Day three to day six...4/22/07 - 4/27/07

It would take me days to relay everything that has been going on, so let me just say that it's been filled with laughter, tears, creative energy, new acquaintances, and old friends. We've experienced things we will talk about for a long time to come.

In all of this sensory overload, I have found my own serene and solitary place to dwell amidst the chaos. My mind is pumping like erratic heartbeats absorbing the shock of feeling like I just jumped into a mountain pool, ice layer protecting its frigid liquidity. Words are battling, bumping, grinding into each other fighting for the opportunity to spew "a cappella" first.

I have found my voice, my muse is now flourishing inside of me, fueled by the external stimulation of great minds. I am allowing all of it to swirl to the surface and ultimately escape through every pore, open and ready to grease the slide. I'm ready for the ride. And still, I think of him...

Day two continued...(4/21/07)

We began our trek out of the city, B, K, I, T, G, P, and I were tightly packed in the mini van and ready to enjoy some beautiful scenery across the way. It's about a nine hour drive from Chicago to Lake of the Ozarks. We made a few stops along the way and stopped in Peoria to meet a fellow writer, T. There I was meeting yet another talented artist in the ever growing network of connections gathering from Witer's Cafe. I had to smile for a moment and let out a low chuckle when I saw how people were looking at us. Actually, we did look like a motley crew of strangers breezing into the local gas station to fill up, use the restrooms and buy a few libations! We hung out with T for about an hour before we headed out for the rest of our long journey to "the house."

It wasn't long before we were like kids heading to Wally World and wondering, "are we there yet." After our fourth trip around the lake, and it is a rather large lake, we finally arrived at the house. The nine hour journey had graciously extened itself to fourteen and a half hours.

I couldn't believe what stood before me. The house was amazing. There was plenty of room to stash the influx of writers heading this way. Our first evening was filled with requanting ourselves with old friends. meeting new ones, and strengthening bonds with certain people the connection went deeper with. I loved being surrounded by such an amazing aura.

After much hugging and just an all out glad to be together again party, I headed out to the dock. There was a deep and intense silence and serenity surrounding me. Nightingales sang harmonious tunes and fesh leapt from the water. The moon shone bright light over the water and it all brought tears to my eyes. I never felt so surrounded by loved ones, yet so alone and solitary at the same time. There was a drifting irony to all of it. Here it was Saturday night, or should I say Sundy morning and my thoughts drifted to him...

Day two...(4/21/07)

I walked around the studio marveling at the eclectic artwork all over the walls. The guys that ran the studio were two of the most interesting characters I've met in a long time. I was immediately at ease and very comfortable with the two Chicagoans! The idea of being in the city was a head rush in itself, but there I was in a recording studio with an amazing mix of people.

After wolfing down the Chicago style hotdogs, enjoying some drinks and getting into a relaxed mode, we listened to some of their music, which was fabulous. "Z" set us up for recording time and the excitement grew. There were three of us that recorded and we were mezmerized as we listened to our playbacks and realizing what it meant to hear ourselves in a professional environment. I can't speak for the others, but for me it was a rush and an experience that I definately want to repeat. The whole experience gave me such a sense of understanding where I want to go with my writing. I realized what another writer's retreat related experience this was that would create change in my life yet again.

We stayed at the studio until about 5:00 a.m. before I punked out and said I just had to sleep. I was exhausted, but hung in there until the absolute moment where I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I spent about 20 minutes looking out of a window at an empty lot and the highway just beyond it. I saw more things out of that window in those 20 minutes than I've seen in years out of my own windows. It was a beautiful thing.

We headed back to the hotel and I crashed on the floor by the hotel room door, a smile on my face and a sense of fullness in my heart. I was looking forward to the road trip to Missouri and as I closed my eyes, I felt a sense of peace and fulfillment in the knowledge that my life was going through yet another metamorphisis. I love them all.

Still day one...(4/20/07)

So, I got to Chicago safely and the flight wasn't too bad. O'Hare is a hurge airport, but I made my way to the shuttle service and paid for my ride to the City (downtown). My arrival was awaited by my fellow travellers at the Intercontinental Hotel and I was definately eager,to get there. After being dropped of at the hotel, the elevator couldn't move fast enough to get me to the 24th floor. As the door was opened and I entered the room, I saw familiar faces along with a couple of new ones. The exhiliration of spending time with old and new friends sent rushes through me.

The plan was to stop for something to eat and then head to the studio to do some recording. I was nervous about that since I read like I have a stick up my butt. Gotta learn to relax. So, eventually with everyone excited about the evening, we headed out for some real Chicago style food. Hot dogs with the fixins'. I'd heard you couldn't get them anywhere else like you could in Chicago. It was really cold, coming from Florida I'm sure my teeth were chattering a bit more than others! We stopped at a roadside and ordered our dogs loaded, then headed to the studio. A guy we'd met, I'll call him Z, was definately an interesting character. He was a free spirit if I've ever seen one. Livin' life like life should be lived, free and doing what he loved to do.

It was pretty late by the time we got to the studio and the people I met there were by far and inspiration to continue crawling out of the box I've been living in for so long. They were real people, with real lives, and more in touch with reality than the people I've had to associate with on a regular basis for so long. It was refreshing to say the least. We commenced wolfing down our hotdogs, which were amazing, and just chatted, getting to know each other. The stress and strain of daily ho-hum, humdrum existence got checked at the door, and I got to be me. How refreshing, liberating, and totally eye opening.

It was well after midnight before we got started with the recording and that was an amazing experience, I'll share in the next posting.