Happy Father's Day to all the dads who frequent PHouse... especially mine!
So, I know we welcomed the rain- would've been nice if 3 inches was over 3 days and not in 3 hours, but beggers can't be choosers. It brought a nice drink to the crops and the lawns, the lovely flower garden in the Yokel Courtyard behind PHouse... OH YEAH! and it brough HUMIDITY. Today is one of those days when I say "forget this midwestern nonsense; if it's gonna be this hot and humid, put me on the beach in Florida". Sitting on the veranda in Siesta Key, sipping a colada of some sort sounds a lot better than the forecast for the next 2 days! Oh, and let's not forget that the rear A/C isn't working right, making for a lovely 80 degrees in our kitchen.
Last night was another exciting one for PHouse and OHouse. The Society welcomed members of the Yorkshire Playhouse to town to discuss our upcoming joint venture. Watch the calendars for our first evening of MELODRAMA! September 30 we bring an informal, boo-hiss-throw popcorn at the villian evening of entertainment to the San Carlo Room. This will be what we hope will become a frequent show. Also watch for our first anticipated group outting to a Doane College theater performance. Oct 5-7 is Boeing Boeing.
Finally, I toured and chatted it up with 2 great couples from the Davenport area. One of the couples has purchased 2 old buildings and it's their intention to create an atmosphere much like the PHouse / San Carlo Room. Building improvements have begun, and we'll chat more about what I've learned the hard way! We also welcomed a fun group to our 8-top table. They ventured over from Hickman, and while there were strong ties to Milligan, they chose to spend their evening with us. Oh, and I've gotta mention the funny guy who has an app for everything, including computing how much his BAC was. He entered the correct number of glasses (2) but miscalculated his weight (by about 120 lbs) and was amazed that he might just have to sit at PHouse for several hours!? Hee Hee once we figured it out, it was commical- he was well within his legal limit... it was 2 glasses over several hours accompanied by our fantastic stuffed portabello mushrooms with garlic mashed potatoes... good to be a responsible driver, better to enjoy the wine sensibly! Super meeting everyone and sharing a few laughs!
Enjoy this hot, humid, muggy, clammy Father's Day Sunday!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Rain, Rain, GO AWAY! We're soaked. Enough already. PHouse was a nice refuse for those who got caught out and about last night. Not much better than a delicious white pizza and a glass of Sindarella to ride out the storm! Tonight we'll welcome a private party to the back of PHouse, but we've still got room, so call and save yourself a seat. We're featuring our delicious stuffed portabello mushrooms as the dinner feature. Coupled with garlic mashed potatoes and served up on a piping hot cast iron skillet, it's tough to beat... and unbeatable when you add a glass of our new Temparia from Cuthills vineyards.
I want to sincerely thank EVERY ONE of you who voted for the Pour House in our pursuit of a small business loan. Chase Bank and Living Social have teamed (with FaceBook) to offer $250,000 grants to businesses. We needed to receive 250 votes to be considered... and we're at 275+ and counting. These funds would help us to expand our kitchen and seating, and also to upgrade the required fire code sprinkler system and install an elevator to the 2nd level. More seating, better kitchen, fire approved and benefitial to the Historical Society too, as it's their requirement to provide this prior to allowing events in the Opera House. With a simple modification and addition of a door in what is now a closet... POOF, PHouse and OHouse are connected. Elevator up! Check out our haunted, Historic Warren Opera House.
Last night was a total HIGH for members of the Society and PHouse as we welcomed one of the original owner families back to the building. The Samuelson clan was on hand to pump the player piano (I sang k-k-k-Katie- my grandpa Potter's favorite peppy song) and to enjoy PHouse food and wine. John performed in the OHouse, with his guitar... pleasing his grandfather we are certain. The Mary Mary was hosting a 2-table ladies bridge game, bringing players from Seward and Friend to the tables. Then, as if it wasn't exciting enough, we were joined by the leaders of the Doane Theater dept. They toured the building, chatted scenic design with Michael, and then committed not only to performances in the OHouse, but to include us in their required curriculum for theater development and community service. PHouse, OHouse and Doane working together to better the arts and entertainment of Saline County! I say CHEERS TO THAT! Watch the PHouse calendar, or your text messaging, as we'll be sponsoring a bus trip from PHouse (where we'll snack and sip) to Doane for a theatrical performance, then back to San Carlo for a night cap and patisserie. Who needs NYC... We've got Friend, NE!
