Breakfast ~ A self serve buffet style breakfast with various offerings is available between 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. If your plan s require you to leave earlier, please let us know, and we'll arrange the buffet in time for you to eat before your hour of departure. Depending on demand and availability, a breakfast special is usually served between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. We will let y ou know the night before what the special is going to be. Please let us know weather you wish to have the special. If there is more than one person in your party, let us know how many will be having the special.


Checkout ~ We ask that the guests check out by noon unless prior arrangements have been made with us.


Comments and Suggestions ~ We like to think that everything we do at Moosewood Manor is brilliantly planned, flawles sly implemented and impeccably tasteful. You may disagree. If so, let us know. There are comment sheets in the night stand by your bed. If you think of something that we can improve on, we would appreciate it if you will take the time to make a no te. If there is something about your stay that you really liked, let us know about that, too. If it was merely a happy coincidence this visit, we'll try to incorporate it into the ambiance for your next stay.


Communicatio n with your hosts ~ To facilitate communication with our guests, we have put a communication pad on the kitchen counter. We try to leave a note in the kitchen if we are actually leaving the property for some reason. If there is something yo u need to let us know or ask while weUre gone, please leave a note on the pad for us. If you need to speak with us more immediately, and we are on the property somewhere, you can call us on the intercom next to the communication pad in the kitchen. The instructions for the intercom are on a card attached to the intercom set.


Compost ~ We compost vegetable organic both indoors and out. To compost most organic and food waste we have worm bins in the garage. Th e worm tea and castings that are produced as a by-product are the natural fertilizers that we use for the hydroponic garden and other growing things at Moosewood. We also have a compost pile outdoors. Please tell us if you have any meat of dairy was te products that need disposal. We will make arrangements to remove them from the property. This keeps the bears, porcupines and neighborhood dogs out of the compost pile.


Conference Room ~ As you probably noticed on the way in, we have a room for small workshops, seminars and other special events. If you are interested in hosting a special event here, please let us know.


Food ~ Whenever and wherever we can we buy organic f oods, but this is Alaska, and sometimes fresh organic foods simply arenUt available. We do hydroponically grow our own seasoning herbs, some vegetables and edible flowers year round, and we use them as available. If you have any important dietary re strictions or needs please let us know as soon as possible.


We have a fairly set offering for the buffet breakfast, which is listed in the food section in the back of this book (available only at Moosewood) We also list some of the ingre dients that might appear in any given breakfast special. For those of you who are obsessive-compulsive about reading labels even on vacation, you will find that where ever possible we have listed information about the food items we offer. If you hap pen to experience insomnia, the list will make great bedtime reading.


Food Storage ~ We have a limited amount of refrigerator space available to guests. We also have some space for frozen fish on a first come firs t served basis.


Hazards ~ Alaska is no more dangerous than other places, and probably is safer than some, but we do have some hazards that are unusual. There are five that we think are important enough to bring to your attention. There is expanded information about these in the section in the back of this book. The hazards of note are: 1) bears, 2) earthquakes, 3) hypothermia, 4) moose, and 5) mud flats. Please take the time to read the information provided . We'd like our guests to enjoy their experiences and know how to handle the things they might encounter here. In other words, we want our guests to be willing and able to return to the Last Frontier.
There are two other things that aren't letha l but might be uncomfortable. First, we have porcupine wandering through the property. Porcupine are gentle and usually imperturbable. We've included an article about the joys of removing porcupine quills. Second, while we don't have poison oak an d ivy in Alaska, we do have one ubiquitous plant that has nettle-like thorns and can leave a photosensitive chemical on your skin that will be uncomfortable. The plant is called devil's club. It is on the property and in the hills all over. If you p lan to go walking, you might take a look at the local flora books in the library so you can identify it. Simply wearing long sleeves and long pants when you're pushing through underbrush will eliminate most of the risk of exposure.


