On a weekend trip to the North Shore in Minnesota, Drew and I went walking along Lake Superior. While gazing out at the vast lake, we stumble upon a rocky beach. We discover an old large house fifty yards up from the beach. The house is old but in good condition from the outside. We peak in the windows and fall in love with the original wood floors, tall ceilings and grand staircase. The next day, the house is ours.
We move into the house and begin preparing to open our very own bed and breakfast. Situated between Lutsen and Grand Marais and within the Superior National Forest, we now own an ideal spot to host families and couples for romantic or relaxing getaways. The house requires a bit of elbow grease, but we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty and after six months of major renovation and decoration, we are ready to open. We now have a beautifully restored kitchen with several ovens, dishwashers, and large counter tops, but the best feature by far is the large window that looks directly out to the lake.
Much of the furniture in the house was hand-made by a local man and his family that live in Grand Marais. The bed, tables and chairs are all made from the local timber and are stained gorgeously. We found some great antique pieces as well to spread throughout the house. But don't worry, it's not one of those crazy Victorian bed and breakfasts that is covered in doilies and smells faintly of the 1870's. Drew got admittedly nervous when I started shopping and decorating the house. However, he will now gladly agree that each room is better than the next and definitely worth the cost.
There are four guest bedrooms on the second floor of the house. There are queen beds in each, along with two author chairs cozied up next to the fireplace. The fourth bedroom has an adjacent room that has two twin beds and is thus the perfect place for vacationing families. We were amazed when we found the place to discover how vast the plumbing was and therefore adding a bathroom to each bedroom proved to not be a problem.
The third floor is where Drew and I live. We have a spacious enough bedroom along with a bathroom, sitting room and office. The business end is run out of this floor.
The main floor is composed of a large living area decorated with large chairs and sofas and bookcases. We have quite an extensive library and encourage the enjoyment of the books. The room has become so popular that guests often will enter and be amazed at how five or six others are sitting contentedly in front of the large wood fireplace reading and absolutely silent.
Adjacent to this room is the large communal dining room where we serve all three meals. The large table can fit up to sixteen people, which allows for great conversations and hearty laughter. It is over the meals there that I have met some of the most interesting people and learned the most.
After being declared "a natural" in the culinary courses I took prior to opening the bed and breakfast, I dived into cooking. The menu changes depending on the season and what I feel like cooking. Drew is in charge of making custom omelettes and he does a fantastic job even when they contain veggies he's not fond of. My dad's caramel rolls are always a hit as well. Lunches tend to be a bit more laid back, typically sandwiches and salads. We encourage our guests to get and explore and are happy to provide them with a packed picnic basket, red-checkered tablecloth and all. For dinner, grilling is common, particularly in the summer and early fall. Drew can grill up some killer pork chops. Being that we are in Minnesota, I am not adverse to serving up hot-dishes in the winter. Desserts is where my true heart lies however and I enjoy experimenting with new recipes. However, rhubarb is a stable in the early summer and I have won many people over by serving them my warm rhubarb-strawberry pie.
Our bed and breakfast has access to the nature trails where if you are quiet and lucky, you can see deer feeding and an incredible variety of birds. We have sea kayaks and if the wind on the lake isn't too strong, I will lead kayaking trips out along the shoreline. Many of our guests are fresh out of the Boundary Waters and have stopped off at our place for a few days of relaxation after roughing it in the wild. Therefore we have hired a massage therapist to come and offer massages to those weary souls. My nursing skills continue to come in handy as many of these hikers will have bangs and bruises that need tending to.
One week each year we close the bed and breakfast to guests and have our whole family to visit. The kids run around and play in the yard while the adults drink wine, get caught up and stay up late gossiping about the latest happenings. We share the responsibilities of cooking and cleaning and enjoy being free from the real world if only for a small time.
My favorite time of each day is sitting out on the porch with Drew, talking with him while our puppy lies at our feet as we rock.
