Meet the Innkeeper

Virgina Dean Spruces Up Our Gardens

If our innkeeper greets you with a smudge of dirt on her nose or mud on her boots, you’ll have the pleasure of meeting Virginia Dean, the newest addition to our team. Being a former landscaper, Virginia saw so much potential in our winterized gardens, she couldn’t wait to get cracking at them. In fact, we could barely get her to pause long enough for a photo! This industrious little power house also has plans for filling the greenhouse outside the Garden Room Café with flowers and plants.

But digging in the flower beds is not her only passion. After living in Arizona where she got her degree in both anthropology and archeology, she spent time in Belize poking amid the ruins of Mayan temples (among other places), and absolutely loved it.

It was the proximity to Canada that brought Virginia to San Juan Island. Like many people, she looked at a map, saw how close the islands were, and decided this is where she’d like to be. Just like that! She sold all her antique furniture, gave things away, took care of “all the paperwork,” and took off, pausing for a 3-month visit in Australia before landing on the island. Of her drastic change in lifestyle, Virginia says, “It felt wonderful getting “lightened; it’s less responsibility, less to deal with. You can’t take all that junk with you.” Please join us in welcoming Virginia to the island.