Recharging

The best parts of getting away are the unexpected surprises you encounter along the way.

My writing buddy Terry and I planned a writing retreat after reading a Nora Roberts blog post about her "haunted" B&B. Last week, we took a few days in Maryland to brainstorm our current writing projects and put some words down. We arrived and were enchanted by the lovely inn and its many, almost maze-like rooms. Our first night in, we went to the "happy hour" room for wine and charcuterie and discovered we'd come just in time for "Girls Night Out," which is an event centered around Nora's bookstore across the street--where Nora would be signing books! Well! That was an unexpected surprise, and good timing on our part. AND we would still have a day before the event.

On Day 2, we got our steps in by walking to scenic caverns up the road a piece. They were very interesting when you consider no one knew they were there "once upon a time" and stumbled on them accidentally. Of course, what do you do when you discover underground labyrinths beneath your land? You make them into a tourist attraction. The rock formations were interesting, and the ongoing evolution of new formations, which take hundreds of years, inspires respect for how nature creates its own artwork. 

We walked back into town to scope out Nora's other businesses, including the gift shop and the bookstore. We saw our breakfast server doing a shift in the bookstore, and we'd been told she could tell us ghost stories (because, you know, I collect ghost stories) so we asked her about the ghosts at the inn. She didn't volunteer a lot, but one thing I've discovered. When you ask for a story, you'll find people to tell you one. Two other ladies who worked in the shop were only too happy to share their experiences. I find it interesting when I find similar stories in different parts of the country! At any rate, after we'd chatted a bit, we got an ice cream, returned to the inn and settled down to work.

On Day 3, we took advantage of our package deal for pampering and got a ride into Shepherdstown, WV. We had lunch and had our nails done and walked around the town a bit. The funny thing about visiting the East Coast (at least from my perspective) is how many states you can see in a day. Granted, I live in Northern Illinois, so it's not a big stretch for me to drive to Wisconsin, or Iowa, or Indiana easily (but it still takes a couple of hours to get to ONE of those other states). On the East Coast, we hit three states in an hour. I experienced that same thing last year when I joined my friend in Maine. We hit four states (and could have done more had we done a different route) in a day. But I digress... We discovered that we were far enough from civilization that it might be a challenge to find a ride share back to the airport, so we talked the one who picked us up in WV to take us the following morning. 

When we returned to the inn, we did some more brainstorming, went to the Inn's happy hour, and then across the street to meet our hostess. It was raining. There was a long line. We soldiered on. Terry had been hoping to get the new JD Robb book, but Nora was signing early copies of her Nora Roberts book. Here's the thing. I'm not a huge Nora Roberts fan (don't shoot me, reading is subjective, after all), so neither one of us bought a book. We did, however, go through the line to meet Nora. She is a powerhouse, no matter what you think of her books. She advocates for all authors and she carries a lot of clout. I appreciate the heck out of her as a person, so I wanted to thank her for all she does. (Now I want to read a JD Robb book just to see if I like that better than her NR books).

Terry, me and Nora

Day 4 produced another delicious breakfast, our ride share driver showed up as promised, and we were on our way home - a successful retreat that provided writing (at least for me, Terry had technical issues, but we did a lot of brainstorming with handwritten notes), entertainment, surprises and inspiration. 

And now it's back to work. I have a book to finish!