Parking

The Craftsman B&B is located in a neighborhood of Pacific City. One of the challenges of this setting is providing parking for our guests. Usually 4 cars, so no big deal. When our guests arrive in a giant SUV or 4 door truck, we have them park in front of the boxwood hedge, plenty of room.

Last week, we had several guests with giant trucks, so I parked at our neighbors house to accommodate a truck in our drive way. This is the first time we have had that happen.

So, much to my delight, our guests arrived in a Mini last night and parked where the big trucks park, sideways.

Games, pre Nintento style

Here at The Craftsman B&B in the tiny town of Pacific City, we enjoy the slower paced life. Now that doesn't mean we aren't connected to the latest trends, we just choose what we want to follow, not what our neighbors are doing. So when it comes to games, we enjoy the board game to a video game, hands down.

We encourage our guest to relax and unplug from their everyday modern lives. One way to do that is offer up classic board and card games. I grew up playing cut-throat Scrabble. 3 letter words were laughed at. We even figured out that my grandma cheated at Scrabble, she has played so long with the same set, that when she came to play at our house, her words were lame. She had memorized the wood grain of each tile, to know what letters she would choose. I my life, I have always been competitive, I'm the youngest of five kids, so I needed every advantage I could come up with.

Later in my auto racing days, I could always appreciate the "clever interpretation" of a rule book. Not that I ever took advantage, ahem.

So the house rule here for Scrabble, is you have to use our dictionary, which was published the year I graduated from high school. No new-fangled, trendy words here.

Come to Pacific City, enjoy the Oregon Coast and settle in with a glass of wine and some old time fun.

It's all about the Dory

In Pacific City, Oregon, it's all about the dory. The town is full of them and a visit to Cape Kiwanda at sunrise, you're bound to see the launching into the surf. The best time is around 11:00 AM, when the wind picks up and the dory's return to the beach. Gliding through the waves and sliding up onto the beach.

This article is a few years old but showed up in my "web radar" the other day. It's a real good story about the dory fishing here in Pacific City.

You can find out more about the Dorymens Association from their website.

Learned's Boat Shop, mentioned in the article, is on facebook and so is The Craftsman B&B.

So Dory's have a long history in Pacific City, they celebrated the 50th year of the Dorymens Association this year. The Craftsman B&B's house was built in 1921. Come and live in the history or our still tiny beach town.

Tillamook County Quilt Trail

Looking for a way to see inland Tillamook County? More than just looking at all the cows? We all know the main draw around here is the beach. We suggest you also adventure out on the Tillamook County Quilt Trail.

So here is how the trail got started: identify historic barns and other buildings in Tillamook County, enhance with a large painted wooden quilt block, share the history of the dairy farms and quilts through a self-guided tour for visitors and celebrate our Rural Heritage.

This idea, first voiced by Marti Rhea, has become a reality through a coalition of local citizens and organizations: the Farm Bureau, Tillamook County Dairy Women, Latimer Quilt & Textile Center, Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce, the 4-H Leaders Association, the Fair Board and the Tillamook County Historical Society. Together, they put the plan into action.

The first Quilt Block Trail on the West Coast, Phase I was central Tillamook County. For Phases II and III the hope is to expand the Quilt Trail to North and South Tillamook County, that's where The Craftsman B&B is located. Phase I of the project began on January 4, 2009 and the goal was to have quilt blocks in place by the opening day of the Tillamook County Fair in August of 2009. Well they pulled it off! Twelve blocks are in place. Stop by the Chamber of Commerce, next to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, for a copy of the Quilt Trail brochure, which provides not only the route, but a history of the farms showcasing a quilt block. I'll be taking this tour soon and will post some pictures of the adventure.

This project captures a unique heritage, by combining the art of quilting and the rich history of the dairy and agricultural presence in this community. Most of the quilt block patterns come from “Patterns for an Oregon Quilt,” a book available at the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center and itself derived from a book by Eula M. Long. Many of the patterns were designed exclusively for Oregon.

When you're done with the tour, stop in at The Latimer Quilt and Textile Center is located at 2105 Wilson River Loop Road, Tillamook, OR 97141, also close to the Cheese Factory. www.latimerquiltandtextile.com

Better than S'mores

I'm not a big fan of S'mores. I know, an innkeeper that doesn't like coffee and now this? I don't mind chocolate, I have never had a craving for it and don't seek it out, yet another nontraditional trait of an innkeeper. Oh, and marshmallows, don't get me started. Besides the game "fuzzy bunny" I don't go near them. Graham crackers, not a staple of my pantry.

