After 10 years of planning and reaching for a lifelong goal, Peggy Keegan has fulfilled her dream and opened a bed-and-breakfast in Boothbay Harbor.

Located at 43 Montgomery Road, Blueberry Pines Bed & Breakfast is unique to the area, Keegan said. Located on top of a rolling hillside, the 4,000-square-foot house features three bedrooms (which will expand to five in the future), a deck, sun room and spacious living area.

Down the hill in front of the house is a fenced, Olympic-sized in-ground pool and large pond next to it, where duck families live and a great blue heron enjoys the plentiful fish.

Keegan's brother, Mark, had a big stack of real estate fliers ready for her when Keegan first came to Maine.

“I fell in love with the fact sheet, then the driveway, then the house,” Keegan said. “There was snow on the ground, so I couldn't fully appreciate the pool or pond at the time.”

She said the size of the house was great for entertaining, and the high ceilings were a perfect fit for her sons, both of whom are over six feet tall.

Blueberry Pines welcomes children, and Keegan said parents can enjoy having their children in a safe environment, as the bed and breakfast is far away from any major roads. There are woods around the property and the pond is full of frogs, which kids staying there have enjoyed chasing after.

“I was always disappointed traveling with my sons in where we had to stay,” Keegan said. “Just because you have kids shouldn't mean you have to stay in a motel while on vacation.”

Blueberry Pines provides a continental breakfast in the morning. Families are on their own for lunch and dinner, but visitors have often gotten take-out from local restaurants and brought it back to enjoy it on the deck.

Blueberry Pines opened in June and will be open year-round, with occasional closures. All rooms feature a queen bed with private bath, and several cots are available for families. Each room has a large flat-screen TV. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the house. Keegan is continuing to improve the rooms, currently working on adding drapes to the windows.

For her inaugural season, Keegan is taking care of all the cleaning of the rooms, so if and when she hires someone, she will know exactly what is involved.

“One thing I did not anticipate is how often furniture has to be moved around,” Keegan said.

Keegan is charging a special rate for her first year to spread the word about her new establishment, and to get feedback from visitors.

“So far I'm hearing good things,” Keegan said. “A family was staying with me one weekend. I headed off to church on Sunday morning, and when I got back there was a note asking if they could please stay another night. I was delighted and called them, 'Yes of course you can!'”

Keegan can be reached at 207-522-6321, blueberrypinesbb@gmail.com or through www.blueberrypinesbedbreakfast.com.