Fabulous February in Mentone at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Fabulous February in Mentone, Alabama

“I Love You” Package at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B available all month long. Roses, Sparkling Cider and chocolate hugs and kisses are a great way to simply express your love this Valentine’s season. Book a room and add this package to delight your special someone. See Mountain Laurel Inn Packages for details and availability.

Escape the madness of Mardi Gras and enjoy a relaxing visit to Mountain Laurel Inn Bed and Breakfast and peaceful Mentone. Wildflower Café, Miracle Pottery and Mountain Laurel have some ways to celebrate Mardi Gras in a different way in Mentone. See Mountain Laurel Inn Packages for details.

February 6 Murdock’s Hidden Trails & EXTREME Hike Join Dr. Chris Murdock, JSU Biologist and Little River native for this EXTREME experience on hidden trails to the river; difficult trails and extreme situations in some areas; dress for getting your feet wet. Not recommended for children under the age of 16 years. Meet at JSU’s Little River Canyon Center 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. $20 per person; pre-registration required 256-782-5697

February 6 Rock Climbing / Rappelling Adventure Combo Nestled in the NE corner of Alabama are some of the best and unique sandstone cliffs in the country. Come experience first-hand what rock climbing and rappelling is all about with guides who are fun, safe and energetic. This trip includes all the gear plus basic instruction. No prior climbing experience is needed. $54 per person 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 256-997-9577 True Adventure Sports

February 6 Mosaic Sun Catcher for Valentine's Day Learn the ancient art of mosaics in this workshop with glass artist Linda Munoz. You will turn beautiful bits of glass into personal works of art to adorn your home or give your special Valentine! Little River Canyon Center; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (bring brown bag lunch to have for lunch break) and continue from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. $30 per person Pre-Registration is required. 256-782-5697.

February 11 Treasure Hunt Adventure Do you enjoy trying to solve riddles and clues? Ever wanted to find buried treasure? Up for new & exciting challenges? Then our Cave Treasure Hunt is for you. This 5-hour adventure will take you deep into the heart of Manitou Cave. You will have to solve and follow each clue in order to find the next one, and ultimately the Treasure! Are you up for the challenge? Meet at True Adventure Sports $65 per person 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. 256-997-9577

February 11 thru 13 Annual Dinner Theater The Children’s Advocacy Center presents the 16th annual dinner theatre, "How the West Was Fun", a musical comedy by James Seay.This is an event for the whole family. It will be held at the First United Methodist Church Life Center. There will be seven performances over two weeks. Dinner starts at 6:30 and the play at 7:30. Ticket prices vary and are by reservation only. For more information or tickets, contact the Advocacy Center at 256-997-9700. Also showing February 18 -20

February 12 Mountain Bike Tour This tour explores some beautiful trails and paths atop Lookout Mountain or Sand Mountain. Come have an enjoyable ride without the fear of getting lost. This three hour tour includes a mountain bike rental, instruction, and a guide for safety, direction, and information. $65 per person Meet at True Adventure Sports 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 256-997-9577 TAS

February 18 Afternoon Rock Climb Nestled in the NE corner of Alabama are some of the best and unique sandstone cliffs in the country. Come experience first-hand what rock climbing is all about with guides who are fun, safe and energetic. This trip includes all the gear plus basic instruction. No prior climbing experience is needed. Meet at True Adventure Sports. $34 per person. 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 256-997-9577

February 20 Paperweight Class This class is designed for those who really just want see what molten glass is all about. Feel the heat, gather from the furnace, sculpt the glass into you own design. It is ultimately about the experience, some experimentation and a couple nice paperweights to take home or to the office to show your friends. Class size at the largest will be five students so everyone has adequate time at the bench working. There will be material provided before the class for you to review and become familiar with concerning safety and basic glassblowing vocabulary. Please join us for some in-depth discovery. Reservations Required $130 per person. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 256-523-3188 Orbix Hot Glass Studio

