About the Author

I was born and raised on the Chequamegon Bay, in the shadow of Lake Superior — and like a lot of kids from small towns, I swore I’d never move back once I left for good after high school. Life, of course, had other plans. In 2003, my husband Mark and I returned to Ashland, Wisconsin to build Second Wind Country Inn from the ground up. We opened our doors in 2004, and for the next fifteen years, welcoming travelers into our rustic-elegant corner of the Northwoods became our life’s work.

When a joyful “tsunami” of grandchildren arrived, we shifted gears to make room for what matters most — being present for the next generation. These days, innkeeping shares the stage with time as “Gramum,” close-to-home adventures with my homebody husband, and hours spent painting rocks in my art studio, The Joyful Art Company.

Long before I was an innkeeper, I was a writer. For fifteen years, I contributed to local and national publications, and that same instinct for a good story shows up in everything I write here — whether it’s a fresh seasonal recipe from our kitchen or a slice of life from three decades of calling the Chequamegon Bay home.

Why you can trust what I write

• Fifteen+ years as owner-innkeeper of Second Wind Country Inn, a bed and breakfast recognized for its rustic elegance and warm hospitality in rural Ashland, Wisconsin
• Fifteen years of professional writing experience with local and national newspapers
• A lifetime of firsthand knowledge of the Chequamegon Bay region — its seasons, its food, and its way of life, as both a native and a returning resident
• Every recipe and recommendation shared here comes from real experience running a working inn, not secondhand research

You’ll find me here sharing seasonal recipes and true stories from a life spent innkeeping — Mark and I would love to have you visit Second Wind Country Inn, or say hello on Facebook.