Meet the Owners and Furry Kids
Fulfilling the Dream of a Mahone Bay Bed and Breakfast
Welcome to River Ridge Lodge. We're Frauke and Mike, the owners and innkeepers of River Ridge Lodge. We will do our best to ensure a relaxing and memorable stay and make our home your home away from home. We love meeting new people, making friends and sharing the many treasures the surrounding area offers and make Mahone Bay and the South Shore Nova Scotia such a great place to live and visit.
We moved to Mahone Bay from Vancouver, BC in September 2017. When we saw the listing of the property in February that year, we felt that our dream could come true. Mike had been a gardener for the Vancouver Parks Board for more than 30 years and finally wanted to garden for himself. Frauke moved to Canada from Germany in 1992 after her university studies and was a data analyst in Vancouver for over 20 years. Frauke has always dreamed of running a Bed and Breakfast, and both of us fell in love with Mahone Bay during a trip 17 years earlier. We instantly fell in love with the property's rolling hills, the beautiful river that flows into Mahone Bay, and its endless horizon. The house needed a lot of love and care, but we felt with lots of elbow grease, we could make this a beautiful home and lodge and share the house and property with guests, family, and friends. We arrived in Mahone Bay in September 2017 and started the work and have loved every minute since.
Frauke speaks German and English; Mike speaks English and a little bit of French.
Charlie is a very gentle giant, a Newfoundland Landseer, who moved into residence in April 2018 when he was eight weeks old. We fell in love with him instantly and watching him grow was like 'oh my gosh, he grew again' every morning. He loves cold weather and especially snow. His favourite season is winter, when he tries to eat as much snow and ice as he can. In the summer, he spends a big part of the day curled up in the coolest corner in the owner's quarter he can find. Charlie loves everything that moves and children especially, so if you bring your children and they would like to meet Charlie, just let us know.
Max, a black and white Tuxedo cat, is Charlie's buddy. He packed up and moved from the animal shelter sometime in August 2019, when he was between 4-5 years old. He chose us and didn't let us leave when we were just checking out what animals were at the shelter. We didn't intend to bring a cat home that day, but after being in the shelter for a few months, Max didn't let us leave without him. He often comes for walks with the dog in our backwoods and listens to his name. Max is very friendly and social and it's quite likely that you will meet him outside. He is very playful and loves to visit our guests on the guest porch.
Both our pets are not allowed in the guest side of the bed and breakfast.