DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

Greetings from the South! Ron and I are in Austin, Texas for the Professional Association of International Innkeepers Conference. After arriving without a single hitch, we spent many, many minutes looking for Rudy's BBQ....the many wrong turns and turnabouts in this amazing city of one way streets were definitely worth the frustration....Our greeter announced us as 'rookies,' which triggered bells clanging and much shouting. The best part . . . was the sampling of all the meats AND creamed corn to die for!!!! We felt right at home since they also had St. Louis pork ribs on the menu...sliced smoked turkey, brisket and loin sold by the half pound,too. Here's about 6 slices of white bread ~ you build your own sandwich. Our 'fine china' was butcher paper! Help yourselves to iced down bottled beer/soda from an old fashioned trough used as a beer box. Pickles, onions and BBQ sauce ----ummmm good. What a funn place! Wish the Lake of the Ozarks had a Rudy's Country Store! We hope to share Rudy's with the other Missouri innkeepers as they arrive in Austin and we all hook up!Four days of intense workshops with four days of fun with innkeepers coming from near and far. We're proud to be Missouri innkeepers and members of PAII!

WHA S UP AT THE LAKE?

WHA S UP AT THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS? Although it seems like the middle of winter, there's still plenty happening at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks! Polar Bears plunge.…Liverpool Legends return.…Brides take a stroll and gospel lovers gather.

TAKE THE PLUNGE! On Saturday, Feb. 27, the 15th annual Polar Plunge guarantees colorful and heartwarming stories as crazily costumed participants plunge into the frigid waters of the Lake of the Ozarks to raise money for the athletes of Special Olympics Missouri. 600 Plungers are expected. The participants with the most original costume will win the coveted Golden Plunger Award. Some recent costumes have included the Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Energizer Bunny, Blues Brothers, plus penguins and pirates and there are always one or more Elvises (or is that Elvi?). Registration starts at 12 noon and the plunging will begin at 2:30 p.m. For more info please visit www.somo.org/lozplunge.

MEET THE BEATLES--AGAIN! There's a reason Liverpool Legends is considered the BEST Beatles tribute band in the world—because it is! Don’t miss the return engagement of Liverpool Legends for two unforgettable shows: 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6, at the Main Street Music Hall. Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison, personally selected these John, Paul, George and Ringo look-alikes, play-alikes and sound-alikes. It’s almost like seeing the real thing! Tickets: $25 for adults. The Inn at Harbour Ridge has special Liverpool Legend weekend packages available. Call 877-744-6020.
A PAIR O’PARADES AT THE O’LAKE OF THE O’ZARKS … On Saturday, March 13, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by lake or land! At 11:30 a.m., watch colorfully decorated boats create a unique lineup down the Gravois Arm during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the Water. Then, at 1:00 p.m., head over to the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip for the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, sponsored by the Bagnell Dam Strip Association, featuring more than 100 floats.

DO THE STROLL. … More than 1,200 weddings take place at the Lake of the Ozarks every year. To help all those brides have the most marvelous and memorable wedding, the Lake of the Ozarks Wedding Association presents its second Lake of the Ozarks Biannual Bridal Stroll, Sunday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's going to be a fun and exciting event for the bride and up to two guests, who will be chauffeured in a tour bus around the Lake…sampling fabulous food and wine, and visiting with caterers, photographers, florists, jewelers, cake designers, DJs and other wedding-related vendors. Also included are an hour-long Lake cruise PLUS the chance to win fabulous prizes! Just $25 per person. See www.lotowa.com for details. The Inn is a charter member of the Lake Wedding Association, recommending it members to their brides.

HEAR SOUTHERN GOSPEL'S BEST. … Southern Gospel music reaches deep into your soul and gets you up on your feet. Discover its power at the 12th annual Great Lake of the Ozarks Gospel Sing, March 25-27, featuring legendary acts including the Perry’s, the Ball Brothers, the Dove Brothers, Higher Power Quartet, the Martins, the Booth Brothers and the Lesters. 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the Main Street Music Hall in Osage Beach; $12-$16 for single tickets, $50-$65 for all four shows. For info: www.greatlakeoftheozarksgospelsing.com.

TRY THE TRAIL! That's the golf trail at the lake and its 14 courses. The Inn at Harbour Ridge will book your Golf-A-Round package for you.Sign up for the golf council's newsletter at www.golfatthelake.net.

For your convenience, you may download an electronic version of this article. Simply go to www.funlake.com. At the bottom of the home page, click on Professional Media to access this article and other Lake of the Ozarks news.

A Love Story at the Inn

This past weekend we expected to have lots of Valentine's romance. Our true love story came out Monday morning at the breakfast table. Pam and Steve were at the Inn to celebrate their first anniversary, which was February 14th. Turns out Pam had a crush on Steve when she was a freshman and he a junior in high school...Steve actually helped coach this little gal in track and thought she was a sweetie pie even back then

Pam's family moved away; the high school kids grew up, married different people, had happiness and sadness in their lives. Steve enters the picture again many years later, after tragically losing two wives. Pam's husband has passed away and Steve, as a fellow Mason, is telling Pam if she needs help to call...She's a lovely independentlady and didn't....

