Monday, March 22, 2010

The Lodge Lady Returns with Womens Weekend Workshops!


Greetings after a short sabbatical! I’ve been hitting the road this past month … quite literally, come to think of it! On a recent visit to my mom’s, I swerved to avoid an oncoming car in a snowstorm, scraping the stone curb on the side of the road and blowing out the sidewall of my tire. Normally this would just be a minor inconvenience in the course of the average day, but for some reason in this high tech world of ours, it took FIVE days to get a 20” Mazda tire!! I was mad as a wet hen (as the Mazda Corporation is now aware), but at least it occurred close to my mom’s house. (Imagine if it had happened half way back to NH? I hate to think!). Anyway, my travels took me back to my roots in the Hudson Valley and Lower Catskill Mountains of New York State, where I encountered a 4-foot snowstorm, a 2-day power outage, and also our son Noah, who was on spring break from John Hopkins University, and looking fine!! All in all I put almost 1800 miles on my speedometer while I was away, and am now happily settling back into the changing seasons here in Jackson.

Spring skiing has been as good as it gets by all reports, although our downhill and cross-country centers are now winding down for the count. Tuckerman Ravine and related back country skiing are still fantastic, however, so just because the crocuses are blooming in your neck of the woods, don’t overlook the fact that there are some real-life adventures still to be had up here in the White Mountains. No need to retire those skis for the foreseeable future, anyway.

The recent time ‘away from my desk’ at The Lodge has given me needed perspective and many creative hours to plan for some special weekends ahead for women in the upcoming year. I am opening up our “Little Lodge Cabin”, located on Tin Mountain here in Jackson, for up to six guests at a time. Weekends will focus on various topics of interest to women, and will include all meals and many extras. The first workshop has been scheduled for June - and will be all about RELAXATION – a concept unfamiliar to most of us! I call it the “Women’s Decompression Weekend”, and you can read more about it below. I am developing other workshops to share with small groups of women as well. Keep a lookout on our website for more information about them. When not conducting these weekends, I’ll still be at The Lodge, of course (after all, where else would you expect a “Lodge Lady” to be?!). But to be really meaningful, life requires us to grow in continuing ways and to be inspired! Our “Little Lodge Workshops” are every bit of that and more!! Read on …

“ Women’s Decompression Weekend”:
Finding the Quiet Eye of Your Being in a Busy Life
June 12-14, 2010

Sometimes we get so caught up in living that we actually forget to make a life!

Each year in between the short, darkened days of winter, the hustle of the holidays, and the bustle of summer, lies a small window of opportunity for rejuvenation. I call this place the “Quiet Eye” of my being, and oh!, how I wish I had listened and ‘fed’ it more often during my very busy life thus far! As professionals, wives, mothers, and the myriad other hats that we wear, life can seem a hectic maze of agendas, lists, demands, schedules and responsibilities. As fulfilling as each of these individual things may be, the cumulative effect of the ‘rat race’ will eventually catch up with us, wear us down and make us feel depleted ... it can even make us sick. But life can be so much more than this!

Come with me to my cabin in the mountains where up to 6 of us weary women warriors will spend a weekend together to relax, get to know one another in a safe and charming environment and rejuvenate together. We’ll share ways we have learned to de-stress ourselves and get the most out of very full, demanding lives. We’ll also sit in front of the stone fireplace, share stories, take long walks on the nearby trails of the Tin Mountain Conservation Area, or swim at Jackson Falls. We’ll listen to music or make our own, take afternoon tea & cookies on the veranda, enjoy wine and cheese before dinner, have plenty of time for personal contemplation, journaling, and reading, and possibly play a quiet game or do a jigsaw puzzle. A professional ½ hour massage is included in this weekend. But let’s not forget … FOOD! We’ll eat some delicious, nutritious homemade meals together … and best of all, you won’t have to prepare it or clean up! Just come, enjoy, relax …

Whether we ‘think’ we can get away or not, I have found that we are actually not as indispensible as we often believe we are. The world still goes on! We owe it to ourselves and to our families to carve out short, special times throughout the year to renew ourselves before it all catches up with us. In the end, we’ll find we can ‘give back’ even more … but from a place of plenty rather than want!

