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"An English couple were relaxing on our deck with a glass of wine. The woman
recounted (in her lovely English accent) a conversation overheard at another
central Florida B&B. During breakfast, the guests were eating and discussing
their plans for the day. She was astonished to overhear that another couple
were planning to visit man-eaters. 'Oh my,' she thought, 'what kind of
man-eaters do they have in Florida? Certainly not tigers or bears?' The
discussion continued and she strained to hear more, but all she could make out
was man-eaters! 'Why waste your vacation on that,' she thought, but to each his
own. Not wanting to be rude, she finished her breakfast, still wondering if
they were referring to snakes or alligators? Later, she saw the innkeeper out
in the yard, and quietly explained her story, asking what kind of man-eaters
were being discussed. Between chuckles, the innkeeper explained that the guests
weren't going to see man-eaters at all, they were going to see manatees,
the most docile, gentle creatures on earth. We poured another glass of wine and
laughed and laughed!" Barbara & Larry Ballard, Cabin on the Lake B&B, Lake
Helen, FL
"A specialty at our B&B is fresh eggs from our small flock of hens. Last year we
hosted guests in their mid-twenties from Washington, DC. The young woman asked
if she could gather the eggs from the hens. A city girl, she had never been
around live chickens, let alone gather eggs. She came in from the hen house
with a basket full of eggs looking a little puzzled and confused. 'Mrs.
Chandler,' she asked, 'Do eggs come from where I think they do?' Trying to keep
from laughing, I replied, 'Yes dear, that's why we do not eat the shell.' The
next morning she never touched her scrambled eggs!" Dianna Chandler, Grandma's
Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Port Republic VA
"We checked in two fairly normal-looking people in their late thirties traveling
with bicycles. They were perfectly friendly and carried on a pleasant
conversation with our other guests at breakfast. When I went in to clean their
room, they had set up the rocking chair with eight assorted stuffed animals and
had carefully turned the chair to face the window so their little friends could
'see' out. Really. Now, I have seen troll dolls, family pictures, pictures of
beloved pets and single stuffed animals on occasion, but this had me laughing
all afternoon." Janet Loewenstein, The Stone Lion Inn of Cape Cod, Wellfleet, MA
"Last summer, at the height of our high season, Andy and I watched as arriving
guests, a mother and her adult daughter, lovingly removed newborns from their
car seats and strap them into carriers on their chests. 'Oh, no!' we gasped,
wondering how to inform them that we were not able to accommodate their babies.
I walked out to greet them, and, as the younger woman turned to face me, I
began laughing when I saw that the 'newborns' were very life-like dolls! We all
had a good laugh when I told them what we had thought. Still, we wondered if
they would bring their dolls to breakfast... they did not. Never a dull moment
around here!" Toby Fontaine, Bayberry Inn, Cape May, NJ
"Two of our favorite guests travel with a large, stuffed gorilla named Darwina.
She makes the trip to Ashland three times a year, and rides in the back seat of
their car in a child seat. She relaxes in their room during their stay. One
morning, I found Darwina in the dining room ready for breakfast, with dishes,
cereal and a banana in front of her. These guests also used to travel with
their friend, a nun who wore a full habit. She would ride in the back seat as
well - - picture this, a nun in full habit looking out one window and the
gorilla on the other side. They got a big kick out of the stares from passing
motorists." Deana Politis, Romeo Inn B&B, Ashland, OR
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