Monday, March 22, 2010

The Lodge Lady Returns with Womens Weekend Workshops!


Greetings after a short sabbatical! I’ve been hitting the road this past month … quite literally, come to think of it! On a recent visit to my mom’s, I swerved to avoid an oncoming car in a snowstorm, scraping the stone curb on the side of the road and blowing out the sidewall of my tire. Normally this would just be a minor inconvenience in the course of the average day, but for some reason in this high tech world of ours, it took FIVE days to get a 20” Mazda tire!! I was mad as a wet hen (as the Mazda Corporation is now aware), but at least it occurred close to my mom’s house. (Imagine if it had happened half way back to NH? I hate to think!). Anyway, my travels took me back to my roots in the Hudson Valley and Lower Catskill Mountains of New York State, where I encountered a 4-foot snowstorm, a 2-day power outage, and also our son Noah, who was on spring break from John Hopkins University, and looking fine!! All in all I put almost 1800 miles on my speedometer while I was away, and am now happily settling back into the changing seasons here in Jackson.

Spring skiing has been as good as it gets by all reports, although our downhill and cross-country centers are now winding down for the count. Tuckerman Ravine and related back country skiing are still fantastic, however, so just because the crocuses are blooming in your neck of the woods, don’t overlook the fact that there are some real-life adventures still to be had up here in the White Mountains. No need to retire those skis for the foreseeable future, anyway.

The recent time ‘away from my desk’ at The Lodge has given me needed perspective and many creative hours to plan for some special weekends ahead for women in the upcoming year. I am opening up our “Little Lodge Cabin”, located on Tin Mountain here in Jackson, for up to six guests at a time. Weekends will focus on various topics of interest to women, and will include all meals and many extras. The first workshop has been scheduled for June - and will be all about RELAXATION – a concept unfamiliar to most of us! I call it the “Women’s Decompression Weekend”, and you can read more about it below. I am developing other workshops to share with small groups of women as well. Keep a lookout on our website for more information about them. When not conducting these weekends, I’ll still be at The Lodge, of course (after all, where else would you expect a “Lodge Lady” to be?!). But to be really meaningful, life requires us to grow in continuing ways and to be inspired! Our “Little Lodge Workshops” are every bit of that and more!! Read on …

“ Women’s Decompression Weekend”:
Finding the Quiet Eye of Your Being in a Busy Life
June 12-14, 2010

Sometimes we get so caught up in living that we actually forget to make a life!

Each year in between the short, darkened days of winter, the hustle of the holidays, and the bustle of summer, lies a small window of opportunity for rejuvenation. I call this place the “Quiet Eye” of my being, and oh!, how I wish I had listened and ‘fed’ it more often during my very busy life thus far! As professionals, wives, mothers, and the myriad other hats that we wear, life can seem a hectic maze of agendas, lists, demands, schedules and responsibilities. As fulfilling as each of these individual things may be, the cumulative effect of the ‘rat race’ will eventually catch up with us, wear us down and make us feel depleted ... it can even make us sick. But life can be so much more than this!

Come with me to my cabin in the mountains where up to 6 of us weary women warriors will spend a weekend together to relax, get to know one another in a safe and charming environment and rejuvenate together. We’ll share ways we have learned to de-stress ourselves and get the most out of very full, demanding lives. We’ll also sit in front of the stone fireplace, share stories, take long walks on the nearby trails of the Tin Mountain Conservation Area, or swim at Jackson Falls. We’ll listen to music or make our own, take afternoon tea & cookies on the veranda, enjoy wine and cheese before dinner, have plenty of time for personal contemplation, journaling, and reading, and possibly play a quiet game or do a jigsaw puzzle. A professional ½ hour massage is included in this weekend. But let’s not forget … FOOD! We’ll eat some delicious, nutritious homemade meals together … and best of all, you won’t have to prepare it or clean up! Just come, enjoy, relax …

Whether we ‘think’ we can get away or not, I have found that we are actually not as indispensible as we often believe we are. The world still goes on! We owe it to ourselves and to our families to carve out short, special times throughout the year to renew ourselves before it all catches up with us. In the end, we’ll find we can ‘give back’ even more … but from a place of plenty rather than want!

When: June 12-14, 2010
Where: The “Little Lodge Cabin”
Cost: $500 (plus tax)

Includes:
All meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches & 2 dinners)
Afternoon tea and homemade cookies
Pre-dinner wine, cheese & crackers, fruit platters on Fri. & Sat.
In-house 30-minute Massage (longer sessions available for an additional charge. Gratuity not included)

Weekend is limited to 6 participants, plus Cathi Belcher, “The Lodge Lady”
Sleeping accommodations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Check in time: Friday 3 pm Check out: Sunday 2 pm


The Lodge CabinWelcome to my dream cabin in the woods! My 2500+ sq. ft., 3-story log cabin, the newest addition to the already wonderful accommodations you’ve become accustomed to at The Lodge, is located on the northern side of Tin Mountain, right here in Jackson, NH. A large, wrap-around front porch on the main floor affords excellent views of Mount Washington in winter; and the White Mountain range & the 850,000-acre National Forest year-round. Sightings of New Hampshire’s ample wildlife abound on the property. Don’t be surprised to look out your window one morning to see moose, bear, fox or turkeys wander amongst the trees; it’s a pretty common sight! As you come into one of the three entrances to the log cabin, you will enter into a full working country kitchen and dining room, as well as a spacious living room. Tall, sloping cathedral ceilings and a beautifully crafted working stone fireplace are the focal points of this room. (This room also contains sleeper sofas to accommodate a crowd for our more popular weekends) as well as upscale rustic furniture. Also on the main floor is the Master bedroom, rustically furnished with country curtains and patchwork, contrasted with my great-grandmother’s magnificent curly maple queen-sized bed. A full bathroom is at the end of the hall. Up the stairs to the second floor is a mezzanine area, which overlooks the living room. The stone chimney, which rises to the roof, acts as a privacy screen for two twin beds, which are behind it. Off to the side is another completely separate bedroom, with additional sleeping accommodations (a King bed and 2 twins. The ground floor is completely furnished as my art and writing studio with a separate bath and a working fireplace. Unlike the patchwork/country cottage feel of the upstairs, this room is bright, sunny, spacious and airy. It’s a natural place for morning yoga or stretching, as well as an ideal room for the private massages which come with the weekend. A large porch/patio along the west side affords beautiful views of Mount Washington, the White Mountains and the National forest, as well as the 2.5 acres of woods which accompany my cabin. Nothing can be built nearby to obstruct the privacy or the views, and nothing manmade can be seen anywhere from the property. A small mountain stream runs by the side of my log cabin, making it truly a great getaway for workshops or week-long private rentals. I hope you’ll join me here for one of my workshops and my healthy home cooking and baking! For information, or to reserve a space, please call the Lodge Lady at 603-986-1333, email me at LodgeLady@ilovethelodge.com or write me at PO Box 643, Jackson NH 03846.


The Little Lodge Cabin
A New Hampshire “Cottage” Industry
Specializing in
Women’s Workshops and Retreats
“Lodge Lady” Cathi Belcher
PO Box 643, Jackson NH 03846
(603) 986-1333
LodgeLady@ilovethelodge.com

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