Below: From the lakeside wooden deck, the balconies of the yet-to-be-completed carriage house suites jut from the bed & breakfast.

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1 Above: Plants and trees in abundance have been used to landscape the property around Rockland Inn. Like the construction of the home, the landscaping has been a family affair from the choice of the plants to putting them in the ground. Right: This is a view of the main house at Rockland Inn. The Ada Cream stone covering the house took masons about a year and a half to lay. The main house and attached carriage house have about 600 tons of the Oklahoma stone covering their exterior walls. Below: From the lakeside wooden deck, the balconies of the yet-to-be-completed carriage house suites jut from the bed & breakfast. 10 Oklahoma Country Fall 2007

2 hile Rockland Inn will open to guests this fall, the tale of this majestic country estate links Karla s and Larry s one-time careers to their current pursuits. Larry was born, reared and educated in Latimer County. He spent a year in college at Eastern Oklahoma State before joining the Air Force and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam. The couple left southeastern Oklahoma in 1980 so he could pursue a career as a general contractor in Virginia. Larry promised me, remembers Karla, if we moved back he would build me a house. That promise lead them back to Latimer County permanently in 1994 to their 800-acre ranch located about 12 miles outside of Wilburton. Larry ranches, running a large cow-calf operation in addition to raising hay for the livestock. Karla worked in banking and property management, and still manages property today. She had visions of establishing an up-scale bed and breakfast. Over the years Karla shared her thoughts with business associates, discovered like-minded ones, and then the deal was struck. Larry and Karla would provide the land and labor, and their business partners would provide the finances for a premier bed and breakfast. The partnership was promising, and construction of the impressive facility began Oct. 1, 2001.

3 About a year and a half into the project, they (our partners) said they wouldn t be able to continue, explains Karla. We had two choices. We could pay an attorney and fight it out in court, or we could come up with a settlement. We ve been at it ever since, she says, and we re doing it ourselves. It s just one of those things. When you get a bushel of lemons, you make lemonade. Larry, who was elected to the Oklahoma Farm Bureau board of directors in 2003, is making good on his promise to build Karla a house. No, he isn t slow. The project simply is massive. She is the homeowner, and I am the contractor. She s never given me a break, says Larry with a chuckle. She said this is the way I want it. We re not quite there yet, says Karla. It s just taken forever. It gets hard to wait. We re really almost there and that s the frustrating part, we re almost there. Every step of the way has been a struggle. We ve pinched pennies every step of the way. It s been a lot of trial and error. The cost of construction has gone crazy, she added. Where we are located has made it hard... There s a deficiency of accommodations in the area. That made keeping sub-contractors on the job difficult. They ve had workers show up and stay only a few days, not show up on time, or not at all. The plumbing and electric sub-contractors would get parts done and then not be here for some time, says Karla. Clockwise from right: Larry and Karla Boggs stand on the winding stairway leading to the guest suites on the second floor of Rockland Inn. Guests will be able to traverse the stairs or take the elevator to their rooms on the second floor of the main house. Comfortable chairs are located near the fireplace in Rockland Inn suites. When chilly weather arrives, guests can curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book and still be able to peek over their shoulders at the beautiful southeastern Oklahoma scenery through large windows and French doors. Large whirlpool baths in suites will afford guests a luxury not found in some vacation and weekend getaways. Most suites also have large, glassed-in showers adjoining the bath. Inviting beds, like this massive pillared beauty in the Ambassador Suite, await guests at Rockland Inn. 12 Oklahoma Country Fall 2007

4 Those types of problems eventually put virtually the entire project squarely on Larry shoulders and those of a couple of local craftsmen who ve stuck with him through the lengthy project. We ve had to come up with ideas how to solve problems, says Karla. I have two sisters-in-law Larry s sisters that have helped. They both have an eye for design. We ve done the interior design with the help of family. And, it has been no small undertaking for the family. he sheer size of the home with the bed and breakfast accommodations is mind-boggling somewhere between 11,000 and 12,000 square feet all under one roof. Four spacious guest rooms are on the second floor of the main house. There also are two guest rooms yet to be finished on the second floor of the attached carriage house. When doors open, guests will be able to take the elevator or stroll up the massive wooden staircase to indulge themselves in either the Bridal, Captain s or Ambassador s suites in the main house. The fourth suite now is home to the Boggs 10-year-old grandson, Brandon, and won t be available for several years. Each suite is furnished with beautiful pillared beds. Comfortable seating nearby the fireplace in each suite will beckon cool weather guests to curl up with their favorite novel unless they want to spend time in their room s relaxing whirlpool bath. Oklahoma Country Fall

5 The Bridal Suite opens to a massive balcony through the French doors. Guests, undoubtedly, will while away relaxing hours on the balcony that provides the perfect view of the lake and mountains. The other suites also have balconies offering splendid views of the spectacular southeastern Oklahoma scenery. hen winter arrives, guests will be able to see American Bald Eagles. A pair of eagles nests there each year, usually arriving in November and hatching the newest brood sometime in February or March. The eagles nest across the lake from the house at Eagle s Rest Sanctuary, and can be seen soaring over the lake and mountains with regularity during their stop in Latimer County. We want people to enjoy, said Karla. This (the bed and breakfast) is how we want to assure the eagles are here forever. Eagle s Rest Sanctuary is a non-profit corporation set up to provide and maintain the nesting habitat of the American Bald Eagle. Rockland Inn is the center and educational facility for that corporation. Eagle viewing and relaxation out of doors are expanded with the massive covered patio on the first floor. It even has its own fireplace if there s a chill in the air. For those who want to feel the sun on their shoulders or experience the breeze off the lake, a large wooden deck is just down a couple of steps from the covered patio.

