Squeaky Clean!

I like simple things. I like the natural, the home-made, the home-grown. I try to buy from local merchants, family businesses, and, of course, American companies. So when my new toiletries from Greenwich Bay Trading Company arrived this week, I was excited! Greenwich Bay is a is a family owned and operated business that has been manufacturing fine toiletries since 1962. All of their products are made to order, and they  use only natural ingredients. They design, formulate, manufacture, print, package and ship all from Raleigh, North Carolina.  And, they put our Dansereau House logo on everything!

We met the great people at Greenwich Bay at the annual Professional Association of Innkeepers International Conference. We talked a bit, and I had some samples sent to us. I don’t know how other B&B’s and hotels make decisions about soaps and towels and such, but Paul and I tend to obsess. We lay them all out on the table, and let people sniff and vote. We washed, and sniffed, and discussed! What might be lovely for a woman, might not impress the men. How did it lather? How did our hair feel? In the end, we chose “Rosemary, Cedar, and Thyme.”  Right now the boxes are stacked in the kitchen, and the smell is wonderful! But soon they will be tucked in their baskets, ready for guests.

We do appreciate the patient, professional, and timely service of Greenwich Bay. I know that our guests will love our new toiletries that were chosen and crafted with care.

The Dansereau House Goes to the South Louisiana Bridal Show!

It’s hard to believe that we will soon be setting up our booth for the third year at the South Louisiana Bridal Show, held Sunday, March 18th in the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center!  I remember our first year so well! The Dansereau House wasn’t even open to the public yet, and we were still in the cleaning and decorating stage. But we knew that the house would provide a wonderful venue for weddings, receptions, and showers. We were determined to get the word out!

I have to admit, it took some quick marketing efforts and a lot of creative thinking.  Photos are everything, and we’d had no weddings, so we had no photos. I recruited my newly-married niece to don her wedding dress once again and be my model. That was perfect! In between the work effort involved in getting the house ready for our Grand Opening, we designed printed materials, put together packages, and created our booth to look like the parlor at The Dansereau House.

It was great fun to meet all the excited brides, and to see their surprise when they learned that there was another wedding venue option in the Houma/Thibodaux area! Within days we were giving tours of the house. One of our very first guests was a just-married couple who spent their honeymoon night in the Governor’s Suite. Not long after that we were honored to have our first official wedding ceremony take place in the Parlor. Since then we have held some beautiful weddings on the lawn, either in our new wedding arbor, or under tent.  We’ve had lovely receptions, bridal showers, engagement parties, and romantic honeymoons. And, as a result of some of our weddings, we’ve had a number baby showers as well…

If you are a bride-to-be, you don’t want to miss the South Louisiana Bridal Show! Join us Sunday, March 18th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center, in Houma. According to event officials, this will be the biggest show ever, with the greatest number of vendors to help you plan your big day. Each year we’ve made great additions to our booth, so come over and say “Hello.”

A New Neighbor ~ Lafourche Parish Library Opens Downtown!

Patience is not one of my virtues. We had been told almost as soon as we opened The Dansereau House two years ago, that The Lafourche Parish Library was going to move into the old Daily Comet building right behind the house. I was ecstatic! As an avid reader, and former English teacher, I felt that nothing would be a better fit for our historic downtown Thibodaux than that! So, I watched. I waited. I asked whenever I went to the branch on St. Mary Street. No news. Little did I know that the waiting had been going on for ten years, and that I was in a crowd of very excited people when the ribbon was finally cut on Monday, February 27, 2012.

I have to admit that I peeked in the windows occasionally while the transformation was going on, but I was not prepared for how wonderful it would be. The facility designed by Duplantis Design Group, with the renovations done by Thompson Construction, is much larger than the old library facility, and is now the largest branch in the parish. Even if you are not a reader, I suggest that you stop by just to look around.  There are  creative design features that are sure to make you smile, from the sculpture of children reading on a log that greets you as you enter, or the stairway of books that takes you to the second-level reading loft for adults. Children and teens have their own section.  There are computer labs, a genealogy room, beautiful murals, and an outside reading patio. It won’t take you long to feel the enthusiasm and pride of the staff as they show you around.

My waiting has come to an end; I’ve gotten my shiny new library card, and checked out some delightful cookbooks. I’m excited about beginning my Dansereau Family research with the help of the genealogy department. And there’s no more excuses for me now to have overdue books!

