I left early Thursday morning in light snow to travel west to my weekend retreat. These retreats are to quote a friend who was there, are like family reunions but with people who aren’t related. This one was smaller and I got to know a few folks who were only names and faces at the other larger ones. Because this retreat was in Jonesborough, TN, many of the folks that attend these events live there, or within an hour of there, so we had a variety of drop ins for a morning or afternoon, and the organizer couple, plus 4 or 5 that were there most of the weekend. We had real snow, a few inches worth on Friday and it was beautiful, and warm enough that it didn’t stay on the roads for more than an hour.
We had dyeing lessons, fleece scouring lessons, machine carding reminders, knitting, weaving, socializing.
Today when I left for home, it was sunny and mid 50s. My car stayed parked at the B & B where 3 of us stayed all weekend. It was only a few blocks walk to the event location. When I got ready to move my frosted over car this morning to the site so I could pack up my wheel and basket of fiber, I noticed a very low tire. Before I packed up, I pulled out the little compressor that runs on the car battery and reinflated the tire, but it took so long that the compressor drained the battery enough that the car wouldn’t start. I got jumped, loaded and headed for home around 1 p.m. It is just about a 3 hour trip if uneventful. There was a wicked accident just after I got back into Virginia. A large pickup truck looked like King Kong had grabbed the front and back bumpers and twisted it and a flat bed tow truck was way up the embankment skewered by a tree. That had brought traffic to a very slow stop and go roll and added some travel time.
Looking at my weekend’s production, it looks like I spent more time socializing than spinning or knitting.
There was too much good food, too much junk food, lots of laughs, hugs, and fun. I am renewed, restored, and ready to return to routine. I so appreciate my love being willing to stay and critter sit so I can do this a couple times a year.