Thursday, February 08, 2018

2/8/18 Maybe my life IS an adventure after all

I'm in Vermont at a Writers' Retreat. However, getting here fills the requirement of being an adventure. I left Quincy, IL yesterday morning quite early, after bidding a tearful farewell to my animals, even knowing the house sitter loved them and would take good care of them.

So my flight from Quincy to Chicago was uneventful. My flight from Chicago to Boston was cancelled because of weather and we had to go on a later flight. I'd paid for Economy Plus because I wanted to be able to get out of the plane quickly and be able to make my next flight. So on the new flight to Boston they had me in the back of the plane. I went to a customer service person and explained my plight, and for an additional $25 I got First Class. It really was a treat. They even had a ton of vegan choices for snacks. I had barbecue chickpeas and cocoa-dusted almonds. Yum.

I shouldn't have hurried to get out of the plane. After all, the flight to Rutland, Vermont was going to leave in 10 minutes, and I was sure there was no way I could make it. But another customer service person said, "All flights are delayed because of the weather."

Hope springs eternal. Right?

So I walked as fast as these short old legs would carry me. Turns out that Cape Air was in another terminal and it meant I needed to go outside of security and then back through it again. Yeah, I was getting irritated, not to mention breathless.

I get to Cape Air and there's a sign that said, "Because of weather, all evening flights are cancelled."

When I was finally able to breathe, I said a bad word. Then I said out loud, "I wonder if I can sleep here tonight."

A lady stopped and said, "They won't let you do that."

"Thanks," I said, and smiled. After all, I wasn't serious about sleeping there, but she didn't know that.

There was a sign saying, "Need help?"

I thought, I sure do. And I followed the directions to a kind gentleman who told me which hotels had free shuttles and how far away each one was, as well as the cost of each. I chose the cheapest that I knew was still decent (Holiday Inn Express), and when I got there I ordered a huge Chinese meal to be delivered. The tofu, vegetables, and hot sauce were tremendous.

Then I thought I needed a little culture, and watched Big Brother Celebrity Edition. I was thoroughly cultured by the time it was over.

This morning I hopped a flight to Rutland, VT without incident. Jill, the manager, picked me up and drove me the 45 minutes to the When Words Count Retreat Center in Rochester.

It is GORGEOUS, you guys. The house is very old, and each room is named for a famous writer. I'm writing in the Gertrude Stein salon. My bedroom (the Fitzgerald) is so beautiful and has a private bath and a huge desk. Here's a picture of my bed and the view out my window.




I just got here and am already writing. But before writing I did have a delightful lunch with two other writers, as I wait for my friend Nancie to arrive. She has an even bigger adventure to share and I hope she does. I'll try to get her permission to post it here. It's a doozy. 

No comments: