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Contact: Glenn M. Faria Michael Miles is a Boston native, although he has called Braintree, Abington and Milton, MA home at different times during his childhood and teen years. He attended Saint Sebastian’s School in Newton, MA and later attended Emerson College Broadcasting School, graduating in 1960, however, during his college years in the late 50s, he apprenticed in lighting and set design. During his apprenticeships, he worked in summer stock theater and at Cohasset Music Circus, Cape Cod Melody Tent and in Bucks County, PA. After graduation, Miles pursued radio broadcasting, where he was a news anchor and announcer for five years until 1965. In 1966, he joined Johnson & Johnson in Dorchester, Massachusetts in surgical instrument design working with renowned surgeons at various Massachusetts hospitals. In 1972, Miles returned to the world of radio, there commencing a six-year tenure in advertising which led him to the conclusion that it was time to head north to Maine to pursue passion. In 1978, while he and his wife, Nancy Cloud, were camping in Camden, Maine, they learned of a high profile property for sale in Bar Harbor and, after negotiating an excellent sales price, the two became the owners of what was to become The Ledgelawn Inn. With a wife who was, at that time, still committed to professional obligations in Boston, Miles became the sometimes sole innkeeper of the Inn while his wife air-commuted between Boston and Bar Harbor during peak season. Finally, in 1979, Miles’ wife moved permanently to Bar Harbor. In 1980, the couple became parents, juggling full-time innkeepers’ roles with new roles as parents. During the next six years, Miles oversaw considerable ongoing improvements to the Inn, but yearned for an even larger project. He had his wish. In 1986, Miles and his wife purchased the main building at 21 Albert Meadow, the manse of the carriage house which had become their home, naming it Balance Rock Inn after a curious geological formation near the Inn. Initially, he Inn had only three guest rooms but Miles was kept busy constantly improving the building and planning for the extensive renovations, re-decoration and addition which were his dream. Today, Miles oversees the marketing and public relations for the inns and can be credited with the splendid decor. Miles likes to call himself a “techno-Renaissance man,” a moniker reflective of his personality’s myriad facets - interior design, collecting antiques, advanced photography, fast cars, tennis, Jazz, tennis, sailing and, of course, travel. He is also a cigar aficionado - particularly for Cuban cigars, which he was first introduced to during a trip to Saint Maarten. This particular passion is complemented by the fact that Miles is a true raconteur. A man of discerning taste, Miles loves to share his love of the “good life” with kindred spirits. He often mingles with guests at Balance Rock Inn at cocktail time which lasts, as he puts it “from four o’clock until guests no longer wish them.” How indulgent! Nancy Cloud was born and reared in Lexington, Massachusetts; she was the younger of two children and has a brother. After graduating high school, Cloud attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, graduating in 1962 with a degree in mathematics. Although Cloud enjoyed mathematics, these were heady days for community service and, increasingly, she found herself drawn to community service. She then attended Simmons College of Social Work in Boston. Cloud was a psychiatric social worker, serving both psychiatric clinics in Boston and a private clientele; she also headed a children’s developmental clinic at Cambridge Hospital and, concurrently, was a consultant for a number of metro Boston nursing homes for nearly 15 years. Having had a life well-grounded in reality for her entire life, Cloud, who married Michael Miles in 1976, took a chance and moved to Bar Harbor, Maine in 1978, there purchasing a former mansion on speculation while she and her husband rented the carriage house of another mansion which would one day become theirs. Cloud found it somewhat difficult to completely abandon her commitment to the community. Cloud air-commuted between Boston and Bar Harbor, maintaining her responsibilities in the city while she and Miles started a fledgling bed & breakfast in what was to become The Ledgelawn Inn. Finally, Cloud moved permanently to Bar Harbor in 1979 initially maintaining her professional status by working at the Community Health Center, which also served Bar Harbor, in Ellsworth, Maine. In 1980, Cloud and Miles became parents and Cloud became a full-time parent and innkeeper along with her husband. In 1986, Cloud and her husband purchased the building on the grounds of the carriage house which had become their home, naming it the Balance Rock Inn, which initially had only three guest rooms. Today, with two thriving lodging properties, Cloud is a very busy - and successful - woman with many responsibilities, which include management of personnel, guest service, reservations, housekeeping and finances. She is a fitness enthusiast who particularly enjoys sailing and tennis. She and her husband travel extensively both in the US (they have a winter home in Fort Lauderdale, FL) and internationally. An avid reader and gourmand, Cloud balances her family and professional lives to allow time to enjoy the splendor of Mount Desert Island and the spectacular Maine coast she has come to love. |
