Meet your Hosts

Fred & Shirley Bull moved to Downeast Maine in February of 2001. After 25 years of living on Cape Cod, the "increasing traffic congestion and loss of open space", drove them north--or "Downeast". The Bulls owned and operated Cape Cod Coastal Canoe & Kayak for 9 years, a natural history paddling tour business. Their business saw steady growth; however, the allure of "Olde Cape Cod" was gone forever. In 2001 Backcuntry Press published Paddling Cape Cod: a coastal explorer's guide, a compendium of their extensive paddling tours on the Cape.

Here in Maine they fulfill their dream of owning and operating a B&B and a restaurant.  

Sunrise Cottages is an opportunity to employ their many skills and talents. Fred, not only a naturalist and paddling guide, has been trained in Culinary Arts and practiced his culinary skills in a number of Cape Cod restaurants before he became a cook for crew and research staff on Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessels. Being out to sea for 60 days down in Antarctica is a good test of a cook's creative ability. Beyond the kitchen and kayak, Fred is also a talented pen and ink artist, his favorite subjects are the backyard birds in their native habitat.

Shirley's skills are in office management. She not only helped Fred lead paddling tours, created brochures and web pages for the business, but also worked full time at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution before moving to Maine. She retired from Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in 2007. Her leisure pursuits are traveling, gardening and creating in stained glass. The winter of 2008  Fred and Shirley willl begin spending winters at their home in Costa Rica, high on a hill overlooking Lake Arenal.