My guests last night at The Craftsman B&B had a great, alternative beach snack. They got Tillamook Cheese, a loaf of crusty bread, a beer and a tin can. They made a fire on the beach, melted the cheese in the can, with a little splash of beer to get it nice and creamy, and dipped with the bread. Mmmm, tasty, I'll call it Hobo Fondue.

Now cheese fondue, that's a great snack, appetizer or meal. Made the French or Bavarian style, it's soooo good. A trip to Portland, for me, usually includes a meal at Gustav's and Fondue for a start of a great meal. I used to work near Gustav's and ate there at least once a month, it's all about the cheese.

Now you may know that I'm a little bit competitive, so of course there are rules to fondue. The one rule I have always lived with is the first person who drops their bread in the fondue pot has to pay the tip on the dinner bill. But a little research truned up a few more rules via Martha Stewart:

Rule 1: If a woman drops her bread in the fondue pot, she has to kiss every man at the table.

Rule 2: If a man drops his bread in the fondue pot, he has to buy a bottle of wine for everyone at the table.

Rule 3: If someone drops two pieces of bread in the pot, they have to plan the next fondue party.

Martha's Tip: Make sure you invite men you want to kiss to your fondue party.

Next time your in Pacific City, without the kids, yearning for a beach fire, but not the "usual campfire snack" try the Hobo Fondue, then back to your cozy room at the B&B.

Watercraft Freeriders come to Pacific City

Pacific City Oregon to Host second round of 2009 IFWA Freeride World Tour and IJSBA Motosurf Western Championship on September 11-13th 2009. Click Here to sign up.

The world's greatest Watercraft Freeriders and racers will descend on Tierra Del Mar Beach located just north of Pacific City and is free to the public on this wide expanse of beach. This event marks a return to IFWA and IJSBA co-sanctioning events in order to bring the very best PWC athletes together at one venue.

If you would like to see them in action, come on down to Pacific City and stay at The Craftsman B&B, just minutes from the venue.

The Blowsion Surf Slam will bring freeriders from around the world competing for a cash purse and points towards the IFWA World title and competing for the first IJSBA Freeride World Cup. The infamous Pacific Coast surf will boost riders over 20 feet in the air while performing tricks like backflips, barrel rolls and no handed landings. Joining them will be some of the best PWC racers in the world who will display high speed turns through a grueling buoy course all while challenging the unpredictable waves.

Current IFWA points leader and last year's World-Title holder is American Ross Champion. When asked about his thoughts on the 2009 US location he said, "We are really looking forward to the Blowsion Surf Slam this year. We riders have been coming to Pacific City for the last 10 years for a private event. We are happy to be expanding the event this year and looking forward to the general public being exposed to the sport of Freeride."

Spectators will also witness exciting personal watercraft racing with the IJSBA MotoSurf Western Championship. The top racers in the country will battle it out in the challenging Pacific City surf.

Freeriders will compete in a head to head double elimination format. A panel of profession judges will score them using 50% for their wave surfing and 50% for their aerial maneuvers. Racers will compete, in a multi-lap format; through a challenging buoy course that requires split second navigation while maintain speeds exceeding 70 MPH.

The Tillamook County Fair

This year it's August 5th - 8th. That's this weekend! This years theme is "WHERE PIGS FLY." The fair board chose this theme because the Tillamook County Pig-N-Ford Association will be celebrating the 85th Anniversary of performing their World Famous Pig-N-Ford Races during the fair.

The 2009 Tillamook County Fair is said to be one of the best County Fairs in the state, if not in the nation because it is so unique and offers so much for visitors to enjoy. See all of the 4-H/FFA exhibits that Tillamook County residents have prepared for the fair. The dairy cow judging is a lot of fun. They describe the animaals in dairymens terms that are a hoot. Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing for you gambling types and what is a fair without a Demolition Derby.


Here at The Craftsman B&B, we love motorsports, we think the highlight of the fair is experiencing the excitement of the Pig-N-Ford Races, that pigs really can fly. This is something everyone will need to watch the Pig-N-Ford Races themselves to see "WHERE PIGS FLY". Come on down this weekend a see for yourselves.