25 Unique Things

Our daughters on Facebook wanted to know 25 unique things about us, as their parents that they do not know, so I thought I would share 25 unique things about Hallauer House Bed & Breakfast that you will not find on our website! So here they are!

1. The house was built in 1830 and the bark is still on the basement and attic tree beams!
2. The attic tree beams are attached with wooden pegs!
3. The basement walls are constructed of field stone which is about 12 inches thick!
4. The front door and the door bell were installed around 1860!
5. The wormy chestnut floors in the Music Room and Dining Room are original to 1830 and in excellent condition!
6. The floor in the Mason/Dixon Suite is made of six different woods - cherry, poplar, pine, black walnut, walnut, and oak.
7. One of the main beams of the house runs through the Suite and is really unique!
8. One of the buffets in the Dining Room was made from the felled black walnut tree in the back yard. It was kilned, planed, and constructed by local Amish in Medina County!
9. In the Music Room we have a walking cane which is actually a sword made to look like a cane!
10. The upstairs hallway has a courting candle. Now this is a candle used by a young girl's father when her suitor came "a courtin' ". If he liked a particular suitor, the father might set the candle on one of the higher rings, giving the couple a long visit in hopes that this lad might become his son-in-law. If the young man wasn't a favorite, the candle would be set on a lower ring allowing just a short visit. When the candle burned down to the metal, courtin' time was over! Oh, those were the days!!
11. In the Music Room there is an extensive collection of 1930's and 1940's sheet music. Guests can have fun playing our a tune on the digital, baby grand piano!
12. Guests can also read through a book written in 1882 about the first 50 years of Oberlin College. A real eye opener about life in the past!
13. The front stairway has one squeaky step that signals when someone is going up or coming down. Now this was a great signal that one of our four daughters might be trying to sneak out! And no one, daughters or guests, can seem to remember exactly which step is the one that squeaks!
14. Some guests have said they have gotten a 'spirit feeling' in one of our guest rooms. I won't say which one! Come and stay and see if you agree!
15. Just this past weekend our granddaughter counted 38 teas in our tea selection! And the collection keeps growing! Something for everyone. Come and enjoy!
16. 'Duke' is our resident yellow lab. He is 12 years old, loves guests, and especially loves bacon! He's not real fond of visiting vegetarians since they have no left over meat! He actually belongs to our daughter who is in the Coast Guard and when she gets her permanent station in July, he may go to live with her and then we will cry.
17. Our 20 X 40 foot in-ground swimming pool was constructed in 1984 (25 years ago) and still looks like new! We have the original building receipt but we have replaced just about everything from liner to pump, to filter, to underground pipes. Can't wait for spring to get that winter cover off! Maybe we should have a silver anniversary party for it!
18. During a stroll through our garden you will find six - 3 foot tall old letters that were taken from an old DRIVE-IN sign. The only letter missing is the V and the other letters are scattered through the garden. The R E D letters are being used to call attention to Red Hill!
19. We are in "The Dead Zone"! You know those Verizon commercials which show the people using their Verizon cell phones even in the "Dead Zone". Well Verizon is the ONLY cell phone that has a problem working in our house! Now that is really weird since we have Verizon DSL, and a Verizon land line! No one at the Verizon cell phone stores has been able to help with the problem so I think I will call AT&T and volunteer to do a commercial about living in "the Verizon Dead Zone!"
20. In our large pond there lives a koi fish named Goldie who appears to be about half a yard long and about 12 pounds, or so Joe thinks! She loves to float on the surface in the sun and you can usually catch a glimpse of her when you walk by.
21. There are many other fish in that pond and if you start to feed them they will remember you and when you approach the edge, they will swim over to see what you have to feed them! They love hot dog pieces!
22. Some people love to go for walks around blocks. Well, the block here at Hallauer House is exactly 4.2 miles in distance! Can you walk it in less than 60 minutes?! Come and see!
23. In the summer and fall we've been known to have a bonfire back by Goldie's Pond. You know the kind like you used to do as kids at camp. We sit around and toast marshmallows or roast hot dogs, tell campfire stories and ghost stories, and some of us sip our glass of red wine!
24. There are many unique things in the garden: hanging windows and mirrors, a flying witch, a glass block pyramid, hanging chandeliers and glass bottom mugs, fairies and little children, a tree with a face and a top hot, a tree spigot, and much, much more! Come and see!
25. There is a room with your name on it! We would like to meet you, have some tea with you, share some Oberlin stories, and serve you a great breakfast! We know you want to come! And we know you won't be disappointed!