One Smile at a Time. Tales of a Humanitarian Clown Extraordinaire

 

Guillaume with a truly special child

I have written about my friend Guillaume before. He is hands down the BEST Humanitarian Clown I personally know. And I know quite a few humanitarian clowns. All of them are great in their own way of course, but Guillaume stands out to me personally. His back story, his broad smile and big laughter, his talent to make people laugh, his talent of juggling and other "clown" skills, and his kind, sweet nature sets him apart. More than anyone else I know, he has clowned for people who have been displaced, injured, and who are just generally down trodden. His passion for it oozes from him. Not only that, he does all of his clowning free of charge. He lives frugally with donations made, and from money made with conferences/classes he host. I challenge you to find a better human on the face of this earth. I don't think it is possible to be honest. 

I think he is trying to say "Call Me". 

His willingness to help anyone at any time is unparalleled. If you call him, he will talk your ear off about everybody else he knows who are amazing. He won't boast about himself so much. He will tell you about all of the children who have touched his heart and made him smile. Of course, he has made them smile as well. And now he has written a book about his stories and adventures. He highlights other clowns who have inspired him along the way, starting with Patch of course. Maria is next, and many others as well. In true Guillaume fashion, he will take no money from this book. Also, his publisher has promised to give all proceeds to Guillaume's non profit La Caravane Philanthrope. I hope I spelled that right? ha. La Caravane Philanthrope is a group of volunteer clowns who go put on shows or interact one on one with people who are sick in hospitals, or for those who may be lonely while living in nursing homes, or with refugees who have been displaced either by war or other reasons.  They do incredible work, all for free. The money from the book and other donations go to support their cost of travel and lodgings, so the clowns don't have to pay for that. But I am pretty sure they receive no salary? You will have to ask Guillaume about that to be sure. Either way, the money is well spent, I do promise you that! The group is actually on their way to Tijuana, Mexico as I write this, to clown for refugees there. 

Another smiling child with Guillaume

His book is called "One Smile at a Time: Tales of a Humanitarian Clown". It was just published last month and is only available in French. As far as I can tell, it is also only available in Canada. I hope that changes soon, as it becomes popular with more demand. I will let you know if it does. But in the meantime, if you know any Canadians who would like to purchase it, it is on sale now through the website below. Or maybe you have a Canadian friend who can buy it and ship it to you? Also, Guillaume is supposed to come through Wisconsin this summer, and I will see if I can score some books for my American friends. So if all else fails, check back with me.

One smile at a time - Les Affranchis

I mean, How can you not smile at him? And... Free HUGS!!!

Guillaume is not shy. He will do whatever it takes to get a laugh. This includes wearing a tutu. His hugs will melt into your soul and make you feel things you never thought possible. I hope everyone in the world could receive one of his hugs, because that would really change the course of humanity! 

Hugs and Juggling are not his only skills. He can also dance!

When you can get a child, who lives in a tent with little to no possessions, dance and smile like that... you are really doing something with your life! Guillaume does it over and over and over!

One of the sweetest moments you will find. This photo is so calm, peaceful, and yet there are smiles there too. Smiles come in all shapes, forms, and "loudness". 

Oh the mischief these two must have created. 

Guillaume is not above mischief, that is for sure. But if he does, he will always do it with kindness and he will take the brunt of the joke on himself. A true Auguste Clown through and through. 

One of my personal faves. This is Guillaume at Maria's Studio in Moscow with one of Maria's Children. The Russian children just LOVE HIM!! 

I have clowned with Guillaume in Moscow and Beslan. He is a master of the art, and I will never be able to express what this man means to me. He has taught me more about clowning and humanity than anyone else. I am forever in his debt, and I will shamelessly promote his work and book! So, please buy his book and support the cause! Or donate on his website.

Clown humanitaire bénévolement et à temps plein (guillaumevermette.com)

I am truly humbled to be in his book.

              No Go Out and Hug a Humanitarian Today!!!

Ugly Biscuits Bed and Breakfast (Open for Business starting May 26th, 2022)

 

Our Company Logo

A view of our home/Bed and Breakfast from County Road T 

We are moving along with our plans for the Bed and Breakfast.  We will start accepting guests May 26th. Check out our website at the end to book a room. We would love to host you all! We have decided on a name, and as you can read in the title of this blog, it is called Ugly Biscuits Bed and Breakfast.

Come eat breakfast in our cozy and fabulous dining area. We have a nice Fireplace to keep you warm on those chilly mornings.

The name came about in a cute AH HA moment. Katie made biscuits for breakfast one morning. As she brought them out of the oven she said "My biscuits may be ugly, but they are delicious".  We all looked at each other as one of us said "Ugly Biscuits should be the name of our Bed and Breakfast".  We chuckled, and then realized it would be the perfect name. Of course we needed to do a little research on the name to make sure it was available as a business name. It was/is, so we are going with it. And of course the biscuits were delicious! Katie is a great chef, and she makes only vegan and vegetarian foods. We think the name will give a hint into the type of establishment we want to be. One with a good sense of humor. One that doesn't care about appearances all that much. One that will offer ugly, but delicious healthy foods.

Them are some ugly biscuits. (But Delicious)

We know not everyone eats vegetarian and vegan food. However we are confident that Katie's delicious meals will satisfy even the heartiest of meat eaters. Plus, keep in mind we only serve breakfast. So we certainly welcome carnivores, omnivores, and all other vores.

Yes, this is vegan. Looks delicious right? We will have other bagel sandwich options at times.

