Retreat Pics

I promised pictures, and finally someone with a brain in their head who remembered a camera posted theirs. First up: view from the back of the house. Can you see the little valley back there?

It was very foggy out. Made for a dreamy, Wuthering Heights feel:

Here are some shots of the house:

The fireplace was huge and the picture doesn't do the size justice. It was cool up in the "mountains" so we kept the fire going all day.

Here's the Beersheba Springs museum, which chronicles some of the community's past. Among other things there's a room in the back kind of like a kitchen. They've got a table set with what looks like Sunday dinner china, and one of the things on the table is a lantern. Without electricity they'd need light to eat by. I also saw a match holder nailed to the wall by the door. Things we no longer think about...

Finally, there really were people at the retreat.

Below is Alf, our gracious host. Behind him is Marcia, our fearless leader who organized the retreat. The whole gang is gathered, minus Jennie Fields, who took all these lovely photos and kindly shared them.

The Treat in Retreating

Had a great time over the past weekend. I went on a knitting retreat.

Yup, that's right. Knitting. Retreat.


Eight women, fabulous house, breathtaking scenery, and knitting needles.



There is really nothing like going away with women. I didn't know half of them when I got there, but I sure do now. We each prepared a meal, and it was all delicious. We knit, showed off some of our finished pieces, exchanged patterns. And talked, talked, talked. Sigh. What could be better?

Now if I was writing a book about the weekend, one of the women would have just been diagnosed with cancer, one's marriage would secretly be crumbling, one would have just lost her job, which was her sole identity. There would be a bitch, and an overly optimistic person. There would be tension and drama and in the end everyone would have learned something.

Thank God my weekend wasn't in that book. The only thing I learned were some new knitting patterns.



The fabulous house is in Beersheba Springs, TN, and was graciously lent to us by its owner. For those of you who aren't native, let me explain that Beersheba is pronounced BURshiba, and you kind of run the syllables together. The house had an incredible view of a picture perfect valley nestled against a foothill of trees that were just beginning to turn gold and red. As usual, I forgot my camera, but some of the other ladies took photos and as soon as they get them posted I'll put some up. In the meantime, here's what those hills looked like from our back porch:

Not bad, huh?

Beersheba Springs (pop. 500 as of 2000) was built up in the mid-nineteenth century by a Louisiana slave trader and later used by others to escape the heat and yellow fever of the low lands. The only hotel was wrecked by irregulars during the Civil War and though it was rebuilt it never achieved its prewar success. It's now part of the Methodist Assembly that seems to be the bread and butter of the town. But the 19th century layout of the town remains the same and there are some beautiful cottage-style houses there.

So for those of you who are stressed out, I recommend de-stressing with friends and strangers who can become friends. Oh, and don't forget the knitting.