My 100th blog............ Our Memorial Day outing....

Agawam Diner
When Don and I are hungry and want to "get out of town" for a short time, our car seems to head towards the Agawam Diner on Route 1 in Rowley Ma. Having been around for about 60 years, this food institution is famous for serving breakfast all day. And if you don't want breakfast, fried chicken, fried seafood, yankee pot roast, and Donald's favorite; hot dogs with potato salad, finished off with lemon meringue pie, are just a few of the New England staples served up fast and plentiful.

Did I say pie? You can get.... any pie you want..... at the Agawam restaurant............. and Donald loves them all; banana cream, blueberry, apple, coconut cream, chocolate cream, custard, strawberrie rubbard. I had a fish sandich and passed on the pie. Watching my figure!

Hot dogs and potato salad..........

Champagne Breakfast Celebration……….

Ali, Rose, Jen, Mary, Terry & Ada

We placed our bets on the 2009 NSMC Cancer Walk…..

They might be calling us the booze and betting team, but last weekend, friends, and frequent guests of the Amelia Payson House, sponsored a Poker Tournament in Dix Hills, N.Y. on behalf of Ada & Jen’s NSMC Cancer Walk team, “There’s Something About Mary” and raised over $1450.00 with a wine raffle and poker night for charity. Hosted at the home of Terry, Frank, & Ali, their generous friends played cards and bet their chips all for the benefit of the NSMC Cancer Walk. As a new Cancer Walk team this year, Ada & Jen have been trying to come up with some fun and different ways to raise money in support of this well-established annual walk that will take place on June 21st. Although gaming wasn’t considered until suggested by Ada’s frequent guests from New York, the thought of taking money from Yankee fans, for charity, seemed perfectly acceptable.

This weekend Terry and Ali are visiting Salem for their annual Mother/Daughter getaway so Ada seized the opportunity to have them meet team co-captain Jen, her sister Mary, who we are all walking for, and Rose from the NSMC Cancer Walk Development Office by hosting them for breakfast at the B&B his morning. It might have been the promise of those heart shaped waffles that got them here, but we all had a great time chatting and getting acquainted, before e-mails were exchanged and cameras started clicking.
While we did have other guests, fortunately all women, they blended in and enjoyed the excitement of the morning. And where was Donald?????

With 10 women in the house, he was hiding in the kitchen and keeping the coffee flowing til noon………..

Bam! We’re serving what Emeril’s serving…………..

Heart shaped waffles.....

Every Mother’s Day, Emeril Lagasse surprises a mother on Good Morning America with breakfast in bed. While we're not serving breakfast in bed, (just the messy thought of it sends chills through Ada), we served the same heart shaped waffles as they did on TV today. Of course, mine came with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, raspberries and bananas. Ada’s five fruit wake up call to good health. Jen, are you listening????????

After 25 years, even websites need a facelift..........

Check out our new duds at www.ameliapaysonhouse.com

Just a little more sophisticated in style, our renewed website went online today. Loaded with many of the same photos, and some new ones, our webgal always seem to catch the essence of our home and hospitality style. While Ada usually writes most of the prose, she would be the first to admit she would be lost without Barbara at ISSI to handle the visual layout, mechanics and functionality of the site. Thanks Barbara for keeping us "looking good"..............

It’s all about celebrating Anniversaries this year………..

Salem revisited................

I always joke that we are now hosting, as guests, the grown children of parents that stayed with us in years past. Kind of makes you feel your age. Ouch!
Kidding aside, we are glad that they are keeping their love of Salem and the Amelia Payson House in the family and returning time and time again.

Over the weekend, we hosted a couple returning after 12 1/2 years. They spent their Honeymoon in Salem, and stayed with us and have returned to romantically reconnect to Salem once again. While so much has certainly changed in Salem since they were here last, they were quick to notice all the new shops, restaurants, and endless activities that keep the town truly hopping day and night. And, of course, they revisited the House of the Seven Gables, the Trolley and the PEM; memories they felt were well worth repeating.

Will we see them for their 25th? Who knows, but we had a chuckle just thinking of where we all might be in that future time. No promises made, especially from Donald………..

First Prize........................

Mary has the honor……….

Yesterday, Mary selected a name for the Two Night Getaway at the Amelia Payson House Bed & Breakfast from over 80 generous contributors to our NSMC Cancer Walk Team: There’s Something About Mary”. In the first of three drawings, we are happy to announce that Ron & Theresa Weik are the winners of April’s drawing. While we have two more drawings planned, one at the end of May and one at the end of June, we wish everyone continued good luck as all entrants will remain in the basket for all three drawings; a special thank you to the many that contributed early and so generously. With over $2900 raised so far, our team has remained in first place in generating fundraising dollars, but the real contest is finding a cure and having as many people raising as many dollars as we can to help in that effort. Many thanks to all of you that are following our team and especially all the team members that have set up web pages and have solicited your friends and family for donations. It started as one donation in a pool that has certainly rippled out way beyond any of our expectations. We are excited to have two more months to continue raising money. Just wait until you hear what is happening on May 9th. Stay tuned……

Forever grateful,
Ada May, Jen, & Mary
Co-Captains: There’s Something About Mary
www.firstgiving.com/theressomethingaboutmary

PS: Thanks to Tom, our cameraman………