We gathered August 9-11 at Ronora Lodge and Retreat Center, Watervliet Michigan. We enjoyed the spacious Cherry Wood House, a new modern, accessible facility!
This weekend "back to the land" on the 400+ acres of woodland and lake within the spirit-filled place called Ronora gave us time to explore, relax, drum, sing and commune with nature and each other.
Some of us made the trek down to the private Lake Sherwood and relax in its well-maintained and welcoming space. Kayaks and paddleboards were available and the beach area is small but clean. We took long walks along the trails and savored the view and the breeze from the open windows, hearing birdsong in the mornings, and yet took advantage of air-conditioning in the warm afternoons. The great room has lovely acoustics for singing. Ronora helps accommodate those of us with mobility issues by supplying aids in one of the spacious bathrooms. We even took a field trip to a wonderful nearby metaphysical shop.
This year there was a small group of us, and caterers were unavailable for various reasons, so we decided to cook for each other. Sticking to our Summer tradition of vegan meals, we found some recipes and prepared delicious chickpea tacos with cilantro-lime pesto, a bean-and-corn salad with Pat's delicious homemade vinaigrette, crispy tofu with Asian slaw, and a lovely gluten-free pasta with green beans and a walnut-lemon seasoning. Everyone brought favorite snacks and fresh veg and fruit for salads. Diana made her signature fluffy scrambled eggs (okay, not vegan) and we made our own overnight oats.
Cooking for each other was such fun we talked about doing that again for the new winter retreat.
Weather was typical Michigan cool sunny days and cool nights, making outdoor gathering pleasant and crisp. As we put out chairs under a shady tree across from where the old Grandma's House used to be before it was burned down after a lightning hit, we noticed that we could still feel the energy from the space that holds vibrant memories for many of us.
