The Rock has a Mascot, no it "ain't The Chicken"!!

The Rock Cottage Gardens Bed and Breakfast Inn, in Eureka Springs, AR, has a mascot. He goes by the name of Dawson. Pictured above, this Golden Retriever mix has never failed to melt the heart of any guest that spends time with him. With a mixture of admiration and laughter, I have witnessed on several occasions, guests play fetch with Dawson. By the way he acts when playing that game, I think it is what the dog lives for. When I see a guest play fetch with him, laughter always ensues as Dawson races for the stick like a bullet and then returns the stick right to the hand that threw it. You can see the guest reminisce with childlike reactions.

If Dawson leans into you, it's just his way of asking to be petted. Don't you just hate it when you get those proverbial "puppy eyes" that just can not be resisted? So what do you have?? Another activity to partake of when staying with us. Swing in a swing and play fetch with a Golden!! I remember doing that as a child with my beagle named Sam. Good memories you know??

The Dynamics of Friendship

As you know, it can be quite interesting to watch couples interact when placed together for the first time. The good Lord created so many wonderfully unique people and I have had the great privilege to serve so many here at the Rock Cottage Gardens.

Today, we served breakfast to 5 couples outside. Initial pleasantries are exchanged and then breakfast then commences. This is fun and rewarding to watch. All it takes is for one or two people to talk to someone else at a bistro table beside them and before you know it, conversation momentum begins to build, reaching a crescendo by dessert!

It's mind boggling to hear how much different guests end up having in common. It is truly a small world sometimes. Today, 2 gentlemen discover that they grew up in practically the same neighborhood around Carmel, CA!! Wow!! From going to the same school, knowing the same people, vacations at the same spot, disbelief can be such a common reaction at breakfast.

At morning's end, I can't tell you how often I've seen guests, who earlier met as strangers, leave our place with an exchange of handshakes and phone numbers. It's pretty cool to watch new friendships evolve. Thank God for this place.

Just When you Thought...

Becoming a minister and presiding over weddings at the Rock Cottage Gardens Bed and Breakfast Inn was a calling, without a doubt. Someday, I will look back and consider all of the weddings that I have done as an absolute God send. If a couple came up to me and asked to be married but had no money, who cares. It's a mission from above, they came to me, let nothing stop it.

This past weekend, Tony and Mary walked to the chapel looking like they just came to life out of some bridal magazine. They looked so elegant and faces beaming over what was soon to take place. You know how you can tell when a couple is in love, it's in the transcending gaze into each others eyes. I pray that you are getting to experience that feeling each and every day.

They asked for the wedding to take place outside and oh how beautiful the grounds are right now. With the fountain behind them and red flowers above them, a simple but oh so romantic ceremony. When I asked Tony to kiss his bride, I had no idea I would be waiting two minutes for him to finish! Tears, hugs and kisses, if that doesn't move you, I pray for you. A carriage was awaiting them and we took pictures as Cinderella and her prince rode off. May the good Lord allow me to continue this for years to come.

Rock Cottage Gardens, truly a Garden of Eden

Daisy's, Roses, Azalea's, Peonies, Black Eyed Susan's, Ferns, Impatients, etc, I could go on and on. In two weeks, they will be in 'full concert' together. Don't eat the apple!! There is a set of photographers coming over next week to see if our grounds qualify for publication! We were nominated! If you need to get away from the world, if you and your significant other need isolated time together, come to the beauty that is the Rock Cottage Gardens.

Breakfast, at The Rock Cottage Gardens

At the conclusion of breakfast this past Saturday morning at The Rock Cottage Gardens, 9 of the 10 guests present said," best breakfast I have ever had!" All of us whether we admit it or not, enjoy being pampered. On this particular morning, pampering came in the form of Decadent French Toast, Apple Sausage, Spice cake with Kahlua glaze topped with a sinful cinnamon ice cream. Just another typical breakfast in paradise!!

You could call us and ask Debbie to make the above for you while you are here. Seriously, or ask for Pear Pancakes, Eggs Florentine, Breakfast Strudel, etc. She has to make something for the group, so why not what you want?? For dessert, you should request the Spice Cake above or Orange/White Chocolate Cheesecake! If there is some left over, you can take it to your cottage.

Breakfast at the Rock Cottage Gardens is more than an experience, it's a 10 year old at Disney World good!!! Call Mike or Debbie and let's see if we can make what you want!

Trout Fishing and Eureka Springs, AR

I guess that each of us has a method for escaping one's realities. For Kelly and I, it's fly fishing for trout in a beautiful river, 20 minutes away from The Rock Cottage Gardens. The "freedom" always comes, fish or no fish, it's all about the pursuit. Kelly was a guest of mine and we decided it was time. When we arrived at the river, we had to wait 30 minutes for the current to slow down. The targets of our pursuit lie in waiting on the other side, in deeper water. I must admit a little nervousness while wading, as the water got chest high, but I made it. The water is a spectacular combination of clear and blue. Before taking the first cast, I have already forgotten all my worldly concerns. Third cast the rainbow hits! He is a beautiful rainbow, what a color show as he jumps out of the water and the sunlight hits him broadside. I still relive the memory almost daily. At days end, probably 15 fish between us. Kelly lands a large 16 inch rainbow, takes him 20 minutes to land it. You won't see better fishing video on TV, then Kelly standing in the middle of the river battling this beauty.

I can arrange this for you if this true story peaks your interest. All you have to do is show up, the guides will do the rest. There are trophy brown trout lying in waiting in the White, and if your timing is right, there's the trophy you have always wanted for above the fireplace.

Getaway to Eureka Springs AR and the Rock Cottage Gardens

With the gardens at Rock Cottage Gardens becoming more glorious by the hour, and an occasional deer showing up, a guest is prone to sitting and or swinging outside to soak it all in. There is another attraction that you and I take for granted, “peace and quiet.” What do you need as an antidote to the noise and commotion of your life? The answer is, “just the opposite.” This past Sunday, there was Bob and Cheryl from Missouri, just swinging in the gardens and I did not have to ask them how they were doing, their faces and held hands told me all I needed to know. God bless them, they have it figured out.

Yesterday, Tom, an AP writer is sitting outside of the Rose Cottage. He appears to always be working but noticing the ball cap on his head and the cigar he was smoking, I knew he had found his personal paradise, a moment in time utopia. This was further validated by the Kahlua and coffee he raised to me in a toast to my question of how he was doing. He took about 5 minutes to tell me about a beautiful Asian girlfriend he once had but after that, utopia beckoned and silence returned.

Debbie and I join guests Jack and Margaret on our sandstone patio at around 7pm, for a sunset glass of wine that they had purchased at the local Keel Winery. With the fire pit a flame, good wine and company, who needs a noisy nightclub or a crowd of some sort? Is there anything more gratifying then making new friends?

I have a sneaking suspicion that all of this appeals to you. Just might be right huh?