Hosts ~ Both of your hosts are long time Alaskans. Kayleen moved to Anchorage with her family in 1957. Nelson moved here in 1978. One of the joys of hosting a B&B is the opportunity to share the experience of Alaska with our gue sts. Kayleen is a good resource if you are interested in the peoples of Alaska--her background is in anthropology and she has a special interest in Alaska's indigenous peoples, their art and artifacts. If you have questions, want opinions, or like ra mbling anecdotes, just give us the opportunity to expound.
From time to time our grown children, Kara and George, assist us in the operation of Moosewood Manor. They are also opinionated about nearly everything and would be happy to contribute th eir perspective on the "great Alaska experience" on request.


Journal ~ Each bedroom has a journal for your musings, artwork, poetry, fiction and nonfiction. If you feel like making an entry, please do. We'd love to have you log your Alaskan experience for posterity. Besides, your signature might actually be worth money some day. We'd love to benefit from a record sale at Sotheby's just because you slept here and doodled.


Kitchen ~ Municipal regulations prohibit us from opening the kitchen to our guests and from serving more than one meal a day. However, we keep a stock of hot drink and soup mixes on hand for use with the hot water taps. Please feel free to make a cup of soup or a hot drink at any time during your stay. Be aware that the taps marked "HOT" in red letters are at SCALDING temperature, which is good for instant soups and not so good for hands.
We also often have other snack items like cookies, crackers, or herb breads available. Popcorn and an air popper are on the kitchen counter in the evening. Feel free to avail yourself of these items for midday to midnight snacking.


Laundry ~ The guest laundry ro om is available between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, and again between 4:30 and 9:00 p.m. It is located across from the library. We provide a choice of three liquid laundry soaps, Calgon (a water softener) and Biz (an enzyme cleaner) for your use. It is very important that you DO NOT put any other cleaning products in the washer. They turn to cement in the septic system. Because of the septic and water systems of the house, it is important that you follow the posted directions exac tly. If you have any questions, please ask.


Library ~ The library is located across from the laundry room on the ground level of the house. Obviously there are books to read, but we also keep a collection of "to ys" for your entertainment. There are board games, coloring and drawing supplies, origami paper--just about anything your inner child might demand. We do ask that you keep all these "toys", including the books, in the common areas, the library, the c onference room and or the living room.


Local Attractions ~ In your room you'll find visitors guides and other information from the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. These materials are yours to keep.
In the library we keep a binder of brochures from other B&B's all over the state. We haven't personally stayed at all of these places so inclusion in the book does not necessarily mean a recommendation from us. Included in this binder, however, is a We Recommend section that contains information about some of our favorite places to go and things to do.


Pets ~ We have a few domestic working animals here at Moosewood. You've probably already seen the aquarium and the turtle pond. Please, for their health and yours, do not handle the turtles. We also have ladybugs inside the house. They help keep the plants here free of pests, so please don't squash them. The lady bugs have a tendency to wander without regard to their survival. Please feel free to move them back to any plant if you see one moseying across the carpet.
For everyone's comfort we are unable to accommodate visitors whose pets are traveling with them. Working animals accompanying gue sts who experience disabilities are managed by special advance arrangement.


Reduce, Reuse, Recycle ~ We are committed to running an environmentally and socially responsible bed and breakfast business. We try to m inimize our impact on available resources by purchasing and producing with discernment, reducing consumption, reusing as often as possible, redirecting, re-educating, recycling and disposing of necessary waste in the most responsible manner available. We purchase our supplies in bulk, research our suppliers for socially and environmentally conscious practices, organically grow what we are able, offer our guests the option of less frequent sheet or towel changes and use baking soda, vinegar and hy drogen peroxide as cleaners and disinfectants. We recycle linens, bedding and personal sundries to local homeless shelters. We compost or vermicompost any food which cannot be donated to Beans Cafe or Mother Lawrence. We teach vermicomposting in var ious community settings. We keep a supply of packing material available for guest use and recycle the excess at the local packaging and mailing depots. We take donations of reusable goods for Clare House, Bean's Cafe, Salvation Army, the Brother Fra ncis Shelter and Intermission Crisis Nursery. We donate maintenance and building supplies to Habitat for Humanity. We try to find at least one more life for everything.

