All Aboard and Full Speed Ahead

Waiting at the station for the train to arrive, my anticipation grows.

The last time I visited Colorado it was driving across country with a U-Haul full of furniture, moving my family from South Carolina to Oregon on our own version of the Oregon Trail. We skirted Denver for the most part and passed through without much of a glance towards our surroundings. My little 4-cylinder struggled terribly with the mountains, and it was all I could do to concentrate on the road before me, anxiety spiked high. I remember seeing a sign for Grand Junction and not much else.

Not much of a visit at all.

Now as I stand on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, my excitement grows at the realization that I’ll have a full afternoon and evening to explore the city. That after a magical ride across Utah and into Colorado on a train as I work on my novel. Perhaps the scenery will even give me some inspiration to pause for poetry. Either way, the creative side of my brain is filled with thoughts of what wonders will come to thrill my senses. They run through me like a dog with the zoomies and I can practically smell the pine trees, envision the colors that explode in the north. “Will there still be snow?” I wonder.

My mouth waters as my thoughts turn to a hot cup of coffee as I settle down to write my next chapters to the gentle rocking of the train.

This is how my year of creativity begins and 2025 will be filled with different writer’s retreats as varied as the places I will be visiting or the works of writing, art, and otherwise that I’ll complete as the year draws to a close.

Summer will bring trips to the various coffee shops around the city where I live, several of which cater specifically to writers and are attached to prolific bookshops filled with local talent. Some of our local museums open their doors for free from time to time to local poets, artists, and authors so I’ll take advantage of those experiences this year.

There are several beautiful locations up in the mountains where it will be cooler during the summer months, and I’ll take the RV up there to camp. It is so relaxing and inspiring to write while surrounded by woodpeckers, inquisitive ground squirrels, and wild horses. Hopefully, we’ll also be able to do some camping during the spring so I can experience and capture the beauty of the desert in full, colorful bloom. Perhaps we’ll even have a large family of bighorn sheep or wild donkeys come to visit the campsite again.

This will also be the time when we redesign my writing and creative space. The studio is currently a little austere as it was originally thrown together as a space to finish my degree and simply to store my sewing machine. Now that I’ve been doing a lot more writing, thanks in part to my Vocal membership and the amazing Challenges that keep my thoughts flowing, the space is in desperate need of an overhaul.

We will be adding additional storage space, swapping out some furniture for better offerings that actually match the room. My husband is even planning to build a folding worktable that will provide me a space for an indoor mural that will provide visual inspiration as the year moves forward, while also providing some recessed storage space. We’ll add a small couch for those days when I need a more relaxed spot for writing, reading, or pondering the universe’s secrets. Finally, we’ll get some of the art I have stacked in a closet up on the walls to provide additional inspiration for all the creativity that will be born in this space.

The fall will bring the annual Book Festival and a Writer’s Convention where I will network further with some publishing houses to discuss some finished works. While I’ve already published short stories, essays, and poetry via my Vocal platform and some articles via magazines, I hope to make this the year that I finally publish my first full novel. I am already preparing some short stories featuring some of the characters for sharing on the Vocal+ feature Exclusive Stories.

The year will begin to wind down as fall rolls into winter with a cruise through the Panama Canal. I’ll spend sixteen days on a cruise ship with a full art studio, a small library with writing tables, and a series of offered crafts. A full eleven of those days will be at sea allowing plenty of time for working on the completion of my novel (or novels), poetry, and perhaps some exclusive short stories to upload to Vocal+.

The final big journey of my 2025 writer’s retreats will begin in Seattle, home of Starbucks, and will include perhaps a visit to their roastery for a special coffee to kick-start the creative juices. Then we’re off to sea for four days of ocean inspiration with some painting and craft projects to break up any writer’s block.

Day five brings us to Cabo San Lucas and a visit to a favorite restaurant there, where again, I’ll fill my senses with inspiration through the sounds of the mariachi and the brightly colored works of the local artisans. I can already taste the molcajete and margarita! My mouth watering at the explosion of sweet, salty, and savory flavors as the flowers surrounding the outdoor patio fill me with their gentle aromas.

Another three days and we’ll stop in Costa Rica for some physical activity and exploration. Perhaps I’ll see some sloths in their natural habitat and spark some more poetry. The zip-lining across the canopies of the local rainforest will surely give my imagination some well-earned fuel, whether for my novel, for a poem or two, or for some short stories will remain to be seen.

Just one more day on the water before we begin our Panama Canal Transit, and my more scientific and engineering side gets its thrill. How will this experience affect me and my writing? What research or books of South American history will I lose myself in?

We’ll have one day to explore the beautiful walled city of Cartagena, Columbia and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas fortress. Maybe these will inspire another short story similar to The Longest Day. Perhaps will spend a few hours on the beaches of Bocagrande or take a boat out to the islands for more thrills for my senses.

Then it will be three more days at sea, finishing up whatever stories, poems, artwork, or craft I’ve been working on before landing in New Orleans, a city filled with beautiful architecture and a treasure trove of history. I can’t wait to explore her famous graveyards with a bag of beignets and a hot cup of chicory coffee. Ah! The scents of this old city thrill me already.

We’ll bring the year to a full close with some trips to Arizona, Utah, or California. Allowing me to write as my husband drives us to visit our children and grandchildren for the holidays.

The train whistle sounds, and I find myself brought back to the present as it pulls into the station and the conductor yells “All aboard!”

All aboard indeed and full speed ahead into 2025. New year, new projects, and new venues for creativity and inspiration!