Rod Stewart Tribute by Rick Larrimore at the Beach

Greenwood Lake has a great summer concert series. You can get your chairs or blankets and plop yourself down and enjoy the music in addition to an amazing view of the lake. This Sat, July 30 is Rod Stewart Tribute. Also see below or visit our website -

http://www.waterstoneinn.com/ or http://www.villageofgreenwoodlake.org/entertainment.html

for a list of past and future concerts. And of course MY Favorite..being IRISH NIGHT!!! You will definitely see the Mulcahy's dancing that night!

Sat Aug 6th Peach Tree Project - Songs of the Allman Brothers...
Sat Aug 13th Christine Spero Group - Brazilian, Latin, Jazz

Fri Aug 19th Gabrielle Tranchina, Jazz Trio...
Sat Aug 20th Island Sensation Reggae, featuring Roughneck Chicken

Sat Aug 27th Irish Night, Bagpipers, Balladeers, Dancers & Band

Sponsored by the Gaelic Cultural Society

Green Efforts in Innkeeping

Living in a lake community we're always aware of environmental concerns, especially those that affect the water. When we first opened the Inn four years ago we knew we wanted to do everything possible to conserve resources and to do business in a sustainable way.

Over the last couple of years we've done a significant amount of landscaping and maintain a lot of flowers around the Inn and down by our waterfront. For watering we bucket it out of the lake. Aside from being practical, the plants benefit from the nutrient rich lake water.

Most of the cleaning supplies that we use are naturally derived. Our ammenities (soap, shampoo etc) are packaged in recycled materials. In fact guests have become quite fond of our soap. Its unique design (with a hole in the middle) not only helps you get a better grip, but it saves on the amount of soap that's usually wasted.

The new initiative this year is composting. In the kitchen we're using all the vegetable and fruit scraps, egg shells, coffee grids and tea bags to make great garden soil. Now that our peak season is in full swing I'm amazed by the amount of scraps we produce. At home the worms are at work breaking it down and I'm glad that we can reduce the volume of waste going in the garbage. So far the results have been great. From what I've been reading, worm compost is five times more nutrient dense than average garden soil. Next spring we"ll have all the soil that we need for the landscaping around the Inn.

Good Neighbors = Good Business

One of the things that I enjoy most about this business is interacting with our guests. Probably the most often asked questions people have are "What's it like to run an Inn?" and "Why did you decide to do it?" In talking with other innkeepers, and from our own experience, I think it all boils down to doing what you love. I'll be honest, it's not a business that's going to bring in a windfall of cash. But, I think having the Waterstone Inn is a natural fit for our family. Denis (my father-in-law) founded an organization called Project Children that has been bringing kids from Northern Ireland to the United States for 37 years. In this time, the program has touched and changed the lives of over 20,000 children, as well as countless host families, volunteers, and supporters. So much so, that Denis (though he'll never offer this information) was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The most amazing thing about it is that Project Children all started here in little Greenwood Lake in Denis and Miriam's own home.
My husband Sean and his siblings Denis Jr., Maureen and Tara, literally grew up being hosts to visiting guests from Ireland. Whether it was a coordinator for the program or a homesick kid, each guest that found themselves in Greenwood Lake for the summer was taken under the wing of the Mulcahy Family. In doing so, the Mulcahy kids learned to give generously of their time, gained patience in dealing with people, and most of all grew up with an awareness of community.

All of these qualities are apparent at the Waterstone Inn. As a business we're active in the community. I'm the president of the Greater Greenwood Lake Revitalization Committee. We're helping to build the Greenwood Lake Merchants Guild. We're always on board to help out local fundraisers by donating nights at the Inn as raffle prizes. I've made my poor husband plant flowers in the rain and lift 50 pound hanging baskets onto the telephone poles in the Village. Why??? I often myself. The answer is simple, it's doing what you love, the satisfaction of knowing you're contributing to the community in a positive way, and believing in good karma. In my heart I know that all these things are not just good for the soul, but also good for business.

Sounds of Summer

If you arrive at the Inn and park in the lot behind the house don't be alarmed if you hear "someone" whistling at you, it's just the resident parrot next door. He's been known to whistle at people getting out of their cars, but is mostly fondly remembered for the way he whistles the tune to the Andy Griffith Show. It's truly priceless to hear. I love opening the windows to the kitchen and listening to him sing away while I cook breakfast for guests. I've even overheard a "meow'ing" contest with a passerby cat. I think the cat was more surprised than I was. That's one talented bird. Maybe he'll get picked up as an extra on Rob Reiner's Summer at Dog Dave's, the movie that's filming in Greenwood Lake this summer.

I missed the parrot over the winter when he hibernates inside or perhaps goes to Florida with his owners. I'm happy he's back to his summer perch on the screened in porch of the neighbor's house. When I hear the familiar Andy Griffith theme song I know summer has arrived.

Father's Day

It was a picture-perfect Father's Day. We enjoyed a home-cooked dinner on the deck thanks to Tara. The weather was amazing. We had to take advantage of it so after dinner we headed down to the docks and hopped in the canoes and kayaks for a family paddle down the East Arm. The "Arm", where the Inn is located, is ideal for kayaks and canoes. It's a no wake zone, so the water is calm and it's a relaxing row down to the main lake. For a quick workout I like to go to "Barbara's & Back." Barbara's refers to Mayor Barbara Moore's house, which is right at the pinnacle of the lake. It's a gorgeous house with even more breathtaking landscaping. This past year it was featured on the cover of Our House magazine. If you're coming down the East Arm, you can't miss it. It's the one with the sea plane usually docked outside. Barbara's husband Jim is an advid pilot. He's also the founder and organizer of the annual Greenwood Lake Sea Plane Fly-In, which takes place every September.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday. You'll probably hear me say this alot, but I love living by the lake!

Circus in Town

I love the fact that even though we live in a little town, the circus still comes every year and sets up right in the middle of the Village. The excitment builds as the elephants pull up the tents (which apparently not many circus's still do) and the kids catch a glimpse of the animals and performers.

In this photo are two faces you may see around the Inn, Seana (Maureen's youngest) and Seanie (my oldest son that's almost 5). They both had a blast at the show and feeding the elephants is always a highlight. All around, the Kelly Miller Circus does a great job.

Street Fair Fun

We took to the streets to showcase what the Waterstone Inn has to offer. Yesterday the Greenwood Lake Merchants Guild (of which we are a member) hosted its annual street fair on Windermere Avenue. For sale at our table were Waterstone Inn mugs filled with our signature Irish Soda Bread and discounted gift certificates. Thank you to everyone that came out to support us. The weather wasn't perfect, but we still had a great time. Our spot was in a prime location, across from the center of the action at Murphy's. A live band played outside under a tent and the clam bake was the place to be.

Next public appearance: July 3, Village of Greenwood Lake Bed Races. Hopefully we'll have an entry this year.