The Lark and Loon Inn

06/08/2026

This is not A.I.

One of our favorite times of day is seeing the guests expression when they descend the beautiful staircase into the foyer with candle light chandelier and enter the dining room.

It is all carefully thought out. The paintings, the furnishings and the artifacts to create a feeling of presence and comfort as the dining room is revealed with the fine linens and china. Kevin especially enjoys the presentation.

He rises early to prepare the table and make every fine adjustment. Then we set about preparing the food and keep a keen ear out for our guests as they begin to stir and greet the day.

We carefully listen as they come down the stairs and enter the dining room and our favorite thing to hear is

"Oh My!"

Then silence as we hear them move about.

We come out and greet them and we are often met with "This is so lovely! Is it ok to take pictures?"

"Of course" we respond.

Both Lesley and I have a very romantic view of the B&B as an experience. We enjoy the joy of sharing this beautiful house and the fantastic community of Annapolis Royal.

The guest should feel special in this place because it is special.

06/01/2026

Last year Kevin had some fun replacing the old benches around Annapolis Royal. It was a labor of love going out and remaking the benches. He replaced around 20 benches and might try to get more done this year.

We finally decided to get our own bench as we were feeling a little left out...lol

If you would like your own bench and would like it say something special come to the Spoke and Fellow Gallery right behind the Lark and Loon and I am sure Kevin would love to make you one too.

He is up to making another surprise addition to the community in coming weeks. Keep your eyes out.

05/29/2026

Its finally done!

So proud of Lesley for getting this month's long project done. A new quilt now graces the Annapolis Room. And what a nice touch. Each room now has a beautiful quilt.

It was no easy task after the rooms were cleaned and after a quick walk with the dog Lesley sat down and cut hundreds of squares and points sewed them together over that past ten months and the past couple weeks while guests were eating breakfast Lesley sat and stitched the hem. Quite the daily example of patience.

Thats my beautiful talented wife right there taking a much deserved rest on her work of art.

05/22/2026

Everyone is always curious what goes on behind the scenes in our kitchen. Bet they are afraid they asked now 😆

05/19/2026

The Lark and Loon Inn is adding another facet. A fun little studio gallery. We fixed up the carriage house and Kevin is up to his usual silliness.

Have a great summer everyone.

05/17/2026

Kevin and I had the pleasure of attending the open house of Stephanie Kossmann

She and her husband Roger have been in Annapolis Royal for a few years now and are doing a wonderful job of restoring The Old Forge building.

Stephanie has put in her own art studio where she sells her paintings as well as hand made wire work. Her work is amazing and we purchased our own piece today.

When you are visiting Annapolis Royal, she would be very happy to give you a tour of her work space.

04/21/2026

Annapolis Royal is showcased in a new article from worldatlas.com.

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, embodies the welcoming spirit of the Maritimes in its historic sites, its cultural festivals, and its unique local attractions.

01/06/2026

Dinosaurs and the Victorians

One of the first observations our guests make when entering the Inn is

"Why do you have a dinosaur in your parlour?"

The answer is both simple and complicated.

Victorians loved to lead the way when it came to everything. Fashion, technology, science and society.
When the discussion first started around evolution and the significance of fossils, once regarded as an oddity, the Victorians simply had to put their spin on it. Museums sprang up around the globe and the arms race to find the biggest most intact dinosaur began.

Rich collectors sent thousands of fossil hunters to the far edges of the known world to retrieve the rarest and most unusual specimens.
They would return with massive crates of bones and grandly display them like trophies from a great safari.

Parties and huge presentations would be staged these ancient creatures hidden under velvet draperies and the wealthiest of the wealthy would serve caviar and champagne. Great oratory would begin as wise men with grand mustaches would hype up the crowd.
A flourish of hand gestures and impossible facts would fill the room.

The terrible and imposing land lizards were given a grand introduction to the crowd of fascinated onlookers.
The curtain would drop and a collective gasp would escape each and every person in attendance.
The reveal would often see women "faint" and men shout "goodness" as the massive creature towered over the crowd.

Dragons were real.

The fad took hold in a big way and every self respecting Victorian of the day would possess at least one fine example.
It would effectively be the equivalent of a 100 inch television or a swimming pool today.
It would spark conversation and an exchange of ideas. The most important thing for a Victorian was to be relevant and interesting.

Reading poetry to an adoring crowd citing a noted scientific paper or showing off their collection of photographs taken while on the peak of the Acropolis was the most common show stopping party trick.

They all paled in comparison to having a real dinosaur they could touch and experience.

Even today we have people who take a good long look at our T Rex skull.

It is a fun and quirky side of Victorian life we like to share with our guests.

Besides Lesley loves dinosaurs and that is enough right there to have it displayed in the house.

07/18/2025

Just one of the many beautiful sights around our town. Come and experience them today.