Looking A Lot Like Christmas at The Dansereau House

To watch the video, click the photo

Every night a lone man sits on the front lawn of The Dansereau House. When darkness falls, and Saint Philip Street is quiet, he appears. One chair, one small table, and a laptop.  It has happened almost every night since the beginning of November. An occasional person passing may notice that Christmas lights go on and off in a silent dance. If they look closer at the man, they may notice that, beneath his beanie, headphones pulse out a song they cannot hear. “Boughs of Holly” by Trans Siberian Orchestra. That man is Paul, and he had a deadline: December 4, 2011. He can imagine the sound of the floats from the Thibodaux Christmas Parade as they come closer, Santa arrives at The Dansereau House, and the Christmas lights go on for the first time this year.

We love Christmas! The lights, the music, the excitement, but especially the ‘Reason for the Season.” The owner of The Dansereau House, Damon Baldone, loves Christmas too, so when it comes to decorating, we have his blessing. Christmas 2010 was the beginning. Of course, the lighting was the biggest push, and the snow machines were the lagniappe. This year our goal was to create movement and add music to the light show, something too big to attempt last year. In addition, we were honored to be asked to be the ending site of the Thibodaux Christmas Parade this year, to light up the house for the first time that night, and let Santa use the front lawn to listen to the Christmas wishes of the children. We had a mission!

Of course, research was the first step, and we began ours in the Fall of 2010! No longer just strings of lights operating on timers, but computer programs, controllers, and channels became a part of our Christmas vocabulary. After looking at endless options, Paul settled on a system from Revival Control Systems, and has been so pleased with his choice. Their motto is Matthew5:16.. Look it up; it will make you smile. Also added this year is what we fondly call The Mega Tree, which stands twenty feet tall in the front yard, and boasts over 6,000 lights. Again this year our friends from Florida offered us a week of their time to help. Between David and Paul, the Mega Tree went up, and the controller and all of it’s electrical installed. We could not have made it happen without David and Andrea’s help.

During the day Paul and I continued with the decorating, along with our regular routine of operating a Bed & Breakfast, with some weddings and special events as well. While Paul remained the Lighting and Technical Expert, I became the Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Moral Support. Many thanks to the wonderful people at Lowes for all their help and encouragement.  I will never forget the look on one gentleman’s face when I nabbed him late in the evening and said, “Your website says you have 23 boxes of light stakes in this store, and I can’t find them!”  He found them and asked how many I wanted. “All of them,” I said. I don’t know his name, but I hope he and all the helpful employees can come enjoy the show one night, and know they were a part!

The physical part of the project continued throughout November, and December came quickly. By day, Paul placed light strings with the meticulousness of an architect, and continued his nightly sojourns into the dark to program the lights to the music. In our initial research we read that it can take hours to program a single minute of music, and this is true. Note by note, light strand by light strand. We appreciate the patience of our neighbors!

So many people lent a helping hand, and we thank you all! What may have seemed to you like a small task was to us like extra hours in the day. We are blessed by each one of you!

Please come by to enjoy our gift to you! You can tune into the music with your car radio on FM 98.9. Please give your feedback on our website, our Facebook page, or by email. We would love to hear from you!

Most importantly: Merry Christmas!

Here’s a few photos. More to come!

Halloween at The Drinkery!

Our Spook-Tacular Halloween Costume Party was a laughter-filled success! Nerds, Famous Cats, Groucho Marx, and even Women of the Night joined us on the veranda of The Dansereau House.  Drinking Black Widow Martinis and munching on toasty BOO-chetta,  the crowd chatted, laughed, and  listened to the sweet voice of Jodi James.

At the end of the evening our costume party winner was announced: The Nerd and His Ho!Bert and Maureen Sison made a lovely pair, with no details spared in their costumes.  Pocket Protectors aren’t easy to find anymore, and the tattoos on his ‘lady’ were the finishing touch! The winners received a bottle of wine of their choice, and all costumed guests  received a free-drink coupon.

We know we are a bit crazy sometimes at The Drinkery, but we always have a good time! Enjoys a few photos, and join us on Thursday nights! The Drinkery is open from 5:00 to 9:00 PM.

Click any photo to watch a slide show.

Who Dat on the Big Screen!

What an exciting time we had last Thursday night at The Drinkery at The Dansereau House! Knowing that it was the season opener for the New Orleans Saints, we pulled out all the stops for our “Black & Gold Football Extravaganza.”

Fall was in the air, and the night was perfect for our open-air football-watching party! We set up a huge screen in the yard, combined the telecast with our sound system, and the Saints came marching in! The picture quality was incredible!  Beer specials, tailgate snacks, and an enthusiastic crowd made the night a success! A few more points on the scoreboard would have helped, but spirits remained high until the game was over.

Based on the response, watch for future football extravaganzas! See a few photos here.