I made plans last November to visit Alabama for a full two weeks for the first time since my honeymoon. Our honeymoon was spent in Alabama – part at my cabin in the deep woods and part on the beach in Gulf Shores – and we LOVED it!

I’m writing this on a 32 degree night in the cabin with a nice warm fire… We routinely come back here to work on the cabin and just get away from high speed internet and modern technology in general. Now, I know that when most people think of a cabin retreat, they think of the solitude and wilderness but with all the modern conveniences that we are accustomed to…

Let me tell you, that this is NONE of that.

My cabin is really more like a form of glorified camping: we have no running water; you need a 4-wheeler (ATV) or other 4-wheel drive just to get to it; there is no electricity save the deep cycle marine battery (we are working on the solar panels $$$); we use an OUT HOUSE to support human biological functions; and heating is via an old fashioned fireplace.

There’s something about reducing your basic needs to: food preparation & cooking, cleaning dishes, cleaning the cabin, tending the fire, etc that help me to really center myself and re-evaluate what’s important in life. And of course my primary purpose for building this cabin retreat in the first place was to have a solitary and secluded place to COMPOSE.

All artists need a place to hone their craft. As a musician and composer, I need a place to reflect and release the deepest yearnings of y heart. I feel that I have a boatload of music bursting to come out but seldom do I have the time to LISTEN to that music.. with a large variety of activities screaming for my attention…

But out here, the internet connection is so bad that it’s easier to just sit down and let the music flow…