A.G. Thomson House

We are pleased to announce that the redecorating of the Salyards Suite is complete.  The room now has an updated and warm, french country look and feel.  Seating areas are ideal for watching your favorite movie, the fire, or just looking out at the serenity and beauty of Lake Superior.  We have updated the wallpaper, repainted the walls and ceiling, and gave this ideally located room the care and boost it greatly needed.  We finished up last week and took just a few amateur photos until we can get some more professional shots from our friends at Paramount Pixels very soon. 

So, now that we’ve completed one room, it’s time to move on to the next, and the next, and the next…  We have a few more projects in process and/or waiting to begin and will keep you updated on those.   The Brule River Retreat will be getting a new look, and probably a new name.  After much contemplation, we have decided to remove the log furniture and give that wonderful space a more refined look.  I am certain the plan will evolve once we get the new bed in place and I get a good feel for the space without the rustic furniture.  The Mayor’s Chamber will also be getting a slightly new look with new furniture.   It is such a warm, rich room and we’ve found just the right furniture to accent its qualities.   We can’t wait to get those photos up too!

And finally, we have decided to revamp how we seat our guests in the dining room.  We have always felt that with just the two dining tables that it was a bit crowded when all of our rooms are full, and our guests were seated for breakfast.  So, we have decided to break up our seating with smaller, more cozy tables allowing our guests a little more room while dining.  We think it’s just a small detail that will make breakfast in the beautiful and bright space a little more enjoyable!  We will get photos of that new look as soon as possible!

Be sure to check out our January Special.   We will be extending this special into February (excluding the Valentine’s/President’s Day weekend) and look forward to sharing all of our new changes with you!  

We are pleased to announce another engagement at the AG Thomson House this past weekend.  Congratulations to Tyler and Lindsey!  This one didn’t occur at the sledding hill, but was nonetheless a special event.  Tyler and Lindsey had planned to stay with us a few weeks ago, but the weather didn’t cooperate, thus forcing an apparent postponement to the “question popping.”  Happily we were able to accomodate this weekend and be a part of another new beginning for an absolutely wonderful couple. 

We were also joined this weekend by a budding photographer!  Apparently this is a hobby for Tim, but as the shot of Split Rock beneath a full moon shows (see below), Tim is very talented.  We were lucky enough to meet Tim last summer when he and some of his staff from General Mills had an off site meeting.  This weekend was a birthday celebration for his wife, and we are very grateful for his return!  We hope to see the General Mills group again this year for another off site brain storming session!  Thanks, Tim for sharing your amazing photograph!

As we enter into the New Year, we are beginning with the redecoration of our Salyards Suite.  It’s a lovely and very popular room with one of our best lake views, and our plans for its transformation will make it even better!  Watch for the new photos as soon as the room is complete.    They will be our amateur shots until we can get the talented Paramount Pixels back to the Inn!

Be sure to check our January Special!  Guests in the Lake Superior Suite took advantage of the special and enjoyed a full moon dinner at Nokomis this past weekend.  You can choose from any of the three restaurants; Nokomis, New Scenic Cafe, or Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant.  Or, if you are a Duluth regular and have a different place in mind, we will happily extend the gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice.  Take a short trip up to Duluth and see the beauty that a Duluth winter has to offer.  You know you are going to be cold anywhere in Minnesota during this time of the year, so why not enjoy and embrace it in Beautiful Duluth and majestic Lake Superior!!

It’s hard to believe another year has passed.  Each year seems to go by even faster than the previous year.  2009 should prove to be another year for change and growth and here’s hoping everyone has nothing but the safest and happiest!

We started our year here at the AG Thomson House with another joyous event. We had our third engagement in a matter of two weeks!  Jennifer and Ryan joined us New Year’s Eve, and now are on their way to a new and exciting year!  They were kind enough to send us a couple of pictures from that night at the sledding hill next door where Ryan popped the question in front of a bunch of wide eyed teenage girls that were sledding too. The girls were clearly more than happy to take some pictures of the big event.  Can you imagine what they will be expecting from their future “fiancees?”  You’ve set the bar very high Ryan.  Congratulations again, and we wish you all the happiness in the world.  Keep us posted on the date!

