Montrose Christian Writers Conference

After a pleasant ten-hour drive (no, really) I arrived tonight in Montrose, Pennsylvania, for the annual Montrose Christian Writers Conference.


The conference is held every year on the grounds of Montrose Bible Conference, which began in the first years of the twentieth century by R. A. Torrey (that's the Torrey Home, now used for conference purposes, above).


Montrose is a unique place, and an appealing venue for a conference.


After checking into my room and freshening up (which for me consists of mainly looking in the mirror and deciding there are some things that are beyond hope), I headed to the chapel in Dreyer Hall (above and below) for the opening session.


Author Jennifer Sands, the speaker for tonight, did a marvelous job. Afterward, the faculty gathered for the annual dessert at the gorgeous Victorian home of conference director Patti .

So here I am, for the week. I hope to post more this week... between all the speaking and meetings and work of the week.

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Location:Locust St,Montrose,United States

Why You Want to Visit Old Mission Peninsula

One of my recent articles on Examiner.com draws from the great time we had on our recent family vacation on Old Mission Peninsula. Check it out here.

Flub's Saturday Night

The lovely Robin and I enjoyed a refreshing evening tonight with our friends, Scott and Julie Sellers.


Scott and Julie hosted us for dinner at Texas Roadhouse, after which we took ourselves to Flub's, a Hamilton tradition.


The place was crowded, as usual, but the line moved pretty quickly.


Scott had a boysenberry sherbet with cherry coating.


And practically next door, the new Flub's location looks practically complete (with a drive thru).

We enjoyed every minute, and could have gone on talking all night...but we eventually pried ourselves away from each other...until next time!

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Shooting the Hooch

On our recent visit to Atlanta, the lovely Robin and I got to witness firsthand what locals call "shooting the Hooch"--rafting, tubing, or otherwise floating down the Chattahoochee River through Atlanta. We didn't partake ourselves, but after a spectacular Sunday brunch at Ray's on the River, we walked beside the river and saw people floating happily along on a toasty Summer day (as well as a couple guys fly-fishing from a canoe).

Twenty or thirty years ago, “shooting the Hooch” was a hugely popular way to beat the summer heat in metro Atlanta. As the city grew, however, pollution in the river deterred would-be "shooters." But now that the river is reportedly cleaner than it has been in decades, people have returned to the tradition in recent years.

It's possible to float a six-mile stretch of river from the Morgan Falls Dam to the Powers Island unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Maybe on a future visit, we'll join in the fun.

American Shakespeare Tavern

This evening the lovely Robin, Glen, Rick and I shared a wonderful evening at the New American Shakespeare Tavern here in Atlanta.


We had fine seats on the main floor for the show "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)."


We couldn't take pictures during the show, of course, so I contented myself with a photo of the stage.


The hilarious show was ably performed by three actors--and was made even better when they called Rick onstage to play the part of Ophelia's ego.

Such an enjoyable time in a memorable venue.

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Location:Argo Rd SE,Smyrna,United States

Ray's On the River, Atlanta

For brunch today, our hosts Rick and Glen took us to Ray's On the River, on the Chattahootchee River.


I asked our server to take a photo before we started:


They serve an extensive brunch buffet, one of the most extensive I've ever enjoyed:


After a few dozen platefuls, we strolled the gardens behind the restaurant. Beautiful.


Before leaving, we posed for a pic way down yonder on the Chattahooch.


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Location:Durley Ln SE,Smyrna,United States

South City Kitchen, Atlanta

Saturday evening, after concluding the ACW conference in Atlanta, I joined the lovely Robin and her brother Rick for dinner at South City Kitchen.


We were seated quickly and enjoyed outstanding expert service.


The crab cake appetizer (accompanied by pickled okra) was delicious, as was the fried green tomato appetizer (below):


I ordered the trout, and they substituted the mashed potatoes at my request...didn't seem to harm the presentation a bit:


Robin enjoyed her spring chicken entree, and Rick his pork chop as well.


For dessert, I devoured pecan pie a la mode, with a cup of decaf, while Robin and Rick each had banana cream pudding.

It was a lovely meal of fancified southern cuisine with first-class company.

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