End of the Tour

By Liz Adair

When the pilot announced that the weather in Seattle was sixty-five degrees and rain, the parched cells in my skin and lips shouted hallelujah for the impending moisture and coolness. Though I didn’t mind leaving behind the heat and zero humidity of Phoenix, I was sorry to have my tour come to an end. I had traveled no farther than the Mogollon Rim, yet I had visited cities, parks and manors beyond compare at the ANWA retreat.

I hope you won’t mind if I share my travel pictures with you. I have them right here—my mental snapshots of the retreat. They include:

• Anna and Kay reciting poetry
  
• Becky and Mischa’s class on plot—new for me: start with a setting
  
• Lorna’s admonition about critiques—remember, two positives first
  
• Marsha’s class on dialogue—thanks for the reminder about if a quote runs two paragraphs, don’t close the quote at the end of the first
  
• Sheri’s joyful dedication to her fitness program. Go Sheri! You are an example to us all
  
• Becky and Mischa introducing me to letterboxing. I tucked that away to use sometime in a plot
  
• Listening to Cindy play the harp—just the right touch for a heavenly weekend
  
• Connie playing the piano whilst ably carrying the lead as we worked our spontaneous way through the hymnbook
  
• Anna’s class on poetry and my reacquaintance with “On His Blindness”
  
• Watching Julia and Sisiley engage in the process, and understanding that the force for good in future literature is in capable hands
  
• Watching the faces of the sisters as they talked about their work: Marsha’s scene about the runaway wagon, Betsy’s solution to the identity problem, Joan’s intriguing Book of Mormon premise, Connie’s romance that began at the fifteen-items-or-less grocery line, Terri’s mystery about the runaway, Gertrude’s journey to empowerment, Theresa’s re-worked intro about the evil in the shadows, Lorna’s Seattle murder mystery
  
• Ina with her birding binoculars and her joy in caring for the earth
  
• The generous, thoughtful and invaluable critique Connie and Becky gave to my class.
• Karen Beals looking like a serene Madonna
• Melinda and Cindy giggling far into the night and being hushed by the teenagers

The snapshot I will carry with me in the wallet of my heart is the one from the balcony on Friday night. Mindful of my body’s rebellious nature when deprived of rest, I went to bed a little past ten. As I looked down on the hardy Writer-Owls collected in several groups, I could hear the murmur of multiple manuscripts (how about that for alliteration?) being read aloud to one or more attentive listeners. Other W-O’s were hunched over laptops or notebooks, furiously plying their craft. Before I went to sleep, I gave thanks for the privilege and honor of participating with such dedicated, gifted, and charitable women, my ANWA sisters.

Edited to add two more snapshots.