Deering Oaks Park Rose Garden

I took the dog's for a walk yesterday in Deering Oaks Park and stop by at the Rose Garden. It was so beautiful! How lucky were are at the inn to have such a awesome garden just a couple minutes walk from our front door! Kudos to the city and volunteers who do such a great job of maintaining it. So when you come to the inn don't forget to take this short walk and visit the incredible rose garden.

Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com

Scarborough Marsh Audobon Center

Last week my sister and I took her one person canoes to the Audubon Center at Scarborough Marsh. It took us about 20 minutes from the Wild Iris Inn to drive there. Since we brought out own canoes it was free to launch but they rent both canoes and kayaks for $16/hr. There are two ways to paddle depending on the tide we chose to go toward the ocean so the paddle back would be easier. We spent a couple of hours exploring the marshes and checking out the various birds along the way, including two beautiful snowy egrets! They offer various programs and tours, check out their website at http://www.maineaudubon.org/explore/centers/marsh2.shtml . It is definitely worth a day trip if you enjoy paddling!
Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com

Tuesday I made my annual spring pilgrimage to the Maine Botanical Garden's in Boothbay Harbor. It was a picture perfect spring day and my friend's Keri and Nini joined me. It is only about an hour and fifteen minutes from Portland so it makes a great morning adventure and then go out to lunch in Boothbay. The Azaleas were in bloom and looked gorgeous. We also saw lots of other beautiful spring flowers while meandering through the woodland paths and the gardens. You can check out their website at http://www.mainegardens.org/ as they have many interesting events going on throughout the year. It is definitely worth a visit.

Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com

Park Your Car & Borrow a Bike at the Wild Iris Inn!

The Wild Iris Inn just got two bikes at Gorham Bike Shop Swap last weekend. So now guests can park their cars while staying at the inn and borrow our bikes to explore Portland and the coast. It is a great way to see the sights and be green! Portland Trails, http://www.trails.org/ has a great trail map of places to explore in the area, from beaches to parks to waterfalls. You can ride to all the different lighthouses in the area or take the bikes on the ferry to an island and go explore. Portland is a very bike friendly place! So come to the Wild Iris Inn in Portland and park your car and explore!








Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com

New Chicken House

So my chicken coop kit finally arrived three weeks late and they sent me the wrong model! At this point I decided not to send it back as I would end up paying for shipping back and who knows when the other would come. This is the smaller version and still suppose to be able to house three chickens.
So I assembled our Dixie chicks, Martie, Natalie and Emily's new house yesterday afternoon. It is very cute but tight fit for three Rhode Island Reds! I am going to fence off about a fourth of the backyard so they will have more outside area to scratch around this week and in about a few more weeks I can move them from my basement to their new home. I think my city chicks will be quite cozy and happy in their new home! I of course will love having fresh eggs for the inn and their dropping will be a great addition to my compost barrels!

Diane Edwards
Wild Iris Inn
273 State Street
Portland, ME 04101
800-600-1557
www.wildirisinn.com
Diane@wildirisinn.com