Bed & Breakfast And A Full Tour Of Old Lyme’s Bee & Thistle Inn

At the end of October, I stayed overnight at Old Lyme’s Bee & Thistle Inn.

The Bee & Thistle is owned by passionate innkeepers Linnea

and David Rufo.

I checked into one of Bee & Thistle’s beautifully appointed bedrooms,

After a long and tiring day, I looked forward to spending the night in a really comfortable bed

and even having my own nice bathroom.

I briefly tested out the bed, and was greatly pleased.

I then headed downstairs to photograph the rest of the inn.

The entry hallway featured interesting knickknacks and a painting of the Lieutenant River, which fronts the five-acre property.

That hallway led to one of several dining rooms,

which was anchored by this striking fireplace.

There’s no shortage of fireplaces at the Bee & Thistle.

This one turned out to be in use.

There’s no shortage of dining areas, either.

Even the small bar makes a very comfortable perch.

The next morning, the main dining room was getting set up for a Halloween wedding,

with no amenity overlooked.

Throughout the inn, I found wonderful details, including this riverfront portrait,

this vaguely disturbing painting,

and these wondrous items atop a fireplace mantle,

Before retiring, I enjoyed a terrific dinner honoring recently deceased Sheila Lukins, co-author of The Silver Palate series of cookbooks. Late in the evening, when I returned to my third-floor bedroom, my waiting bed had been turned up.

The next morning, I headed downstairs for breakfast, a meal I usually skip. Of course, I wouldn’t skip it, if it normally included a spread like this.

There was fresh bread,

scones,

good hotel butter,

and fruit preserves.

There was healthful cereal,

fruit salad,

and creamy, Greek-style yogurt.

There was smoked salmon,

goat cheese,

and best of all, a delicious omelet.

To wash it all down, there were several kinds of fruit juice,

and, of course, good rich coffee.

Now fully fortified, I headed outside to explore the extensive grounds. The Bee & Thistle was all dressed up for Halloween, with some of the usual paraphernalia,

a row of black felines doing the “Stray Cat Strut,”

and this wonderfully outfitted vintage pickup.

Probably older than the inn itself, which was established in 1756, this huge chestnut tree took me back to childhood lyrics learned at Donnington Infant School in Oxford, England:

Oh how happy we shall be
Underneath the spreading chestnut tree!

Nearby was a distinctive little loveseat from which one could enjoy it.

Speaking of loveseats, catch this odd pair facing each other.

Stone walls bound the property,

but as Robert Frost famously wrote, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall…” You can see nature hard at work on this one.

As much as I enjoy old walls, it was Bee & Thistle’s many sculptures that really drew me, reminding me of youthful hours wiled away in sculpture gardens with pretty maidens. Taller than it appears in these photographs, this strange natural sculpture

stalked the boules court.

This man running through a wall was one of my favorite pieces.

Some figures were more conventional.

Some were a little less so.

In many cases, the fun was looking at a sculpture from both front

and back.

Starting with the back

And moving to the front could be just as interesting.

One ballerina I couldn’t resist photographing from every side.

As if these chairs overlooking the river weren’t tempting enough,

this figure encouraged lounging.

But as an avid kayaker, what really drew me were the boats.

The gray day notwithstanding, I wanted to abandon my photography and launch a kayak in the river.

Instead, I admired this black walnut tree, whose tentacles almost rivaled those of the chestnut tree out front.

And soon, I was lost again in my tour of the sculpture gardens.

I even found a bust that bore more than a passing resemblance to my Yale biologist father, Melvin J. Cohen, who died in 1998.

I walked one last time toward the river with my gracious hostess, Linnea.

The adjacent property

had a few ideas of its own about sculpture.

A competition was being held to create little fairy-like houses out of natural materials like this one.

Showing a spirit I admire, Linnea

created her own informal entry a couple of feet on her side of the property line.

Between fine dining, superior lodging, lovely breakfasts, beautiful antiques and artwork, various types of outdoor recreation, and a fascinating sculpture garden, the Bee & Thistle has so much to recommend it. I end as I started, with a bee and thistle.

Bee & Thistle Inn, 100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, 860-434-1667