Rained in at Sea Island

I know, I know, rained in sounds like a bad thing, but it isn’t.  Can you imagine just sitting in lush, green surroundings, enjoying the stillness as the sound of trickling, okay occasionally down-pouring rain falls outside?  Your view is perfect and it is so peaceful, regardless of the gray outlook?  One of the activities I had been looking forward to was canceled due to the heavy rain, but I’m okay with that.  I haven’t been on a horse since my 20’s and I was a little apprehensive about the temperament of the horse I would get.  I have fond memories of my cousin’s horse who would take you straight back to the stables whenever the whim hit him, whether you wanted to or not.  I was on him one time for that full gallop back home because he got tired of wandering around the hills of Saddle Brook, NJ.  But, I was going to give it a try.   Sea Island has a way of giving you that extra little bit of courage.

We were staying at the very seductive, very historically-drenched hotel just above Brunswick, about an hour south of Savannah on a little piece of heaven called The Cloister.  It’s beautiful.  Just a few miles after crossing the bridge, you wind down little tree covered roads dripping with moss.  Then you drive slowly into the compound on the cobblestone roads and exit your car into buildings reminiscent of old Spanish mansions, decorated with tapestries and paintings of southern charm. 

When we arrived at our room, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the room was as big as the pictures online.  Pleasantly surprised, I say, because I have felt cheated on many occasions.  So many hotels use panoramic pictures to display their rooms and lobbies.  Sadly, when I had arrived at those other hotels, I found I barely had enough room to turn around.  Not here.  The bedroom with its cathedral ceiling was more than enough room with a sitting area and an ample patio.  I have taken pictures, but they don’t do it justice.  We have a view of Black Banks River, but can walk to the beach in less than five minutes.  Something I didn’t get a chance to enjoy, though walking in the rain did sound romantic and adventurous, just like riding horses.  But, it was a little too cold for that walk in the pouring rain, though it is normally warmer this time of year in Sea Island.  So off I galloped happily to the restaurants, and then to the spa.

I ate heartily a nice shrimp omelet laden with spinach, gruyere, and other stuff that was absolutely delicious at the Georgian.  But, I didn’t stop there.  After exploring St. Simons Island, the neighboring paradise, I went for my Stone and Scent massage.  Ladies and gents, I think I had an out of body experience!   I don’t ever recall being so relaxed before.  Perhaps my surroundings helped, but the masseuse was the best.  I have been to massage establishments in Atlanta.  Some with very big names, and very big promises, but they didn’t have ‘Roderick.’  This man has an absolute gift to relax every muscle in my body to the point that I felt like a drunk when I tried to stand up.  My body said lay back down; your muscles aren’t in the mood to walk right now.  So guess what?  I obeyed. 

My pleasures didn’t stop there.  Of course not!  The Cloister has more than one excellent restaurant. Later I would enjoy a grilled red snapper that melted in my mouth at the Tavola, its charming Italian restaurant.  Need I go on?  The food was fabulous, even from the limited menu at the River Bar.  I can highly recommend this five star hotel on the beautiful Sea Island. It deserves every star.  The staff is incredibly solicitous.  They make it a point to make you want for nothing.  Kudos all the way around, I can grant them a five star review for my stay at The Cloister.  So, in the famous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, “I’ll Be Back.”

SELF PUBLISHING TIPS 103

10 Great Reasons to Self-Publish

1. You can control the content of your book.
2. You will own the rights to your book.
3. You will control the lifespan of your book.
4. You can control the royalties and profits from your book.
5. You can control the timing of your book’s release.
6. You will not need a middle man or an agent to get your book published.
7. Traditional publishers require that you market your own book, so why not market your own book for your own increased profit.
8. You can position yourself as an expert in your genre, and jump start a speaking or consulting career, increasing your book sales and your profit.
9. You can build your own empire or supplement your income by managing your own time, no pressure to meet deadlines.
10. Self-publishing is Self-satisfying.