Donuts are vegan too. Sugar is not an animal product :0)

Crepes with fresh fruit and cream cheese. Some will be vegan and some will be vegetarian

We feel we have a lovely place for a Bed and Breakfast, and we will offer up some unique opportunities. We are a kid friendly establishment. We will offer some fun stuff for the whole family like game nights and outdoor movies on the side of the house. We will have hammocks available for use in our own woods. We have about a mile of walking trails through the prairie and pines. Our two resident dogs can attest to how fun our trails are. We even have a few binoculars for wildlife and bird viewing. We have picnic tables set up at Picnic Point for quiet dining time if you like. If you look up, you can even see the huge owl nest. We hope to find a niche in family reunions, retreats, wedding parties, etc if possible. Of course we look forward to hosting anyone who wants to come play and relax here. 

Our hammock is ready to be used

You can read or nap in our hammock

We have 6 rooms. Since we live in a natural area with a lot of wildlife, we have decided to name our rooms after wildlife. Not all of our names are native to Wisconsin. The only one we took "liberty" on is the Hedgehog Suite. Don't ask why, because we don't really know ourselves. Ha Ha. It is a spacious room. It is also our most luxurious room. It has a fireplace, reading space, private deck, and large bathroom with a rain forest shower head option. You will enjoy some great views of our Pine Forest, as well as some fun bird watching.

The Hedgehog Suite

A reading nook in the Hedgehog Suite. Or perhaps a sleeping area for the kids. 

Next is the Fish Room. When we bought our place, this room had a large fish mounted on the wall. We have always referred to it as the Fish Room. The name stuck, and it led us to naming all of our rooms after animals. Don't worry, the fish is gone as we have done a little remodeling to make our rooms more cozy and comfy. The Fish Room is one of our more spacious rooms. It has a couch for relaxing and reading. A big window for viewing our Pine Forest, again with some fun bird watching. We have a bird feeding station set up out back by the entrance to our forest. It has a sliding door for private exiting/entering. It will have a small private patio for morning coffee, etc. It will share a large bathroom with the Deer Room.

The Fish Room

Your view from the couch in the Fish Room

The Deer Room is small and simple. The price will reflect that for the thrifty bed and breakfast goers. It does have a window view of our backyard forest, a mini fridge (as all of our rooms do), a decent size closet for the longer staying guests, and a comfy reading chair in room. It shares a  bathroom with The Fish Room.

The Deer Room. We think it is nice and cozy.

The Fox Suite is next. It is also a smaller room, BUT it comes with a private bathroom and shower. We would love to have all of our rooms have private bathrooms, but it just wasn't feasible with the layout of the house. We did add this bathroom ourselves, with help from our contractor of course :0). This room is also located towards the back of the house away from the kitchen, so it is a little quieter. With that and the bathroom, the price is a little more than some other rooms. We feel our prices should be affordable for most people however, depending on their needs and what they feel are the most important features for themselves.

The Fox Suite. There is a window view of our Prairie to the right of the bed. Two reading chairs in the room. We don't have TVs, so we hope people will read, relax, and unplug a bit. 

The bathroom for the Fox Suite. It also has some closet space, you just can't see it in the photo.

Next to the Fox Suite is The Raccoon Room. It is another small, economy room. It has a nice closet. It also has two windows. One window has a view of the garden. The other window has a view of our prairie, where you will see flowers in late Spring and all summer. Plus there are tons of butterflies in our prairie. Once again it has reading chairs for your convenience. It shares a bathroom with The Owl Room. 

The Raccoon Room. Notice the 2 windows for great viewing opportunities.

Last, but not least is The Owl Room. It is our smallest room. It does not have a closet, but it does have a funky little Wardrobe/Armoire which we picked up at a local antique store on The Square in downtown Baraboo. BTW, there are a few antique stores in Baraboo for your shopping pleasure. This room has a window towards the porch where you can see the garden and our front yard bird feeding station. It shares a bathroom with The Raccoon Room. We are also going to use this room as a "special" rate room for people who want to rent a second room for their kids. Ask about that, if you plan on bringing your kids. 

 

The Owl Room. 

As you can see, we will have 6 rooms to rent. We have 32 acres of land mixed with pine trees and prairie. We have a lot of creatures on our property like deer, raccoons, coyotes, opossum, and perhaps more? We even had a baby deer born in our front yard last year. We didn't see the actual birth, but we saw the baby struggle to stand up for the first time. It finally took its first steps as its mamma licked it. It was such a beautiful sight to behold. We also have a plethora of birds, including 2 great horned owls that have taken up residency in our pines. We have Whooping Cranes that live less than a mile from our property. Whooping Cranes are one of the rarest species on earth, as there are only 880 left in the world. In fact, George Archibald is a local legend who single-handedly saved the Whooping Cranes from extinction. You can learn about his story at the International Crane Foundation located just 5 miles from our place. We also have a pond 0.7 miles down the road where you can frequently see 2 bald eagles hanging around. Along with all the birds and other wildlife, we are in a convenient location. There are a hand full of attractions within a 15 mile radius of us. This includes, but is not limited to, The Circus World Museum, Devil's Lake State Park, and The Wisconsin Dells (famous for their wide variety of water parks). So come on out and join us.

Now that our website is up and running, we plan on accepting guest May 26th. If you have family or friends who might want to visit the area, please share our info via FB, emails, text, etc. Whatever it takes to get the word out on the streets :0). 

For more info, photos, or to book a room... check out our website or FB page.

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What are you waiting for? The baby deer are ready for you to come visit!!!

Now Go Out and Hug Someone Today!!!