Explore Our Back Roads and Beaches

Calling all cycling and outdoor enthusiasts! The Lorain County Visitors Bureau in Northeast Ohio has put together a fantastic new eco tourism venture called "Back Roads and Beaches." As the name implies, the tour route takes you down little traveled country roads, through townships, past corn fields and cow pastures, into small towns and little traveled city streets, and along the Lake Erie beaches. If you go the distance, you will travel about 60 miles and maybe more if you take a few off shoots to listed sites along the route. Plan your trip so you can take your time to enjoy the sites, sounds, and smells along the way. Stop and smell the roses at Lakeview Beach. Sit,relax, stretch awhile, and listen to the sound of the waves of Lake Erie as they come ashore on the rocks.

Along the route you can explore the many museums of Lorain County from the Maritime Museum in Vermilion to the Heritage Center in Oberlin. Learn about the Great Lakes, Ohio's role in the Underground Railroad, and read information about our small towns and cities. Stop and try your hand at kayaking or canoeing on Lake Erie or at the lake at Findley State Park. Visit the Lorain County wineries for a tour and some refreshments. Come in the fall for the changing of the leaves. There is shopping and bike repair along the way, great places to eat, and super B & B's to spend a night or two. And of course when you arrive in Oberlin, plan to stay a day or 2 here at Hallauer House Bed & Breakfast where you can recharge, take a sauna, relax in the Jacuzzi whirlpool, sleep on a fabulous mattress, and eat a fantastic breakfast! Unfortunately, the pool will be closed next week for the winter but will reopen in April. So plan a spring trip now!

The route is laid out so you can take your time. Spend a few days going from beginning of the route to the end. Start at Findley State Park and end in Avon Lake or start in Avon Lake and end at Findley. Or if your time is short, just do one segment at a time. So come and visit! See what Lorain County has to offer. You won't be disappointed!

Dog's Day Out!

This is Duke, our resident 10 year old rescued dog. He's a sweetie!

So here is another fun happening in Oberlin, in Northeast Lorain County, Ohio! Come on over on Saturday Sept. 22 for the third annual Doggie Doo & Pooch Parade! It is sponsored by the Oberlin Chamber of Commerce and the proceeds go to benefit the local Lorain County animal shelters. Events begin at 11 AM and go til 4 PM in Tappan Square and will be held rain or shine. (And the weather people are saying it will be a 'shine' day with lots of sun and around 80 degrees!)

Events for the day will include dog contests with the most popular event being one for the best dressed dog! There will be training demonstrations as well as a demonstration by the Sheriff's attack dogs. Pets from shelters and rescue centers will be available for adoption to loving and permanent homes. The activities conclude with the ever popular Pooch Parade! For complete information visit the Chamber's website at http://www.oberlin.org/doggiedoo/. Duke, in the picture above, is planning to go to Doggie Doo but he says no way will he dress up! We'll see about that! And we'll see YOU at the Doggie Doo too! There is never a dull moment in Oberlin! You know you want to come and see for yourself!

"Artist in Residence at the Inn"

Today, the 25th annual "Harvest of the Arts" took place in Wellington, just 7 miles south of Oberlin. It was a beautiful day with lots of sun and the feeling of autumn in the air. There were over 100 artists and crafters from Ohio and adjoining states presenting their creations for sale and the multitude of festival goers were eager to buy! We were very happy and excited to have had as a guest here at Hallauer House Sowmya Parigi, artist and owner of SVA "One's Own" Creations, Inc. out of Hebron, KY. She and her husband came on Saturday, the day before the festival, so that they could relax and be ready to set up for the show the next day. I really found her eco-friendly art to be in keeping with our personal philosophy of recycling and using natural fabrics and products. At her studio, Sowmya creates one of a kind fabric, water color, & custom art.

As Joe and I perused her art for sale at the festival, we had a hard time making a decision as to which to buy. There were custom painted T-shirts, hand bags, totes, and wine caddies, all with original art and hand painted by the artist. We finally settled on the wine caddie with plans to include this item when we get our winery tour package up and going with Single Tree Winery and other wineries in Lorain County. The picture you see on the right is now 'My' wine caddie, but you can select one for yourself or any other of Sowmya's art work by simply visiting her website at www.sva-creations.com where you can see her products and then order on line. You will not be disappointed!

