WE'VE GONE WIRELESS!
As more and more of our guests must take care of some business as they travel, we've realized we have to make it easier to do that--so you can finish your "tasks" and get down to just relaxing! That's what led to our setting up a business lounge, equipped with two desktop computers for your use, as well as WIRELESS high-speed internet access!

With your own laptop, you can work in our business lounge, your guest room, on the patio, in the garden, by the fireplace ... you get the idea! (If you don't have a wireless card for your laptop, we have one to lend you!) Somehow it seems to take the sting out of having to handle business on vacation if you can sit outside with a cup of coffee, watching the butterflies, as you answer your e-mail.

So check out our availability for the next time you have a business trip in our area. Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?

THEME WEEKENDS COMING UP!
Escape and focus! Ever wish you could just escape and have time to focus only on what you enjoy for a couple of days? Being able to concentrate on any one thing is becoming harder and harder in our culture. We have been asked to set aside some weekends to devote to particular interest groups, and we will be giving you what you've asked for this winter!

Scrapbookers will be delighted with our first theme weekend, January 23-25; and history lovers will enjoy learning more about our local culture when you join us for the "Anabaptist Experience" weekend, March 12-14.

Some of the other themes suggested to us are now in the planning process:

Be sure to let us know which one piques your interest, and it might be the next one we announce!

FROM DEB'S KITCHEN
Herbed Vinegar
Even after an especially rainy summer, or maybe as a result of it, the gardens here are filled with wonderfully fragrant herbs. I always hate to see the summer end and fall arrive because I know my fresh supply of all these wonders will soon come to an end. As the days grow colder, I take my large kitchen basket and clippers and gather armfuls of rosemary, thyme, basil, lemon balm--in short, any and every herb that I so love to use. With a counter lined with beautiful bottles (many of them empty wine bottles, labels meticulously removed), I set about to make herbed vinagers to use in salads, and to give as gifts. Here is the low-down on how to go about making your own:

This is a fun way to be creative. The combinations of herbs will give your vinegars a world of flavors. Allow to stand in a cool dry place well corked for 2 months and up to a year. The acid will preserve the herbs and the time it stands will deepen the flavors. Use in salads and anywhere else you would normally use vinegar.

More Swiss Woods Recipes

HOUSEHOLD HAPPENINGS
Everybody loves Rosie! If you have not already met Rosie, let me take the time here to introduce you! Our 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, born in Switzerland, joined our family at 8 weeks or so of age. The Bernese Mountain dogs are one of the indigenous breeds found in Switzerland. They were used to herd cows and sheep, and with their thick coats, were well adapted to the cold winters found there. She moved into her kennel as a happy-go-lucky puppy and just as quickly, moved into our hearts. We will all tell you that we are just nuts about this pup. We think she is just the smartest dog out there, not to mention beautiful. As this goes to press, we are watching an expectant mother's gleam in her eye, and have high hopes of puppies before the holidays. Be sure to visit our website for pictures and more "proud mama" croonings!

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST!
Alpine Echoes is intended to be updated several times a year, and may include new recipes, inn specials, and news of local events. If you would like to receive these Swiss Woods updates automatically, sign up here!

Our newsletter, Alpine Echoes, also can be found at http://www.swisswoods.com.