Story by Milli Thornton. Photos Copyright © 2010 Brian Williams & Milli Thornton.

Travel writer’s note from Milli Thornton: I reviewed this B&B as a paying guest.

BEACON SHORE ON GEORGIAN BAY BED & BREAKFAST is located in Midland, Ontario on the southeastern end of a stunning body of water. The wonders of this Canadian B&B call for a separate article, but first you simply must hear about the breakfast.

Brian and I are breakfast people. We’re fussy breakfast people! So when I pronounce my “best ever” in writing, you can bet it’s not just food; it’s an all-round experience.

Owners Jacquie & Bob Black prepare breakfast dressed in spiffy white chef coats. And they have the genteel but professional style of hospitality to go with the fancy attire. Jacquie serves each eye-catching course with a flourish of showmanship and a persuasive description of the dish.

Not that any persuasion is needed. If you think it looks delicious in the photos, wait till you taste it while admiring the water view—and while being pampered by people so dear you want to take them home with you when the vacation is over.

Bob is the fruit man and the “toast master.” When you see his toast knots (like the center of a Celtic knot) you’ll agree he deserves to be dubbed master. And his fruit plates are nothing short of divine.

Bob\’s famous seasonal fruit plate

Allow me to rave for a moment about “Bob’s famous seasonal fruit plate.” When I saw that mentioned on BBCanada.com, it didn’t light me on fire with anticipation. I’m not a fruit eater, for two reasons. One, I have trouble digesting it unless I eat it on a completely empty stomach. Two, with all the artifical ripening that goes on these days, I refuse to bother with floury or crunchy-when-it-shouldn’t-be fruit.

But if I could have Bob serve me a fruit plate every morning, I’d willingly become a big fruit eater!

The fruit plate comes out first, so that took care of my digestion issue. And I never once had to choke down a floury or crunchy piece of fruit. Everything was tender and juicy. After three days of this marvel, I asked Bob for his secret. He said, “I never serve anything I wouldn’t eat myself.” The Blacks keep a separate fridge for their fruit supplies. They nurse the fruit just like they care for their guests: with great heart and panache.

Jacqui was a teacher for 32 years (specializing in what was known back in my high school days as Home Economics), and she obviously understands a balanced diet. Her menu is not all starch and sugar as many American offerings seem to be, and the ingredients are high quality.

For me, protein is a must to start my day. If I don’t have protein, my blood sugar takes a dive later in the day. Accordingly, I went for the Sailor’s Wrap: mushroom, mild onion and cheese snuggled in a two-egg omelet, with bacon and wholegrain toasted breads. The Sailor’s Wrap was yummy and fueled me for a day of cruising on Georgian Bay . . . but I had my eye on a bigger prize.

While planning our trip I’d looked at everything on the Black’s BBCanada.com listing, including the breakfast menu. When I saw Beacon Shore Pancakes: Jacquie’s personal recipe for buttermilk pancakes bulging with plump blueberries, accompanied by bacon and real maple syrup —along with a tantalizing photo of the dish—I was sorely tempted. But I knew the bacon would not be enough protein for me. No problem! Jacquie cheerfully gave me two pancakes instead of three, with a side of poached egg. Perfect.

Guess what I ordered for the remaining two mornings of our visit?!

When I refer to being fussy about breakfast, pancakes feature high on the list. I rarely bother with them because I hate being disappointed. After a childhood of home-made huckleberry pancakes, prepared in a cabin by the lake in Montana (the berries hand-picked by myself and my seven siblings), don’t give me a stodgy or soggy pancake dotted with a few pathetic berries and expect me to give you my repeat business.

But when Jacquie says “bulging with plump blueberries” she means it! The pancakes themselves were tasty, attractive and expertly prepared, not just a vehicle for blueberries.

Brian also homed in on his favorites. He’s partial to a good Eggs Benedict so he started with Georgian Bay Eggs Benedict. On our first morning, we shared a table with a friendly couple from Toronto, Jane and Rick. Brian was intrigued when Jane had Captain’s Sausage & Cheese Casserole, so thereafter he alternated between that and the Eggs Benedict.

When asked about his breakfast experience, Brian said: “It was righteous, dude!”

(Now you can see why he’s the photographer and I’m the writer. Hehe.)

View from the patio, taken in the afternoon (note the small lighthouse in the shadows to the right)

Fun adornments made coming to the table each morning an adventure. For napkin holders there were tiny Adirondack chairs (to mirror the life-size ones on the lawn), colorful flip-flops and miniature canoe oars.

There were three inviting breakfast locations and we got to try them all: the dining room, the sunroom and the patio. The patio was my all-time winner.

What could be finer in life than eating a fabulous breakfast on a patio overlooking a bay sparkling with sunlight, and busy with sail boats and cruisers?

There were many highlights during our trip to Georgian Bay. But my idyllic moments on the patio of Beacon Shore, enjoying Breakfast Heaven to the chatter of chipmunks, has been burned into my DNA as a five-star memory.

Check out the main article about Beacon Shore on Milliver’s Travels

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Milli Thornton (aka Milliver) is the author of Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers. She is owner of the Fear of Writing Online Course, where her mission is to put the fun back into writing. Milli blogs at the Fear of Writing Blog and coaches writers individually at Writer’s Muse Coaching Service.