Writer's fall retreat

It seems I haven't things to blog about, and then suddenly, BANG life spiraled in a dervish whirl, and things pinged one right after the other. 

I went to my nephew's wedding, enjoying family and friends for a week's vacation, only to return to find my normal had walked out the door and left chaos in its place. Some of it was horrible, some of it soap opera-ish.

Madison: "I didn't know you'd moved to Port Charles. This is like an episode of Arrested Development mixed in with a little General Hospital."

I'm still processing most of it and deciding what I can and cannot publish. I'm a sharer, but I've learned the consequences of wrong blog postings. Each day as the stories progress, I weigh the pros and the cons and eventually close my laptop undecided. It's all very distracting, and so this weekend, I traveled to a writer's retreat to concentrate on writing my book.

The writer's group I belong to locally has two-weekend retreats a year. I vetoed the one in spring because, uh, hanging out in a wooded bug-infested Florida in summer? No, thanks. But I'm coming to the end of my deadline now, and so I signed up hoping October would bring cooler weather. Thus far, it's a slight decline.

The retreat is an hour south of me off a rural road not far from the interstate exit. It's a piece of old Florida with lots of trees and apparently animals. After following the signs, I parked my car and was instructed on directions accompanied with a map to help me find the cabin assigned to our group. I set off through the woods following a mulched line path that gave way to a broken shell path around the pool house where I encountered a giant box turtle. The picture doesn't capture the essence of this guy or the enormity of him, but trust me, he was HUGE.

He was directly in my path, and after some dodging between us, we agreed that I'd go one way and he the other. My direction took me past a green, watery area that brought to mind alligators, and I had to refrain from shouting, "I'm totally done now with my nature experience! Show me the wifi and the air conditioning!"

Eventually, I came full circle back to the parking lot, where someone pointed me to our ten-room cabin off to the right. I trudged, shirt sticking to my sweaty back, to find both wifi and cool air, and a kitchen full of ladies already typing away on their laptops. I was given my keys, my roommate's name, and I was sent up a winding staircase, hauling all my belongings behind me.

Our meals are eaten in shifts in a mess hall with other camping groups. We have to hike to and from our cabin for our food. I'm meeting new people, discussing our craft, and garnering as much information as I can hold.

Last night the upstairs roomers spent our time drinking cocktails, eating chocolate, and talking into the wee hours of the morning--all with our laptops on our laps as if we were writing away. I definitely appreciated the chance to bond with like-minded ladies, but I'm even more glad to have shoved aside the other stuff clouding my life and mind.

Here's to hopefully getting several chapters completed.