<I>KEVIN HEIMBIGNER photo</I><BR>Bob and Marilyn Caswell make a fine meal.

OCEAN PARK – Suffering from a self-proclaimed mid-life crisis, Bob and Marilyn Caswell made a major change almost 10 years ago that has resulted in the couple being honored with the Best Chefs of 2004 award from Arrington’s Inn Travel Magazine.

Bob was a hardware store supervisor, and Marilyn taught first grade for 21 years before their decision to become innkeepers. They blend their skills ideally to operate the B&B.

“Bob manages and gets the materials we need, and I’m constantly teaching guests about the house, the area, and the highlights of the Peninsula. The nice thing about the award we received is our customers were the ones who voted for us,” Marilyn says with pride.

The Caswells are no strangers to receiving cooking honors. Bob garnered top prize in the West Coast OysterFest cook off in Shelton for his Hangtown Oyster Bake recipe in 2001. Marilyn received kudos in 2002 in an article in the Oregonian for her mouth-watering orange-pecan French toast recipe. Both of the prize-winning dishes are part of the fantastic fare featured at their bed and breakfast inn.

Caswells’ on the Bay is a joint effort by Bob and Marilyn.

“We originally purchased this property (one-half mile south of Bay Avenue on Sandridge Road and overlooking pristine Willapa Bay) for a retirement cabin,” Bob says. “When we decided to become innkeepers we knew this would be a perfect location. We had looked for bay front property for about six months, and when we first set foot on this piece we knew this was ‘it’ for us.”

The couple took house plans from a magazine and, with the aid of local architect David Jensen and with supplies from local businesses and work from local contractors, created their ideal B&B.

“We have five hot water tanks,” Bob explains. “It looks like the boiler room from the Queen Mary, but our guests never run out of hot water,” he quips.

“Privacy, noise, plumbing, heating – we planned carefully when we decided to create a B&B,” Marilyn adds.

“The kitchen is a perfect layout for cooking and serving and allows for guests to chat while we work,” Bob says.

“It’s too perfect. Sometimes guests come down to chat in the morning, and I have to ask myself if I’ve added flour to the recipes or not,” she laughs.

The Caswells’ guests are like family, according to the pair. “Seventy percent of our clientele are repeat customers and 90 percent of our new visitors find us on the Internet,” Bob states. The Caswells’ Web site is www.caswellsinn.com.

“This is heaven on earth,” Bob, a Portland native, declares. His grandmother first came to Long Beach on the steamer T.J. Potter in 1908, and Bob remembers coming to the beach for summers and weekends during the 1930s.

The Caswells have 1,100 square feet of living space that is private and also a 1,600 square foot basement they claim as their own.

“Guests come first, however” Marilyn states. The inn has an open floor plan with two dining areas, a sun room, and an exquisite living room complete with cozy fireplace and panoramic views of the bay. Five suites accommodate guests. The Terrace Suite is “the best room on the Peninsula,” according to Bob. Elevated views of Willapa Bay, manicured park-like grounds, and wildlife such as deer, bear, and over 140 species of birds add to the ambiance.

“Deer are our number one problem here,” Marilyn says. “We have never had an unruly guest.” The couple has hundreds of hydrangeas, rhododendrons; roses and hanging baskets decorate the spacious veranda. Although set back half a block from Sandridge Road, the inn serenely takes guests back 150 years in time. It took Marilyn three years to procure the antiques that grace each guest suite and the downstairs areas. Puzzles, games, and a library easily transport guests back to a simpler and more relaxed life style, however there are TVs and VCRs in every room; modern bath facilities complete with comfy robes add to the comfort of every guest room. Caswells’ on the Bay has been the setting for over 80 weddings and can serve up to 300 people for receptions.

In the book “The Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest,” Caswells’ on the Bay is said to have, “a top notch reputation for romance and deserves every bit of it.”

Marilyn says with a wry chuckle as she begins to whip up a batch of orange-pecan French toast for breakfast, “I almost dreaded getting the Best Chef award. Now I have to live up to it. I have to admit I sometimes get tired of cooking.”

At her side in the spacious kitchen Bob adds, “I am Marilyn’s last student. I am always learning something, either from her or from one of our guests. They are truly like family.”

As the couple work together to create a sumptuous breakfast of French toast and Hangtown oysters with Willapa Bay shimmering in the sunshine behind them, it is hard to think of them having a crisis – mid-life or otherwise – amidst the ideal setting they have fashioned together.