When: June 12-14, 2010
Where: The “Little Lodge Cabin”
Cost: $500 (plus tax)

Includes:
All meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches & 2 dinners)
Afternoon tea and homemade cookies
Pre-dinner wine, cheese & crackers, fruit platters on Fri. & Sat.
In-house 30-minute Massage (longer sessions available for an additional charge. Gratuity not included)

Weekend is limited to 6 participants, plus Cathi Belcher, “The Lodge Lady”
Sleeping accommodations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Check in time: Friday 3 pm Check out: Sunday 2 pm


The Lodge CabinWelcome to my dream cabin in the woods! My 2500+ sq. ft., 3-story log cabin, the newest addition to the already wonderful accommodations you’ve become accustomed to at The Lodge, is located on the northern side of Tin Mountain, right here in Jackson, NH. A large, wrap-around front porch on the main floor affords excellent views of Mount Washington in winter; and the White Mountain range & the 850,000-acre National Forest year-round. Sightings of New Hampshire’s ample wildlife abound on the property. Don’t be surprised to look out your window one morning to see moose, bear, fox or turkeys wander amongst the trees; it’s a pretty common sight! As you come into one of the three entrances to the log cabin, you will enter into a full working country kitchen and dining room, as well as a spacious living room. Tall, sloping cathedral ceilings and a beautifully crafted working stone fireplace are the focal points of this room. (This room also contains sleeper sofas to accommodate a crowd for our more popular weekends) as well as upscale rustic furniture. Also on the main floor is the Master bedroom, rustically furnished with country curtains and patchwork, contrasted with my great-grandmother’s magnificent curly maple queen-sized bed. A full bathroom is at the end of the hall. Up the stairs to the second floor is a mezzanine area, which overlooks the living room. The stone chimney, which rises to the roof, acts as a privacy screen for two twin beds, which are behind it. Off to the side is another completely separate bedroom, with additional sleeping accommodations (a King bed and 2 twins. The ground floor is completely furnished as my art and writing studio with a separate bath and a working fireplace. Unlike the patchwork/country cottage feel of the upstairs, this room is bright, sunny, spacious and airy. It’s a natural place for morning yoga or stretching, as well as an ideal room for the private massages which come with the weekend. A large porch/patio along the west side affords beautiful views of Mount Washington, the White Mountains and the National forest, as well as the 2.5 acres of woods which accompany my cabin. Nothing can be built nearby to obstruct the privacy or the views, and nothing manmade can be seen anywhere from the property. A small mountain stream runs by the side of my log cabin, making it truly a great getaway for workshops or week-long private rentals. I hope you’ll join me here for one of my workshops and my healthy home cooking and baking! For information, or to reserve a space, please call the Lodge Lady at 603-986-1333, email me at LodgeLady@ilovethelodge.com or write me at PO Box 643, Jackson NH 03846.


The Little Lodge Cabin
A New Hampshire “Cottage” Industry
Specializing in
Women’s Workshops and Retreats
“Lodge Lady” Cathi Belcher
PO Box 643, Jackson NH 03846
(603) 986-1333
LodgeLady@ilovethelodge.com

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring is in the air but winter is still on the ground!! =D

Dear Friends,


Spring is just starting to creep around the corner in the white mountains. While things are starting to warm up and spring to life the snow covered white mountains loom over us and remind us that winter is not yet over...and that there is still fun skiing to be had this year.

Wildcat is still open with great conditions and will likely remain so throughout the month of April. We also have a lot of exciting things happening during the month that you won't want to miss out on.
We hope you all have enjoyed your winter and that you are looking forward to the spring. We hope to see you in the near future.


Spring Poker Tournament...and Skiing Getaway!
Are you a poker fan? Do you like to ski? Have you ever wished you could do both while on vacation? If yes then our spring poker tournament and skiing getaway is for you!
Come stay with us for two nights April 9th & 10th for just $149.99! That's a 50% discount off our normal rates! Ski during the day and join us on Saturday night for our first annual spring poker tournament and a special poker training presentation where we will show you how you can improve your game and make money at poker.
There is no buy in and non prizes will be offered to the top three winners with the grand prize being a two night stay at the Lodge at Jackson Village!

All this for Our Low Price of just $149.99! We only have limited seats for the poker tournament so call today and try to win your next vacation!
Bring the wife and for just $124.99 while you are enjoying poker she can be enjoying a manicure, pedicure, and a one hour massage!


Spring Skiing Getaway!
April in the white mountains is one of the most gorgeous times of the year. Come up and enjoy the beauty of Jackson and awesome spring skiing at Wildcat Mountain. We have cut our rates by over 50% for the entire month!

Come stay for two nights on a weekend for just $159.99!
Come stay for two nights midweek for just $119.99

Long day of skiing? Add a couples massage for just $150!
This offer is valid starting March 25th until May 2nd. You can not combine it with any other offers.


