Going South

Hi all! I am back in the bitterly cold mitten state after spending a few days in the comfortably mild weather of St. Augustine, Florida. I never realized what a fantastic city St. Augustine is. You never really hear much about it, so I didn't know quite what to expect. But I fell in love with this town!

For one thing, it seemed like everyone had a dog; everywhere I looked, I saw people of all ages walking dogs of all sizes. The restaurants and bars all seemed to have vegetarian options, and not just the standard veggie burger and fries, or some sort of pasta dish- nope, these dining establishments offered a multitude of vegetarian dishes, from the avocado-provolone cheese sandwich I had for lunch at a bar (they also had three tofu meals on the menu!), to the Mozzacado Sandwich at Cafe Eleven I wished I could have tried (I ran out of days!) We also ate at the amazing restaurant, The Columbia, and they had three different vegetarian dishes. So, just these two things alone are enough to make me want to pick up house and move on down. But besides this, the people are so laid back, mellow, and friendly- it seemed like just the type of community I want to be part of.

The above picture was taken at the Mi Casa Cafe on St. George Street, where dad and I had lunch. I enjoyed a glass of Pinot Grigio while singing along to the folk tunes sung by Mike Sweet, who had great shoes! I love his peace sign Converse!!

The real purpose this trip, or adventure weekend as dad and I referred to it, was to attend a writing workshop led by our favorite author Connie May Fowler! The workshop focused on writing a novel- how to begin, different trouble spots to watch out for, and what to do when you finish your novel. Dad and I spent Saturday in the Treehouse on the beach, in a living room with 18 other people, and Connie May! We were excited to just be in the same room as Connie May, much less to be learning from her.

The day was informative, inspiring, motivating, everything I hoped it would be! Connie May Fowler is the sweetest woman, just as you would imagine from reading her novels. And if you haven't read them, I insist that you do. My personal favorite is Remembering Blue. (If you do read her, I would love to hear what you think!)

Our fellow writers all lived in Florida, most of them from the very area the workshop was being held. Dad and I definitely came the furthest. It was interesting to just hear the stories of the people in the room with us, not the ones that they are writing, but to hear about their own experience, or lack of (such as with dad and I). Everyone was so gracious, and I enjoyed meeting everyone in the room. The group was so diverse, I couldn't help but think that the day could be a setting for a novel itself. There was a journalist, a writer in residence, the woman almost finished with her novel who had an upcoming deadline, the nature/hiker non-fiction writer there was the retired couple who live on the beach who had an interest in Florida history and children's books, the editor/publisher, the mother/gardener, the poet, the doctorate-therapist, the physical therapist, the memoir lady with the sweet voice,the romance writer, and us- dad and I, myself being the photographer/writer, and my father the principal with ADD. A great cast of characters to spend a rainy day on the beach with. It was a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget.