Air Force Retirees bring worldy comfort to their B&B. by Meghan Siegler echo@salmonpress.com winnisquamecho.net 29 June 2006 photo by Meghan Siegler

SANBORNTON - His wife's love of farming prompted Jack Potter to buy Shaker Woods Farm 12 years ago, both a surprise gift and the solution to their need for supplemental income after both retired from the Air Force.

Potter purchased the property in the fall of 1994, while he and wife Eva Dunn were still living in Germany. Dunn's former in-laws live right up the road, and the couple would drive by Shaker Woods and admire it from time to time, thinking it might make a cozy bed and breakfast. When Potter was in the U.S. on a tour with European officers, he heard that the property was for sale, took a quick side trip to New Hampshire, and bought it. Dunn never saw the inside until 1997; she had already retired from the Air Force and was able to fly over ahead of Potter, who had to finish out his assignment.

"I literally retired on a Friday," Potter said, "flew into Logan the next day, Eva picked me up, and we started renovating … what we tried to build was a comfortable place."

In less than a year, the couple turned what had been a five-stall horse barn, hayloft, tiny apartment, and garage into a little bed and breakfast. The apartment above the garage was renovated into two suites, and they added a sunroom for guests to use as a common area.

Potter said their travels around the world, specifically their time in Eastern Europe, helped them create a bed and breakfast reminiscent of the inviting homes they'd stayed in overseas. Many people in Europe rent out rooms in their homes to make some hard cash, and Potter and Dunn always appreciated the chance to stay with locals.

"It was those ideas that we really tried to bring into this place," Potter said.

The B&B's eclectic furnishings and décor also evoke memories of foreign travel for the couple. A quilt that Dunn made from various Air Force uniforms hangs in a hallway, for example, and unique furniture from abroad adds distinction to both suites and the sun porch.

"There's just things about us that are all over this place," Potter said.

Potter also noted that their quiet little farm was named New Hampshire Farm of Distinction in 2005 and is a draw for many.

"Eighty percent (of our guests) come because we are a farm," he said.

"Some people are just enamored with farms," Dunn agreed. As an incentive, she offers soap and cheese-making lessons for people who stay, and a number of guests come specifically for those lessons.

In the summer, the owners take in a few horses, not for riding but for aesthetic purposes. And they always have goats, from which they get fresh milk for the soap and cheese. A large garden that produces fresh produce for Sanbornton's Farmers' Market flourishes on the grounds as well.

But while they have a lot to offer, Dunn and Potter try to keep things low-key, both for themselves and for their guests. They're open year round but have cut back on advertising so they aren't booked solid for weeks at a time, which helps the bed and breakfast maintain a peaceful vibe that guests appreciate.

"We're also to a point where we do a lot of repeat business and referrals," Potter said. "I guess that's the upside to doing this business; you form some really great friendships.

" The couple fondly recalls one of the first families that stayed with them, a German family. One of the two little boys was afraid of dogs, and Shaker Woods Farm was home to two European standard poodles. This little boy was terrified, but he slowly came around, kicking a ball to the poodle that eventually became his best buddy. The family ended up staying three days longer than planned, and they visited years later for an eight-day stay. A framed photo on the wall shows the boy during his second stay signing a local newspaper article that mentioned him as a guest at the B&B.

Bike Week usually brings in the same faces, and Dunn and Potter even converted the five horse stalls below their own apartment and the two suites into simple rooms with a shared bathroom. Potter compares it to a hostel, and the bikers appreciate the less costly digs.

"Most of these bikers are some of our best guests," Potter said.

When they have guests, Potter and Dunn spend as much or as little time with them as the guests choose. Usually it means showing them around when they check in, and then chatting a bit at breakfast, when Dunn serves up cheese pastries, muffins, eggs made to order, fruit compote, and bread.

"We spend a lot of time mapping out day trips for people," Potter said. They often send people around Lake Winnipesaukee with stops in Meredith, Wolfeboro, Moultonboro, and other lake towns that have unique shops and museums. Guests also travel to Boston, the White Mountains, Maine, the Kancamangus Highway, and Canterbury Shaker Village (Shaker Woods Farm is named for the Shakers who used to live in cottages across the street).

As Air Force retirees, Potter and Dunn's time at Shaker Woods marks the longest span they've stayed in one place, and so far they have no desire to pack up and leave. Still, both admit that owing a farm is a major contrast to the lives they used to live. Dunn was a program manager for telecommunication systems and Potter the chief of officer assignments. During a four-year assignment in Washington D.C., Potter worked in the Pentagon as a speechwriter for a three-star general. But Dunn has always had a place in her heart for farms, and they even lived on a small farm on a hill when Potter was still stationed in Germany.

"I've always had gardens and done canning and preserves," Dunn said. "The thought's always been there."

So when the Air Force discussed reassigning Potter again, he decided to join his wife in retirement.

"I thought, 'You know, I have a place in New Hampshire, and it's paid for,'" Potter said. "This is what Eva wanted - a little place in the country. I essentially built this place around her furniture."

This document initially developed by Jack Potter, 603-528-1990, info@shakerwoodsfarm.com.
Shaker Woods Farm at Point Comfort, 15 July 2006

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