Change of Scenery

This is what I'm looking at right now. It's a scene that couldn't be more removed from my regular view of the world at home. There is perfect quiet except for the birds' morning chatter and the last few spurts of the coffee pot indicating a full container awaits my mug.

I don't get to escape here very often, but when I do, I feel a recharging of body, mind, soul and creativity. I've read a whole book and am halfway through Anne Rice's Called Out of Darkness. Now my manuscript is spread out on the table below this window view awaiting my full attention. (I've asked its forgiveness for the past many months' neglect.)

And you? Where do you go to flee your routine/rut? If you're a writer, how important do you think a change of scenery is to your writing? If there was a writer's retreat within an hour of your home and it offered short term sanctuary for little or no cost, would you avail yourself of it, and what would you want awaiting you there?

Wonderful.ness

Have you ever seen a full moon hanging over the water? I have now, and it's something I won't forget.

Hope you see/hear/taste/read/smell/feel some similar wonderful.ness yourself before the weekend ends.



Photo by wendylin20

Wish You Were Here!

This is where I am sitting today, or at the nearby table, working on my neglected manuscript. In a place as nice as this, revisions don't seem so grueling. There is lots of good visiting going on and great food Trudy and I made to bring with us. I truly am blessed to have such a wonderful daughter, and generous caring friends. The laughter and fun comes over me in waves, and it's refreshing!

And if I get tired of working, I refill my coffee mug with Community Coffee's Cafe' Special, and look out at the gorgeous scenery. There isn't a big crowd here because it's the end of the season, so it's pretty tranquil. There is parasailing and dolphin watching tours going on right below us. I wish you all a Friday (and weekend) as beautiful as this:

Kidnapped!

Dear Blog Friends:

Gumbo Writer has been temporarily kidnapped and taken to parts unknown. Please do not try to find her. She is in safe hands and no ransom will be asked.

If you need information about her well-being, please call her daughter "Queenie" who has stolen her for some mother/daughter bonding before school commences next week. {If you don't believe she's been kidnapped for her own good, see picture of her above.}

Someone will report on how things are going tomorrow, and maybe post a photo.

Thank you for your understanding, and remember, DO NOT notify the authorities. Gumbo Writer is fine and will probably be a little better and saner upon return!

Love,
XXX??

Have a Loverly Weekend

I may run away for a day or two to recharge the batteries, but will be back soon. Hope your weekend is wonderful!

*Photographer - Kjunstorms @ flickr

What's in your...Suitcase?

