Sunday, March 23, 2008

Mission: Rejuvenation

Every spring my family and I take a little trip--just a quick getaway during our Easter break. Last year our retreat was buried deep in the Michigan woods--a lovely place that inspired peace and eventual inspiration (see photo above). By the very next DAY, however, we found ourselves under a winter storm watch (and it was April, mind you) and our retreat looked like this:
This year Easter came much earlier, as we all know, and so we may be facing even colder weather on our "spring retreat." Unfortunately, I made arrangements dreaming of warmer weather. Our hideaway is right on the river, with a little balcony from which we can watch the boats:

The weather forecast for Michigan tells me that the temps should be somewhere between 30 and 40; I'm not foreseeing too much balcony time, nor do I think too many people will want to take their boats out on the frigid water. But who knows? Maybe this weather and the quiet, off-season time in a resort town will be the very thing I need to inspire all sorts of writing.

So, as I pack and head off to our cold spring break, I ask you: what's your favorite writer's or reader's retreat?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really like being near the ocean. For me, there's nothing like the sounds of the seashore to get my creative gears in motion. I was in Florida last week and I still find myself daydreaming about being there.

Boston - grr...

Julia Buckley said...

Oh, that does sound wonderful, Lee. I have never seen the Pacific, but I did see the Atlantic (and ride upon it) when I was in Maine. Beautiful, and yes, very inspiring.

But Boston sounds nice, too. :)

Picks by Pat said...

I wrote my first novel at my corner office in our home in Chesapeake, VA. My desk was in front of the window and we had a pond in the backyard, and I often saw herons, egrets and ducks feeding. It was beautiful. The perfect writer's habitat, right?
Well, it was a beautiful distraction...but not very practical for writing. It took me a lot longer to write than if my desk had faced away from the window.
Now I write on the bus to and from work. No distractions.

Julia Buckley said...

Wow--but the desk by the pond sounds great, Pat!

I think I wouldn't mind that set-up at all. :)