It’s 4:30 in the morning. I’ve been in and out of sleep for an hour or so. The heater in the studio clanks and booms every time it comes on but I’m snuggled deep under the comforter trying to get some much needed rest. Just as I am slipping deeply into sleep again I am startled awake by loud (I mean LOUD) shrieks coming from Liza’s room and I’m bolt upright in bed shouting, “What is it? What is it?” She’s on my bed in two seconds flat. “A mouse! A mouse on my chest, looking right at me! I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it” There are critters around here and possums and raccoons roam the property at night alongwith their furry friends, but we were fairly certain that we wouldn’t be having any visitors in our studio but this little guy had another idea. Well, after talking Liza down and waiting for the sun to rise we both decided that this was a clear message that it was time to head out of Hambidge and back home to Boston and L.A. We were planning on leaving on Friday anyway and it turns out a big storm is whooshing up the east coast in the next couple of days so it was a good idea to get going before it hit. We (well, I’m not sure Liza’s in complete agreement) call the mouse “our little angel” as he prompted us to leave and miss the storm.

All in all we come away from Hambidge with a lot of good writing down and some life lessons that we’re still in the process of sorting through–and I’m sure we will continue to do so for a long time. We’re in Chester, Virginia tonight and heading to bed early to get up at 5 and on the road at 6 driving to Philly where I’ll be getting on a plane to L.A. Liza will be getting home that evening. We’re both ready to be home and in our own beds, under our own covers, hopefully with no mice to contend with. We’ll see where the writing goes from here. Posted below are a few more photos I’ve taken over the last week.

Fran, the resident co-ordinator, in her office.

Back door to the Rock House.

Spot, the cat. Where were you when we needed a mouser??

The garden shed.

The recycling and garbage shed.

In the garden.

Down the road at Hambidge.

On the back porch at Garden.

Abandoned house and barn.

At the Dillard pharmacy and soda shop.