Wineries Tour - September 8

We had a great time on our wineries tour this past Saturday.  Paul and I led fourteen people to four wineries in Lorain and Erie counties, starting with one of the wineries closest to our home:  Klingshirn Winery in Avon Lake. When we arrived, third-generation winemaker Lee Klingshirn was waiting to take us on tour, starting with his vineyards.  We learned everything we could possibly want to know about growing grapes and making wine from Lee, and the lesson continued.  Adam Cawrse at Paper Moon and David Benzing at Vermilion Valley gave us tour-talks, and when we arrived at Matus, Bob Matus took us out back so we could watch them crush the grapes.  We drank wines ranging in color from an almost clear Reflections of Lake Erie white blend to a neon-red dDornfelder. We enjoyed French hybrid wines at Klingshirn, discovered how a new winery makes great wine from California grapes in Ohio, experimented with European viniferas we never heard of, and sipped native labruscas like Niagara and Concord.  The sun came out after a dreary start, which lifted our spirits.  At the end of the tour, everyone said they were looking forward to the next one. Paul and I are too. We'll keep you posted.

Creativity - The Yogic Tradition

Yoga Journal 2007 Daily Om on Creativity:  The truth is, you are not too old, and if you have time to pick up a pen, you have time to make a doodle or write a haiku. Recognize that the obstacles you find before you have arisen from a place of fear and that they will wane in power every time you do something creative. Each creative act takes you deeper into a realm of beauty and magic, a realm that you have every right to return to and reclaim.

Word Lovers - Come to Lakeside the First Weekend in November

Igniting Possibilities announces the Fall 2012 Word Lovers Weekend. Come early on Thursday evening or Friday to work on your writing projects and find time throughout the weekend to commune with the muse. Claudia Taller will lead workshops on John Fox’s Poetic Medicine and University of Iowa Brooks Landen’s video “Building Great Sentences.” Betsy Muller will inspire us to follow our muse and show us how to have fun and get more done. From the first sentence to the last, keep readers riveted to the page with techniques shared by Deanna Adams, who will guide us on how to create memorable fictional characters or make real-life ones come alive with dialogue and sensory connection.

 

It will be a busy weekend at the Idlewyld Bed and Breakfast, but you can join or not join the group at any time. Lakeside is a great place for walking, watching sunsets, seeing a starlit night sky, and relaxing. Stress falls away the minute you enter Lakeside, which provides the scene and background against which we will create, rejuvenate, and connect with our writing, our muse, and each other. Make Lakeside your weekend escape to get some work done in the company of other writers.

Come to Lakeside on Thursday for time to write and stay through Sunday at noon. The retreat officially begins on Friday evening.  Weekend Fees are $89/Saturday, $129/weekend without room, $229/weekend for shared room, and $319/weekend for private room. SIGN UP AND PAY IN FULL BY SEPTEMBER 15 AND SAVE $30 IF YOU’RE STAYING AT THE IDLEWYLD. Rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Hold your spot with a $50 nonrefundable deposit, balance due one month prior to the event. Non-writing guests can stay with a participant by paying $39 for weekend food. Add Thursday night to your stay for an additional $50. Cancellations after October 15 are subject to refund penalties. Reserve your space by contacting Claudia Taller at claudia.taller@yahoo.com.