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| Estes Park, Colorado 8,200 Feet |
Our trip to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in the
Rocky Mountains turned out to be quite an adventure. Your prayers for my
altitude adjustment were answered since I only had a slight case of nausea for
about 24 hours after arrival. However, Charles suffered enough for both of us. Because
he was so sick, we decided to cut the final day from the conference schedule
and head back down to a lower 5,200 feet in Denver in the hopes he would feel
better. Instead we ended up in the Estes Park Emergency Room with a doctor
prescribing a forty mile ambulance ride down the mountain. Charles oxygen
levels were dangerously low and his lungs were filling with fluid. The decision
was made to admit him to the Cardiac care unit at the Medical Center of the
Rockies in Loveland, CO. After three days and numerous tests of his heart and
lungs, the doctors determined he had no serious problems. Lots of oxygen and
diuretics helped to stabilize him. We were both so exhausted after his release we
stayed an extra day at a motel to rest up before catching a plane on Wednesday
for Atlanta.
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| Charles' Hospital Feet |
It’s scary being so far away from home when there is a
medical emergency. We are so thankful for the kind folks at the writers’
conference who helped pack our suitcases, got Charles into the car, and led us
to the ER. The medical attention at the ER and hospital was top notch and the
folks at the motel were also very helpful.
I was able to attend the better part of two days of
workshops. The classes on the art and craft of writing fiction were excellent. All
my notes and handouts will be just what I need if and when I write the novel
that is in my head. I met with three acquisition editors and they gave me some
good pointers on how to get started on my book. At least 75,000 words will have
to be written before I can present a book proposal for consideration. That
sounds like a daunting task. Another highlight of my week was meeting novelist,
Tracie Peterson. I've probably read a dozen of her books. She writes the kind
of historical fiction that I wish I could write. Charles, on the other hand,
never dropped his fishing line in the water.