And a huge thank you to all of our guests who joined us these past few days to help bring in the New Year, and without question, all who have joined us this past 1 1/2 years since taking over this beautiful Inn.  We are very grateful and appreciative and look forward to meeting new friends in 09, and welcoming back old friends too.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday – looking forward to a safe New Year.  We enjoyed a nice couple of days with our family; didn’t do much but read, rest, and relax. 

Since the holiday, we have enjoyed meeting new friends, and are looking forward to this busy week ahead.  We are fortunate to have a full house a couple of days this week to help us ring in the New Year.  Let’s hope for wonderful weather – a nice fresh snow would be nice since that “thaw” the other day.  The temperature was nice, but what a mess!!

As the New Year approaches, we want to wish all of you a very safe and prosperous 2009!  We look forward to another year; meeting new friends and greeting old friends once again!

The AG Thomson House is now on Facebook!  We have had the privilege of some of our past guests joining us as friends, and we welcome you too.  We truly enjoy each of our guests, and try to get to know you while you are here.  This is a great way for us to keep in touch with such wonderful people.  Facebook is free, and a lot of fun – and after all, it is the 21st Century!  Tim and I believe it’s important to not only keep our Inn up to date, but to stay on top of as much as we can to be able to offer our guests the very best.  Who knows who we will connect with that might have that perfect idea to make our Inn better!

Thanks to all of you!  We look forward to adding many, many more friends!

Remember when I blogged about just needing the snow, well it has arrived.  Duluth received its first big snow storm yesterday dropping up to 9 inches around the Duluth area, more in other areas.  We also experienced quite a temperature drop as many did around the state.  Yet, for those of us fortunate to be inside, it is quite beautiful.  I think one of the most beautiful skies is after a big snow storm.  It always seems to become so clear, and of course the air becomes very crisp! 

Tim shot a few pictures around the house and on the grounds today.  He was happy to use his new snowblower too, but didn’t especially enjoy the air temp! Be sure to check out our new photo gallery too.  We have added some of our holiday photos that were shot by Paramount Pixels, and also created some different galleries to view.  We hope you enjoy this new format and we will continue to add photos!

Snuggle by the fire, fix a cup of hot cocoa, watch a Holiday movie or two, and enjoy this cold evening with your loved ones!

We are enjoying the season these days.  We have had a nice snowfall and it is continuing today.  It’s that type of day for sitting down with a cup of cocoa and making out Christmas cards to family and friends; not too much to make things difficult, but nice enough to enjoy!  Or better yet, a perfect day to stay at a Bed and Breakfast and snuggle in front of a warm and cozy fire with hot cocoa or a glass of wine, and of course your favorite special someone! 

The holiday tour that took place on Sunday was a lot of fun, and it snowed right on cue for the start of the tour.  It set the stage for an enjoyable time.

As we sat at our computer yesterday afternoon, which is situated right in front of a large window in the kitchen, we were visited by nine of our furry friends.  We have a birdfeeder right outside the window, and wondered aloud yesterday how it could have emptied so fast overnight.  Well, we found out.  One of the deer walked right up to the feeder as we sat here, and began shaking it.  His, or her, friends weren’t far behind as they casually strolled through the grounds ultimately ending up on the hill.  After all, I guess it is a bed and breakfast with no prejudice on how much fur a “guest” can or cannot have! (:   Enjoy your day everyone!

A huge thank you to Laurie and Joe for being the first to comment on our blog.  We had the great pleasure of meeting these two wonderful people this weekend, and must pass along their talents.  Laurie and Joe embarked on a new journey at just about the same time that Tim & I did. They are phenomenal caterers and their company is cocoa & fig.  I had a chance to view their blog, and their work is incredible.  Anyone living in the twin cities area should definitely check them out for your next event. 

I have said it before, but we have the great privilege of meeting fantastic people in this line of work.  Laurie and Joe are two of those!

With much appreciation!  Thank you!

We have just finished decorating for the upcoming tour and now all we need is the snow!  Watch our website, blog, and photo gallery for some new holiday photos.  Our wonderful friends from Paramount Pixels will be taking some photos this week of the AG Thomson House in “Holiday Style!”  We will also be updating our photo gallery in the next few weeks so check back for a cool new look.