Up North, Down South

Another retreat has retreated into merely a memory of a good time with a great group of colleagues.

Our 2nd Annual Retreat was a success. See By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea. We patted ourselves on the back a bit over the various things we accomplished since last year and planned and plotted our strategy for the upcoming year. And last, but certainly not least, we decided on New Mexico for next year's retreat.

Our B&B, The Southern Mansion, was spectacular. As someone said, it was definitely my kind of place. The history of the place says:

In 1863, the Philadelphia industrialist George Allen built an American bracket, post and beam villa on the island of Cape May. Designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Samuel Sloan and constructed by Henri Phillipi, this seaside palace was used by Allen and his descendants as a country estate for the next 83 years.

After the last of the original owners died, it had a few rough years. It was converted to a boardinghouse until it was shut down after it's license was revoked in the 1980s. It was restored and renovated in 1997. A delightful place to stay.

In between our meeting time, there was golf (and more golf) for some, long walks on the beach (the weather was perfect) and meandering around the "town." We had a book club meeting (we discussed A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini). We also had a short story reading by one of our literary brethren. See Southward Bound.

We also had some delicious meals. We dined at Union Park Dining Room and The Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel.

As The Southern Mansion notes:

In her youth, Cape May was known as "Up North, Down South" due to her status as a favorite destination for antebellum southern gentry. During this period Cape May initiated the architectural and social trends of southern cities of the mid-1800's.

Up or down, a great place to be.