The Lizard, the Teacher, and the Snake

New month, new guests, and new surprises! November started green and humid. Nice thunderstorms and heavy rains brought the vegetation back, and flowers are popping everywhere. Little wild violet and yellow ones cover the garden, and it looks beautiful.

While getting everything ready for my new guest, Johanna, Osha was making new friends in the front yard... A big lizard (called "Lagarto Overo") had crawled out of her cave and was slowly going across the garden, while Osha improvised a funny barking at her. First reptile of the season, I thought... and certainly not the last one.

Johanna arrived on Thursday and spent two nights at the Stone House. We shared many interesting talks, especially anecdotes about the many trips she had made around the world. She was an extremely knowledgeable person, fun and very nice. She was a teacher, and it showed. I enjoyed listening to her stories and thoughts.

On the second day of her stay, and while she went away for a long morning walk, I happened to find the second reptile of the season. Maybe not the one I would have liked, but there it was.
A bright green snake came down the mountain and decided to go across the barbecue area of the B&B. It was a Yarara Chica, a very common poisonous snake in Cordoba's countryside.

Fortunately the snake was in a good mood, and didn't make much fuzz about being put into a recipient and transported a few kilometers away, to be released next to a nice stream, far away from the B&B.

Quite an experience, I must say :)

Johanna was exited to hear the story about the snake and see the photos I took. A few hours later, we enjoyed a nice early dinner over a pleasant talk. It was a pleasure getting to know her.

A few new requests are pending confirmation for the rest of the month. In the meantime, the Stone House will rest and get ready for the next nice guests!

The Belgian Season

October is always a special month, for many reasons... and this year was no exception! On Tuesday the 3rd some lovely guests from Linburg, Belgium arrived at the Little Stone House... Everything was ready. Spring was starting to make herself noticed although rains had yet to make their long awaited appearance.

Bill and Jeanne were able to enjoy two sunny days, visiting Villa General Belgrano, and also paddling for a while in the lake, on a fairly windy day. We shared very interesting talks over dinner, about history, politics, and the similarities of Belgian and Argentinian way of life. Their trip was a very interesting one, almost a quest, and I hope everything goes very well with them!

While Bill and Jeanne were enjoying their stay, there was a phone call and a new reservation came to be... a friendly voice on the other side asked for the possibility to stay for a few nights with his family... a family from... Belgium!

On Friday the 7th, they arrived from Villa Berna, where they have had a very nice stay, except for a minor misunderstanding over extras and sock laundry with the self proclaimed partner of the nice place they stayed at.

We met at the entrance of Villa del Dique, on what came to be, and will be remembered as a memorable moment. "This is me!" and "This is us!" That was the beginning of a truly wonderful stay over the weekend with Yves, Annelies, Livia and Juul... It was a real pleasure meeting them, and enjoying long, fun and meaningful talks, full of laughs, thoughts, stories, and memories...

A rainy day (yes, it rained, it finally rained!), a windy day with lots of fun in the water and in the nearby ruins, and a barbecue day next to the river where enough to make this a stay to remember. Rest assured we will be in contact and a visit to Belgium won`t take long to happen!

I wish them the best on their Argentinian Expedition and hope to see them again very soon!

In the meantime, a new reservation dawns in the November horizon, and I eagerly look forward to it.... Till then....

Six degrees of separation

On Friday 3rd of June, the telephone rang and a cheerful voice in english asked me if there was availability for the weekend at the B&B. Hopefully there was, because I was able to meet two fantastic persons.

I started getting everything ready, and also baking some bread and puddings for my coming guests. The day was a bit windy, and the forecast for the weekend was not that good, but it turned out to be quite different.

On Saturday morning I went to the bus station to wait for Dominique and Mario, who were coming from Cordoba. We got to the B&B and talked for a little before I let them accommodate themselves.

Fortunately the day was quite sunny, in spite of the wind, but Dominique and Mario could enjoy the bikes and also take some walks.

In the evening I fixed a picada and we enjoyed a nice talk in the living room. After that, we also had dinner together and talked until late at night. It turned out to be that Mario was a close friend of my brother's father in law... talking about the law of six degrees of separation! We were really surprised about the coincidence! He also told me he was restoring a Vespa motorbike, and that we had many antique pieces that belonged to his father. Yet another coincidence!

It was a really nice evening.

On Sunday, Dominique and Mario were able to enjoy the canoe after a delicious barbecue Mario cooked, which we enjoyed in the garden. The lake was calm and the weather was beautiful!

In the evening we shared dinner, with some crispy milanesas and beer. We shared an interesting talk until 2 in the morning :)

It was a real pleasure meeting them, and we will hopefully see each other soon! Definitely those kind of persons you want to find!

The sound of the Mandolin

After a few calm months following the intense days of January, our Stone House was ready to welcome new guests. On May 25, Izaak, Kynda and Caden arrived to spend a few days enjoying the peaceful and somehow warm autumn. They got to Villa del Dique from Cordoba, by car. Before that, they had visited Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and told me some interesting road stories and experiences driving the wild argentinian routes.

It was my first "solo" reservation, and everything went fine. I put special attention to the food and prepared some tasty dinners for them to enjoy.

Izaak was a musician, and during the afternoons he played his Mandolin in the barbecue area outside. The sound of it was absolutely magical. It felt like being transported to the middle ages. Meanwhile, Caden enjoyed his work on the yard :)

It was wonderful meeting our new guests! Caden, who was almost 5 years old, promised he would be back when he was older!

Winter holidays are approaching fast, hopefully new guests will come. Until then :)

Nostalgic Autumn

Autumn is here... the sun has a completely different light and the weather is much cooler, especially during the evenings. The place is much quieter... less people strolling around the lake, which is as calm as it can be. Sunny mornings are very inviting and a canoe getaway is always a nice choice...

Days in the B&B have been quiet. We had some requests and a booking for May. So we are looking forward to that.

Sad news is that Noe won't be able to work at the B&B for personal reasons that make her impossible to travel to Villa del Dique. We are both terribly sad about that. She will, however, still help with recipes and any kind of support she might be able to give from Cordoba. I will really miss her, and so will our beloved Stone House. The doors will forever be open for when you can return.

In the meantime, family and friends might help in long term bookings.

Plans are in imagineering stage for the natural pool... Yes! Ground breaking should start soon!

I might post a sketch of what it will look like, and it will hopefully be ready for the summer.

Full January!

2010 left us with a surprise, the request for a whole month booking for January! What a challenge! A couple with a 9 year old girl, and a cute dog named Hannah. And a challenge it was! We had to make some changes to the bedroom, to accommodate a single bed, so we moved the barrel next to the couch and everything worked just fine. A little dog basket with it's own pillow added the final touch.
We really hope our guests had a nice and relaxing stay. They could enjoy the canoe and mostly the quietness of their room.
We expanded our menu to make many different dinner options, adding fish, pies, and salads.
It was a very nice experience overall!
We also received some information requests for February, so it has been a busy month!
This week things are back to quiet state. Lots of birds singing, a cloudy day with a refreshing breeze, and the distant sound of some motor boats crossing the lake.
Anyway, after this last stay, after this Full January, only one phrase comes to mind... "ya nada sera igual..."