North Conway NH Bed and Breakfast Brookhill's Innkeepers
Brookhill Bed and Breakfast is the ultimate place for a romantic getaway and that's just what Rod and I thought when I inherited Brookhill in 1979, long before it
became a North Conway NH bed and breakfast.
Rod was a psychology professor at State University of New York-Plattsburg and I was developing adult-learner degree programs at State University
of New York-Albany; two satisfying careers. But a long-distance relationship, with only weekends together, was not how we wanted to live. We were
young and in love, with all the impulsiveness that can bring. So, much to the chagrin of almost everyone we knew, we decided to give up "financial
security" (an ephemeral condition at best, we realized) and move to North Conway, New Hampshire. Not quite sure how we would earn a living, we
were sure that Brookhill's charm and panoramic view of Mt. Washington were impossible to resist.
So in late summer of 1980 the family moved to Mt. Washington Valley. I began work as the Director of Social Services at The Memorial Hospital, just
a mile down the road. But Rod, thoroughly enjoying the idea of a break from academia, was not at all sure how he would make his contribution.
Since Brookhill B&B was built in 1929 as a summer studio for my great aunt, Dorothy Bumstead Jarvis, a photographer in Brookline MA, it was never insulated for winter habitation. Late
August of 1980, with ever bluer skies, shorter days and cooler nights, brought thoughts of winter to our family as we pullled on our sweaters. So Rod's first job was to insulate Brookhill, at which
time he discovered antiquated electrical wiring. That led to his second job. It wasn't long before we decided Brookhill needed to be a bit bigger and
I designed a two-story addition. Home improvement work at Brookhill became Rod's main job for the next three years.
Whenever he needed a break from construction, he cut trees and dug up their roots to further open our spectacular view of the Dinsmore Brook and fields below
our high bluff and the spectacular White Mountains beyond. As Rod's work progressed, I began to envision perennial flower gardens and stone walls,
terraces and patios. So I designed them and the truant professor built them. He would say, "You design them, I'll build them." While these home-enhancement jobs were
underway, Rod worked several months for Attitash Ski Area laying snow-making pipe. On weekends he tended a local country store. In this stint he
found himself to be a "sort-of-incognito social anthropologist", where he was privy to hearing a lot about who was where and doing what, with whom!
After a refreshing three-year break, he returned to professional life as a school psychologist. My responsibilities at The Memorial Hospital expanded
to include administering the Hospital's nursing home. We both volunteered on various community boards and I learned a lot about the Town of Conway,
NH during thirteen years of service on the Conway Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Years went by. Our four children went off to colleges and graduate schools and established their lives and careers elsewhere. Both Rod and I, although
no longer "young and in love", were nevertheless, still "in love", with all the same old impulsivity that love often fosters. So once again, we jumped
into a new venture and ... retired. We both had some unfulfilled dreams calling us.
Prior to our move to North Conway, Rod had become a passionate hiker while climbing the 46 Adirondack 4000-Footers. After we moved to Mt. Washington
Valley, he found time to hike all 48 of the White Mountain 4000-Footers, New England's Hundred Highest, and the rest of the 111 4000-Footers of the
Northeast. He also completed the Appalachian Trail in 1993, in section-hikes. But his dream was to thru-hike the AT, which means doing the entire
2,175 miles of trail in a single season. So, in March of 1999 he set off for 5 1/2 months and completed his dream, summiting Katahdin in September. On July 13, 2007, Rod finished section-hiking the entire AT again, for the third time.
My dream was to have uninterrupted time to pursue my neglected artistic yearnings. With Rod on the trail, I devoted full-time to sculpting, quilting, and mosaics.
We enjoyed this relaxed life-style for a few years. Rod was working a day or two a week as a psychologist in the local schools and I was quilting,
gardening and, subconsciously, nurturing the seed of a new venture. Late fall of 2004, the seed sprouted and Rod and I began plans to open a
bed and breakfast at Brookhill. We both had the intuition that this was right for us and our beautiful home.
Brookhill Bed and Breakfast has a history of happy lovers: my Great Aunt Dorothy's long-term love affair culminated in marriage here at Brookhill B&B; Rod, a licensed
minister and Justice of the Peace, has performed numerous weddings at Brookhill, including the marriage ceremonies of our two
sons; Rod and I were married here; the honeymoons at Brookhill are touted as "idyllic." Now that civil unions are recognized in NH, rod is looking forward to officiating at them too. "Brookhill," so named by Great Aunt Dorothy, is now Brookhill Bed and Breakfast, North Conway's most romantic, private and scenic lodging.
Recently, Rod and I celebrated thirty-four years together, with twenty-eight of them being here at Brookhill BB surrounded by all the beauty that Mt.
Washington Valley offers. We look forward to your sharing our exquisitely scenic and serene retreat .. Brookhill Bed and Breakfast, a unique
lodging for special times in a spectacular setting, where you will make your own treasured memories.
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Brookhill B&B's Flora Pink - Showing Off
Your innkeeper (Rod) on Mt. Katahdin
A Vintage Brookhill B&B Photo of Innkeeper Susan's Aunt and Uncle, Dorothy & Edward Holden
Art quilts At This Romantic North Conway Bed and Breakfast
Brookhill Bed and Breakfast is located near North Conway NH, Shopping Outlets, Skiing, and other Mount Washington Valley
Attractions.
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