Day three of the Write by the Water writers retreat started with a morning talk with Jack, and then the group went their separate ways to work on writing projects. Some printed their pages and took them to the beach where the sound of the waves caressing the shoreline provided the perfect background, while others stretched out on the living room couch with their laptop.

We gathered back at the house early afternoon and headed over to SunDog Books at Seaside for the scheduled book signing and reading.

Jack read from The Fireman’s Wife; Martha Payne read from her book Put Him In Coach; Linda Spear read from her novel I Know You By Heart and Colleen Friesen read from her work-in-progress.

Seaside is the town that was the backdrop for “The Truman Show,” a movie about a man who lived his life on the set of a TV show.

After a quick lunch at Pickles Beachside Grill, it was back to the house for some quiet writing time.

Jack and Nicole ventured off to the beach for their one-on-one writer’s chat, and hours later they showed up at the door with Brett, the random stranger-turned-hero who brought the pair home after they ventured too far from “home” and couldn’t find their way back. Grateful to have our friend re-join us at the beach house, safe and sound, we loaded Brett-the-lifesaver (according to Jack…who could be exaggerating slightly — he’s a writer, after all and lies for a living) down with books before sending him on his way.

Colleen made dinner for the group: Spagetti, garlic bread, and an incredible salad (see the “weirdest thing of the day” below). Our bellies full, we spent the rest of the evening chatting, listening to Jack play the guitar and sing old country songs (okay, old to some of us…), and even managed to squeeze in a round of Win, Lose or Draw before finally calling it a day.

A lively end to a perfectly perfect writing day.

Weirdest thing of the day (WTOD)
Today’s WTOD is not so much a “thing” but the “weirdest thing overheard at the Write by the Water writers retreat.

“Damn it, I just can’t eat blurry food!”