Friday, July 31, 2009

What's in a Name

Today's entry is a two-parter: Guests fixated on the name of the Inn often ask: Where are the blueberries? Where is the cove?


There are two blueberry locations on the property. The big bush (5 ft. by 6 ft.) that the inn is named after is in the backyard behind the Hideaway Suite. It produces 8-12 gallons of juicy berries every year, so we can have fresh blueberry pancakes all July and August with enough left over to last most of the winter. Since most of our guests don't venture onto the "back forty," it's not surprising that they are unaware of the big bush. (Please ignore the fact that we never got around to mulching inside the bird netting.)


However, there is also a row of five blueberry bushes along the southern end of the main parking lot. Seely's parents planted those after we purchased the inn. It is not uncommon for people who have backed their cars so far into parking spaces that they have to push the bushes aside to get their luggage out of the trunk to ask the next morning at breakfast: "So where are the blueberries?"


One theory is that so many of our guests spend arrival days stuck in beach traffic for hours at a time that when they get here, the only thing they are focused on is how quickly they can get out of the vehicle and find a bathroom. Things like scenery and inn amenities can wait until urgent priorities are dealt with. The other explanation is that most people aren't botantists and just don't recognize the bushes unless they are full of ripe berries calling the guests to "sneak a few."

And about that Cove. It's confession time. There is no actual geographic feature known as Blueberry Cove. When we were trying to come up with a name for the inn we decided we wanted something high in the alphabetical listings that would appear on the web or in travel guides. Since the big blueberry bush was about the only thing on the property that didn't have to be renovated or upgraded, I thought it would nice to include in the name. That it was producing so well despite years of benign neglect seemed to be good karma too. The Cove part came about because when I think cove, I think safe, welcoming shelter.

So Blueberry Cove Inn: An alphabetically pleasing, welcoming and safe place for romantic weekends or family gatherings. And when our web consultant found the dynamite blueberry wallpaper that helps make our website so distinctive, it was a done deal. Thanks Darya.