We finally had to admit it:  our  beautiful old lady was starting to show her age.

At 108 years old any of us would. Well, actually MOST of us would be long dead. But not Napa’s most photographed landmark mansion, the Beazley House.

Time and weather had taken their inevitable toll.

Our contractor, Rick Leonard, said he was afraid the old girl might have more than just superficial age spots. Layers of paint were cracked and pealing like make up on an old hooker’s face. But that wasn’t the worst of it, she was starting to sag. Dry rot was mentioned, which is like cancer  to a building.

you’d sag too if…

A closer inspection reveled the culprit: minor dry rot, but a major change needed to the two pillars holding up the balcony.

Seems the old adage that “they don’t build’em like they used to” SHOULD be followed by a “THANK GOODNESS!”  Stripped of their shingles, the “pillars” turned out to be made up of 1 by 6 inch boards formed into a box! The “header” that the balcony rested on was a measly 2 by 12 inch board…semi rotten.  All this said, the old girl had only subsided 1/2 of an inch.  And she had endured three major earthquakes in her 108 years.

Needless to say, we placed 6 by 6 inch posts in the “box pillars”and a hefty 4 by 12 inch header supporting the balcony. All were steel strapped into place.

Next came the “fun” parts: stripping off the rusty metal roof and the balcony’s rotted posts, rails and balustrades. The fun was supplied by AZEK, a company which makes a miracle product out of extruded PVC. When you’ve got a product that doesn’t require sealing, priming, sanding and painting like AZEK’s trim, balustrades and boards, THAT’S fun! And it LASTS even BETTER than the virgin redwood it’s replacing.

Nailing the AZEK trim to the new railing system.

Rick Leonard applies paint to the new posts.

New cedar shingles went onto the recently replaced porch posts and cement composite shingles were nailed to the balcony posts. AZEK rails, balustrades and trim completed the final touches.

All that’s left is to paint the new cedar shingles, hang a new downspout and remove the scaffolding.

During difficult economic times it’s hard to keep up with our old lady’s care, but we are reminded that we are not so much her owners as a link in the long chain of her continued existence. Our English cousins have shown us that if we care, we can keep our historic properties alive for centuries, not just generations.

Gives an old girl a whole new out look on her NEXT 100 years!

When Carol and I first came to the Napa Valley in 1975 it wasn’t for the wine.

In fact what we thought went with red wine was 7up. We called them “wine coolers.”

Which red wine wasn’t important, it was Cribaria or as likely Gallo Hearty Burgundy.  The agent which made the drink palatable was the 7up. Lot’s of 7up.

Our generation had been raised on Coca Cola, so when we began to drink alcohol, Rum or Vodka were the firewater of choice. An unfortunate encounter with  too much orange juice and vodka put me off “screw drivers” forever.

Beazley House now has a full wine list.

Our wine education began, as nearly all things have, due to our dear Beazley House guests. It is not a heroic story full of the nobility of the hunt, but rather more like those lesser beasts who finish up after the lions have had their fill.

A group of  business guests took over the inn and ordered “the best Napa Valley wine we could buy for $15 a bottle.” In 1981 $15 a bottle was an extravagant sum. WE had never spent such a fortune on a single bottle, but we had just been introduced to Clos du Val vineyards. THEY had a Frenchman producing fine wines who supported Chamber Music Napa Valley.  We knew their wines were good, real good. So we bought 8 bottles at just under the $15 per bottle limit and placed them in our rooms.

The next morning, after the guests had left, lo and behold ONE guest had left behind just under half his bottle, uncorked and lonely. He had appeared healthy,”like he’d had all his shots”, as we say in our family, so we tried the now nicely aired cabernet.

Instantly we tasted liquid ENLIGHTENMENT! So THIS is what good wine tastes like!  No more would we wonder why wine lovers purred over perfect reds.

We've come a long way in 30 years...you'll be able to drink up our experience.

We had begun our evolutionary  journey out of the primordial swamp of bad wine toward the promised land: Napa Valley.  We were saved.

Today we introduce our guests to the best wines Napa Valley has to offer at Vintner-poured wine tastings each Friday and Saturday night. What fun to watch the faces of the new guests as they discover how GOOD really fine wine can taste.

Frequently the wines will be from small vintners offering very limited production. These are the hidden gems known only to locals and wine snobs.  They won’t be found anywhere else but our inn and their winery.  All of them will be places our guests will enjoy visiting the next day.

And our wine tastings are always accompanied by hors d’ oeuvres which compliment the wines.  A complete experience.

In this  our 30th “Year of Firsts” we’ve added our FIRST Napa Valley Wine Auction.

Jim & Carol smiling and serving at Rubicon Estates

Held at the fabled Rubicon Estate owned by Francis Ford Coppola and his talented family, it was a scene right out of Hollywood. All of the stars of Napa Valley culinary and viticulture scene were on stage.