February 20 Rock Climbing / Rappelling Adventure Combo Nestled in the NE corner of Alabama are some of the best and unique sandstone cliffs in the country. Come experience first-hand what rock climbing and rappelling is all about with guides who are fun, safe and energetic. This trip includes all the gear plus basic instruction. No prior climbing experience is needed. $54 per person 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 256-997-9577

February 22 Wild Cave Tour Go beyond where the average tourist explores! This 2.5 hour adventure is for those of you ready to explore on your knees, on your belly, in the mud and through tight tunnels. Explore in one of NE Alabama's most unique all-weather caves, Manitou Cave, in the heart of For Payne. Adventure includes helmet, cave lamps plus a fun informative guide. Meet at True Adventure Sports. $30 per person. 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 256-997-9577

February 25 Practical Ingenuity School-Think Outside The Box This class is open to the public and will be taught by different people at different times. The object of the class is to help each of us to use our mind to think of other solutions (if the known one is not available) to any given problem(s) from mechanical to business and everything in between. This will help all of us as we learn how to apply this skill to our life and our jobs. No Fee for this class 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 256-997-9577

February 27 River Rhythms Family Fun Programs: Nature Frames Join Canyon Center staff and volunteers every fourth Saturday of the month for fun nature programs including hikes, crafts, games, nature talks, activities and more. Kids will make their own picture frames from natural materials. Little River Canyon Center; 1 p.m. No fee; some programs may have limited space so pre-registration is encouraged 256-782-5697.

New Egg Cup Recipe at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Just tried a new egg cup recipe to serve for breakfast that I enjoyed. Heard about it from Chef Gary at St. Francis Inn in St. Augustine, Florida. See his blog for a beautiful picture of his presentation of this dish. I did need to cook it for 20 minutes instead of the 15 suggested and I used a different flavor of ham. Loved it and will serve it to guests soon.


Recipe for 1 serving:
1 thin slice of Honey Ham (I used Black Forest Ham)
1 Egg
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder
shredded Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray small ramekin dish with vegetable oil spray. Place a ham slice in to form basket. Crack an egg into the ham basket, sprinkle with seasonings. Sprinkle heaping tablespoon of cheese on top of basket. Bake 15 minutes or until eggs are set.

For 12, he suggests using a muffin pan for the baking dish.

Hope you enjoy.

Little River Canyon Center: River Rhythms family programs

Little River Canyon Center presents
River Rhythms Nature and Art Family Fun Series

Join Jacksonville State University’s Canyon Center staff, partners and volunteers every fourth Saturday(January—October, 2010) of the month for fun nature programs including hikes, crafts, games, nature talks, activities and more.

Where? Little River Canyon Center (472 AL Hwy 35, Fort Payne AL)
Time? 1:00 pm—3:00 pm
Fee? FREE; some programs may have limited space/resources

Here's what is on board each month!!
January Feeding Winter Wildlife
February Nature Frames
March Sssslither & Hisssss!
April National Junior Ranger Day (National Park Service)
May What’s that plant? (Presented by DeSoto State Park)
June Un-Natural Trail Hike
July Animal Tracks
August Dragonfly Eye
September Colors!!
October Mask Making Workshop

Don't forget to save the date for CanyonFest on Saturday, November 6, 2010...a fun festival for everyone!

For more information, please call Renee Morrison (Little River Canyon Field School)
at 256-782-5697 or email fieldschool@jsu.edu .
Website:http://www.jsu.edu/epic/

Cloudmont Ski Slopes in Mentone are open!

Cloudmont has been able to make snow this week so the slopes are open. It's a bit chilly on Lookout mountain so bring your long johns. The days are sunny and cold and the night sky has been beautiful with all of the bright stars. See www.cloudmont.com for specific information. Here's a great video of guests having fun skiing in Mentone.

