The River Nest Bed and Breakfast

Happy New Year!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to all our guests who made 2009 a successful year here at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast. We look forward to seeing you and meeting many new friends in 2010.

Valentine bookings are beginning to come in, but January shouldn’t be ignored. Great views, the fireplace and jacuzzi, and comfort food breakfasts all contribute to a cozy getaway here.

Upcoming events in the Reads Landing/Wabasha/Kellogg area include the Grumpy Old Men Festival and the National Eagle Center’s Soar With the Eagles month-long celebration. Be sure to check them out at the Chamber of Commerce and National Eagle Center websites.

The January Bird Report:

The eagles are here! Saturday morning we counted 47 in the trees along the river. Our neighbor likes to compare counts with us. He always sees triple what we count. I tease him that he’s counting the same one flying by every time! Right now (January 12 at 1:30 p.m.) we have several along the ice in front of the B&B. They like to sit there and fish.

The backdoor bird feeders are emptying quickly. The cardinals, bluejays, chicadees, nuthatches, finches, doves, and various woodpeckers–downy, red bellied, and hairy–have had great appetites during our winter blasts. We have two pilleated woodpeckers that have been visiting the suet basket daily.

Come and enjoy our eagles and backyard birds, our comfy suites, and our Grandma Tillie breakfasts. Give yourself a delightfully warm winter break at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast!

Bill and Carol Dunn, Innkeepers
651-560-4077
bcdunn@wabasha.net

Autumn 2008 along the Mississippi River

These are the colors I mentioned in my Septoberfest entry. This was taken October 2008.

Carol Dunn, Innkeeper
The River Nest Bed and Breakfast

It’s finally a rainy day, giving me a chance for guilt-free computer work!

When the rain ends tomorrow, the sun will shine on the most beautiful season in Southeast Minnesota. The bluffs turn to red and gold, and the river becomes a blue mirror. We invite you to enjoy this splendor at The River Nest Bed and Breakfast.

The Wabasha-Kellogg (and Reads Landing!) area is celebrating Septoberfest, our family-friendly fall gala. This celebration took shape for the first time last year, and response from our guests was phenomenal! The towns are decorated with pumpkins, flags, scarecrows, and cornstalks. Restaurants are offering German menus, as well as German beverages. Pumpkin decorating and scarecrow creating contests are underway. The Germans in the area will be parading. Every weekend brings new music and activities to the area. Most visitors like Septoberfest because it replaces the traditional drinkathon image with other outdoor (and indoor) activities.

Find all the details about Septoberfest at the Chamber of Commerce and Septoberfest Flyer links online.

It’s also apple season again! I’ve been peeling Macintosh and Heralson apples, and our guests have been sampling apple kuchen, caramel-apple muffins, apple crisp, and/or apple pie for breakfast! Last weekend’s guests still enjoyed their early-morning coffee and treats out on their deck. Mornings are getting crisper, giving hot coffee and warm baked goodies even more flavor.

Have you heard about Papa’s Barn? About a mile from Wabasha, the Meurer family has converted their barn into a treasure heaven. Twice a year they open and market unique indoor and outdoor decor provided by craftspeople from near and far. New this year will be handmade Amish furniture and quilts. And, down the road, another Meurer has The Woodshop where they market even more decor as well as beautiful handmade furniture (We’ve bought several oak tables for our suites.). As I said, both are only open twice a year, and the dates this fall are October 2 thru 11, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Again, I hope you’ll find the time to visit Southeast Minnesota during this special season. I’m hosting Sunday afternoon open houses here at The River Nest and offering apple kuchen to our visitors. Stop by and see us!

Carol Dunn, Innkeeper

Whew!  How did I miss June and half of July?  They’ve been fabulous in Reads Landing, and business has been thriving here at The River Nest!

