My Delicious Mornings
A visual journey through Maine's Bed and Breakfast Inns
About Dana Moos
I am a native Washingtonian who grew up in the Maryland suburbs. My background in school was the Arts – Graphic Design and Architecture (back in the days of hand drawn camera-ready art). And somehow my interests turned from completely creative to strictly business. I ending up working for small real estate developers for the next 20 years before my husband and I decided to leave the corporate world and buy a bed and breakfast in Maine. This was a shock to our family and friends, though they all knew how much we loved Maine. For me, the inn became a creative outlet allowing me to decorate, entertain, and most of all, cook. I am a foodie (ok, a bit of a food snob) and have a crazy fantasy of having a small European style bistro one day. And I can remember the Belgian Bistro that fed my craving. But I realize that I am not cut out for the pace of a restaurant kitchen. So innkeeping was really a good fit.
We reached our goals with the inn business sooner than we anticipated and decided to put the inn on the market so that we could begin our search for the next inn. Maybe a bigger inn…or closer to the water…or ON the water, even better. We had proven what we could do with a small 8 room inn, so what could we do with a bigger inn? Oh, my mind was running a mile a minute.
While the inn was on the market, I was approached by The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty to come work with them as a Lodging Broker. I had my Maryland Real Estate License but not a Maine license. And in typical Dana fashion, thought, “Oh why not take on another job simultaneously?” Was I not busy enough running an inn with near 100% occupancy? So I got my Maine license and began to list bed and breakfasts in July 2008. Having a listing or two and running the inn during the summer were not a problem. Having 6 listings, however, was a big problem. Timing was on our side and the inn was under contract in October. We settled in March 2009. WHEW! Good thing, because by March 2009 I had 14 listings. There was no turning back! I’m now fully engrossed in helping other people realize their dreams of running a bed and breakfast in Maine and I absolutely love it. It’s a passion and I think anyone who knows me can see that.
So, people ask if I miss innkeeping. I miss aspects of it. I missed the aspect of providing for people. And of course, cooking for them and really feeling their enjoyment of what I spent so much time preparing. But I soon realized that being involved in the lodging industry from a different perspective has given me other creative outlets. I found blogging! Oh, and PHOTO blogging! And FOOD PHOTO blogging! I’ve managed to combine so many of my passions in one job: travel and tourism, food and wine, photography, marketing web design, Maine and lodging brokerage.
I travel through some of the most beautiful properties and settings that you can imagine. I sample some of the most fantastic food, whether it’s breakfast at a property, or dinner in some of the most amazing restaurants that are nearby. Or the lobster at the shack down the street that we enjoy out on the dock by the smell of the ocean. As they say, “Maine, the way life should be”…
This creation of My Delicious Mornings is my way of taking you on my fabulous visual journey throughout Maine, one deliciously indulgent bite at a time.
Follow me on Twitter (I’m @danamoos)
Check out my other food and photo blog
My Foodbuzz profile
My official lodging brokerage website
And my lodging brokerage blog
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