Saturday, October 6, 2012

Weekend of the Bloggers Six

It was actually Deb's idea that we get together - she writes the blog Catbird Scout.  We met at a Starbucks in Vancouver a couple of months ago. We compared the blogs we followed and developed a short list of ladies we might invite to a weekend gathering. I sent out an email, and within a couple of weeks we had six "yes" responses, a date - the weekend of October 5 - and a place - Lavender Hill Farm on Vashon Island, across the water from Seattle.

We arrived in two cars. DJan - of the blogs D-Janity and Eye on the Edge - and Jann of Benchmark 60 came to my house, and we carpooled to Seattle.  Deb and Sandi - who writes Flying Into the Light - drove north from Vancouver together.  Both groups got thoroughly lost between their points of origin and the Fauntleroy-Vashon Island ferry, arriving two hours later than expected.

I was one of the hapless drivers. I've lived in the Seattle area for 25 years but was unable to navigate the 20-minute route between the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where we picked up Sally - who writes Retired English Teacher and flew in from Colorado Springs - and the ferry. As a former type-A personality and perpetual achiever, it was a humbling experience. In our car we had two iPhones, a GPS and a MapQuest printout. We trusted the electronic devices; we should have relied upon the printout.

So here we are. Three of us prepared a Friday night meal of butternut ravioli, veggies and salad and a berry dessert. We had a great Saturday breakfast at The Hardware Store in Vashon, explored the Saturday Farmer's Market, drove to Robinson Point Light Station to walk on the driftwood-strewn beach. All along we're talking - as a group or in pairs or trios. Back at Lavender Hill, we visited an estate sale or sat on the porch. And a long afternoon with the six of us on the porch until the afternoon chill chased us indoors again.

About each other before this weekend, we knew only what each of us had blogged; what we knew we had in common was professional women at or near retirement. We'd followed each other's blogs for the most part. More than half of us have lost a child.  All but one of us live in the Pacific Northwest. Four of us are educators.

Now we know more. We've had conversations about things not in our blogs. We have more in common than we knew. We feel more connected now than we did before this weekend.

Next year we want to meet again. Maybe in Colorado. Maybe we'll make a longer list and send an email to a few more women.


14 comments:

Linda Hoye said...

Oh what fun!

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

Such a wonderful experience. I follow most of you, so I know there is a lot of wisdom and thoughtfulness within that group. Enjoy!

Out on the prairie said...

A fun time it sounds

marciamayo said...

What a great experience! Even the getting lost becomes part of the shared story.

Linda Reeder said...

It's good to hear from you. As one who turned down the invitation, I see what I am missing. But no regrets. It's the middle of the night as I read this and i can't sleep because I am too exhausted, I guess. There were ten of us around the dinner table and I spent most of the day cooking and setting up. I really need to go back to bed! I'm enjoying the weekend reports. I've heard from DJan and now you.

Suzanne said...

Of this group, I only follow you and DJan but will now check out the other blogs. Thanks for sharing the who's who. Such a nice idea - glad you are all enjoying each other.

Rosaria Williams said...

Oh, you lucky ladies!

Rian said...

Everything about your weekend sounds wonderful. I'm so glad that you got to do this. And more so, that the six of you actually did it! It'll be something you will always remember.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely weekend for all of you. I enjoy meeting bloggers, too.

Jenn Flynn-Shon said...

Its so much fun to discover all the things you have in common with the bloggers you meet! I've got a few very close friends who I met when I first started blogging over 5 years ago. We all had a mutual obsession for a popular musician but that was the smallest thing that tied us together. These women are amazing, wonderful and extraordinary people that I'm proud to have spent time with and even more proud to call friends.

Sounds like you ladies had a fantastic time! What a nice idea getting together once a year!

Perpetua said...

That sounds such fun, Linda. Back in the spring I met up with two individual bloggers on different occasions and we got on so well and had such a great time. Long may your group flourish!

Galen Pearl said...

What fun! I met two bloggers last summer and we had a wonderful time. I like everything you described about your weekend. That food sounds delicious! And the company even better.

Sandi said...

What a wonderful weekend it was! Thanks for finding the farmhouse. I can't imagine a more perfect place, can you?

Deb Shucka said...

I love that we'll have these posts to go back to, along with all the wonderful pictures, to remind ourselves of the magic of our weekend. Maybe we should meet for coffee again and see what magic comes of the second time. :-)