and Nina

In October our UK cousins Pamela and David Mason visited us ~ always a treat! They were not able to be with us for our daughter Nina’s wedding last year, so we drove out to Blacksburg, VA to visit her. Unfortunately hubbie 2nd Lt. Michael was at Fort Benning, so we didn’t get to see him, but had a lot of fun with Nina and her black lab, Lane (named for the Hokie Stadium, of course!)

Fondly,

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

Reunion and Auntie Betty’s 90th Birthday in the UK

Reunion in Aberford, Yorkshire 11-13-10. You can find Barbara 3rd on the left, and David 3rd on the right!

In November, we flew to the UK for Barbara’s Auntie Betty’s 90th birthday party and for a reunion of “kids” who used to hang out at Auntie Betty’s home in Leeds so many years ago. It’s like this: Auntie Betty has 2 children, Linda and Franklin. Linda and Barbara were best friends, Franklin and Barbara’s brother Anthony were best friends, and Franklin was Barbara’s boyfriend from the age of 11 to 15! And there was Leon who was Franklin and Anthony’s best friend also. Maggie, Barbara’s twin sister, was always around. And let’s not forget Judy, Anthony’s girlfriend at the time. So we were friends then, and we are still friends. Fourteen of us (original players plus spouses) had an unforgettably memorable reunion in the White Swan Hotel in Aberford, Yorkshire, a beautiful little village just outside Leeds.

Leon and Judy meet up again after more than 40 years!

Betty’s 90th birthday was celebrated the next day ~ she had no idea that Barbara and David, and Maggie and Gunnar would be able to make it from the States, and she was surprised, and delighted!

Barbara and David with a Bagpiper in Edinburgh Scotland

While in the UK we visited with friends and family in Hertfordshire, West Sussex, Surrey, Cheshire, Lancashire, Leeds, Edinburgh (by train) and West London, with a two-day trip to the Netherlands in-between to visit friends in Zeist and Driebergen. (If you read our previous Newsletter, you may remember that we visited with our dear friend Mech last November. Unfortunately Mech passed away in March at the age of 92, and we miss her so very much.)

Goose Bay, Newfoundland Through The Plane Window

To make our return flight to Chicago and Norfolk really interesting, three passengers had checked in, but didn’t show for the flight. Their luggage had to be removed before we could take off, causing an hour’s delay. Two hours later there was a medical emergency on board. Unfortunately, a passenger was having seizures and needed urgent hospital treatment. So now we know what Goose Bay, Newfoundland, looks like! Our landing at Chicago was further delayed by storms, causing us to circle around Wisconsin for a while, before eventually landing at our destination ~ 3 hours late for our connecting flight though! We arrived at midnight at our hotel in Norfolk, after a 17 hour journey!

Fondly,

Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room

On the way home from Norfolk, we stopped by the Eastern Shore Animal Hospital to pick up our sweet cat, Betty (no relation to Auntie Betty by the way) who had managed somehow to break a leg just as we were putting our bags in the car to leave on our UK/Holland trip! Betty had spent 14 days at the hospital, recovering from having a pin put in her leg. The lovely Portuguese veterinarian, Dr Nuno, actually sent me an email, plus photo, while we were in the UK, to assure me that she was doing well. In fact, Betty now has a “CERTIFICATE OF BRAVERY” pinned on the wall, above her bed, which she received from the hospital. She knows that she is confined to the indoors for the next 5 weeks, and is a marvelous patient.

Betty after the op! Get me out of here!

Fondly,
Barbara and David
The Channel Bass Inn Bed and Breakfast & Tea Room