And we played our bit part!

Our setting was “The Terrace” and the “E-bid Hall” on the second floor of the massive stone winery founded in the 1800s known then as Inglenook.

Shaded by a 150 year old Redwood tree, the Terrace was lined by a legion of legendary chefs, caterers and vintners. In the center was a grand piano on a Persian carpet,  its keys sending  familiar notes to the heavens.

The weather gods had been exceedingly kind by allowing the morning fog to linger- sparing us from the sun’s glare and heat.

Our duties were as simple as they were clear: we were to do anything the chefs, caterers, vintners asked, with a smile and knowledge certain that we ALL were there to serve the guests. We were a team.

Our team was captained by our dear  friend Arthur Roosa, a veteran volunteer of the Wine Auction.  His second in command was the lovely Keiko, his wife and we were joined by Arthur’s sister Donna from Phoenix. The team was filled out by Charles from Angwin and Laura from St Helena.

Team Roosa: Arthur, Keiko, Carol, Laura & Donna. The Electronic Bids "Cave" is behind.

We worked beside two other teams: one on the Terrace  and one team of techies helping with the Electronic Auction in the Barrel room. This cave-like hall was lined with vintners and purveyors with its center glowing with laptops set to take their “E” bids.

This was the first day of the famed event, which over the last 30 years has raised almost $100 MILLION for local charity. The auctioneers would wring a near record breaking $8.51 million out of the guests at Meadowood Resort the next day.

These generous guests were as easy to serve as our Beazley House guests. They were polite and grateful as we whisked away their napkins and nibbles on silver trays.  Even after hours of wine tasting NO one appeared tipsy.

Rubicon's fountain was the center piece for the 30th Napa Valley Wine Auction

Perhaps the setting of the romantic Rubicon Estate with its splashing fountains and gardens demanded decorum.

However, given the copious quantities of wine consumed along with culinary delicacies, even a saint would have been tempted to over indulge.

And there was serious money being bid, even before the next day’s “main event.” Usually money spoils a good time, ask any working girl.

But in the end it was the “paradise effect” that probably mellowed the crowds: that feeling that they had died and gone to Heaven.

That and they were a classy crowd.

This June the Beazley House will begin our 30th year as Napa’s 1st B&B by celebrating the entire year!

Celebrating 30 years of Carol's killer Chocolate Cakes!

We will call it a “Year of Firsts!”

And you will be the FIRST to hear about it in detail when we send out our FIRST email blast on … June 1st.

Okay, you won’t have to wait, THAT long because I’m going to give you a little sneak peek in this blog.

What does OUR being FIRST mean to you? Why should you care?

It’s simple, really. As the 1st bed and breakfast of Napa our 30 years of experience enriches yours.

We know stuff.

There are over 425 wineries in the Napa Valley alone. The Beazley House knows where YOU should go. Not based on hype but what will suit YOU best.  First time in Napa? We will tailor your itinerary to hit the landmarks and offer places known only to us. It will match your tastes, not some wine snob.

The only constant in life is change.

Jim & Carol take in the newly-revitalized Uptown Theater on May 14th.

And in 30 years we’ve seen LOTS of great changes to Napa. Like how we are now within walking distance to dozens of fabulous restaurants; everything from nationally recognized to locals’ favorites. And not just the famous, but the best VALUE too.

There’s an UPTOWN now.

Even if you’ve been coming to Napa for years, we can turn you on to new and exciting experiences we are learning about everyday.

Take the new and exciting LIVE entertainment venues which have arrived on the Napa scene: The Napa Valley Opera House, the Uptown Theater, Silo’s and Uva‘s. The Opera House is a circa 1879 gem of a 500 seat theater which Judy Collins said is “acoustically perfect”. The Uptown opened May 14th with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and will host a virtual galaxy of stars. Silos is a place where the piano lounge is being redefined by fresh talent and a newly formed jazz club. And Uva offers jazz and so much more five nights a week.

Napa’s FIRST Choice for Dog Friendly

Their smiles say it all, DOGS and people welcome!

Traveling with your pooch? We will be your second best friend…maybe even your FIRST if you consider we’ll host you, send you to places you and fido will be welcome and we offer the most Dog Friendly rooms in Napa.

Our Gardens have been stopping traffic for years!

Our gardens have made us the most photographed landmark in Napa.

Perhaps the FIRST thing you’ll notice as you arrive at our inn will be our beautiful gardens. Lovingly planted and tended by Nilda Douma, our master gardener, with help from Javier Becerra, our gardens reflect 30 years of care.

We started with a patch of ancient lawn in front, over grown shrubs and dying birch trees. Our “backyard” was just that. Today it is our “secret garden” where weddings are celebrated and breakfasts served.