There are bins in the garage for the following items:

	newsprint					c
lear glass
	aluminum cans					brown glass
	other aluminum					green glass
	tin cans					magazines, books, reading material	plastics 17			toys, games
	plastic bags					greeting cards, postcards, glossy brochures
	plain paper					clothing, shoes, warm wear	
brown paper					packing peanuts, bubblepack, paper
	glossy paper					misc. metal
	corrugated cardboard				eyeglasses, lenses, and frames
	flat cardboard					craft supplies

	Anything that you want to dispose of that doesn't fit one of these 
categories pr
obably belongs in the non-recyclable/non-compostable waste 
baskets in the kitchen, bedrooms or bathrooms. Let us know before you 
throw; we may be able to think of something else to do with it before it 
lands in the landfill.

There is virtual ly no plastic recycling in Alaska. We save and compact plastics #1-7 and take them with us when we travel to places that we know have the recycling facilities for these items. We cajole friends and our children into doing the same. We are utterly sh ameless about encouraging guests who live in areas where some of this stuff can be recycled to take some home, if so inclined and their luggage allowance will permit it. Let us know. We'll pack it up.


Safety & Security ~ There are several safety and security features incorporated in the design and implementation of the house. We would like to bring a few items to your attention.
With your reservation confirmation or when you arrived, you received a pers onal access code to the combination push button door lock on the north door. The combination is exclusively for your use during your stay.
There are motion detector light switches in the two accessible bedrooms on the middle floor and in the conn ecting hall and bathroom. If you want the motion detector function, press the right side of the switch all the way to the right; for constant light, press the left side all the way to the left; to turn the whole thing off, flip it so both sides are e ven. Remember to turn the light switch to the left when you're showering, or you may find yourself showering in the dark. You may want to set your bedroom switch to the "auto" or motion detection function before you go to bed.
There are chimes o n all the bedroom doors that are activated when the door moves. There are also deadbolt locks on the insides of all the bedroom doors, just above the lever handles. In the drawer of your bedside table, you will find a flashlight for use in emergencie s and there are night lights throughout the house.
Fire extinguishers are in each of the bedroom closets and on each floor of the house. In case of an emergency, exits from the Flat Top and Rabbit Creek bedrooms are directly through the windows i f it is not possible to exit through either the middle floor north or ground floor south doors. A floor diagram marked with the exits is included at the end of this letter.
For those of you with EMF concerns, you will note that we have positione d most of the appliances in low use or traffic areas. The house is wired so that no electrical wiring crosses the heads of the beds.
Because of increasing world wide respiratory sensitivity, we have attended to offgassing in construction material s and furnishings. The plants throughout the house are part of the "air scrubbing" system.


Shoes ~ This is a shoes-off household. That means please take your outside shoes off at the door and leave them on the m at in the entry way until you go back outside. We suggest that you wear nonslip household slippers or socks indoors. If you have orthopedic needs that require a certain type of foot support, please let us know and we'll work with you to accommodate this need.


Sleep & Bath Wear ~ The robes hanging in your closet are for your use during your stay. They are 100% cotton and are not available for sale. We do have all cotton, one size fits all, Moosewood Manor lo go night shirts available for purchase at $18.00 per shirt, should you feel an overwhelming urge to diversify your sleep wear options.


Smoking ~ For the health, safety and comfort of all there is no smoking anywhe re on the property at any time. If this creates a conflict for you, please let us know and we will make or help you make arrangements for alternative bed and breakfast or hotel accommodations that will be more suited to your wishes.


