Uncategorized

February 25, 2014 By Tim Swoboda in Outdoors, Uncategorized Comments Off

Riding With Friends

Rawley Point Light House Point Beach State Park

We took the last bike ride of the season along the Rawley Point Bike Trail with our good friends Ken & Carol Sitkiewitz, Ken Krueger and my husband Alan. This was our first bike ride with our long time friends on a beautiful, crisp, fall day. After stopping at the Rawley Point Lighthouse for a photo opt, we headed to Port Sandy Bay for pizza and a beer where we joined our other friends Fred & Carol Thomas, and Barb Krueger. Port Sandy Bay is conveniently located a short distance from the bike trail. As usual, we had a great afternoon with our friends and look forward to the next time we get together. Aren’t “Good Friends”a true blessing of life! Thanks guys, we love you!

Biking with Friends

June 20, 2013 By Tim Swoboda in Outdoors, Uncategorized Comments Off

The First Blooms of Spring …

To me the First Blooms of Spring is like the “First Gift of Christmas”. This has been a unusually cool spring which has put everything in my flower garden at least two weeks behind . This is June 20, and my Lilacs are still in full bloom. The beautiful aroma of the Lilac flowers as you walk past the bush makes me stop for another smell. I said to my husband Alan, “I think this is what Heaven smells like”. Typically, because of our location, being close to Lake Michigan also helps to delay our season. I’m guessing a few warm days will get everything in full bloom.

If flowers and flower gardens are your thing, stop by at the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast to see my garden. Also check out the beautiful West of the Lake Gardens in Manitowoc. This 6 acre estate of the late Ruth and John West was created in 1934 and features rose garden, Japanese sunken and formal gardens with more than 900 feet of herbaceous borders with colorful annuals. The garden is located along Lake Michigan’s coastline and the Mariners Trail. Sit back and

“Coast for awhile”

May 2, 2013 By Tim Swoboda in Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

Check out the Final Results of our 2013 redecorating!

The last picture has been hung, and we are ready for a busy summer of welcoming guests. We have a refreshed Dinning Room with a new Pottery Barn rug Adeline . Old carpeting removed from the hallway, stairs and foyer area and replaced with carpet from Carpets Plus, Manitowoc. Hardwood floors refinished by Joe Hauser, Simply Hardwood, Manitowoc. The large rug in the foyer (which I love and was my inspiration for the whole redecorating) is Pottery Barn rug Cecil. The fireplace furniture is from Ashley Furniture – Wilkins-Canyon. The paint and wallpaper is from Sherwin Williams . The wallpaper border in the living room is Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers – Natural Arcadia. The living room couch and love seat is Broyhill from Bitter Neumann, Manitowoc.

My other inspiration piece is a print of the Christmas Tree Ship – the Rouse Simmons entitles “Yuletide Cargo” by maritime artist Eric Forsberg. I love it, Thank You Eric! A piece of Two Rivers History lives on. The Rouse Simmons was transporting christmas trees from Upper Michigan to Chicago. They were caught in a bad storm and sank off of the shores of Two Rivers in Lake Michigan on November 23, 1912.

You are welcome to come and see for yourself the newly redecorated Red Forest Bed . We love working with our old house and transforming it to show it’s true beauty of select woods and stained glass. Hope to see you soon!

March 15, 2013 By Tim Swoboda in Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

Re-decorating Update

Original Oak floor

Oak Stairway minus the green carpeting

Livingroom primed and ready for wallpaper

Things have been moving at a good pace. It has been about four weeks since we started this project. The old carpet is out. The red oak floors in the three rooms will be refinished starting Monday, March 18. This weekend Alan and I will be wallpapering the livingroom. Usually, whenever we attempt a wallpapering job, my Mother is our referee. Unfortunately, she is still in Arizona. She offered to send a roll of tape. Not sure if it is for my mouth or Alan’s. Wish us Luck!

