A Tumble of Creativity for Retreat Tuesday

Tuesday breaks gorgeous. Following a calming yoga session down by the lake, we gather round the breakfast table and munch ~ between smiles.

We have a jam packed day with wide variety and some of my very favorite processes. Jean leads off with a mesmerizing contour drawing process. Now I love this exercise when I can totally give myself to the moment. But ... durn ... this year my brain kept chattering. So this years image was scattered and spotty. When I'd finished the initial image I felt I'd best go in and explain some of the significance in my confusion. I still love the rich memories that flood back with this on site meditation  Here's some of us punctuated among-st the shore line.


Our amazing Chef Izzy has given us the option of learning how to "pull the feather" from our soon-to-be-dinner squid. We learned that this feather-like, transparent spine must be removed for cooking. Delicately Izzy demonstrated how to tenderly pull the very breakable item from inside the floppy squid. I was successful at getting mine out without breaking the spine. Here I've mounted it for posterity in my journal. A very different experience for me!

Following a tantalizing lunch, we head to the Sequoia Cabin for some studio work. Delving into our "Animal Mandalas" touches an inner place in me, and usually when I witness how it speaks to the other participants, I'm quite moved. This year I was given a "Chipmunk". When I'd completed my research around this lil' guy, I knew how appropriate he was to me for where I am in my life. And off I trotted creating this delightful mandala (don't worry, I did further research for image references once I got home to finish it up like this!). But I smile each time I see this busy lil' guy and all he represents to me.

Our final journal work for the afternoon came out to look like this for me. This writing process is always fun and has become more frivolous each time I do it. Then, once home I find an illustration to accompany the deeper meaning of the words. I loved this in-flight swan ... with his secret message.

But do you think our activities are over? Heck no!! We'd planned on dining around the campfire followed by our musical Beth, pulling out her guitar for singing around the cozy fire. With thunderous cumulus clouds traveling overhead we decided to eat in the cabin but, launched out to our proposed fire site after dinner. What a riot! Old songs we'd not heard in years and then, getting everyone to sing and laugh at the harmonies. With great melancholy we finally doused the fire and returned to our cabins for a satiated nights slumber.

Can tomorrow be even better? Wait and see . . .