I celebrated my birthday this past Saturday in Deer Isle, Maine. I stayed at the stunning and iconic Haystack Mountain School of Crafts for a knitting retreat, organized by Christine Walker1 of Peace Tree Fiber Adventures, a local knitting retreat company.
After driving to Portland Maine Wednesday2 and driving the rest of the way Thursday morning, I arrived just before 11am.
Inspired by a book on journaling (you’ll hear more about that below) and reminded of last year’s cross-country trip, I journaled while there. Below are journal entries (edited and in italics), present day reflections, and photos3 from my stay.
Haystack Day 1
9/18/25
What a treat to spend a retreat with such talented women. To spend time crafting and plunging into ice cold water [I climbed over rocks covered in seaweed with my bare feet!!]. This after the trail that felt as if I were in an enchanted forest. And then the library!! What a treasure to sit and read a book on journaling. I am smitten and so very grateful to be here. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!!
While swimming on that first day, we saw the fog slowly rolling into the bay as we were in the water. Thursday night was the warmest night there. I learned this was due to the fog. Apparently, it traps the heat.
The journaling book really was wonderful. I wish I had taken a picture or written down the author. I meant to get back to it, but never did. After returning home, I went to Hyatts as soon as I could to carefully select the ideal journal for jotting down one’s thoughts and sketching—no lines, just space.
Haystack Day 2- Part I
9/19/25
Rough night. “Night terrors.” Had a nightmare that…[essentially my children were in trouble and I had abandoned them…in other words mom guilt on the subconscious level]. Also, part of the dream: unable to focus, couldn’t remember how to drive. But, Hallelujah, joy cometh in the morning!
[sketched a picture of my window with caption duplicated below]
P.S. Yoga was excellent!! —so peaceful with the sun shining as we saluted.
Haystack Day 2- Part II
Tomorrow is my birthday! I purposely prolonged getting back to my room in order to give myself the best chance of a good night’s sleep. As, I lay down to sleep, I’m thankful for this fantastic day! I’ve met so many wonderful women here, and I’ve had a blast! I took another cold plunge during the lunch break and got a few more pictures. And I’ve had so many good laughs and good food. I’m so very grateful! Thank you, Lord!!
Haystack Day 3- Part I
Sept. 20
The stars last night were amazing!! This more than made up for the cold night!! (No heat here). I’m so grateful I get to spend my birthday surrounded by such beauty!!
This is the last entry. I meant to write a Part II, but I never got there. I can tell you that I started both Saturday (my birthday) and Sunday with yoga. Saturday I had polenta for breakfast (one of my favorites!). Christine made a birthday announcement, and everyone wished me happy birthday! Later that evening, I won twice at bingo!
The stars were amazing, and I saw them from my cabin window on both Friday and Saturday night. I got an even better view before bed on Saturday when a few of us went down through the forest to sit4 by the bay and watch the stars. It was the first time in my life to ever see so many stars. I even saw the Milky Way!! Another favorite was when I would turn away from the bay toward the forest and see the pine trees silhouetted against the starlit sky. I hope I never forget it.
I drove back Sunday morning after breakfast. I was able to get a few more good photos on my drive home.
What I wish I would have gotten to see: Nervous Nellie’s Jams and Jellies, El El Frijoles.
Thank you, Maine and Peace Tree Fiber Adventures, for a beautiful birthday weekend!!
- Christine also teaches knitting classes at Stitch Buffalo, which is where she taught me how to knit! ↩︎
- I stayed at the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa. The staff were very kind and helpful. The room and the area were great! I highly recommend it! ↩︎
- I’ve also uploaded my photos to Instagram (@theburrowblog716); they can get weirdly cropped when resizing them. ↩︎
- Technically I stood, because I can only be so relaxed when I can’t see what’s happening around me. Either way, it was just as beautiful. Though, I did probably create some level of unrest for my fellow stargazers and, for that, I am sorry. ↩︎