February 27, 2013 By Tim Swoboda in Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

A Redecorating Facelift for the Red Forest

Alan patching

My Husband Alan’s famous words: “But we did that already” and my answer, “Yes, but that was 23 years ago”. The plaster cracks needed to be repaired and the carpeting needed to be replaced, so we are at it again! Alan is on the ladder patching and painting. Trying to get it done as soon as possible so it doesn’t interfer too much with his ice fishing plans. We are in the middle of redecorating the dinning room, reception room and stairway, and living room areas. We will be lifting up carpet and having Joe at www.simplyhardwoodfloorsmanitowoc.com refinish the wood floors in all three rooms. Re-carpeting the stairway with a runner and exposing the oak steps. Paint in the dinning room and reception room.

When I look at the challenge of redecorating a house that is 106 years old, I always try to imagine how it might have been originally. After pulling a burlap type covering off of a section of the ceiling, I was pleased to find that the color I had picked out for the walls in that area was the same color that was under the paper. Bingo, right on target! We will also be re-wallpapering the living room area. In this room, I am using a Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper(www.bradbury.com) boarder call Arcadia. Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper is known for it’s original Arts and Craft historic designs.

Dinning room repainted

I know several repeat guests that are familiar with the B&B will say there wasn’t anything wrong with it the way it was. I can guarantee it will be even better than before. So, If you are curious and interested in our progress, stay tuned. I will keep posting pictures of our progress. Once we are done, I would like to invite you to come and see us at the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast and let us know how we did.

January 31, 2013 By Tim Swoboda in Two Rivers Events, Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

Our Pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water, Mill Run, PA

Falling Water, Mill Run , PA

August 2012, I took a few days away from the inn and traveled with my daughter Jody, and friend Kris to Mill Run, PA to see the infamous “Falling Water”. www.falllingwater.org The Frank Lloyd Wright house built as a vacation home for the Kaufman family from Pittsburg, PA. The house is a true Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece in art and architecture. It was amazing!

Sunset at the Historic Summit Inn Resort, Farmington, PA

While we were there, we stayed at the Historic Summit Inn Resort, Farmington, PA www.summitinnresort.com Built in 1907 this historic inn with grand verandas looking down upon a beautiful valley with the most spectacular sunsets imaginable. I highly recommend the trip.

Through the years, we’ve traveled to other FLW properties throughout the country. Now, it is your turn to travel to our Manitowoc-Two Rivers Area to get your fix of Frank Lloyd Wright. Running from June 9 – August 4th the Rahr-West Art Museum www.rahrwestartmuseum.org will have an exhibit entitled Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture of the Interior. This is an exhibition exploring the design of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses often considered his greatest architectural accomplishments.

By the way, did you know that Two Rivers is the home of a Frank Lloyd Wright house? The Bernard Schwartz House, “Still Bend“, www.theschwartzhouse.com built in 1939 after an article published in the Sept. 26, 1938 Life magazine featuring the design. If you would like to tour “Still Bend”, here is the 2013 Tour Schedule. Sunday, Feb 3, 3:00, Sunday, April 17, 3:00, Sunday, June 2, 3:00, Saturday, June 15, 11:00, 1:00, & 3:00, and Saturday, June 22, 11:00, 1:00, & 3:00. Admission is $10.00 per person and the tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. Please call in advance for tickets. Also, check out my website at www.redforestbb.com under specials for my “Wright Way Package” .

We hope that you will include the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast in your vacation plans as you plan your trip this summer.

May 16, 2012 By Tim Swoboda in Outdoors, Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

Time to Hit the Trails

Trail head for Rawley Point Recreational Trail, Two Rivers, WI

The warm weather has made it’s way to Two Rivers. Time to dust off the bikes and hit the trails. Sunday, Alan and I went for our first bike ride of the season on the Rawley Point Trail into Point Beach State Forest. It was great to see everything green and growing, hearing the frogs in the ponds, and smelling the fresh air of the forest. It was great! (Except for my sore seat on the ride home.) So, make your plans now, strap those bikes on the car, and give me a call at the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast, 920-793-1794 so you to can enjoy this same ride for yourself.

New this year at the Red Forest, we will have bikes available at the inn for guest to rent. We have a new bike shop in town called the Broken Spoke Bike Studio. They have agreed to loan me bikes for the summer for our guests to rent. The cost is $30. for a full day and $20. for a half day per bike. They also have tandems available for a full day at $40. and a half day at $30. Hope to see you soon!