Off on a grocery run. We'll hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers!
I want to sincerely thank EVERY ONE of you who voted for the Pour House in our pursuit of a small business loan. Chase Bank and Living Social have teamed (with FaceBook) to offer $250,000 grants to businesses. We needed to receive 250 votes to be considered... and we're at 275+ and counting. These funds would help us to expand our kitchen and seating, and also to upgrade the required fire code sprinkler system and install an elevator to the 2nd level. More seating, better kitchen, fire approved and benefitial to the Historical Society too, as it's their requirement to provide this prior to allowing events in the Opera House. With a simple modification and addition of a door in what is now a closet... POOF, PHouse and OHouse are connected. Elevator up! Check out our haunted, Historic Warren Opera House.
Last night was a total HIGH for members of the Society and PHouse as we welcomed one of the original owner families back to the building. The Samuelson clan was on hand to pump the player piano (I sang k-k-k-Katie- my grandpa Potter's favorite peppy song) and to enjoy PHouse food and wine. John performed in the OHouse, with his guitar... pleasing his grandfather we are certain. The Mary Mary was hosting a 2-table ladies bridge game, bringing players from Seward and Friend to the tables. Then, as if it wasn't exciting enough, we were joined by the leaders of the Doane Theater dept. They toured the building, chatted scenic design with Michael, and then committed not only to performances in the OHouse, but to include us in their required curriculum for theater development and community service. PHouse, OHouse and Doane working together to better the arts and entertainment of Saline County! I say CHEERS TO THAT! Watch the PHouse calendar, or your text messaging, as we'll be sponsoring a bus trip from PHouse (where we'll snack and sip) to Doane for a theatrical performance, then back to San Carlo for a night cap and patisserie. Who needs NYC... We've got Friend, NE!
Off on a grocery run. We'll hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers!
Monday, August 1, 2011
YES, We survived it!
Last weekend was the CRAZIEST we've had at PHouse to date. It started with a wildly busy Thursday... yes, Thursday. Why? We have no idea, but when a very lovely lady called and said "We surely don't need reservations on a Thursday..." we had to correct her. Chris, Mike and I prevailed without a glitch.
Then, on to Friday. Oh my! First, we bid good wishes to Chris for her hand surgery, then we jumped off the dock into deep water without a life preserver. We were thrilled to welcome both Morris 2 Morris (hip jazz father/son team that rocked the house) and Dominic Burke, the new winemaker from Superior Estates. The Morris team played up a storm. Dom poured up a storm, then kicked his heels up with a few of the local ladies. It was just too much fun. Noelle & I survived the kitchen duty and as usual, Mike & Tina had it covered on the front end. Todd, my friend... we missed you very much! Come back to the PHouse kitchen SOON!
And, no rest for the wicked... on to "A Very Brady Murder Mystery!" Joel & Erica arrived from Chicago around 5PM and 7PM was Show Time. Joel makes a great Jan Brady, but needs to shave his legs. A shout out to the DVM in the audience who performed the hymlic on "Jan", not only saving her life, but jeopardizing Joel's manhood :) Also, a big thanks to Chuck & Mike, my old state capitol friends who ventured out with their wives for some good laughs! It was legislative "old home week" with a call from my old committee page pal Jeff, and a visit from Dorothy, the former big cheese in the Approps office! Good to see and hear from old friends, always! Well, Sam did it... he's a jealous fool!
On to Sunday- a slow but steady day that started off with Passport Wine Tourers from Neligh, NE and a nice chat... wrapping up with Bumbleberry Tarts and vanilla ice cream for dessert with guests from Dorchester. What a wild weekend. We wouldn't want to tackle it every weekend, but it was a big success and lots of fun. Could not do it without the local support of many, and the love and help of PHouse staff.
Cheers, until next time!
Then, on to Friday. Oh my! First, we bid good wishes to Chris for her hand surgery, then we jumped off the dock into deep water without a life preserver. We were thrilled to welcome both Morris 2 Morris (hip jazz father/son team that rocked the house) and Dominic Burke, the new winemaker from Superior Estates. The Morris team played up a storm. Dom poured up a storm, then kicked his heels up with a few of the local ladies. It was just too much fun. Noelle & I survived the kitchen duty and as usual, Mike & Tina had it covered on the front end. Todd, my friend... we missed you very much! Come back to the PHouse kitchen SOON!
