Yesterday I was working at the Book Cellar, and one of our regular customers came in with some books she wanted to donate. I started unloading her cart and sitting right there was this book.
I had to look twice- was this the same Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles, New York, the Inn where my husband and I had our wedding reception? I told our customer that story and she said that she spends part of her summers in Skaneateles, so we had a lovely chat about that beautiful village.
Of course I had to buy the book, it was meant to be! It is a gorgeous book, written by Denise Owen Harrigan and Bill Eberhardt, the man who bought the historic Sherwood Inn when it was in disrepair in 1974 and restored it to its former glory, making it even better.
The photos by James Scherzi inside are stunning, and there are many reproductions of paintings and documents from the history of the inn, dating back to 1807 during the John Adams administration.
The Sherwood Inn truly is the cornerstone of the charming village of Skaneateles, about five miles from where I grew up. I loved reading about the history of the inn, and it was great fun looking at photos of the annual events in Skaneateles- the Antique Boat Show, Dickens Christmas, concerts in the park- that my husband and I enjoyed attending.
The best part of the book may be that there are recipes of the many classic dishes served at the Sherwood Inn. As I read, I could almost taste the Clams Casino (my husband's favorite), French Onion Soup, Chicken Mulligatawny Soup, Pepper Parmesan Dressing and Raspberry & Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast that I so loved to eat.
I'll be making some of these in the near future, and I'll be sure to let you know in a future post how they turned out.
I do have one memory of Skaneateles that sticks out in my mind. After our wedding reception, while my husband and I were taking some photos by the beautiful lake, the groomsmen decided to jump into the lake with their tuxedos on. It was shocking and funny until my poor mother and her friend had to return the tuxedos to the rental shop the next day. The bags were dripping wet, and my mother and her friend dropped the bags on the counter and hightailed it out of there. They still laugh about that incident!
If you ever visit central New York, a trip to Skaneateles and the Sherwood Inn in a must. Their website is here.
I love the Sherwood Inn, too, and my sister also had her wedding reception there. Some of those groomsmen must have been locals. Your story made me think of a long-standing tradition at the high school... immediately following every graduation ceremony, seniors jump in the lake still wearing caps and gowns! Skaneateles is such beautiful little town:)
ReplyDeleteThat's the funny thing- they were out-of-towners!
DeleteWhat a great discovery. Yes, you *had* to buy it. Loved the story of your groomsmen! Yikes! And also love it that JoAnn's family has wedding memories of the same place.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story!
ReplyDeleteOf course you had to buy it! How wonderful and what a fun coincidence! I love the story of the groomsmen. I think I would've dashed out after returning those sopping wet tuxedos too!
ReplyDeleteYes, it definitely was meant to be for that book to appear. Sounds like a gorgeous place and I love your story about the wet tuxedos :)!
ReplyDeleteLoved the story of that book and the history it brought up. Of course you had to buy it! If we're ever out that way we'll have to visit Skaneateles and try the Sherwood Inn.
ReplyDeleteSerendipity at work! Cheers from Carole's Chatter!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool story and coincidence.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really nice coincidence, to find the book about a place you knew!
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
What a wonderful story. It's like you were meant to have that book - such a trip down memory lane.
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