When Writers Retreat

ByKaren Witemeyer
20 Comments

I love to go on writing retreats . . . but not because of the actual writing. It’s getting together with other writers that truly feeds my soul.

Last year, I recruited a group of Texas authors and one adorable Okie to join me on a weekend retreat. We had so much fun, we decided to do it again. So for our second annual Winter Writers’ Retreat, we rented a house in historic Jefferson, TX. And not just any house, but a gorgeous home built in 1867 called The Magnolias.

The owner filled the home with antiques, so it was truly like stepping back in time. I took dozens of photographs, but I’ll just share a few of my favorites with you.

Nancy Kimball, Crystal Barnes, D’Ann Mateer, Elizabeth Ludwig, Regina Jennings, and I all had a fabulous time. We spent several hours chatting about writing, a few hours here and there actually writing, and several more hours exploring historic Jefferson, TX.

Believe it or not, this tiny town of 2,000 was once the 4th largest city in Texas. Back at the height of the riverboat era, Jefferson was a bustling port with a thriving cotton culture and a population around 8,000. Jay Gould came to town with his Yankee money, and tried to convince the town to let him run his railroad through Jefferson. Unfortunately, the town wanted nothing to do with his Yankee money and turned him down. Mr. Gould predicted the destruction of the town on his way out and decided to build his railroad through the tiny town of Dallas instead. The rest is history.

We had the chance to tour the downstairs section of the Excelsior Hotel, which claims to be the oldest, continuously run hotel in Texas as well as an authentic Pullman railroad car that belonged to none other than Jay Gould himself. Guess they decided to welcome the man back to town after all.

Saturday night, half the group opted to go on the Jefferson Ghost Walk. Several area homes are believed to be haunted. The rest of us curled up in the parlor and watched our own ghost story – the classic Hollywood movie, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

One of my favorite places we visited was the colorful Jefferson General Store. This old-timey store has been in operation since the the 1860s! They’ve made some updates (the soda fountain serves Blue Bell ice cream), but it still has that mercantile feel – crammed full of everything under the sun. I caught Regina Jennings digging through the candy. Ha! They had every canned good you can imagine, and many you probably can’t. I decided to try some strawberry fig preserves. I’d never heard of it, but I like strawberries, and I like figs, so why not?

We finished the trip off on Sunday with brunch at the Jefferson Port Outpost. Good, down home country cooking, though not as good as the county cooking Crystal Barnes supplied for us on Saturday morning. With her cast iron skillets, homemade venison sausage, and made-from-scratch biscuits, we ate some of the best biscuits and gravy ever.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, and a great time away.

When was the last time YOU got to get away for a weekend? What did you do? If it was so long ago you can’t remember, where would you go this weekend if you had the chance?

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For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she's on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

20 Comments

  1. I got away last weekend, but unfortunately it was to attend the funeral of my dear uncle. He spent 24 years as a missionary in Pakistan and loved to share the Lord with all he met. It was a weekend of rejoicing that he is now with the God he so loved but also deep mourning for his family. But God is good and faithful to the end and Uncle John no longer lives with constant pain. PTL!!!

    1. What an incredible legacy your Uncle John left. A life well-lived in service of his God, and in an area of the world so filled with strife. What a light he must have been and how sorely he will be missed.

  2. Beautiful pictures and wonderful facts. Dallas vs. Jefferson – wow!

    Glad you had a great time. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks, Betty. Yes – The Dallas vs. Jefferson idea is a bit staggering, isn’t it? Just goes to show you can’t rest on your laurels because you never know what is around the corner.

    1. Wow! I bet that was GORGEOUS, Deborah. I love waterfalls, but I’ve never seen Niagara. And I haven’t been skiing since I was teenager. Your weekend sounds wonderful!

  4. Karen, I love Jefferson, TX. Used to go there a lot when we lived in Louisiana. I’m going out to the beach for a writer’s retreat this weekend. Can’t wait to eat, sleep, write, beach, repeat. Love your photos! And what a nice group of talented writers.

  6. Thank you for sharing your pictures and comments about the writers retreat.
    I had to look twice at the picture of the Singer sewing machine. I have the exact same one in my bedroom. It belonged to my maternal Grandmother and it still works. I would love to know the history behind it.
    The last time I went on a retreat was a Church Librarian’s workshop.
    Unfortunately, they don’t have those anymore.

    1. I love those old Singer machines! I would love to have one in my own home. You are lucky not only to have one, but to have one tied to your family. How wonderful!

  7. Our last weekend away was last month to Louisiana for a long overdue family visit. It was lovely catching up and meeting the next generation. WE came home with a gift from a cousin….Home canned strawberry-fig preserves! They were opened immediately upon arrival home and enjoyed.

  8. How fun that you got the strawberry fig as well! I finally opened mine and tried them last weekend. Pretty good, but different from what I usually expect from jam. It was kind of like jam on a Fig Newton. Ha!

  9. I’m so glad I got to join in on the fun this year, Karen. The biscuits and gravy were just my way of saying “thank you.” 🙂 Like you, it was wonderful to connect (and reconnect) with other authors. Thanks again!

  10. Like a step back in time your visit must’ve been!! It looks like a delightful place for a weekend visit. We haven’t gotten away since last summer when my husband and I went flea marketing.

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