Spring Romance Package
Come enjoy the beauty and peace of Jackson Village with your
loved one. For the month of April we will be offering a special romance package just for you!
It includes lodging for two nights, chocolates, flowers, bottale of champagne with two keepsake crystal glasses, free upgrade to Jacuzzi room (if available), and a one hour couples massage. All for just $299.99!

This offer is valid starting March 25th until May 2nd. You can not combine this with any other offers.

We would like to take the time to thank you for continuing to come and visit us. Our family truly loves being innkeepers and meeting and spending time with each one of you. If you could continue to support us by writing reviews on Tripadvisor for us we would greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Dana, Cathi, Christopher, Noah, Alida (Formerly Zia), and Joshua Belcher
Owners, The Lodge at Jackson Village

Friday, March 19, 2010

My 12-Hour 'Stroke of Genius' Retirement Plan


How do you turn ‘hot air’ into a ‘hot new idea’? Well … have you ever met someone who was so incredibly wrapped up in themselves that they’d be tempted to tie themselves up in a bow and be their own best birthday present … if they could only just figure out a way to do it? I have, and I’ve created something exclusively for them. It’s a website I designed called http://www.itsallaboutme.com/. I got the idea today on a whim, and at first I almost dismissed it for the pure tomfoolery that it is. But all morning long the idea continued to haunt me, and just for the fun of it, I googled the name. To my surprise, nothing came up. A quick web search revealed that amazingly, the domain name was available, and $19.95 later, I was the proud owner of the “itsallaboutme” website for the upcoming year.

Now unless one has entirely too much time on their hands (which I don’t), this is not an exercise one would normally have time to pursue. And so I must clarify that my website was not an original stroke of genius. Its inspiration was actually precipitated by a real live person … a selfish one at that … who ticked me off so badly with their egotistical, irresponsible and supercilious ways, that I was allowed no other recourse but to counterbalance my frustration with this one small avenue of juvenile pleasure.

Believe it or not, it’s actually not hard to launch a website, (I’ve watched my kids do it a hundred times); and in less time than it takes a conceited person to admire themselves in the mirror, my site was up and running. But who was I kidding? … my ‘fictitious’ website may have had a name… but what would be its purpose? And what sort of content would it contain? To my utter disbelief, before I could even envision the homepage, ten people had signed up to be part of it! Imagine that: Ten wrapped-up-in-themselves, utterly pompous, centers-of-the-universe were members of MY website! And they were so full of themselves that their insufferable egos began spilling over into cyberspace, filling up page after page with annoying, self-centered ramblings! It then began to dawn on me that this project might be easier than I thought; but I really needed to think this thing through. So I went to the kitchen to fix myself a tall glass of iced tea and ruminate over the potential ramifications. By the time I returned, a dozen more had joined, and soon there were nearly 100. In less than an hour’s time, my therapeutically-inspired moment was quickly becoming a Movement. And now, as CEO of the enterprise, it seemed like I might have little more to do than just sit back and enjoy the show. One thing remained to be done, however: Membership fees. We couldn’t let just anyone in … exclusivity breeds desire, you know. Well, bless the genius who thought up PayPal! No sooner than my account was set up, the Money started rolling in. But hey -- this was waaay too easy; where was the challenge? To make it fun there would need to be an application process: “In 1000 words or less, please tell us ALL about yourself. Subscriptions are $50 a year.” Once I uploaded the membership criteria, an amazing thing happened: my website suffered a temporary meltdown. The popularity generated globally by the self-absorbed, portentious populace overloaded the site and crashed the entire internet for several hours. The Pentagon was in a panic. We’re back online again now, and I’m happy to say that I’ve been officially ‘retired’ for at least 12 hours; one of the Nouveau Riche; a wealthy member of the ‘Dot Com’ set. Of arrogant, self-important people with a valid credit card, there is, it would seem, no short supply!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Come spring skiing here in the heart of the White Mtns.


I skied Bear Peak and it was fantastic. Guests tell me that Wildcat is even better!!

Wildcat is only $32.50 to ski on Wednesday's, and $39 other mid-week days. The great prices and the spine-tingling feeling looking at Mt. Washington from the top of Wildcat makes it a very special, even a spiritual experience. Snow-shoeing up Mt. Williard is a real treat.

Experience the best. Come spring skiing & snow shoeing here in the heart of the White Mountains. It's unforgetable!