Thanks, friends, for your faithful prayers and also for continuing to vote for my blog. Things are still up in the air with my friend's dear husband, but we all appreciate your thoughtfulness so much. I miss making my daily blog-jog, but will be visiting again ASAP!

~~~

If you've ever been duty-bound and/or spent a lot of time in the hospital setting, I'm sure you've daydreamed about escape. That's our theme today. Say you're dashing to the nearest train depot or airport and have a ticket waiting for you, paid for by some mysterious millionaire. Your chore list has taken care of itself and suddenly...time has opened up leaving you free to flee for a long weekend.

The only problem with our fantasy scenario is that you only have five minutes to gather your things, and can only bring one medium suitcase. Besides clothes, you may pack seven items.

Since we had a major storm roll through the Baton Rouge area last night that knocked out electricity (and my barely-hanging-together computer monitor), I amused myself by contemplating my suitcase items. With my very limited artistic ability, I've rendered my packed suitcase in my favorite medium -- Sharpies and printer paper -- below. Nothing like playing with art/drawing supplies once in awhile! Try it if you get the chance.

Gumbo Writer's Packing List (the multi-colored blobs on the right side are my clothes):

1. 1 Pound of dark roast Community Coffee
2. Current read -- The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
3. Note pad
4. Favorite writing pen
5. Reading glasses (& case)
6. Digital camera
7. Bottle of Aleve

Okay, so what's in YOUR suitcase?

Pictures from Paradise

I had a great getaway to my writer/editor friend Kathryn's mountain home in North Carolina. {More about this whacky gal who's writing a new story-which-may-become-a-novel right to her blog --> http://kathrynmagendie.spaces.live.com/blog/ }

Not having flown for many years (did I mention I despise flying and am afraid of heights?), I had to psyche myself up just to board the plane. Warning to the wise: Do not ever route yourself through the Newark airport. I had to transfer between concourses via two buses, a taxi, rickshaw and a small motorboat, and barely made my connection. Well, the two buses part is true. Asking the driver of bus #1 where the taxi or boat was I was supposed to catch next, he replied without a single trace of humor, "Yew git off heeuh, go numbuh 39 now!"

But back to the flight -- here is my scrumptious lunch, my choice of view of "seatmate" or over the wing approaching Newark, after I finally got enough nerve up to open the window shade and look:

Can I tell ya, I was one big fat happy camper when I finally touched solid ground again? Here are some of the "better memories" from my trip:

Are these gorgeous, or what? Wish I was there right now, sipping Deep Creek Blend coffee with my friend, but it sure is nice strolling down a beautiful autumn memory lane through photographs.

October 26, 2008 Weekly Forecast

There's no forecasting or guessing on my part today about what my week ahead is going to be. For right now, I'm in vacationing in a geographic area -- The Smoky Mountains -- where there are actual seasons to focus on instead of the daily weather. It's Autumn and I can see, smell, touch, hear and feel. Ooh, and I hope taste too!

I can't believe it's Sunday already. My time here with Kathryn has flown by on hawk's wings, and I'm sad it's my last full day. I keep thinking, do I really have to go home tomorrow? But I know I do, and it will be good to get back to family and routine...but I'm ahead-of-time wistful to be leaving this magical place of a real friend, real seasons, real conversations, all carved out of a surreal schedule.

To combat the approaching gray clouds of already missing her/here, I'll just have to plan another trip, or one for her to come to Baton Rouge ASAP. In the meantime, I'm forecasting good getaways for my friends too. There's nothing nothing nothing no.thing like getting away from your "real" life and taking time to breath, relax, gain perspective, be.

Have you planned/scheduled your great escape? If so, tell me about it, or your most recent one. Happy trails!

Great Escapes Made Easy

Thursdays are reserved for chatting about different things, so today, I'd like to get feedback from fellow bloggers on what they do to maintain their mental health...ya know...the ways they find to get off the spinning hamster wheel of life for awhile.

We all need time away from our daily routine, chores, work, projects, ruts. Without those opportunities, we can lose perspective, risk becoming burnt out, and maybe completely drain our bodily and spiritual battery reserves dry. Then we're no good to anyone.

Here are a few things I do to recharge:

• Go to a movie in the middle of the day.
• Read a few chapters of an absorbing book.
• Listen to music which has the power to transport me.
• Take a whole day off. If I can't physically leave home, I unplug the phones (including the cell), and just "be" for the day. The day might include visiting with a friend, taking in a museum or local site, sneaking in a good long nap, taking pictures around town, or hanging out at a bookstore/cafe.
• Spend time with a favorite hobby. Or try on a new one for size. I've recently been enjoying creating Treated Text. *More on that later, but for the moment, you can gaze upon an example below.* LOL
• Make concrete plans for a longer, bigger escape -- as in, outside my zip code for several days -- sometime in the near future.
• Count my blessings and list the things I'm grateful for. [I'm putting in a plug for our Year of Gratitude (YOG) blog here since it's befitting. We invite you to visit and check out the thoughts of four women writer friends on the benefits of an attitude of gratitude! http://barbaraquinnyearofgratitude.blogspot.com/]

I'd love to hear your ideas on cheap/free, easy, accessible ways to relax. C'mon, don't be shy! Hope the rest of your day is stress free and wonderful!