Last Day at the Writing Workshop & Snapping Turtle Farm

These past four days at the Writers' Workshop have been incredible. What we are taught and what we have learned cannot be put into a syllabus. Reduced to its essence it amounts to contagious creativity in a safe environment, followed by warm bread slathered in butter. Wonderful! Here's a photo of our group at the end of our session today.

After today's session, I joined several other group members for lunch. Wendy Weldon, also a member of the writers' group and a talented artist, invited us over to her place which she named Snapping Turtle Ranch some years ago. Her property holds her studio, where she lives all summer since she rents out the "main house" in order to pay the taxes and insurance on the place. Wendy is one of many second generation Islanders that struggle to keep property that their parents bought 30 years ago. Of course she sells her paintings and etchings as well, but it's really the summer visitors who keep the place afloat...barely.

While at Wendy's place, we were treated to homemade apple & grape chutney which was spectacular. She also provided hot sauce with the quesadillas that she made from the peppers in her half-acre garden, and beets and tomatoes fresh from the garden. Ardys gave Wendy some pointers on helping her aging cat by providing acupressure points to help release her blocked chi. So many of the Islanders are very open-minded and spiritual people and having an acupuncturist for yourself or an animal communicator on retainer is as normal as having a therapist in Manhattan. I will learn so much this year.