From The Innkeepers

September 2023 Blog
Change is in the Air

As we turn the calendar to this new month, change is so palpable, it is literally in the air. Our hot and humid days of August have started to give way to days where the temperature barely reaches the high seventies and the nights have crept down into the forties. The lushness of color in the garden from the Black-eyed-Susan and Chrysanthemums keeps our eyes at ground level for the time being, but some serious skyward competition is starting to emerge with the tinging of red and yellow colors on the edges of the Maple leaves. The deer will soon start to lose their tawny coats in exchange for the darker colors of autumn, providing some camouflage from the hunter’s arrows or bullets. Change is enveloping us.

In the midst of all of these seasonal changes this month, the three of us here at the Inn are embarking on the beginning of a multi- year process of change. We are pleased to announce that Sharon’s and my nephew Ryan will be joining us as of this month. Ryan has experience in every phase of restaurant operation from preparing meals to management of entire facilities. He returns to us from an eight-year stint in Manhattan, and is looking forward to leaving behind the relentlessly urban setting and work, for the calmer, naturally lush wooded environs of West Michigan. We feel blessed that he is joining us now in advance of our expected transition of the Inn to the next generation of our family. As the three of us continue to age, the sheer physical demands of operating the Inn and caring for the surrounding 146 acres of land was getting more difficult. We are so happy that Ryan will be here to help us, so that the level of service and maintenance of the property will not diminish, but rather improve over time.  So, join us in a prayer of gratitude for what has been and for what is yet to come.

To Ryan, to our visitors who faithfully pass through our gates each year, to the universe of beauty that surrounds us, all we can say is thank you. You have been part of our journey for 20 years, and for that we are most grateful.

With openness to all that lies ahead in each of our lives, we wish you many blessings along the way.
Marcia, Pat, Sharon, and Ryan
Keepers of the Rustic Gate