“I cannot wait for the weekend,” I told a coworker on Friday. “I have to get away.” “So where are you taking yourself,” she asked cheerily. “I’m going to hide,” I said, and I meant it. I could think of nothing better than to curl up in my house, light some candles, take some naps […]
Read MorePawpaw was a farmer. He toiled away at Exxon for his lifelong career and pension, but his passion was growing things. One afternoon I watched with horror as his little shed containing his collection of farming tools burned to the ground. It may have been the only time I ever saw him cry. But the […]
Read MoreI’d like to write but the topic eludes me. Writing seems so “not present” at the moment. I’d really rather set up a coffee date with you and tell you all about it over a warm beverage. I tried to find a topic in Chicago this weekend. I wanted to share about the Herculean efforts […]
Read MoreWe had a free night in the writing workshop in Lincoln City. My new friends Jill and Jeanie and I decided to head out to the Wild Flower Grill for dinner. The lovely little remodeled Victorian sat next to a pretty little bayou (Do they call them bayous in Oregon?). I didn’t think to ask […]
Read MoreOur instructor in last week’s writing workshop told us Sunday night things would get intimate very quickly. Having been to numerous retreats where I did my own personal work among other women, I am used to that kind of intimacy. But this was a writing workshop. I expected it to be an English class. I’d […]
Read MoreI love having a day to transition back to my real life from a vacation. I detest getting home late on a Sunday night and having to wake up to a workday the next morning. I need a day. In this case, I had the luxury of two days. I slept most of Saturday because […]
Read MoreYour history is showing. Our facilitator taught us about the geology of the Oregon Coast. We were situated on Spanish Head. It was formed from a series of volcanic explosions that produced lava flows in the Columbia River. As the force of the water sought higher ground each time, the river’s course moved ever northward. […]
Read MoreI am at a writing workshop with Road Scholar on the Oregon Coast. I was attracted to this particular one for several reasons. I knew it was beautiful here. I drove this mildly developed coast while working many years ago. I’ve been struggling a bit with writer’s block and goals for my writing. Having a […]
Read MoreWhen I was a little girl, one of our favorite outings was to go to Baskin-Robbins to get ice cream. Now mind you these were the days when the thought of a store offering 32 flavors was mind-boggling. Before Baskin-Robbins arrived in Baton Rouge, we were limited to the regular flavors of Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla […]
Read MoreBelieve it or not, we got 3 inches of snow last night. I woke up this morning, and even though there was a dusting of snow left on the ground, the sun was out. I packed up Ashok, some snacks and headed north. I couldn’t decide initially if I wanted to do some dunes hiking […]
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