The book relates his experiences since becoming an innkeeper in 2003, both good and bad. Notes from an Innkeeper's Journal is full of anecdotes that relate the life of an innkeeper, which is much less glamorous than many think.
Dick took some time to answer a few questions for us about the book and the decision to become an innkeeper.
When did your wife first broach the topic of buying a bed and breakfast, and what was your initial reaction?
We were looking for an alternative to uncongenial jobs when Pam first broached the idea of a buying B&B. I didn't quite ask what a B&B was -- we had stayed in several -- but it had never occurred to me that we might buy one.
She talked of the advantages: we'd be our own bosses, we'd run the show and could make decisions about our lifestyle, we'd have a gorgeous home to live in, we'd meet scads of interesting people, etc. Before long, I was as enthusiastic as she was.
When and why did you become serious about buying a bed and breakfast?
Once we started visiting inns with the possibility of buying one in our minds, our commitment grew, especially as running a B&B seemed the perfect escape from corporate America.
And the more we talked with innkeepers and learned of their varied and interesting lives, the more committed we became. Within a month, we had decided that if we could find the right place, we'd become innkeepers. As it turned out, however, our search took us nearly a year.
What do you remember most about the process of deciding which bed and breakfast to purchase? How many did you seriously consider?
We considered scores of B&Bs on the Internet and actually visited about a dozen.
We wanted to be rural, live in or near mountains, and we wanted to remain in the South (we lived in Nashville at the time). Of the places we looked at, though, some were too "elegant" (as in too fancy), some needed too much maintenance, others had kept poor records and had poor numbers, and some just didn't feel comfortable.
We also wanted a place with owners' quarters that were a little more ample than a single room in a corner of the house.
Why did you choose the Hummingbird Inn, and when did you welcome your first guests?
We fell in love with the Hummingbird on first sight. It not only met all our geographical criteria, it felt welcoming and comfortable to us. If you will, it "spoke" to us of warmth and hospitality. When we closed on the inn in July 2003, we came back from the lawyer's office to a full house.
What has surprised you most about being an innkeeper?
The constancy of it, being "on" 16 to 17 hours a day during our busy periods. Beyond that, I'd say the variety of the people who have come to the Hummingbird over the past five years.
Why did you decide to write Notes from an Innkeeper's Journal?
I wanted to tell the real story of innkeeping: the upbeat side, certainly, but the downsides as well. I think guests (and aspiring innkeepers) do not see all that's involved in keeping an inn. I wanted to share that and write as candid and honest an account of innkeeping as I could. How long did it take to write Notes...? Is this your first book?
Pam and I started keeping journals almost from the day we decided we wanted to buy an inn and we kept them up when we became innkeepers.
Putting the actual boo together, though, took about a year. And, yes, though I have done lots of writing as a freelance feature writer (Boston Globe, New York Times, Hartford Courant, Country Living, New England Business Journal, airline magazines, craft magazines, etc.), this is my first book. Writing it was enormously absorbing and fun.
Where can people purchase the book?
By calling or writing us, or by ordering through the book's web site.
