European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 3, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes monday october 3, 1977 hoi i Estead in up in new Hampshire by Bill Walker projects editor he big House is almost silent at eleven in the evening. From the front porch bits and pieces of a conversation Drift in through the screen door. In the living room a lamplight shines on a Reader flipping through the pages of a Dusty travel Book. It is so quiet in new Hampshire s Mountain vacation land that the sound of a Bug striking the screen door liter ally shatters the silence. The Granite state provides the natural attractions but Esther Serafini is to be thanked for the House and the other amenities of overnight lodging. Serafini and her family have offered rooms for thou Sands of travellers during the past 97 years. Her place the Homestead at sugar Hill n.h., is one of hundreds of such Roadside inns throughout the United states. In a trip through America that took nearly two months and covered about 12,000 Miles this summer the Home Stead is one of perhaps five or six places i would insist on visiting during a return trip. There is no overwhelming attraction to sugar Hill. The mountains Are not higher than the Rockies the Vista not More appealing than a dozen in the smokes the people no More Friendly than southerners or westerners. But a pleasant combination of All these attract thousands of travellers yearly. Sugar Hill is in Rural new Hampshire near the presidential Range of mountains in the Central part of the state. It happened to be along the Way to the Volvo International Tennis tournament in North Conway n.h., or i never would have stayed there. The inn is built on tradition the kind that prompts mrs. Serafini Essie to friends to remark i have three years to make the place one Hundred years in this  the Homestead has been the site of lodging facilities since 1802 and mrs. Seraf Ini s family took it Over in 1880. Esther Seraf Ini s work begins very Early each Day. Before the dozen or More guests come Down in the morn ing she gets the Homestead moving. She personally supervises preparation of All the breakfast items. These usually include real Canadian Bacon the freshest eggs she can find Mayo a new Hampshire Oatmeal an fresh baked Rolls. After breakfast she sits in the anteroom near the dining room to Chat with departing guests settling up on Bills. She makes change out of a worn tin Cash Box and gives travellers a Handwritten Bill. Not everyone checks out after one night. Some remain for several Days others for weeks. Many come Back year after year. Mrs. Serafini pointed to a woman sitting in the Corner and said she has been coming Back to us for 25 years first came with her  the Homestead like most of the better known inns in America is not cheap. A night for two with evening Mealand breakfast is about $30 including tips for the staff. But most guests seemed pleased with the Price Given the fact they were Able to use an entire Home Complete with Library Reading room front porch Scenic View and Al that quietness. The Homestead is a collection of buildings. The inn itself has three floors with 10 sleeping rooms. There is also a family cottage originally a farmhouse and chalet.  Roadside inn in Rural new Hampshire an emphasis on quietness and hospitality. The emphasis on quietness is unmistakable. A Bro Chure she sends to interested travellers cautions in fair Ness to parents who should not spend their vacation hushing the children to children who Wake up at Dawn to fellow guests who have come Here to rest we do not encourage families with very Young  sugar Hill was once a much larger tourist Community Serafini said. In the past seven years we have lost two major hotels Here she explained. The hotels were full but the management was not dedicated to continuing to serve the  land speculation was one reason for the decline she added. A Quarter mile up the Black topped Road from the Homestead is a nine Hole Golf course a Little used out door Clay Tennis court and another guest House. Two years ago Seraf Ini s husband died and she has run the Homestead alone since then with the help of some old regular staff members and whatever help she can get. But Don t mistake her for a weak woman barely surviving in the harsh world of business. She Speaks with authority and Independence and conducts a real estate business in addition to the Homestead operation. She is developing Home properties near the inn. Many of my friends have told me to Cut the services. But i get Only first rate ingredients we have the Best. I want my Flag to stay All the Way up an american Flag waving out front until it is pulled All the Way  despite the nearly four thousand mile distance from Germany sugar Hill provided a reminder of Europe. On a sunday morning before i left Serafini asked a Friend to come Down to the Homestead. The Friend turned out to be the father of Glen Dower an army helicopter Pilot at bad Kreuz Nach Germany. The meeting in new Hampshire resulted in a phone Call to the surprised Dower in bad Kreuz Nach several weeks later. The message was simply hello from your father who i met in new Hampshire while we both were vacationing this  As i pulled away from the Homestead in route to North Conway Esther Serafini politely waved goodbye and turned quickly to walk Back into the Homestead. In a few hours the first arrivals for the coming night would be driving in and she had to get ready for them. Out front the Flag was still waving. By Erma Bombeck at wits end in talking with a working Mother the other Day she disclosed one of the Little discussed hazards of holding Down a Job with one hand and tending family with the other. She called it the Telephone  least once a Day a working Mother will be summoned to the business phone to hear the voice of her child say mom can i make a raft and mess around on the Ohio River with Huckleberry Hickey striving to keep her carpet land Compo sure the Mother remembering she is a professional will clutch her Throat and shout you leave the House and i la break your  if you want to find out Bow indispensable you really Are said one Mother just get a Job and wait for the phone to ring. My kids have bad me called out of conferences involving thousands of dollars to electrify me with such breathless decisions As 1. Can i split a Pepsi with Kathy 2. Guess what the dog dug up 3. Did you Wash my White shorts for gym tomorrow?4.1 got an 83 on my health test. 5. Rick just got his Driver s License. Can i go with him to town and see How he does in traffic the plight of the working Mother and Telephone crisis reaches a fever ish pitch in the summer months when the children Are at Home. There is per haps nothing that strikes fear in another s heart As much As the follow ing sequence. Hello mom. This is  give me that phone mom this is Wesley and make her Stop  you re Gonna get it. I m telling. Mom Tell him it is his turn to set the  i thought you told her she could t have 15 girls in Here at  m telling. Mom did you know. Quit it you re hurting  you re not even bleeding much.  Click. Until Telephone crisis is resolved it is Safe to assume there will not be a woman in the White House. Can you imagine get Ting a Busy signal on the hot line c Field enterprises inc