First, the bird report: 

• A few eagles are nesting in our area, and we are seeing the adolescents watching for fish nearby along the water’s edge .
• The blue herons stand in our cove every day now.
• We sighted what I thought were several egrets (but are white blue herons) on our drive over to Alma, Wisconsin, last week.
• The wrens decided the tops of the new “topsy-turvy” tomato planters looked like perfect nesting spots.
• Orioles and rose-breasted grosbeaks are staying longer this year than ever before.
• A guest from Florida asked about “that beautiful bird” she saw that was “all black with just a bit of color on the wings.”  Sometimes we forget that a common red-winged blackbird has beauty!

Transitioning with “beauty,” I caught the sunset from the suite deck this evening.  Let’s see if I can upload it:

The last of tonight's sunset.

Sadly, between the time I first noticed the red sky and the time I took the photo, it took a while to locate the camera and switch the settings!

We have Riverboat Days coming up this weekend in Wabasha.  Planned activities include races, fishing contests, events “under the bridge,” and a parade.  Check it out at our Wabasha-Kellogg Chamber of Commerce link!

Of course, anytime is a great time to visit our area, and we’d love to host you at The River Nest.

We’re back!  Our wonderful webmaster at Plum Creek Associates has linked us to our web site at www.TheRiverNest.com.  So now you can expect more postings.  Let’s get to it!  First, let’s talk about the upcoming area activities, then the bird traffic. 

This weekend the Nature Conservancy is hosting a volunteer work party at the Weaver Dunes Preserve.  According to the press release, “This 592-acre preserve is home to numerous species of special concern in Minnesota.”  Those “species of special concern” include both animals and plants.  More information can be found on their web site at http://nature.org.wherewework/northamerica/state/minnesota or by contacting the Volunteer Stewards at (507) 289-3959 or schlasner@usfamily.net.

The first weekend in May we have what I  call “The Hundred-mile-an-hour Garage Sale”!  That Friday through Sunday, over a thousand garage sales are held in the communities from Prescott, WI, to Pickwick, MN, on both sides of the Mississippi River.  People come with trucks and trailers to load up inexpensive treasures.

Also on May 1, 2, and 3, a lady named Skip Meurer hosts Papa’s Barn where you can visit a farm and shop in a barn (wonderfully renovated, not animal stinky!) for “Handcrafted and carefully selected items for your home, garden and gift giving.”  Skip invites vendors to bring their wares, then she and her relatives arrange them throughout the barn and barnyard (again, clean).  “Down the road” another Meurer family hosts The Woodshop, where Bill and I have purchased great side tables for our Terrace Suite.  They’re open the first and second weekends in May and again the first and second weekends in October.   You can contact Skip at skipmeurer2006@gmail.com or 651-565-4805.

The 2009 Great River Birding Festival is set for May 9 and includes Mississippi River backwaters boat tours, a ride on a Mini-Rail Car train through the Tiffany Wildlife Area and Chippewa River Bottoms near Durand, WI, and migratory bird banding demonstrations.  For more details about the Festival, check out www.mississippi-river.org.

Speaking of birds, the eagles are thinning out.  They’ve either moved up into the bluffs or headed north.  We do have them year-around, though, because there are several nests in the area.  So visitors still see them.  When the eagles leave, the barges come.  We’ve already enjoyed watching several travel the main channel in front of The River Nest. 

Of course, the robins, red-wing blackbirds, goldfinches, and purple finches have been back several weeks.  We’ve spotted a blue heron several times.  The water level is too high yet for it to land in its favorite spot along our cove, but it keeps checking! 

The pelicans are back!  They are so funny!  For the first time I saw them fly in a bird-like formation Monday night.  Otherwise I think they fly like a swarm of direction-challenged bees!  Last year they spent time in our cove, and we laughed at their dive-bomb landings! 

When we first moved here, I was disappointed every time a bird wasn’t an eagle.  Now I find great entertainment in all the birds that migrate through.  I can’t wait to see the indigo buntings–my favorite color is blue, and Bill is cleaning up his oriole feeders.  But I think the rose-breasted grosbeak will again be his favorite visitor.

Goodness!  Did you make it all the way through?  Thank you!

Carol Dunn, Innkeeper, The River Nest Bed and Breakfast

P.S.  I’m going to try inserting a picture I took yesterday.  It should look inviting.

A view from The River Nest B&B