That’s me with some of the llamas at the Cherokee Llama B&B. The llamas always acted like they were ready to spit. Kept me on edge.

Pam and I did something new last week on vacation: we stayed at a bed & breakfast. Two of them, in fact. I’ve been interested in B&Bs for a long time, but we’ve always gone the corporate route (Hampton, Fairfield, etc.). But for this getaway in Tennessee, I searched for B&Bs in remote mountain locations where we could kick back and relax. I found two such places.

We started with the Cherokee Llama B&B near Jonesborough in eastern Tennessee. The description said they had actual llamas, two cats, and four dogs. From the pictures, I knew at least three of the dogs were labs. I love dogs, but our lifestyle isn’t conducive to giving dogs the attention they need, which is why we have cats. But I loved the idea of being able to romp with some labs for a couple of days.

The B&B was located up a long drive, which went between two pastures–the four male llamas on the left, the girls on the right. As we pulled up to the two-story brick house, the four dogs emerged from their doggy door, barking. Three were labs–the tan Amber, black Abi, and chocolate Brady. Then there was old and gray Sam, a non-lab of indeterminate breed who didn’t move too quickly but was a friendly fellow.

Jennifer, the innkeeper, came out to greet us and show us around the property. She’s a former lawyer with a very impressive and varied resume (state supreme court, attorney general’s office, state prosecutor’s office, private practice). She introduced us to the dogs, to Rocky the cat, to the trails surrounding the house, and to our lovely room on the second floor. We had a lovely porch overlooking the hills and the land housing the male llamas, plus comfortable chairs sitting under some pine trees in the yard. Several trails curved through the property.

We stayed two nights. Also arriving that night was Russ, a young fellow from New York City who was installed computer equipment for Embarq in nearby Johnson City. He was a big fan of B&Bs. We enjoyed getting to know him and, on our final morning, walking the trails with him and seeing the llamas. Amber and Abi walked with us, though they chased off into the woods on sniffing sprees.

The breakfasts were wonderful. Each morning, two carafes of coffee (decaf and regular) awaited me downstairs). I would pour me a cup, go track down a dog or cat, and then sit out in the early morning on a chair reading. Nice.

Jennifer and her husband, Charlie, a builder, were great hosts and downright interesting people. Charlie sported a short ponytail. On Monday afternoon we sat out on the porch chatting for quite a while; Jennifer brought us delicious apple cake and ice cream.

We stayed Sunday night, and on Monday took a trip into Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee. It was nothing special. I preferred when we returned to the inn and just sat around reading. That was relaxing, especially with Rocky and the dogs at our sides. The dogs couldn’t get enough attention. And that’s exactly what I wanted.

Here are some photos. Click on the thumbnails to see a larger version.

	The Cherokee Llama Bed & Breakfast sits on a hill behind a bunch of trees. Very peaceful setting. The two guestrooms are on the upper floor, and the door on this porch is the entrance to the guest area.
	Russ with the male llamas. They made sounds like they were getting ready to spit, as llamas are known to do. But they mainly spit at each other. None of us got nailed.
	Pam with Rocky, one of the two cats. Rocky spent a great deal of time laying on me as I read. He still has his front claws, which left little puncture marks and mini-scratched all across my shoulders, chest, and belly. I told Jennifer that if Rocky turned up missing, it was because I snuck him into a suitcase.
	I loved these dogs. They soaked up all the attention I would give them. They also accompanied us as we hiked the trails.
	Rocky was interested in climbing into our trunk as we prepared to leave.
	Russ with Abi and Amber, and Sam off to the right. Grady, the chocolate lab, hung around but didn’t want to be petted. He’d been abused before coming to live with Jennifer and Charlie.