After the demise of our sign business in 1989 Christine, the boys and I were taken in by one of our clients and good friends, Robert Cyr, who was about to restore a 240 year old condemned farmhouse into a fabulous Victorian gingerbread Inn. It was just what we needed after suffering the worst financial catastrophe in our lives.

After a year of renovations and a complete rework of the grounds Nestlenook Farm Inn opened for business. Christine and I became full time innkeepers in one of the most magical places on earth. Nestlenook was a working farm on 70 pristine acres surrounded by the Wildcat River and a mountain top with a 360 degree view The property stood at the base of Mt Washington, the highest peak north of Georgia and notorious for claiming the highest winds ever recorded at 234 mph.

Inkeeping has its rewards but it is one of the most perpetually demanding jobs we ever did. With only 7 rooms we couldn't afford to hire all kinds of help and so Chrstine cleaned rooms, set up and broke down breakfast and snacks, took reservations, checked guests in and out and a whole lot more as you can imagine.

I cooked breakfast, conducted Justice of the Peace services for our weddings, served guests at our little bar, managed the activities, marketing and the business side of things as well as entertained the guests.

My sister Kathy would come by on Saturday evenings and together we would sing songs for the guests. Robert and his wife, Nancy, loved her Kathy's voice and enjoyed our music.

I can't recall which anniversary it was but Robert and Nancy decided to renew their vows and ask me to perform the services. They invited friends and family from afar and took over the entire property for the weekend event. To show our appreciation for them giving us the opportunity to recover from our disastor and to learn an entirely new career, I wrote a love song to be played during their services. Kathy sang the song which blew them both away. Her voice is certainly top of the line. It was not long afterwards that Nancy died of lung cancer which made the song even more poignant.

I later recorded the song with Kathy and a great friend, Dicky Tilton, who played the synthesizer-piano. If you haven't already, please press the green arrow on the audio player at the top of this story to hear this love song. Christine and I now see it as a song to be played for all lovers. It works for us. I hope it does for you. Listen to the big finish. It's really worth it!!!!

To see a photo album of Nestlenook Farm Inn (you won't believe this place) click HERE