Taking a ferry across the Great Lake was a fun adventure that gave me time to talk to my friends on our way to the conference. But more importantly, it gave me bragging rights. During talks between sessions, during lunch meetings and leisurely dinners, I’d drop the phrase casually, “Oh, we arrived by boat.”
Many of my colleagues were envious, particularly those who had taken the long drive around the lake. The fast ferry crosses in 2 ½ hours; the drive around the lake takes considerably longer.
On Sunday, after the conference was over and it was time to go home, we returned to the ferryboat. I’d come down with a bad cold, and we were all sleep-deprived from a conference where there are just too many good things to choose from. The wind generated by the movement of the boat was terrific, so we found a place where we could sit on the deck, out of the wind. The sunshine poured onto us, the heat relaxing our bodies, and it wasn't long before I noticed that my friends had stopped talking and drifted off to sleep.
4 comments:
Ha! The deck of a ferryboat can be surprisingly comfortable. As long as you don't get seasick, that is.
The boat was rocking back and forth. Artist Friend and I both took dramamine -- which probably contributed to our sleepiness.
They don't have an indoor area?
How odd.
So was this a writers' conference? I'm really looking forward to attending my first of those!
BB: Oh, they had an indoor area -- that's where everyone else was. But I wanted to be outside.
It was an academic conference -- mostly college professors. I'll be going to AWP in March though -- any chance you'll be coming to that?
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