The Retreat Wednesday to Remember

Wednesday blossomed with glorious sunshine and dancin’ cumulus clouds. Finally, with the ground dry enough, we actually were able to do our yoga on the quiet lake shore. With a breakfast of Cheesy Spinach & Chicken Frittatas from Chef Izzy rounding our tummies, we are ready for the day.

Our morning processes were inward looking. We began with a calming, centering Buddhist Meditation on the warm deck. Ahhhhhhhhh, the sheer pleasure to one’s senses just relaxing into the fresh mountain air.

Next, Jean led us in the “Cut Up Memory Walk”. In silence, we all move to secluded areas we select outside then, return to finish up the experience in our journals. Jean, as usual, is having fun here! We also catch our Chef Izzy, who was in our adjacent cabin and had apparently completed lunch prep, allowing her some relaxing horizonal time on the deck.

The completed journal pieces varied in deliciousness. With mine, I’d saved all my recent birthday cards and incorporated them into this process. One of the “expressions” I’d used that felt particulary inventive was the golden colored thread weaving thru the air. What this represented in my experience outside was the scent of curry, as Chef Izzy simmered our evening curry sauce!!

This lil' fish sequence formulated at the last minute. I found this piece of bark that so much looked like a fish and that stirred my memory of smiling over Cookie's collection (which she'd offered up to all of us) of teeny lil' creatures - - I remembered the tiny fish. He had to be eaten my my "big fish". You'll also see a teeny moose up near the mountains, top left. Again, this page evolved as it only could have at the retreat with the very special mix of women there.

With a fabulous lunch of Grilled Chicken, Chickpea, Cauliflower and Spinach Salad, tossed with Smoked Salmon and Vegan Caesar Dressing fueling us, we launced into a rather complicated exercise, “Stitching into Journals”. I gave more extensive examples of sewing flat, embroidered or here, 3-dimensional objects into your journal. This was a piece I’d made ahead of time, so the stitiching could go quickly in the demo. Notice the numerous pages I need to cut “windows” thru so that my piece wouldn’t have pressure upon it when the journal pages closed.

Our evening relaxed into satisifaction as re-lived the day, chattered about processes and, of course, relished that “Tofu Curry” over your selection of Steamed Brown Rice or Udon Noodles. What a yummy day!