Clyde River Retreat B&B

As a younger woman, and a single mom of two little girls (Sandy & Susan), Linda often took B&B vacations with her daughters. She enjoyed the safe, secure feeling that came with staying in someone's home, and she always appreciated the welcoming attitude of her B&B hosts. On one of those family vacations, Linda decided that she'd like to run a B&B. She enjoyed having guests and she loved making breakfasts - two characteristics that she concluded would make it an ideal occupation for her to pursue.

The time, however, was not right. Linda was firmly entrenched in her career and opportunities continued to come her way that were simply too good to pass up. So, life in the fast-paced, highly-stressful, and competitive Informatics Consulting environment continued to drive Linda onward and upward. As Sandy and Susan get older (and Linda, too, for that matter), rather than slowing down, Linda took on more and more responsibilities in the workplace, climbing the ladder of success, and forsaking any semblance of balance in her life.

Enter, John Bishop.

John and Linda had known each other since 1974. At the time, Linda was a relatively junior programmer, on contract at Transport Canada, and John was working there as a clerk. Shortly, thereafter, John started to work at Canadian Tire and was still there 20 years later. John was a quite and unassuming fellow, very kind and thoughtful, and had been good friends with Linda for all those years. But Linda was too busy being "successful" to even think about a relationship with anyone. However, knowing that John was a great guy, she did, on a number of occasions, try to match him up with some of her single girl friends. But to no avail. John just simply wasn't interested.

Then, one day, 20 years after being just friends, something magical happened and John and Linda became much more than friends. And John, with his low-key, low-stress approach toward life, proved to be the best thing that ever happened to Linda. John took Linda on casual walks in the park. After supper, they would drive down to the river to watch the sun set or walk over to the pond to feed the ducks. Together they would sit and do nothing. And, low and behold, Linda liked it.

In 1996, they tied the knot. In the year 2000, they purchased a little piece of woodland paradise, up in the Lanark Highlands, and called it the Clyde River Retreat. It was their retreat away from the city life they lived. Then, in 2002, after constant trips to the retreat to get away from it all, they decided to simply pack up, leave the city life behind, and move to the country.

Today, they still marvel at the changes they've made. Never once, though, with anything except sheer happiness. John has taken up blacksmithing, Linda has become actively involved in the community, and together, they greet guests with genuine hospitality and encourage them to revel in the beautiful country retreat they now call home. For information and reservations see the website link below.