And be sure to keep in mind and perhaps attend the 26th annual 'Harvest of the Arts' in Wellington, OH this time next year. It keeps getting bigger and bigger! And it benefits Herrick Memorial Library. And once again, there is always lots to do in Lorain County, Ohio! So come for a visit! You know you want to!

Oberlin College Tailgate Parties!

Here ye all you tail gate fans! The John W. Heisman Club at Oberlin College has announced two remaining tailgate weekends this fall. The first one will be on Sat. Sept. 29 when Oberlin takes on Hiram and this also just happens to be Homecoming weekend! I'd offer a special deal for all you Oberlin Alums for that weekend but we are full with guests attending a local wedding. Sorry about that. The second tailgate is on Sat. Nov. 3 for the game against Kenyon College. The other remaining home games are Oct. 13 with visiting Earlhan College and the last game on Nov. 10 which is Parent's Weekend. So if you like college football, come on over to Oberlin and join in the fun. Kick-off time for home games is at 1 pm and they're all on Saturdays.

New Fruit Recipe

It's Sunday and the Cleveland Browns are losing to the Pittsburg Steelers! It's raining outside and the bugs are absolutely terrible. So while the game drags on and the bugs will eat me if I go outside, I thought I would share a new recipe that we served to our guests yesterday. It was completely devoured by all, so we deemed it a keeper. It's based on a Blueberry-Kiwi Fool recipe but I changed it to fit the ingredients that I had on hand. We now need a new name for it. Anyone have a suggestion?

Blueberry-Kiwi _____________________

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup frozen vanilla yogurt
1 T. sugar (optional)
3-4 kiwi, peeled and cut up (about 1 cup)

1. In a bowl, mash 1 cup of blueberries or puree in a blender.
2. Stir cinnamon into blueberries
3. Fold the frozen yogurt into pureed blueberries
4. In parfait glasses or other serving bowls (about 6-7 ounces), layer
yogurt-blueberry mixture, remaining blueberries, and kiwi.
5. Top with a small scope of frogen yogurt and one blueberry.
6. Garnish with a sprig of lemon mint
7. Serve immediately
Makes 4-6 servings

One thing about this recipe - looks best if served on a white plate. We started with a red service and the colors clashed! Enjoy!

What a way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Ohio wine is alive and well and being made right here in Lorain County! Oh how lucky we are!

Joe and I, and our 24 year old daughter Emily, just returned from a visit to Single Tree Winery at 12488 Baumhart Rd in South Amherst, Ohio just 7 miles and 9 minutes from Hallauer House B & B. Single Tree has been selling wine since Dec. 2004 and I'm wondering why we took so long to visit them! They are open Tues - Thurs. from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Fri. and Sat. from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. with wine tasting daily. The driveway winds through the trees and opens up onto the drive in front of the winery.

We arrived about 2 p.m. and after tasting Apple Wine, a semi sweet fruity wine, Black Label Blend, a blend of their labruscas, and Cabernet Sauvignon, a red, oak aged wine that is rich in complexity and depth with bold flavor and taste, we chose to purchase a bottle of the Cab. We decided, since we skipped lunch, to get a cheese plate to go with our wine. Then out to the outdoor patio we marched to enjoy our bounty. Today is a hot, humid, windy day but we enjoyed sitting in the open air and sipping a super tasting bottle of vino. We may have to make room in our schedule to return tomorrow as the winery is having a special end of summeer bash with hamburgers, hotdogs, and corn on the cob at very affordable prices! Normally, they don't sell food, but you are allowed to take in your own food and you can even use their grills to cook it on! And while the food is cooking, sip some wine! And while you're eating the food, sip some more wine! But be sure you have your 24 year old daughter, who only likes Coke, there to drive you home!

So I now know that Joe and I will become regular visitors. And to think that what they call their 'Happy Days' are Tues., Wed., and Thurs., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., where all glasses of wine are only $1.99! Why did we wait so long to visit!?