Telephones ~ At the present time all of the guest phones are on a single line. This includes the phones in the conference room, living room, and the library as well as the guest bedrooms. For uninterrupted sleep if you are not ex pecting a phone call, we suggest turning off the ringer at night. The ringer switch is under the handset. Simply move it all the way to the left.
To make local calls on any of these phones, just dial the number. For collect/credit card calls di al "O"+Area Code+Number and wait for the operator to come on line; for phone cards, use your normal procedure. Information is 411 and will require the use of your calling card.
There are phone books, both white and yellow pages, in each of the b edrooms for your convenience. and with all the guest phones in the house. In the ACVB brochures in your room you should find most of the numbers you will need, but we have programmed a few frequently dialed numbers into all the phones. They are:
< PRE> Alaska Public Lands Information Center Chugach State Park Information Alaska Railroad Grayline of Alaska Princess Tours Anchorage Daily Events line Anchorage Museum of History and Art National Weather Information Service (local forecast) ACVB Log Cabin Information Center Alaska Marine Highway (the ferry system)
To dial any of these numbers, press the button next to the phone service you want. The three emergency buttons on the phone dial emergency services at 911.
All the guest and common room phones are Walker Clarity phones which feature volume & clarity control. To increase clarity & volume slide the button marked "clarity" upwards, to decrease clarity & volume slide the same button down. The lowest setting is the same as a normal telephone. The buttons on the phones are extra large and illuminated for your added convenience. They also light up when the phone rings, even when the ringer is off.
We currently have three telephone line s at Moosewood Manor. They are: 
	
		Reservations and business line: (907) 345-8788 
		Guest message and general use line: (907)345-8988 
		Fax line (907) 345-2188


Transportation ~ Since you're reading th is you already know that our guests provide their own transportation. This is just a reminder that the driveway is one lane and heavily wooded. Be alert in both directions for wildlife on the road and other cars coming your way.


Videos ~ We have a selection of video cassettes that are available for your entertainment on a first come, first served basis. They are listed by title, in the video section of this binder. If there is one you'd like to see, pleas e just ask or leave a note on the communication pad on the counter. We'll leave the video on the TV in your room. Please just put the video under the communication pad when you are finished with it.
A few of our videos contain adult material and /or violence. These videos will not be made available to children under 17 years old without explicit verbal and written permission from their parents or guardians.


Wastewater & Septic ~ We are on a septic system which, from time to time, is a little fragile. That means several things in terms of waste water management and we ask your cooperation to keep the system running smoothly and efficiently. The most important thing that we ask is that you put any no n-organic waste, other than the toilet paper made especially for septic systems, into the wastebaskets provided. In other words, if you haven't chewed and digested it first, please don't put it in the toilet.


Water ~ Our water comes from a well on the property. We have it tested twice a year to assure its freedom from nitrates, E. Coli and other contaminants. We use the tap water for drinking and all forms of bodily hygiene. For additional peace of mind we have hot and cold water in the kitchen that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis system. Look for the RO labels on the faucets of both kitchen sinks. The ice and cold water dispensers in the refrigerator door are also on the RO filtration sys tem.
Our water is somewhat hard, but we have chosen for health reasons not to install a whole house water softening system. That means that we need to ask you to 1) run cold water through the taps and showers when you finish using them (to keep the pipes from mineralizing) and 2) follow the laundry guidelines posted in the laundry room exactly. If you have questions, please ask before you act.


Wildlife ~ We have an abundance of wild animals and birds at or near Moosewood Manor. These include bald eagles, great horned owls, moose of all sizes and shapes, grizzly bear, black bear, porcupine, lynx, rabbit and squirrel. Please enjoy them without attempting to interact with them. They are wild and will act protectively (read that as dangerous to you) if your friendly overture is interpreted by them as threatening. There are additional information sheets on moose and bear safety in the hazards section of this book, and a bear video in the video libr ary. There are books on the flora, fauna and avians of Alaska in the library.






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Phone (907)345-8788    Fax (907)345-2188      E-mail<
/A> moosewd@alaska.net