6 Left: The Bridal Suite opens to a huge balcony that affords perhaps the most stunning view of the 40-acre private lake framed by mountains. Top: The covered patio on the first level of Rockland Inn offers guests a year-round opportunity to enjoy the view. A roaring fire in the fireplace will chase away the chill of the Oklahoma winters. Above: Arguably the best view of the lake and mountains is from the massive wooden deck on the back side of the bed & breakfast. Oklahoma Country Fall

7 I want people to enjoy the property, be in the house for a while and then on the porch to enjoy the outdoors because it s just so beautiful, says Karla. While all the amenities are designed for relaxation, they do have plans to offer activities for guests who want a more adventurous stay. We have some trails for riding horses, says Larry. We ll do some horseback riding. Catch-and-release fishing in the lake which boasts some lunkers will be a pleasant aversion for those with a passion for angling. We ve thought about everything from a three-hole golf course to a skeet shooting range, adds Larry. But we want to start with the bed and breakfast first, and then we ll see about everything else. He also will offer guests the opportunity to work cattle on the ranch, if they want. I want to tie the ranching operation with the bed and breakfast. I ve always been convinced and want to show that we can run cattle and still be environmentally sensitive and do it in a manner that doesn t break you, says Larry. We need them to understand the impact farmers and ranchers have on this country. We ll bring them out and let them see. There s also an exercise room for fitness fanatics that will be filled with even more state-of-the-art equipment by the time guests arrive.

8 Before the doors open for guests, there s still work to be done in the library and wine cellar. The library was inching toward completion in the summer, with the wine cellar s progress just a bit behind. The musty-smelling wine cellar actually is more basement sized, with nooks and crannies, space for dining and offices for Larry and Karla. Its cement walls were being covered with antique brick that sheltered the exterior walls of what was once the Latimer County courthouse in Wilburton. While work remained during summer, the finished areas that are the Boggs home and will be sanctuary for guests are luxuriously decorated and furnished. den with wide, tall glass windows frames the picturesque scenery visible on both sides of the two-story-tall fireplace. The room is filled with comfortable furniture for guests, and a big-screen television hides behind the doors of a massive armoire. A richly colored wood hutch with doors overlaid with wrought iron on the opposite wall holds curios, vases, books and plants. Just inside the main entry doors sit the formal living and dining rooms. The living room s windows offer another view of the lake on either side of the fireplace. Centered over the mantel is a painting that looks like it was the work of an old master. It actually was painted by Larry s sister, Carole Boggs, who has produced many of the oils Left: The formal living room at Rockland Inn features an oil painting over the mantle that will remind many guests of an old master s work. The painting was done by Larry s sister, Carole Boggs. She has several other pieces adorning the walls. Below: A two-story-tall fireplace is a focal point in the bed & breakfast den. The solid stone that holds the candlesticks and plant came from a nearby rock quarry. After it was cut, milled and polished, the stone resembles a beam from an extremely large petrified tree. Oklahoma Country Fall

9 decorating the walls. Two sofas and three easy chairs will afford guests ample space to sit and chat, or just relax. The formal dining room revolves around a large, ornate table, inviting fireplace and yet another different glimpse of the spectacular outdoors. A kitchen and informal dining area are just up the hall and to the right. The kitchen is equipped with restaurant-sized appliances that will be used to prepare banquet-like meals for guests. The informal dining area offers another view outdoors, where summer and springtime guests will see hummingbirds darting to and from large feeders that sit among pines and other plants in the landscaped yard. arla and her sisters-in-law, Cindy Bullard and Donna Negen, have scoured estate sales, furniture stores and an occasional garage sale to furnish and decorate the house. Many of the pieces are magnificent antiques that undoubtedly will create envy among some guests. We ve done some serious shopping, Karla stresses. As big as the house is, we ve done really well. Karla s ideas always have come faster than Larry has been able to interpret them into a finished product. While Larry is working to finish construction, she s already thinking of the fall opening. She has contacted a masseuse to massage away the everyday aches and pains of her guests. She also is looking for a chef to help prepare

10 meals for guests, even though she is an accomplished cook. I would love to get one just starting out and let him make a name for himself here. My dream would be a couple, where both could help. I ll let them get up at 5 a.m. and start the cooking, and I ll get up at 6. I want to be the hostess. I want to wine and dine the people. I want to make sure people are happy campers! If they can find a chef, they believe they can run the bed and breakfast themselves without any additional help. They still are mulling over rates for the bed and breakfast. It will, admits Karla, be expensive because you ll have three meals a day. And guests should plan on a two-night minimum. I want those weddings, special parties, anniversaries and concerts, too. It is the atmosphere that I want to capitalize on. If indulging your passion brings to mind peace and quiet; if your grand adventure includes watching eagles soar; or if you yearn to see some of Oklahoma s grandest scenery, Rockland Inn could be your ultimate weekend getaway or vacation locale. For lodging information and reservations, call or write to Rockland Inn at P. O. Box 831, Wilburton, OK Left: A restaurant-quality stove in the kitchen will get plenty of use when Rockland Inn opens in the fall. The Boggs hope to have a chef on hand to help prepare meals for guests. Below: The formal dining room at the bed & breakfast revolves around this ornate table. Large windows on either side of the fireplace provide yet another view of the scenic estate. Oklahoma Country Fall

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