And, no rest for the wicked... on to "A Very Brady Murder Mystery!" Joel & Erica arrived from Chicago around 5PM and 7PM was Show Time. Joel makes a great Jan Brady, but needs to shave his legs. A shout out to the DVM in the audience who performed the hymlic on "Jan", not only saving her life, but jeopardizing Joel's manhood :) Also, a big thanks to Chuck & Mike, my old state capitol friends who ventured out with their wives for some good laughs! It was legislative "old home week" with a call from my old committee page pal Jeff, and a visit from Dorothy, the former big cheese in the Approps office! Good to see and hear from old friends, always! Well, Sam did it... he's a jealous fool!
On to Sunday- a slow but steady day that started off with Passport Wine Tourers from Neligh, NE and a nice chat... wrapping up with Bumbleberry Tarts and vanilla ice cream for dessert with guests from Dorchester. What a wild weekend. We wouldn't want to tackle it every weekend, but it was a big success and lots of fun. Could not do it without the local support of many, and the love and help of PHouse staff.
Cheers, until next time!
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Update from Me- Happy, Sad, A Nice Break!
Well, some weather we're having here huh? And in Superior too, where I was at the Screenwriter's Colony Workshop... until Saturday. I returned to PHouse to help... about 4 hours too late! We had people standing, shoulder to shoulder... Kansas City, Topeka, Omaha, you name it and someone might have been there. Crazy busy doesn't even come close. I can't thank Mike, Tina, Chris, Todd, and our super volunteers Connie and Carolyn, for jumping up, jumping in and keeping up our fantastic service and great food reputation. I got back just in time for a quick adult beverage- and 2 hours of dish washing. Sunday, well belated happy Father's Day- Chris and Todd cranked out an amazing special- and I'm still snacking on the bread pudding (a new feature on Sundays)!
So, some sad news- we had an unexpected death in our family. A good man; kind and generous. Bob, I will miss you. The Colony experience has been cut short. There is just too much going on to focus on "The Undoing of Virigina Babcock"- but stay tuned. We're about 3/4 done with Act I... it will become a script sooner or later. We did have a special treat when Jon Bokenkamp visited us for a reading of his pilot (maybe HBO) drama mystery script. WAY TOO MUCH fun! So, my fellow Colony-ites and Lew bid me a teary and hug-filled "see you again soon" hug, complete with the traditional front porch picture... I'll post it when I get it. A funny to end the sad departure- our young Toni- the young woman who helps us with copies, coffee and laundry... DID not KNOW who JACK NICHOLSON was! :) Ahhh blissful youth! Where did mine go?
I digress... I swung past Superior Estates Winery to pick up our inventory (Nate- thanks again for loading my Jeep) and his mom Kelly, as super as always, made time from pruning in the 90 degree windy day to say hi. I met their new winemaker, Dominic- a charming man, not from here, who has a fantastic accent, an obvious gift for enology, and great goals. Welcome to Nebraska Mr. Winemaker! I hope you love Superior and you do great things! The "follow me and chat", taste this and that... now with 3% sugar (just a pinch too much) was a beautiful break from my sad day. I appreciated it more than anyone will know.
So, now I'm back at home. Cat's are thrilled I'm here. I had some fantastic smoked ribs, courtesy of my 3 year old nephew Jake, my niece Kate and sis-in-law Tiphanie. Am going to sip on a little wine- watch a re-run, then endulge in the leftover bread pudding before I call it a day.
Cheers to you- stop past the PHouse- we're restocked with Nissen and Superior Estates (added a lovely new red) and we'll hope to be restocked on 11th Harvest by Thursday when we open again.
Hugs
Carey
So, some sad news- we had an unexpected death in our family. A good man; kind and generous. Bob, I will miss you. The Colony experience has been cut short. There is just too much going on to focus on "The Undoing of Virigina Babcock"- but stay tuned. We're about 3/4 done with Act I... it will become a script sooner or later. We did have a special treat when Jon Bokenkamp visited us for a reading of his pilot (maybe HBO) drama mystery script. WAY TOO MUCH fun! So, my fellow Colony-ites and Lew bid me a teary and hug-filled "see you again soon" hug, complete with the traditional front porch picture... I'll post it when I get it. A funny to end the sad departure- our young Toni- the young woman who helps us with copies, coffee and laundry... DID not KNOW who JACK NICHOLSON was! :) Ahhh blissful youth! Where did mine go?
