Deja Vu

I just want to start by saying "I had nothing to do with either fire alarm at the last two retreats I've attended!" . . . just so you know.

Yep . . . it happened again!  This time though it was 6:40 a.m.  When I turned on the bathroom light to take a shower, the florescent lights barely came on . . . not really enough light to see very well.  I left my nightlight on and the entry light on and left the bathroom door opened to give me a bit more light.  I was in the shower when this deep sounding hum began.  I thought it was water pipe noise.  When I turned the shower off  the hum continued.  What in the world is that noise?!  It didn't really sound like a fire alarm.  I didn't smell smoke . . . doors were slamming in the hallway . . . so I dressed as quickly as I could . . . I don't care if there are flames lapping at the door, I'm not running out in a towel!  My room was at the end of the hall near a staircase (I was on the 5th floor) down I went and out the exit door, wound my way around the back of the building across a leaf covered walkway and down some leaf covered uneven steps to the street (the hotel is built on a hillside).  The exit was probably more dangerous than staying in the building!

Up pulled the firetrucks!  People milling around in various stages of dress . . . some PJs and robes.  (I don't bring my bathrobe when I travel . . . takes up too much suitcase space!)  It was still chilly and dark outside so I headed to our retreat room (in a separate building across the street from the hotel) and thought I might as well stitch.  Several other retreat goers had the same idea.

Turned out that a couple of transformers had blown and the hotel was on generator power.  That explained the low lights in my room.  Not sure why that would cause the fire alarm to go off, but it did.  Blue lights were flashing across the lake and we thought that might be the area of the transformers.  It turned out that a car had gone off the bridge and into the lake!  Related to the transformers?  Don't know.

Elevators were out for a bit . . . lobby on the 2nd floor . . . dinning hall on the 3rd floor . . . sleeping room on the 5th floor.  With all the snacks that our group brought, the morning stair workout was a blessing in disguise!

We got the all clear and headed for breakfast and a return to our normal retreat routine which is:
Breakfast, Stitch, Snack, Stitch, Lunch, Stitch, Snack, Stitch, Dinner, Stitch, Snack, Stitch, Snack, Stitch, Sleep, with a lot of talking and laughing sprinkled in there, Repeat.  Some of us do take some time to walk around the lake or a trip to the local quilt shop, but basically it's stitching, talking, laughing and eating!

We had the same space as last year for sitting and stitching and/or quilt making with a great view of the lake.  There were 30 of us spread out around the room with our various projects.

We also had a surprise engagement shower for one of our members complete with veil, a "handmade" wedding dress and a bouquet to throw (or hand to someone as was the case)!

We had crisp mornings with warming afternoons . . . a little shower . . . some strong wind . . . overall, typical fall weather at Lake Junaluska, NC.

 

I did finish Plum Street's - Jingle, Jingle and found the perfect fabric at the quilt shop to finish it as a pillow.  I'm sure I have some tiny rusty bells somewhere too!

And I made some good progress on Blackbird Designs - Where My Heart Blooms (Loose Feathers Pattern 29).  (No, I didn't work on my EGA projects . . . surprised?)

My creative soul is replenished for now . . . can't we do this more often?  I could really get onboard with a quarterly retreat schedule!!!!  Any takers?

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