Great Sales!

Four more days and I'll be closing the doors to Bluffscape Gallery & Gifts. The gallery will be open through the end of the week, as I have Beanpod Candles, Wall Enhancers, windsocks, Scandinavian kids aprons, and other miscellaneous items left for sale. Most items are marked at 75% off. A few pieces of art remain along with pre-cut mats and frame packs. I have lots of cleaning and moving to do at the gallery, so stop in to check out the great bargains and visit with me. If you like postcards, I have hundreds of Lanesboro area cards available for sale. Photographer, Larry Kanfer, took the pictures that are on the postcards. We ordered many cards when we first started the gallery, so stop in for a great deal on the postcards.

Bluffscape Amish Tours will resume Saturday, March 6 at 10 am and 1:30 pm. We will be moving our tour business to Lanesboro Tours and Treasures at the Feed Mill. I look forward to getting out to visit our Amish friends again and meeting new tour guests. Let's pray for an early, warm Spring to get outdoors again.

Time to get cleaning and moving...until next time, take care!

Gallery Closing - Amish Tours Still Operating

After much consideration and mixed emotions, we are closing Bluffscape Gallery & Gifts. Your past patronage and support is greatly appreciated. It has truly been a pleasure working with artists and being surrounded by such creativity everyday at work. We currently have a discount on all items in the Gallery. Consigned art is 15% off and the gift items are 20% off now until December 22. Starting January 4th more markdowns will be made. Closing date is January 23, 2010.

Display shelving, print bins, art display towers, some framing supplies, and miscellaneous items will be sold. A custom-made L-shaped checkout counter is also available for sale measuring 10 feet long by 34 inches wide, the short end is 44 inches long by 32 inches wide. It has a dark gray/slate marble-look laminate top. If anyone is remodeling a basement, it would make a great counter or bar.

Bluffscape Amish Tours will be located at the Feed Mill, 102 E. Beacon St. downtown Lanesboro. Same great tour, same friendly, knowledgeable guides; just a different ticketing and departure location. Telephone, E-mail, and Website address will also stay the same. The ladies at Lanesboro Tours and Treaures and Cheryl's Apparel located in the Feed Mill will be able to help you with your reservation needs. Eric, Vern, Dave and myself will still be guiding the tours. We look forward to serving you in 2010 from our new location!! Tours will start again March 6th, Saturdays only in March at 10 am and 1:30 pm. Regular tours will operate April - October, Monday - Saturday 10 am and 1:30 pm. It is always a good idea to call ahead for your reservation, as some days seats fill up fast. See you on the tour!

Happy Holidays, from Bluffscape Amish Tours

Another beautiful day in Lanesboro. It is overcast with a few snowflakes floating outside. We could use the sun, but at least it isn't too cold. Amish tours are done for the season. It was a whirlwind year scheduling tours, lining up guides, and meeting so many great guests on our tours. The time off helps us to rejuvenate for next year's tourist season.
Dave and I plan on visiting a few of our Amish friends to wish them a merry Christmas this week and catch up on the happenings of their families. Fannie's daughter had triplets, two boys and one girl, in November. Hopefully, they are all doing well and adjusting to the busy-ness of raising multiples with their other children at home. Dave's brother and sister-in-law had triplets six years ago which encompassed much organizing and care in tending to all their needs along with their two other daughters. They now have six children, and they are a fun bunch of kids! Holidays are exciting times with them around.
As Christmas is soon approaching, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous and Peaceful New Year!

Winter in Lanesboro

Lanesboro Holiday Weekend

Lanesboro is getting ready for the Holidays! Lanesboro's Holiday Open House is this weekend. You can find the stores and village decorated for the Christmas season. At my gallery on Saturday I will have refreshments, specials on merchandise and art, and will be open until 7 p.m. We will have Amish Tours at 10 am and 1:30 pm, too. On Sunday the 22nd, Bethlehem Lutheran Church is having their annual meatball dinner. Dave and I are preparing the mashed potatoes for the second shift. Yes, we use real potatoes, not the boxed stuff! We use about 600 pounds of potatoes to serve about 900 guests. The Lanesboro Inn Keepers Association is having an inn tour on Sunday, as well. The tour goes from 2 - 6 pm and costs $25. We are offfering our Amish tour bus for a shuttle between the inns. So if you don't want to have to worry about driving and looking for parking at each stop, just hop on our bus and Eric will take you to your next stop. Unfortunately, the inn tour is during our shift at the meatball dinner, so I am unable to go on the tour. I was looking forward to checking out the inns, because I live in Lanesboro and don't usually need a place to stay. Although, I have stayed at a couple of local inns for winter weekend retreats for scrapbooking.

During the month of November we take Amish tours out on Saturdays and only during the week if we have four or more adults attending. The weather has been beautiful the past two weeks, so it is a wonderful time to go on an Amish tour. 10 am tours are best, as it starts to get dark in the afternoon and can be difficult to see inside the Amish shops. Keep in mind the Amish don't have electricity to easily turn on a light! Sisters, Lovina and Lydia, ride their horse and buggy to Lanesboro on Saturdays and set up their farmers market at the end of our block. They arrive about 9:30 am and pack up to go home about 5:00 pm. They wander down to the gallery to visit and warm up when they are too cold from sitting outside. Lovina teaches at an Amish school. They had a week off from school last week for corn husking. Many of the Amish children help their parents husk corn by hand, and they get to take a break from school to husk. Lovina enjoyed the week off and attended her cousin's wedding in Iowa. She was looking forward to going back to school, as she had a chance to rejuvenate after the time off. It's always a treat to visit with the young Amish ladies. The next time I see Lovina and Lydia, I'll have to ask them about Thanksgiving and report on the blog if/how the Amish celebrate the holiday.

Come to Lanesboro this weekend and take in the special events to get into the spirit of the Season!

Shopping on Amish Farms

Tour guests enjoy the Amish shops on our tours. Beautiful hand-made aprons, quilts, potholders, and baskets can be found on Amish farm shops. One day I had a tour guest purchase four Amish quilts for Christmas gifts for her children and one for herself. Not only was the guest excited with her special purchase, but the Amish ladies were very grateful for the sale, as the economy has slowed down their sales this past year as well. The recipients of those quilts are very lucky, as the quilts are pieced with a treadle sewing machine and all hand stitched with care.

Deer and Sleeping Dog

Just wanted to share this photo of our dog, Callie, and the young deer in our yard. Callie was sleeping in our shrubs and didn't even know the deer was right behind her.