Our next idea is to put together a 'Winery and Bed & Breakfast Package' for our guests to enjoy. Stay tuned and come back to the Blog or visit our website to see the final details. If you have any ideas on what a good package would be, go ahead and email us. Let us know! We'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime - think Ohio Wine. You know you want a glass or a bottle! Visit the Single Tree Winery website at www.singletreewine.com or check them out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/singletreewine

Artist Recital Series for 2007-08

Oberlin College Conservatory has just released the 2007-08 schedule for the Artist Recital Series and it looks like it will be an absolutely fantastic year of incredible entertainment. So mark your calendars with the following dates and plan to attend one or all of the 10 performances. All performances will be at 8pm in Finney Chappel at Oberlin College.

Wednesday Oct. 3 begins the series as Chanticleer, the Grammy award-winning men's chorus takes the stage. The group is made up of 12 men who sing everything from Gregorian Chants, to jazz, to gospel, to pop. Their sound has been reviewed as "Precise, pure, and deeply felt singing." Check out their website at www.chanticleer.org/Tour.cfm.

Next up on Thurs. Nov. 1 is one of the great's from New Orleans, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and, in accordance with the jazz tradition, there is only open seating so it's first come, first served! Get there early! Some of the bands members have been playing since the early 20th century. Will definitely be standing room only for this performance!

The Imani Winds quintet takes the stage on Tues. Nov. 6. This Grammy-nominated group performs works by African, latin, & American composers and combines percussion & folk influences to the wind quartet sound. A real fusion of urban & classical music will make the sound really exciting!

Two weeks later on Tues. Nov 20, one of the top 10 orchestras in the world returns for their 206th performace in the Series. And that would be our own fabulous Cleveland Orchestra! Jayce Ogren will be conducting a program that will include Mozart's Symphony No. 34 & Brahms Synphony No. 1. This is a great treat and another 'Can't Wait' performance!

The Takacs Quartet will be performing on Fri. Dec. 7. The quartet,now in it's 31st season, brings the sounds of clarinet, violins, viola, and cello together to play Haydn, Bartok, and Mozart. What a great way to get ready for the holidays!

The series winds down a bit after Dec. but gets back in full swing on Tues April 1st when Edgar Meye, playing double bass, and Amy Dorfman on piano, take the stage. The actural program has yet to be announced but it should be very innovative and will appeal to all age groups. Stay tuned!

Angela Hewitt will perfom twice with each concert ticketed separately. One performance will be on Fri. April 4th, the other on Sun. April 6 and both will feature the music of J. S. Bach.

Appearing together on Thurs. April 10 will be classical violinist Hilary Hahn and singer/songwriter Josh Ritter. In 2001, at the age of 21, Hahn was named "America's Best Young Classical Musician" by Time magazine. Now she is one of the most popular artists on the concert circuit. Josh Ritter is an Oberlin grad, class of '99 and has been compared to a young Springsteen or Leonard Cohen. They will be exciting to hear!

The seasons last performance will take place on Wed. April 23 when award winning mezzo-soprano, Anne Sofie von Otter appears on the Finney Chapel stage. She has been called one of the finest performers around, having appeared in opera houses around the world.

Buy a subscription package to all 10 concers by Sept 14 and save lots of money!
Previous subscribers: Buy 1 subscription-get 1 at half price
New subscribers: Buy 1 subscription-get 1 FREE
Oberlin Students: $53.00 a person
Oberlin Family: $129.00 per person
Seniors over 55 $129.00 per person
General Public $159.00 per person
Single tickets available after Sept. 16.
(Check out the Oberlin College artist recital webpage, www.oberlin.edu/arseries/, for the complete details.)

So there you have it! Some great ways to spend some quality weekday evenings! Who said there is nothing in Ohio! Just come to Oberlin and attend all, some, or even one of these fabulous concerts! Come early! Have a fabulous dinner in one of our fabulous restaurants! Take a walk through our fabulous town! And why go home immediately after the concert? You know you don't want to drive home late! So come and stay at Hallauer House Bed & Breakfast. Come in late. Sleep in a fabulous bed and then have a fabulous breakfast in the morning before driving home. We'd love to have you! We might even see you at the concert! Visit our website! www.hallauerhousebnb.com.