BP 20.1 - Peers Hotel

Chris, Arturo, Margarit and I headed back out to the Peers Hotel on October 26th.  We had been invited back for a return visit.  Lori, the lady that has been managing the place, is our number one fan, and really wanted us to return.  This was to be her last day of working for the hotel and there was a send off for her.  In addition to that, one of their patrons, a former employee of the hotel and local resident, had recently passed away.  In fact we photographed her during our first visit, three weeks ago.  So it was a day of mixed emotions.

Initially things were pretty quiet and only Lori and one other patron were around.  We had a good visit with them and this gave us another chance to experience the vibe.  It is unknown if the owner will find a replacement for Lori, so it remains to be seen if the hotel continues to operate.  We are grateful that we were able to experience it, while it was in operation.  Perhaps another visit will become a reality at some point in the future.

Later in the evening a bunch of other locals stopped by and things became a lot more lively.  We managed to interview and photograph many of them.  By the time we wrapped things up we had spent almost eight hours in the tavern.

I experimented with some lighting equipment and it was a great opportunity.  I brought along two old and inexpensive light stands with reflectors, and fitted them with LED bulbs.  I have been meaning to do this for some time and just always felt a little overwhelmed by all the gear that I drag out, and with having lights and cords in the way.  But, it seems to really have worked out well and provided much better exposures with the big view camera.  Of course the negatives, once they get developed, will really tell the tale.  I ended up shooting about a dozen sheets of film, and a roll and a half in my 35mm SLR.

This will likely be the last Beer Parlour outing for 2024.  But Margarit scoffs at me, as I have said that a couple of times already this year, only to venture out to more places.  We have a long list of old hotels to visit and will look to plan our next outings soon.