Address

1349 Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421

Saturday, July 30, 2016

STAINED GLASS ART


St Francis Figure from our logo. Copper foil "leading"
construction with copper patina. About 8" tall.

I’ve always admired the art of Stained Glass.  But until recently taking a class and risking cut fingers, I never realized the intricacies and techniques required to make the glass come to life.  Nancy and I were attending the AVA Gallery Hop in 2015 and visited Visions Gallery on Main St.  While there we found out that owner, Carolyn Insler, was going to start teaching classes for beginning aspirants.  So, I signed up.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Chattanooga FREE Eventful Summer Weekends!

Chattanooga from Point Park  (Photo: Wallace Braud)
Chattanooga from Point Park  (Photo: Wallace Braud)

Is your budget keeping you from taking that getaway weekend you desperately need during the summer months?  Then consider Chattanooga, Tennessee as your wallet-friendly destination! 

Read on for some suggestions on how to enjoy our incredible city without putting a strain on your finances.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Joint Craft Venture! - LEAF CASTINGS


Two Finished, Painted Concrete Leaf Castings at St Francis Cottage
Finished Concrete Leaf Castings.

We enjoy making leaf castings from elephant ears, hosta leaves and other leaves with a distinct vein pattern.  Nancy makes the castings using a high strength mortar mix reinforced with a central layer of fiber mesh joint reinforcement tape (used for sheetrock joints).  



Saturday, July 23, 2016

Testing the Bed and Breakfast Menu - Round 2

A Look back at Round 1  


Many, many THANKS to our faithful food testers Jennifer and Ingo Jung, Colleen Fieser and daughter Liz Fieser!  These folks have been exceptionally brave critics and supporters as we attempt to add our own touches to some well-received recipes.

This trial menu item for St Francis Cottage, Savory Green Bean Benedict, was a big hit.
Savory Green Bean Benedict
L to R - Ingo and Jennifer Jung, Liz Fieser and Colleen Fieser at St Francis Cottage
L to R - Ingo and Jennifer Jung, Liz Fieser and Colleen Fieser

At our first gathering last March, we tried out a Green Bean Casserole recipe from The Old Coffeepot Restaurant in New Orleans that we saw on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  We decided to convert this savory dinner treat into a breakfast entree by serving the creamy casserole over English Muffins, ham and poached eggs, with a side of home-fried potatoes. 


Thursday, July 21, 2016

Home Grown Recipes!

Egg & Veggie Tostada and Michael's Egg Stack


Fresh Ingredients for Egg and Veggie Tostada at St Francis Cottage
Fresh Ingredients make this Egg and Veggie Tostada the taste treat that it is!

Egg & Veggie Tostada


Egg and Veggie Tostadas are a staple of the Braud household diet.  After a long day’s work on our mini-farm, we’ll often throw a couple of flour tortillas on the cast iron grille, grate some cheese, stir fry whatever veggies we have on hand in organic olive oil with some fresh garlic and herbs, and scramble a couple of farm-fresh eggs.  Voila!  A healthy meal that uber-satisfies without making us feel stuffed.   We can’t wait to share our favorite go-to, anytime meal with you!  (Read More for Michael's Egg Stack)

Friday, July 15, 2016

St Francis Cottage - Getting "Dried In"

Shingles being attached to roof of new bed and breakfast
Rear view of house with roof for wrap around porch on right.  Roofers working on first courses of shingles.  They finished the 2-story portion of the roof, yesterday.

After only a week of working on the roof sections of the house, we are one step closer to opening and one step closer to not having to worry about the weather for the main parts of construction. Framers and roofers have been working long hours to get us to this point.

Completed main and porch roofs for bed and breakfast
Completed main roof and front porch structures.

The framers also took down the interior cross bracing yesterday and it's starting to look more like a house on the inside with a definite feel for the size and layout of each room.  I found myself walking around just grinning about the progress and what we will have to offer.  We think it's starting to shape up nicely.  We look forward to having this ready for you to enjoy, too.

Interior view bed and breakfast Great Room area under construction
Part of the Great Room.


Friday, July 8, 2016

St Francis Cottage's New Blog!  


Welcome to A View from St Francis Cottage!  When completed we invite you to our place to Rest, Relax, & Restore while traveling or during an opportunity to just get away.  We were blessed with this wonderful piece of property almost 24 years ago, and we want to share its beauty, tranquility, and convenience with those who visit the Chattanooga area.


St Francis Cottage early exterior construction phase



St Francis statue with flowers in Bed and Breakfast garden
Over the next few months we plan to introduce ourselves and give you glimpses into the ideas behind the construction of our new Bed & Breakfast, here in Chattanooga.  We will share recipes; gardening tips; craft project suggestions; photos of various aspects of the new facility; and links to some of our favorite places, events and web sites.

It will be eclectic, informative, casual, and hopefully a bit of fun!  We might even throw in a few video clips.  Chattanooga offers many outstanding things to do and see, from outdoor-based activities to excellent arts and entertainment venues, a bountiful number of good restaurants and plenty of shopping opportunities ranging from "high end" to "never pay retail."  The area is surrounded by natural beauty and man-made attractions for just about every niche interest accommodating the whole family.





Friday, July 1, 2016

Meet the Brauds


Spring Panorama Vacation Rental St Michael Cottage in Chattanooga

We would like to introduce you to our family.  Our children grew up in our home on five acres, which now includes the St. Francis Cottage property.  We spent many years as a family enjoying our children, pets and the pasture that is now the B&B.  (Our miniature donkeys Meli and Margeaux now live with a nice family on 17 acres in North Georgia.)

Vacation Rental St Michael Cottage Chattanooga Back Yard in the Spring

St Michael Cottage backyard looking toward St Francis Cottage in Chattanooga