I digress... I swung past Superior Estates Winery to pick up our inventory (Nate- thanks again for loading my Jeep) and his mom Kelly, as super as always, made time from pruning in the 90 degree windy day to say hi. I met their new winemaker, Dominic- a charming man, not from here, who has a fantastic accent, an obvious gift for enology, and great goals. Welcome to Nebraska Mr. Winemaker! I hope you love Superior and you do great things! The "follow me and chat", taste this and that... now with 3% sugar (just a pinch too much) was a beautiful break from my sad day. I appreciated it more than anyone will know.
So, now I'm back at home. Cat's are thrilled I'm here. I had some fantastic smoked ribs, courtesy of my 3 year old nephew Jake, my niece Kate and sis-in-law Tiphanie. Am going to sip on a little wine- watch a re-run, then endulge in the leftover bread pudding before I call it a day.
Cheers to you- stop past the PHouse- we're restocked with Nissen and Superior Estates (added a lovely new red) and we'll hope to be restocked on 11th Harvest by Thursday when we open again.
Hugs
Carey
Monday, June 13, 2011
Fundraising with Old Friends & Making A New One
This weekend was fun. Thursday was just a run-of-the mill kind of evening. Not too busy, not too boring. Friday- Katie bar the door! Another house full of fun. Thanks to the Meridian Class who celebrated their 35th reunion with us. I had a great time touring you all through the building, and really appreciate your interest in the Historical Society's restoration project.
Saturday, the Society hosted a Riedel Wine Tasting Event as another fundraiser for our efforts to renovate the street level, and to eventually restore the opera house. A good crowd of about 76 or so gathered to listen to Sean Petrie, the wine-guru of Riedel. Sean and I met about 4 years ago, and it's always fun to see him. Remarkably, this is the first visit in a while that I've reconnected with him and he HAS NOT had another baby- the man has 8... yes 8 kids. Sean and Tom did a great job emceeing the event and repping Riedel. Watch the PHouse website for details- we'll be working again with Sean and Tom later this fall.
Sunday was a lot of fun. Malarie Yolen-Cohen, a writer and historian of Route 6, paid the PHouse a visit. Malarie is traveling hwy 6, visiting unique places and cool spots. She's currently blogging her travels. Friend should be featured on her blog tomorrow- I'll share the link. It was great to talk with her- she was kind of an old shoe- easy to talk with... fun to listen to. After a hummus platter and a sip of Little Red Writinghood, Malarie was on her way to Hastings, and I was out the door on my way to Superior.
So, as of last night, I dove head first into my next screenplay. Today, from the Screenwriter's Colony Workshop, I will pitch 3 ideas to my fellow writers, and we'll see what takes shape. It's just fantastic being back in the house. I'm again in the Dey sister's room (aka wicker room), and have now met all of my fellow attendees. Lew is doing great- have not seen Pamela yet, but did run in to Prof. David from Ohio this morning in the kitchen. He'll be guest teaching again (was a mentor in 2009)... so karma is good, familiarity is good, old friends are good... it's all good! And best of all, Mike, Tina, Christine, Noelle & Todd have the PHouse under control. The plant waterers are in place, the cat sitter is on retainer, Tank is still in puppy boot camp- so everything is taken care of!
Stay tuned, we may blog a little from here in the Colony, and we may just make a little roadtrip to visit PHouse and sip some wine (to stimulate creative thoughts)... one day soon. As Connie P says, "you gotta feed your soul".
Cheers, and as Lew says... Write On! :)
Saturday, the Society hosted a Riedel Wine Tasting Event as another fundraiser for our efforts to renovate the street level, and to eventually restore the opera house. A good crowd of about 76 or so gathered to listen to Sean Petrie, the wine-guru of Riedel. Sean and I met about 4 years ago, and it's always fun to see him. Remarkably, this is the first visit in a while that I've reconnected with him and he HAS NOT had another baby- the man has 8... yes 8 kids. Sean and Tom did a great job emceeing the event and repping Riedel. Watch the PHouse website for details- we'll be working again with Sean and Tom later this fall.
Sunday was a lot of fun. Malarie Yolen-Cohen, a writer and historian of Route 6, paid the PHouse a visit. Malarie is traveling hwy 6, visiting unique places and cool spots. She's currently blogging her travels. Friend should be featured on her blog tomorrow- I'll share the link. It was great to talk with her- she was kind of an old shoe- easy to talk with... fun to listen to. After a hummus platter and a sip of Little Red Writinghood, Malarie was on her way to Hastings, and I was out the door on my way to Superior.
