Innkeeping is not a profession that allows many holidays.
Having had an extremely busy season, Sven and I decided to get away to the city for two days in preparation for a busy fall. Luckily for us, my brother has always dreamed of running a bed & breakfast. He feels a bit nervous as we prepare to leave, with a couple of guests still snug in their bed. Nick Grabbe has memorized the breakfast routine. Since he happens to be a writer, I decided to ask him to guest-blog this morning: “Ten years ago, I had been in the same job for 19 years and was feeling like I wanted to do something completely different with my life. I seized on the idea of starting a bed & breakfast in Deerfield, Mass., home of a historic village and a prep school, thus a destination for many travelers.
My wife’s family had owned land in Deerfield for over 100 years, so it seemed a good choice. But my wife told me I just didn’t have the temperament to be an innkeeper; she said I would get frustrated and wind up like Basil Fawlty, the John Cleese character who insults his guests. I suppose she was right; I got a new job that I like very much and forgot about my plans for running a bed & breakfast. Curiously, my sister started doing exactly that. So now, I have the opportunity to fill in for her for a day and a half. I can tell callers that no, there are no spaces free for Labor Day weekend. I can make conversation with the guests, maybe give directions to the beach. And I can actually make a breakfast! I can probably restrain myself from insulting the guests for one day …”
Having had an extremely busy season, Sven and I decided to get away to the city for two days in preparation for a busy fall. Luckily for us, my brother has always dreamed of running a bed & breakfast. He feels a bit nervous as we prepare to leave, with a couple of guests still snug in their bed. Nick Grabbe has memorized the breakfast routine. Since he happens to be a writer, I decided to ask him to guest-blog this morning: “Ten years ago, I had been in the same job for 19 years and was feeling like I wanted to do something completely different with my life. I seized on the idea of starting a bed & breakfast in Deerfield, Mass., home of a historic village and a prep school, thus a destination for many travelers. 
My wife’s family had owned land in Deerfield for over 100 years, so it seemed a good choice. But my wife told me I just didn’t have the temperament to be an innkeeper; she said I would get frustrated and wind up like Basil Fawlty, the John Cleese character who insults his guests. I suppose she was right; I got a new job that I like very much and forgot about my plans for running a bed & breakfast. Curiously, my sister started doing exactly that. So now, I have the opportunity to fill in for her for a day and a half. I can tell callers that no, there are no spaces free for Labor Day weekend. I can make conversation with the guests, maybe give directions to the beach. And I can actually make a breakfast! I can probably restrain myself from insulting the guests for one day …”
