Getting stuck in Albert Lea during a winter snowstorm changed the direction of Bonita Moeller’s life and helped her fulfill a lifetime dream. She is the proprietor of the Fountain View Inn located on North Washington Street on Fountain Lake in Albert Lea.

"I have collected antiques since I was a little girl growing up on a mink farm near Medford. My first purchase was a nightstand for 75 cents and I still have it. Buying antiques is what brought me to Albert Lea. I was buying an antique bedroom set and was stuck at Morris Furniture. I mentioned to one of the workers there that I had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast. She said there was a house for sale on the lake that would make a perfect bed and breakfast, I purchased it on the spot,"

Moeller said.

Moeller and her husband Kerry had been living in Eden Prairie. He is a carpenter and was one of the main reasons the couple took this venture to run their own business. Kerry did all the remodeling and refurbishing of the house. They have been open for business since 1997. They also purchased the house next door to the Fountain View Inn to live in.

Moeller loves to cook, which she learned from her Grandma Schollljegerdes.

"I can cook like my grandma now after all these years. I don’t need to measure my ingredients anymore; I use a pinch of this, a cup of that. My guests all love my food. I make homemade candies and leave these in guest’s rooms," said Moeller.

Marion Ross, a star of "Happy Days," recently stayed at the Fountain View Inn when she was in the area for the opening of the SPAM Museum. Ross, a native of Albert Lea had been friends with a girl whose family owned the Fountain View Inn when it was a private residency when she growing up.

"She told such good stories about the house. All my guests have a story and leave good memories," said Moeller.

For more nearby vacation spots, click on &uot;Living.&uot;

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at :mailto:newsroom@austindailyherald.com