Browsing through the Web site for Brookside Meadows Country Bed and Breakfast, one gets the very strong sense that this inn specializes in treating guests to a relaxing stay. The pastoral setting speaks for itself.

The great hosts -- gracious, helpful and non-intrusive.

This handmade queen bed awaits visitors in a guest room at Brookside Meadows.

The opportunity for our family to meet people from areas of the country (and world) we were not able to travel to; the opportunity to have other people enjoy our home and setting; the alternative to part-time work outside the home for Linda, enabling her to be at home during years of 2 young sons in elementary and higher schools.

Please tell us about your inn's history.

We built the home in 1979 with a main house for our family and a connected apartment which we leased. The setting is a meadow, with rolling land surrounding, at the foot of the Green Mountains, just 2 1/2 miles from the Village Green of the New England small college town of Middlebury. In 1982, we decided to start as B&B hosts, with one guest room. Our first guests were a delightful Australian couple who stayed three nights, were interested to teach our sons cricket, and wanted to learn baseball from them. These wonderful guests (who have returned twice since) caused us to be hooked as B&B hosts!

In 1984, we added a room designed for B&B use. Later we converted the apartment to a two-bedroom B&B apartment suite unit. Then we converted our sons' large bedroom (when they went off to college) to a B&B unit. Finally, we did a major revision of the house in 1991 to make the home the B&B inn which it is today.

The attractive decor, a country setting convenient to the town and Middlebury College, and genuine hospitality provided by the hosts.

What do you remember most about your first month as innkeepers?

We had very few guests, and we did not consider it a business, but rather an avocation. But the people who stayed with us we still recall as delightful.

Is being innkeepers tougher or easier than you expected?

As we got busier, it became somewhat more work than we anticipated, but it is a nice kind of work which we enjoy.

What's your favorite part about being innkeepers?

Relaxed conversation with pleasant guests who enjoy the place, and who are easy, pleasant, and fun to converse with.

One of the apartment suites available at Brookside Meadows.

Being tied to the phone!

What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you as an innkeeper?

Having a person stay with us three weeks after brain surgery.

What are some of the unique features and must-see attractions of the Middlebury area?

Middlebury is a very attractive small New England College town. Shelburne Museum is an absolute must -- 80,000 Early American items in 38 historic buildings (which are themselves part of the collection) on 45 acres. Lake Champlain (the sixth Great Lake) is beautiful, with its mountain backdrop to the East and the West. The Fort Ticonderoga and Mt. Independence historic sites are special. Most guests plan a stay of a few nights, and wish they had more time! (Note from your Guide: The Brookside Meadows Web site includes a useful Area Activities and Attractions page.)

Which is your personal favorite room at your bed and breakfast?

The Master Bedroom. It's a large, comfortable room with a wonderful bathroom.

With genuine hospitality which does not intrude on the guests' privacy.

What advice would you give to aspiring innkeepers?

Always consider those staying with you as guests rather than as customers.

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