Shelter Island Harbor – Another Retreat

Shelter Island Harbor – Another Retreat

This time, we left on Friday afternoon. After way too much traffic, we finally pulled in, got the key to the boat, and headed straight to Filippi’s. Here’s a photo of the cool wine glasses…

The glasses hold roughly 4 ounces.

The glasses hold roughly 4 ounces.

After pizza and salad and wine, we headed to the boat and collapsed. No, we hung out on deck for a bit, and THEN collapsed, lol.

Where we collapsed. No, we didn't leave it wide open all night.

Where we collapsed. No, we didn’t leave it wide open all night.

The next morning, the hubs had work to do on the boat and I went to see my dad. We had a lovely time, sitting and talking and picking lemons and tomatoes and just in general enjoying each other’s company. He’s feeling MUCH better – had a lung x-ray on Friday to make sure the pneumonia is all gone. We talked, laughed, had lunch together, and I fixed his signature lines on his email. Then he seemed tired, so I went to Starcrafts to spend time with Teresa and her sis, Donna. Spent a couple hours there (and had to buy stuff, seriously that shop is FUN) and had some time with Teresa that kind of blew my mind. She’s a spirit medium, you see, and – well, I’ll keep it to myself. But if you ever need to see a spirit medium, I highly recommend her.

So, I finally get back to the boat, change clothes and head up top with a small glass of wine. I hear such a ruckus that Tom passes me my camera, and I spend the next – gee, almost an hour – taking photos. Here’s why…

This guy was cleaning fish. Then tossing the offal into the water.

The guys on this boat caught 13 yellowtail. BIG fish.

The guys on this boat caught 13 yellowtail. BIG fish.

The seagulls caught on…

Seagulls fighting over a slab of mostly yellowtail tuna skin with a bit of flesh on it.

Seagulls fighting over a slab of mostly yellowtail tuna skin with a bit of flesh on it.

And then another player came into the game.

The seal takes charge.

The seal takes charge.

The seal would grab the slab of fish and dive with it. The birds would mill around for a bit, and without warning the seal would come up and fling it a good ten feet away – the birds would swarm, grab it, tear it, and the seal would come up from underneath them and scare them away – which enabled him to bring it up and fling it again. Was he playing with the seagulls? It certainly looked that way!

Until a no-nonsense bird landed, and decided to take over at the source.

The boss flew in to make sure he was doing it right.

The boss flew in to make sure he was doing it right.

Needless to say, this bird got his food.

Taking it from the seal...

Taking it from the seal…

Then it became a free-for-all, with the birds and the seal playing catch (or was that hide n’ seek?) – fun stuff!

Playing hide n' seek...

Playing hide n’ seek…

But the seal tended to win…

The seal won this round...until he flung this piece of fish to the birds.

The seal won this round…until he flung this piece of fish to the birds.

…unless the pelican did.

Pelican for the win! The seal did NOT get this piece of fish back.

Pelican for the win! The seal did NOT get this piece of fish back.

So I basked in the frolicking of nature (with a helping hand from man, flinging yellowtail into the water) and took over 400 photos. I was also lucky enough to get splashed by the seal! Or maybe it was another seal…there were two there, by the end of the evening. My guess is the seal had hidden some fish bits down toward the bottom, where the seabirds would not go.

All in all, it was a wonderful ending to an amazingly emotional day. Here’s another cool photo…

Dinosaur? Or...

Dinosaur? Or…

Tom and I ate, and drank wine, and at the end of our day, we were greeted with this lovely creature. Luckily we had the camera with us, which is NOT normal…

The Great Blue Heron. They like to haunt the piers around Shelter Cove Marina - there are four or five of them who are there before full sunrise, and always after sunset.

The Great Blue Heron. They like to haunt the piers around Shelter Cove Marina – there are four or five of them who are there before full sunrise, and always after sunset.

So even though the drive back took us almost as long as the drive there, I feel refreshed. I needed this break, and thanks to our lovely friend and my lovely husband, I got it.

May you take a break in your daily routine when you really need it. And maybe when you don’t. Sending love and hugs out to the Universe! What an amazing planet we live on!

~oOo~

 

 

 

My Adventurous Weekend

My Adventurous Weekend

It was not quite a Retreat For One, but it was close. Unfortunately, this morning I am racing against the clock to get everything done and to work on time (too late!), so all I’m posting is this one photo and a teaser…

Photo taken by Tom Ashworth

Photo taken by Tom Ashworth

My Adventure really started very close to home, took almost six hours, and has changed my mind about how to get to the airport from now on. Any guesses? Most creative answer will WIN something! (Don’t know what yet, but it will be something, lol!)

~ Until the next time, cheers! ~

~oOo~

Demon Soul and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle and Kobo! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?

A Retreat For One

A Retreat For One

When was the last time you went on a retreat? By yourself? With no agenda, but just to be?

This would be such a blast!

This would be such a blast!

I can’t remember. All my travels have a purpose – writing conferences, mostly. Or vacations with the hubby, or visiting the family, or writing retreats with friends. But take ME on a retreat, with nothing planned? I am having difficulty wrapping my brain around it.

(I will say the closest I come to having gone on a retreat was when I visited Tehachapi, last December. I stayed with my brother and his gal, and had a wonderful time with no real purpose behind it, other than helping out some friends.)

Leonie Dawson put this thought into my head with her post about her retreat. Now, she has a 3 year old, and I don’t; so she had anxieties about leaving home that I don’t have. (My anxieties are much weirder uh, different.) But where should I go?

Or camping. By myself. Well, maybe not...

Maybe camping. By myself? Well, maybe not…

Aside from where to go, the other question lingers in my mind. What would I do on a solo retreat? Leonie’s retreat didn’t quite go as she had planned, but it was just what she needed. Three nights and days of solitude and the sea and sunshine, which refreshed her and refilled her creative well.

My circumstances are a bit different, and I won’t be planning any three-night stays in a b&b on an ocean cliffside any time soon. (Or on a Boat, Bed and Breakfast…) But I really want to go on a retreat, so I am going to start small. I won’t be all alone, but I’ll have my days free and I won’t be at home for two nights. Two absolute musts, as far as I’m concerned.

I shall go prepared, but without plans. Which means I’ll take my camera and my computer and my drawing stuff, and see what happens. And I’ll meet up with my man at nights for a yummy dinner and great discussion about what we did that day, plus the comfort of not sleeping alone.  Sooo…

Back to Shelter Island Marina go I! Woo!

Back to Shelter Island Marina go I! Woo!

But before I can go, I need to get the Guitar book edited and off to the publisher (fingers crossed). Which means I need to hustle! The last thing I want is to have a deadline looming over me while on a retreat. That is NOT relaxing, lol!

(By the way, welcome to the new look of the blog! My thanks to Kristen Lamb for the new tagline.)

Have you ever gone on a retreat by yourself, with no plans in place? Does that sound like
something you would ever do? If so, where would you go? How long would you go for?

~oOo~

Thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time, cheers!