Sue and Eric
Our Story
Our Story
We grew up in Connecticut, but began our life together in northern Maine as a young, married couple fresh from high school. Shortly after the birth of our daughter we returned to family and friends in Connecticut where our four sons were born. We remained in Connecticut, happily raising our wonderful children close to extended family, but our hearts never left Maine. We dreamed of opening a bed and breakfast in one of Maine’s small coastal towns.
When our youngest son entered college our longing for Maine intensified and we began looking for homes along Maine’s breathtaking coastline. After two years of searching we found the perfect home…but…the house was not quite ready for guests.
Built in the early 1800s,the house was less than 2000 square feet and in poor condition. Every weekend over the next three years, whileworking full-time jobs in Connecticut, we made the six-hour trek to our house in Maine. With the help of family and friends we cleaned up, gutted, tore down, added on and began to rebuild our new home.
After three years we moved in. The interior was far from finished. There was no insulation, there were no interior walls, and our only source of heat was a woodstove in a corner of the first floor. The kitchen consisted of a small dorm-room sized fridge, a stove and a table. There was one bathroom with a curtain for a door and the barest of drywall providing the illusion of privacy.
There was one sink in the house – in the bathroom – forcing us to walk all our dirty dishes upstairs to the opposite side of the house where we washed them carefully, one by one, in the tiny porcelain basin. Our bedroom consisted of a box spring and mattress tucked inside a large tent with an over-sized pillow beside it for our beloved dog.
After three years we moved in. The interior was far from finished. There was no insulation, there were no interior walls, and our only source of heat was a woodstove in a corner of the first floor. The kitchen consisted of a small dorm-room sized fridge, a stove and a table. There was one bathroom with a curtain for a door and the barest of drywall providing the illusion of privacy.
There was one sink in the house – in the bathroom – forcing us to walk all our dirty dishes upstairs to the opposite side of the house where we washed them carefully, one by one, in the tiny porcelain basin. Our bedroom consisted of a box spring and mattress tucked inside a large tent with an over-sized pillow beside it for our beloved dog.
The project seemed daunting at times, but our dreams were strong and our hearts never faltered. Slowly over the next four years, while continuing to drive to Connecticut every week for work, we finished our house, moving into a real bedroom with a real bathroom (doors and everything!), cooking in a full-service kitchen and washing dishes in a large kitchen sink. We swept the floors clear of the dust and dirt from construction. We moved in furniture and hung curtains.
We now make infrequent trips to Connecticut, doing most of our work remotely while filling our hours with cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, woodworking, enjoying the company of our children and grandchildren and caring for our guests. We are finally able to relax and enjoy our new life, pursuing the passions whose constant reminder kept us going even when times were tough.
We now make infrequent trips to Connecticut, doing most of our work remotely while filling our hours with cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, woodworking, enjoying the company of our children and grandchildren and caring for our guests. We are finally able to relax and enjoy our new life, pursuing the passions whose constant reminder kept us going even when times were tough.
We enjoy meeting the varied guests visiting our home, seeking a reprieve from life’s treadmill and hoping to find solace in our little piece of heaven. We invite you to knock on our door, meet our family, doze on our porch, savor our breakfasts, and forget your troubles for a little while. We have the fireplace crackling, muffins in the oven, and a warm bed awaiting your arrival. We look forward to meeting you and hearing your stories.