March 20, 2012 By Tim Swoboda in Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

We all "Need" a Vacation!

I think I’m hearing a resounding “YES” in agreement. Usually our chance to get-a-way is sometime during the winter months. Even though we’ve had a very mild winter, we left the frozen tundra the end of February for Caribbean sunshine and warm ocean breezes. We boarded the Norwegian Epic and sailed to St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. Our daily activities consisted of sleeping late, eating, basking in the sun, eating, napping, drinking, and eating. We did also venture off of the ship for a few island excursions. All in all, it was a very relaxing and laid back trip. Now that the innkeepers are recharged, we are back into the swing of things at the inn. Ready to welcome you to the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast for your chance to get-a-way and relax. We will do our very best to offer you a chance to slow down, sit awhile, and enjoy time with that special person in your life. Instead of warm ocean breezes, enjoy our cool lake breezes on a hot summer day. A walk on our sugar sand beaches will transform you to another place.

Give us a call at 1-888-250-2272 for your get-a-way today!

January 25, 2012 By Tim Swoboda in News from the Kitchen, Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

The "Gift to Experience" Results

Chef Scott Baker, Kathy,Jody & Kay Rodewald

A cooking class at L’ecole de la Maison was the “Gift to Experience” for my daughter Jody, daughter-in-law Kathy, and myself. On January 14 we met at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake for a six hour cooking class on Northern Italian Trattoria cuisine. This is truly a hands’ on cooking experience. There were ten people in our class. We all had an opportunity to dig into 14 different recipes using the beautiful kitchen facilities of the L’ecole de la Maison all guided by our chef instructor Chef Scott Baker. We made, Polenta with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto di Parma and Roasted Mushrooms, Fennel and Blood Orange Salad with Parmesan Walut Crisp, Seafood and Spinach Rotolo with Sauce Aurora, Osso Bucco with Risotto Milanese and Garlic Rapini, Ciabatta Bread with Olives, and Classic Tiramisu. Plus, we also sat down and enjoy everything we made. Chef Scott does a wonderful job of explaining and demonstrating the fundamentals of European cooking and baking techniques. Check out their website at www.cookingschoolatosthoff.com for additional classes and dates.

Seafood and Spinach Rotolo with Sauce Aurora

The three of us had a great time at the class cooking, but the best part was being able to spend family time with both of them for the day. Love you both!

Mom

L'ecole de la Maison Cooking Class 1-14-12

December 9, 2011 By Tim Swoboda in Uncategorized, What's New Comments Off

A Gift to Experience?

This year I decided instead of buying the “sweater or slipper gifts”, to buy our family “A Gift to Experience”. This will hopefully be a fun time with our family. I’ll let you know next month how it turned out.

How often are you asked, “What would you like for Christmas?” and your mind goes blank. You really don’t need anything in particular and if you did, you probably would buy it yourself when needed. Gift cards are nice, but it is still sort of like buying a gift for yourself. If someone gives you cash as a gift, I know in our house, it usually is spent on paying after Christmas bills. So, why not give A Gift to Experience? The experience of being able to relax by the fireplace, sleeping in late, and having a full delicious breakfast awaken your senses. If this sounds like a gift you would like to receive or give to someone else, just give me a call at 1-888-250-2272 and I would be happy to send out a gift certificate to you for a stay at the Red Forest Bed and Breakfast where you can “Experience the Charm, and Feel the Difference”. I’ll even add an additional $15.00 value on to your certificate as a special “Thank You” from all of us at the Red Forest. We would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year from our family to yours.

Corey, Kathy, Jody, Alan, Kay, Tyler & Jake Rodewald

Riding With Friends

The First Blooms of Spring …

Check out the Final Results of our 2013 redecorating!

Re-decorating Update

A Redecorating Facelift for the Red Forest

Our Pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water, Mill Run, PA

Time to Hit the Trails

We all "Need" a Vacation!

The "Gift to Experience" Results

A Gift to Experience?

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Red Forest Bed and Breakfast Inn

From our Blog