Welcome to my new subscribers and to those who have been with me from the beginning. Thanks for your interest in Bernie’s Bookmark.
Four writer friends and I took a ferry to delightful Bald Head Island for a writing retreat. Bald Head is a green paradise in the middle of the Maritime Forest. Twisty little roads are tunnels under canopies of palm, oak trees, and undergrowth. Only golf carts are allowed.
I have driven a golf cart on other stays, but I am rusty. When I took one out a few days ago, I forgot to put it in reverse and ran smack into the front of the garage. A big timber sits there for just such mishaps, and several gouges prove I was not the first. Reversing at last, I fail to stay on the driveway, wander several feet into the vegetation, and hit the post by the road. It, too, bore evidence of past bumps.
Out on the road, the cart accelerates in bursts. I learn to regulate the bursts for a smoother ride. Even though I used Waze, I got lost going and coming from the market. Helpful strangers saved me.
During the days here, we each stake out our work area, and silence reigns; but the air buzzes with creativity. We take a golf cart out for dinner and come back to the house to talk, laugh, and drink wine.
On our last day, we take the ferry back to Southport and say goodbye to Bald Head until next time.
Let’s change the subject now. My upcoming ghost story collection is The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories. In my last blog I gave the name of the title story “The Holy Ghost” as the first title in a little contest. I asked subscribers to guess the setting for the story by the title and write it in the comment section at the end of the blog.
Some good guesses were a church graveyard, an abandoned church, and a monastery. My lovely next door neighbor got it right: a convent. Mary is pictured below. Congratulations, Mary! Thank you all for playing.
This month’s title is “Mote 66.” Guess the setting of this story and put your entry in the comments.
Until next month, keep living your best life and doing what makes you happy.