06/10/2025
Closing Remarks
Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast is closing. You may have heard the news. Our reservation calendar is open through June 21, 2025, and then I will hang up my innkeeper’s apron.
The idea to “eventually” leave Laurel sprang up with the news that we were to become grandparents, and for more than two years we have lived six hours from our granddaughter and her parents who reside in Ithaca, New York.
Bren turned two years old last November, and Dave and I thought: “Maybe we’ll move closer….maybe in four years…maybe…” Three weeks later, we happened upon a house for sale, just an hour’s drive from Bren and her parents.
Our new house is located just south of the New York border in the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania. And it’s on a lake. Dave grew up in Pennsylvania and has fond memories of spending time at his grandmother’s lake house in the Poconos.
I love our house on Montgomery Street in Laurel, Maryland. And while several B&B guests have exclaimed: “My grandparents had a house like this!” I imagined that I would be a grandparent with a house like this—THIS house, specifically. This amazing 19th century house, home of former mayor Edward Phelps, the house at which we created Laurel’s premier bed-and-breakfast.
But our new house in Pennsylvania is pretty great, too.
Friends, neighbors, and B&B guests have all been asking the same questions:
Why are you moving?
We’ve been living in my dream house, now we’re moving to Dave’s dream house, as he is getting ready to retire from NASA.
When you sell your house, will it continue as a bed-and-breakfast?
No. Our buyers do not plan to operate their new home as a B&B, and I’m okay with that. Creating a B&B was our goal when Dave and I bought this property in 2011. We made our dream a reality, and enjoyed the hard work that was required to get here. We’ve enjoyed sharing the house with the hundreds of guests. But I can also appreciate the idea of wanting to live here and not share it.
What’s your new house like? Is it an old Victorian like this one?
Our new house is a 21st century brick ranch-style house on a lake. And it’s a 20 minute drive into town. I’m anticipating a significant change in lifestyle and routines, as I’m accustomed to living within walking distance to groceries, public library, local museum, churches, Main Street restaurants, and our Main Street pharmacy.
What will you do with all of your furniture?
Several pieces of furniture, including my baby grand piano, will move to our new home with us. Other pieces, as well as some mirrors, artwork, dishes, rugs, and whatnot will be available for purchase at our estate sale/yard sale on June 28, starting at 8 a.m. (rain date: June 29).
Thank you to everyone who has been a guest a Laurel Manor House! And to those who have returned and stayed again. It has truly been a pleasure sharing conversations over breakfast. Thank you also to all of our Laurel neighbors who have recommended Laurel Manor House to your out-of-state family and friends. We will miss you all! (But if someone will organize a bus trip to the Endless Mountains next winter, we’ll host an Epiphany party!)
