We were disappointed that another couple -- this one celebrating a 44th anniversary -- didn't offer any wisdom, but we had only to look to innkeepers Bob and Alexandra Graf for a model of hard-working harmony.
He's a former ski instructor and general contractor and she is a Dutch-born former flight attendant and Mrs. Salt Lake City. With their four kids in tow, they left Utah to take over the inn in 2002.
The structure began life as a country farmhouse in 1850, and in typical New England fashion, it kept growing as new sections were added to the back. It now consists of two wings reached by front and rear staircases and a spacious restaurant. The red ``barn" at the rear houses a 20- by - 40-foot heated swimming pool.
Despite the size and amenities, ``this is a real mom-and-pop operation," Alex told us. ``It's definitely homey, with all my knick knacks. The worst part is dusting."
The beer steins, nutcrackers, tea pots, crockery, and figurative ceramics contribute to a gemütchlich warmth that seems less calculated than accreted.
The bright breakfast room features a wall of cookbooks and a non operational wood-burning kitchen stove . In the entry hall, a multiple-burner, double-oven gas stove dating from between the World Wars serves as the tourism literature center.
The small library at the front of the house has a welcoming leather club chair, though we found the lounge even better suited to relaxing . A soft armchair and hassock extend in front of the stone fireplace, and a plaid couch covered with pillows faces a big television. What makes the inn feel most homey, however, are the aromas wafting from the kitchen, where Bob makes breakfast and soon thereafter launches into baking bread for the evening diners in the inn's restaurant.
When we visited in mid-September, the couple was setting up for their annual Oktoberfest, which they hold a month early in hopes of warm weather. But the Alphorn Bistro gives the inn a Bavarian feeling in all seasons.
