Bed and breakfast closing its doors

Sisters' only downtown bed and breakfast, The Blue Spruce, at 444 S. Spruce St., is closing its doors to guests, who've been returning for nearly 10 years.

"I want to spend more time with my family, especially my grandkids," said owner and manager, Sandy Affonso. "And I want to spend a couple months deciding what my next direction will be."

Since 2005, when Affonso and her daughter Lizzie bought the place from Bob and Vaunelle Temple, The Blue Spruce has accommodated both overnight guests and retreat workshop guests.

But from November until the first of the year, Affonso will not be accepting reservations for the bed and breakfast portion. While deciding if she will continue accepting those reservations in 2010, she will instead shift gears to focus on hosting more retreats and workshops at The Blue Spruce.

"I've wanted to own and run my own retreat center since I was in college," she said.

Affonso's experience with hosting and managing retreats began in the '70s at Dominican University of California, where she helped manage retreats for kids. One weekend the center hosted a retreat for the parents, some of whom had never been away from their teen children. It was a pivotal experience for Affonso.

"My passion for working with kids quickly changed to a passion for working with adults," she said.

In between her years at law school, Affonso co-directed a retreat center in San Rafael, California, then became a practicing attorney in Stockton. She moved to Bend from Stockton in 1995 and stepped into a job that would change her career. She took over as innkeeper for The Mill Inn Bed & Breakfast in Bend, on Colorado Avenue, and became enchanted with this kind of business.

In 2005, a golden opportunity came along at the right time for Affonso. The previous owners of the 5,500-square-foot Blue Spruce were selling their Sisters business. At that same time, Affonso's daughter, Lizzie, was just finishing a transition program in Bend designed to give people with Down syndrome the skills needed to live independently.

"Lizzie had a job giving her just a few hours a week, and I didn't want her sitting in her apartment with nothing to do," said Affonso. "So here was the chance to give her a job and a place to live very independently, all in a town she could walk or ride a bike for most everything."

With this in mind, Affonso bought the bed and breakfast and began learning the ropes.

As a team, Sandy, Lizzie and Buddie, their beloved West Highland terrier, have created a warm and loving atmosphere that keep guests returning year after year.

"I think Sandy and her family have created not just a business, but an extension of their lives," said Melissa Mahar, a licensed naturopath with a local nutritional and wellness consulting businesswho moved to Sisters last year. "In my travels, including my international travels, I've never been able to just walk into a lodging and be part of a family like this one. There is so much love there."

To Affonso's surprise and satisfaction, Lizzie quickly learned the cooking and hosting pieces of the bed and breakfast business. Before she knew it, Lizzie was in charge of the meals and the hosting at The Blue Spruce.

"It has been awesome for her," said Affonso. "Lizzie now has a lot of connections in town. What I set out to do has been achieved."

Now, Affonso says her main concern is for the next bed and breakfast that may choose to open in Sisters. She questions how they will be able to survive in Sisters, given the advertising competition and the current regulations and limitations set upon bed and breakfasts.

One regulation, according to the planning and building department at Sisters City Hall, includes a room number limitation for bed and breakfasts in Sisters. Currently that limit is three bedrooms. Considering the overhead expenses required to maintain and run a bed and breakfast, people have repeatedly questioned the viability of this limitation.

In any case, Affonso is shifting gears and refocusing on a dream she began with years ago - the dream to host life-improving workshops and retreats from her own home.

"I am absolutely going to miss all the bed and breakfast guests," said Affonso

She recounted times visiting with guests on the deck or sipping wine in the evening with many different folks. "They come from all over. I get to hear their stories of travels, and the laughter! They become like family."