We are not certain how many retreat weekends we have taken, and we are not sure how many are in our future with some serious life changes happening to a couple of us; but we have grown by them and treasured them. And we have been super productive each time.
The last three times in a row we have gone to Rend Lake. You already know that if you read this regularly.
But we are not sure why we keep returning. It might just be te lake, and that is it. The room is large, which is good; but the restaurant is not fabulous.
We decided should we return, we need to bring along with us:
A lamp or two (horrible lighting, quite a big deal for writers)
An extra chair (because they have bed space for 4, but chairs for 2)
Chair cushions (wooden chairs are painful after long writing sessions) ((or card sessions))
Very large clips to pull back the curtains (so we can have a full view of the lake)
An electric kettle to heat water for tea (their coffee pot is miniscule)
Cups for which to drink the tea (so we don’t have to keep asking for more)
A large trash can (clearly they do not plan on people actually staying in their room)
A shower head with some water pressure (enough said)
A security bar for the bath
Wash cloths (they simply don’t want to give us enough)
A hook for the back of the bathroom door (you know, for housecoats, etc)
Afghans (unless it is in the heat of summer)
Kleenex (theirs resembles plywood)
Pillows (because, ugh)
I would say we should bring enough food to eat in our room, but we always have enough food. More than enough. For us and our neighbors. And we did eat in our room all weekend this time. It was lovely.
But I will report that even though their shower heads are in desperate need of replacement, and their tissues are dreadful and their lighting is sub par, they did add these lovely bolster pillows to the beds. After much discussion we resolved that they serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever.
But we might be back. We love it. Plus we got a lighted boat parade outside our boatel Saturday evening. The fishermen that fish right below our balcony give us good material for dialogue in future projects. And the table is the perfect size for Monopoly Deal tournaments.
So our Writer’s Retreat # ? ends with Bev actually typing “The End” on her novel, Michelle completing her final read through and edit changes on her novel, and me making enormous headway on a new project in my Caitlin Flynn series.
Still our favorite picture from Rend Lake
Until next time,
Pat Meyers
http://www.PatriciaMeyers.com
Paddle Creek Writers 