The Inn & The Innkeepers

Shantal and Brantly are avid outdoors people, keen gardeners and enthusiastic students of the culinary arts. Shantal enjoys a wide variety of outdoor activities including skiing, fishing, biking, and urban roller skating. Shantal also enjoys knitting, sewing, soap making, reading, watching movies, and pottery making. Shantal comes to Taos from a life as a college teacher, prosecutor, crabber, and bar owner. Brantly returns to northern New Mexico after a career in the oil industry with stints in real estate and computers. His love for this part of the world comes from growing up in the Santa Fe area. He loves reading, skiing, hiking and geology.

Winston and Eva, two escapees from the SPCA, fill out the Goodwin household. They are allowed in the first floor common areas of the Inn, but are not allowed into the guest rooms.

The Cottonwood Inn has extensive gardens on its 4 plus acres of land. Both of us are avid gardeners and we keep insecticide and fertilizer use to a minimum. The Inn has fantastic views in any direction. In one direction you can see grazing horses and geese and ducks playing in ponds, in another direction are the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains. You can wander down to the Arroyo Seco stream, which runs through the western part of our property. Or you can snooze under a cottonwood out with the birds or read a book in the gardens.

Our gardens consist of native trees (cottonwood, aspen, piñon pine and western juniper and dozens of fruit trees), but we also have several lush and colorful perennial garden areas. Most of our plants are quite drought tolerant, however we do indulge in a few of the more water needy types.

Our common areas are very large and comfortable for sitting and reading, visiting or watching TV or one of the many videos or DVDs from our video library. The Inn also lends itself to intimate weddings, family gatherings and other small gatherings.

Inn, Innkeepers, & Pets

Close-up of Winston

Eva meets Maude

Guard dog being harassed by the Bwockarooster

Druscilla at about 3 weeks

Eva having bad thoughts about Maude

Winston in a snowstorm

Winston and Daphne

Shantal gets help feeding the birds

Schmoo and Sparky the filthy mutts

Babette and Mimi at about 3 weeks

How Eva sees the coop

Winston and Mimi

Chicks on arrival August 18, 2008

Eva and Buffy

Daphne up close and personal

Drusilla checking me out checking her out

Bernice at about 3 weeks

Eva sleeping with her monkey

Brantly and Eva in the Coop

Daphne, Shantal, and Winston

Brantly with a sleeping Daphne

Bernice at 4 weeks

Ms. Squawkers first egg

Mimi in the Russian Sage

Bernice is really Bernard

Shantal and Ms. Squawkers

Winston goes rabbit hunting at the Cottonwood b and b

Brantly points out some important facts to Babette

The End