Time passes...Steve puts a new roof on one of Pam's sheds. She's amazed at his kindness AND his new tin - offers to pay him. Of course, he said "NO!" but he would take a steak dinner as payment. Might have been a great night out for both of them if Pam hadn't choosen to go to a restaurant where one of her nieces was working. . .You can imagine the teasing poor Aunt Pam endured...."no, it wasn't a date, reallY!" More time passes and the two realize how happy their hearts would be to share the rest of their lives together....I usually tease the young brides and grooms who come to the breakfast table and hold hands all thru breakfast...I didn't on Monday morning....I loved the twinkle in their eyes! Happy Hearts!

A Favorite Recipe from the Innkeeper

Our guests love this recipe and we hope you will too! It's from an old church cookbook and I like to think it's something like what my own Gramma Buck used to make for Grampa. It's a sure bet the old Germans used their own freshly rendered sausage, apples from their orchard, onions from the garden and herbs from the kitchen garden. I know no respectable farm wife would have used a stuffing "mix" from the store, but GOSH! it works for me!!!!

German Sausage Loaf
As served at The Inn at Harbour Ridge

1 pound roll of sage flavored sausage
1 medium Granny Smith or Ida Red apple, grated
1 medium red onion, grated
2 cups packaged cornbread stuffing mix
2 large eggs
Parsley, thyme and rosemary

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until evenly blended. Place in two 3 by 5.5 inch loaf pans or one meat loaf size pan. When ready to bake, sprinkle the tops generously with 1 teaspoon each of parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes until top is medium brown. Slice and serve with a garnish of fresh parsley. If you don’t like “hairy” sausage, stir the PTR herbs into the meat mixture…

Enjoy! Happy Hearts!

Sue from The Inn at Harbour Ridge
The Lake's Most Inviting B & B
6334 Red Barn Road
Osage Beach, MO 65065
877-744-6020
Visit us on-line at www.harbourridgeinn.com
E-mail us at info@harbourridgeinn.com

Named One of the Top 10 Inns for "Best Food" by BedandBreakfast.com 10/09
Innkeepers of the Year 10/08 by BedandBreakfast.com
Named One of Top 10 Best Overall B & Bs in the U.S.
by BedandBreakfast.com 9/07

This One's for You, Mom

Earlier in the year, Ron and I received our third "Best of" award from BedandBreakfast.com. This one was about food and being able to cook....something my Mom thought I'd never be able to do, or at least I think she thought that...For Christmas, I gave her and Dad the award along with a big "thanks." I couldn't see Mom's big sigh of relief, but I think it was probably there! This is "the rest of the story!" as blogged my Marti Mayne on BedandBreakfast.com's blog.

BedandBreakfast.com doesn’t usually do it, but they’re sending a second Best of BedandBreakfast.com award plaque to Sue Westenhaver at the Inn at Harbour Ridge. When we heard her thoughtful story, we thought she deserved it.

Sue’s Mom is in a nursing home, challenged by Parkinson’s disease. Sue’s father is devoted to his wife, taking care of her each day, as she works hard to maintain her dignity in the wake of limited mobility and speech. While Sue grew up on a farm, she bucked the lifestyle, choosing a path less traveled by most farm girls. While she did surrender to learning to cook a few dishes, for the most part she put aside the gardening and cooking lessons for a career in radio and then later in a bank. To further buck the tide, Sue married young, moved from home, got divorced and then re-married. Yet Sue’s Mom and Dad stuck by her, all the while shaking their heads.

When Sue gave up her safe, corporate bank job to build the Inn at Harbour Ridge with her new husband Ron, Sue’s Mom and Dad shook their heads again, yet continued to stick by her. They wondered how all the cooking and gardening would be accomplished by their daughter who’d never have time to learn the basics from Mom, the master. Little did they know that Sue was wondering the same thing, chagrined that she hadn’t taken the time to learn from her mother, a fabulous cook and accomplished gardener.

Yet, Sue’s farm girl true grit resulted in a resolve that’s contributed to the success of the Inn at Harbour Ridge. So when Sue won a Best of BedandBreakfast.com award this year for her great cooking, she sent her award plaque to her Mom as a gift of thanks. “This one’s for you, Mom!” said Sue, as an expression of her appreciation to both her mother and father for all they did to contribute to her success.

We think Sue’s Mom deserves an award too! Here’s to Sue’s Mom and all the other Moms who’ve created award winning innkeepers!

Who Dat?

And the SAINTS came marching in! The Big Brees y holding his little boy in his arms right after the game. . .Drew asking his wife if yesterday really happened. . .and then he said " just like New Orleans we never give up!" Saw my favorite early morning broadcaster, Harry Smith, with tears in his eyes during that interview. Hurray, New Orleans! The party has begun.

She Said YES!!!

It's when the roses arrived I thought....hmm, I wonder if there could be a proposal happening this weekend...Let me share a post from one of our guestroom journals with you.
"This was an absolutely amazing romantic getaway. You guys have thought of everything!
You made a magical moment even more memorable. We are now engaged! Mike and Lindsey

It's so much fun when the Inn becomes a special memory in someone's lives. In additon to the our proposal this weekend, we enjoyed another return visit from Ambassadors Bob and Linda, folks who have been coming to the Inn for years. At breakfast they shared with other guests "they'd been married for 35 years - and it just kept getting better! " (And it shows!) Doug and Amy drove in from Jefferson City in a snowstorm to enjoy peace and tranquilty without their three kiddoes. Hot tubbin' in the snow was perfect R & R & R (romance) for these young parents. Inn at Harbour Ridge is the reason to celebrate all the seasons of your lives. Happy hearts! Sue