Mentone Rainy Day activities at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Mentone Rainy Day activities at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Slow down and renew your spirit. Rainy days are a great excuse for finding the time to truly relax by enjoying a good book, watching a movie or having a great conversation. Mountain Laurel has a healthy book library and DVD library to peruse as well as cd players to enjoy. The Gathering Place or the porches at Mountain Laurel provide the perfect spot for relaxing and enjoying good company, hot chocolate or a fruit drink.

Gear up with good rain gear and enjoy all the great hikes and views in the area such as DeKalb County Public Lake, Little River Canyon and DeSoto State Park. All the waterfalls in the area will be enjoying the extra water so go discover their power.

Soak in the wonderful sounds of the rain through an open window as you nap or in a rocker on the porch outside your room after enjoying an award winning breakfast at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B.

Take a tour of Sequoyah Caverns, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Sallie Howard’s chapel or the Depot Museum in Fort Payne. Read up on the history of Mentone and then go discover it. The weather forecast is always 60 degrees, no rain and cool at the Caverns.

Go shopping. Discover unique shops in Mentone’s Log cabin village. Visit White Elephant Galleries, Crow’s Nest antiques, Little River Hardware, the Hummingbird Store and the Gourdie Shop in Mentone. Experience local artists working in their studios and galleries such as Orbix Hot Glass in Lickskillet or Miracle Pottery in Valley Head.

Treasures abound. Perfect opportunity to find one of the 258 geocaches in the area and not to be discovered in your journeys. See www.geocaching.com to get started and to discover where you can bury your own cache to add to the website.

Feed your hungry soul and take in the wonderful cooking found at the restaurants in the Mentone area such as Windwood Farms, Wildflower Café, Caldwell’s restaurant, Hardware Café, Shorty’s Café and the Mentone Market. Many have local artists work for sale. Don’t worry about who has the best food as you will enjoy each one for different reasons.

Mentone on Lookout Mountain Alabama is open in sun, rain, sleet or snow so come enjoy today.
For more information, see www.mentone.net or www.discoverlookoutmountain.com

Fall foliage in Alabama at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B

Here are some pictures from the porches of the guest house at Mountain Laurel Inn B&B in Mentone, AL. The pond is found on Shady Grove Dude Ranch as you drive back to the bed and breakfast. The best colors should be the week of October26th as Lookout Mountain Alabama has had good rain, cold snaps and sunshine lately. Come discover why Lookout Mountain Parkway is a must see in the fall. Little River is full from all of the recent rainfalls and gives a beautiful setting for all of the fall colors. Dekalb County public lake is outstanding to see. Wonderful hikes and waterfalls can be found at DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon.

Collinsville, Alabama Quilt Walk near Mentone

This weekend beginning on Friday, September 25 2009, the town of Collinsville, Alabama will open its doors to show off beautiful, handmade quilts. As the name suggests, this is a walking tour. It will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete the tour. The tour hours are from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.


There is transportation available to parts of the tour and rest
areas along the walk. The quilts are displayed in the old homes and churches in Collinsville , AL. Be careful as you might find yourself so enthralled with the houses that you forget to look at the quilts!

In September of 2002 The Sew 'N Sews, a local sewing group, hosted
the first Collinsville's Quilt Walk in the foothills of Lookout Mountain. It was an overwhelming success due to the support of the community, the local merchants and many, many volunteers.

The purpose of the Quilt Walk is threefold:
*To display the beautifel quilts that have been made by the people of Collinsville, surrounding towns and our mothers or grandmothers. To draw attention to an old, beautiful and very American art form.
*To share the history of some of the beautiful old homes and churches in our Northeast Alabama community. javascript:void(0)
*To raise money for a much needed new library.

Tickets are $10.00 per person and are available at the Quilt Walk.
Tickets will be sold starting 10 minutes before the Quilt Walk begins. Collinsville is a 20 minute drive south of Mentone, Alabama. For more information and directions, see www.collinsvillequiltwalk.com