In my last post I talked about the friendships I formed through Twitter. I used to think of social media as a chore imposed on me by my publisher. Social? I associate that with fun, and interacting with random strangers wasn’t my idea of fun. Not until I began to understand there were real people attached to those usernames and hashtags did I become a believer. I met these incredible women, fellow authors with whom I could share the joys and frustrations of our chosen profession as well that of our everyday lives. After we all met and bonded in person in New York City in May of last year, I had the idea of us all getting together for a fun “girls” weekend somewhere the following year. I go to my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA every winter to escape the cold and write in solitude, and it occurred to me the beach house my sister and her husband own and so graciously allow me use of for a month each year would be perfect for such a gathering, Thus was planted the seed for what became Beach Babes 2014.
Some higher power decreed it was meant to be, because with five women coming from all parts of the map – New York, Indiana, Toronto, Virginia – there was always the chance of a flight cancellation. In one of the harshest winters in memory, it was like threading the needle to fly out between snowstorms. But everyone made it – Jen, Jules, Sam, Meredith & Francine. And miraculously without so much as a flight delay. No one got sick and no one’s child got sick. Better yet, here in Santa Cruz the weather was sunny with temps in the high 70’s. The three-day weekend was charmed, a magic wand waved over it.
It exceeded my expectations. We laughed and giggled, shared confidences and our most embarrassing moments over bottles of wine. We told stories, snapped group selfies, and collected sand dollars from the beach…and memories for the years to come. Friday night we had dinner at the marvelous restaurant in town, Laili, where my talented niece Cori Goudge-Ayer is head chef. We spent an afternoon strolling around the quaint town of Capitola-by-the-Sea. I learned social media tricks I didn’t know from those who’ve been at it a lot longer than me. Hopefully I imparted a few pearls of wisdom of my own. At one point, with four of us piled on the bed in the master bedroom, we nearly flipped the mattress when we were all sitting too close to the foot. Our squeals and subsequent peals of laughter must have been heard in the next county. In short, it was everything I’d hoped for and then some. We were all genuinely sad to part ways. But I see another Beach Babes weekend in the future, so I chose to think of it as a beginning rather than an ending. Cheers to the Beach Babes!