I would love to hear from you and why you have chosen or will choose to self-publish.  Blog with me at simplydilsa.  I blog when I can while I prepare my next novel for release this summer.  It is part of a series, check out the first one, Dreams Thrown Away.  Check out the excerpt!!!  If you like drama, suspense, and an unusual romance, you will love this book.  It's in Kindle and other ebook formats, too.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living

Determined as My Beagle-Shepherd Mix (Slick)

The other night I heard my daughter screaming for her dad.  I was in the bedroom, he was on our screened in porch, and she was rooms away in the sunroom.  My first thought wasn’t one of alarm.  You have to know my family, especially my oldest child.  Everything she does has a dramatic flair.  But, I heard her continuing to cry so I finally joined the two of them in the sunroom to see what the latest event in the Bailey household had taken place.  I found her standing there crying like a baby, and my husband sitting in the floor with the dog in his lap stroking its belly.  For a moment, I thought he was going to break down in tears.  Okay, go ahead and think I am heartless, but the next thing that came to mind was ‘how much was this emergency room visit going to cost me?’   The last one was for about $600 for vet, tests, and meds.  But, I got down on my knees and started stroking Slick’s head.  He gave me that, ‘yes, you know you are going to shell it out, cause I am not going anywhere’ look.

In the midst of all this my daughter had spilled her meal, a Thai dish she had purchase for her late meal missing our measly dinner, her view point.  Anyway, trying to determine what story to tell the vet I asked what happened.  She’s cleaning up and still crying.  Hubby and I are still stroking the perpetual toddler in our home and she says, ‘He can’t walk.  He was stumbling, falling into the wall, and his legs kept giving out.’ 

At this point, my husband is lifting him gently like a baby and carrying him to his bed where he will be more comfortable.  I sit there on the floor still interrogating. 

I said, “He was fine a few minutes ago.  He was sitting there begging for my pizza crust.”  Pizza was my measly dinner.

She said, “Yeah, he looked fine when I came home.  I was sitting here watching television and I heard this loud crashing noise.”

“Where did it come from?” I asked.  Now I am real curious, because the dog who had just been lifted with the utmost care was now stumbling back into the room to find any leftover Thai on the floor.  My hubby is behind him trying to command him to sit or lie down.  Normally, he’s very obedient, but not when food is on his mind, my dog that is.  Instead of slowing down and giving me that “I am going to die if you don’t get to stepping and take me the vet” look, he is in search of morsels with flavor.  That’s when it hit me.  My little Slick loves pizza crust.  I think he learned all of his cute dog tricks in hopes of a reward of pizza crust.  He will lie down on command, sit, play dead, high five, play catch by tossing you the ball, and kiss all for the rewarding pleasure of a piece of pizza crust. 

What hit me was a pizza box sitting out of his reach in the kitchen.  No one was in the kitchen, and my guess is, all that he could think about was that pizza crust in that box.  I wasn’t there, but I think someone (Slick) took a running start for the kitchen counter and nearly knocked himself silly.  We didn’t run out to the vet, thank God.  I am still a mother who has had many, many hysterical visits to an emergency room, medical and veterinary, in my life, only to realize that perhaps we over-reacted.  Within the hour, our little man was running around, not stumbling, and today sat watching me carefully for some leftover pizza crust.

Slick taught me a lesson about determination.  I like to share with others my analogy about Lather, Rinse, Repeat (Learn, Assess, and keep doing it to give yourself the ammunition to make the right choices).  But, I should probably add to the speech that a heavy dose of determination is also required.  You can’t have anything or achieve anything unless you are determined to have it, like Slick was determined to have that pizza crust.

Dilsa Saunders Bailey is the author of Dreams Thrown Away, a literary novel filled with intrigue, suspense, and a little romance.   If you want to laugh a little, cry a little, and just want to get mad and amazed at what life can throw at you when you fail to make the right choices, BUY it on my website, and get free shipping through Valentine’s Day.  Get a copy on Kindle at Amazon.

©2011 Dilsa Saunders Bailey

For permission to reprint, contact me at dilsa@simplydilsa.com