So, as of last night, I dove head first into my next screenplay. Today, from the Screenwriter's Colony Workshop, I will pitch 3 ideas to my fellow writers, and we'll see what takes shape. It's just fantastic being back in the house. I'm again in the Dey sister's room (aka wicker room), and have now met all of my fellow attendees. Lew is doing great- have not seen Pamela yet, but did run in to Prof. David from Ohio this morning in the kitchen. He'll be guest teaching again (was a mentor in 2009)... so karma is good, familiarity is good, old friends are good... it's all good! And best of all, Mike, Tina, Christine, Noelle & Todd have the PHouse under control. The plant waterers are in place, the cat sitter is on retainer, Tank is still in puppy boot camp- so everything is taken care of!
Stay tuned, we may blog a little from here in the Colony, and we may just make a little roadtrip to visit PHouse and sip some wine (to stimulate creative thoughts)... one day soon. As Connie P says, "you gotta feed your soul".
Cheers, and as Lew says... Write On! :)
Friday, June 10, 2011
Another F R I D A Y!
Hey wine-fans... here we go again. Another CRAZY Friday night on the books. We are again booked-up, so please give me a shout if you're driving any distance. We might not be able to seat you tonight.
It's been a busy week- prep station repairs, loading up on deliveries for my 2-week absence. I'm heading to Superior for the Screenwriter's Colony workshop. I'll be sipping a little wine from my beautiful guestroom in Lew & Pamela's beautiful Victorian colony house. This year I'm being joined by 9 other writers from across the country. Can't wait. We pitch 3 ideas first thing Monday morning.
We've also been busy tracking down the semi that delivered the Friend Historical Society's 400 Riedel wine glasses. If you haven't signed up for this great fundraiser wine tasting set for tomorrow night, 6:30PM in the San Carlo next door to PHouse... do it! It's fun. Great food... great lesson, great wine. Then bring your favorite Riedel glass to PHouse and we'll tag it, and give you $1 off your glass of wine (saves us doing the dishes :)
Do you follow Route 6 efforts to re-gain historic status? Friend is on the list of Malerie's stops as she films the history and stories of Route 6 (hwy 6). The Pour House and Warren Opera House could be featured in her film. I've just emailed her- she's headed our way from Urbandale IA... hoping she'll make a stop this evening, or tomorrow.
If you caught Mason Douglas @ PHouse in May, stay tuned. He's burnin' up the radio. I caught him this AM on a Nashville station, doing an interview, and performing "People fall in love everyday" live. What a voice that man has. He'll be back- we're looking at October. So, if you missed him in May- keep checking the blog, or http://www.visitthepourhouse.com/ events page.
Cheers, and stay tuned. Happy Friday!
c
It's been a busy week- prep station repairs, loading up on deliveries for my 2-week absence. I'm heading to Superior for the Screenwriter's Colony workshop. I'll be sipping a little wine from my beautiful guestroom in Lew & Pamela's beautiful Victorian colony house. This year I'm being joined by 9 other writers from across the country. Can't wait. We pitch 3 ideas first thing Monday morning.
We've also been busy tracking down the semi that delivered the Friend Historical Society's 400 Riedel wine glasses. If you haven't signed up for this great fundraiser wine tasting set for tomorrow night, 6:30PM in the San Carlo next door to PHouse... do it! It's fun. Great food... great lesson, great wine. Then bring your favorite Riedel glass to PHouse and we'll tag it, and give you $1 off your glass of wine (saves us doing the dishes :)
Do you follow Route 6 efforts to re-gain historic status? Friend is on the list of Malerie's stops as she films the history and stories of Route 6 (hwy 6). The Pour House and Warren Opera House could be featured in her film. I've just emailed her- she's headed our way from Urbandale IA... hoping she'll make a stop this evening, or tomorrow.
If you caught Mason Douglas @ PHouse in May, stay tuned. He's burnin' up the radio. I caught him this AM on a Nashville station, doing an interview, and performing "People fall in love everyday" live. What a voice that man has. He'll be back- we're looking at October. So, if you missed him in May- keep checking the blog, or http://www.visitthepourhouse.com/ events page.
Cheers, and stay tuned. Happy Friday!
c
Friday, June 3, 2011
Morris 2 Morris TONIGHT
We are so looking forward to welcoming Mike and Scott Morris! We've got many reservations on the books! Thanks to everyone! See you tonight!
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