Here in Vermont

I've finally arrived. I'm sitting in my studio, overlooking the little Gihon River, watching the clouds turn pale gold above the trees. I can see the tip of the roof of my house from here. We just had dinner. I sat with a South African man who used words like, "Insofar as..." It was a little intimidating talking to him. I tried to tell myself I was a reasonably intelligent being who could carry on a conversation but it didn't help much. He called J.K. Rowling's books essentially "bullshit." Where do you go from there? I had said she created a magical world people wanted to inhabit, the ultimate escapism. He said something about them not being wonderfully written, but now I think, that means he read them, doesn't it?

I have met many interesting people. Painters and sculptors and mixed-media artists. Everyone is embarked on big projects of their own and can relate to having all your marbles in one big basket. It's like talking another language here. I haven't seen anyone walking around talking on a cell phone. Not one person. It really is a retreat. It feels like I can work for more extended periods of time here. Six or more hours a day, split into two or three sections. I take a break in the middle of the day. Meals make good breaking points. I wake around 6 and hang around until 7:30 and time for breakfast. Go to the studio from breakfast, work until 12, then into lunch. Then reading and a nap, then back to the studio. Then dinner, and back to the studio again. Tonight there is a slide show presentation at 8 p.m., by the visual artists who want to present. It will give me a chance to check out the Lowe Lecture Hall, where I will do a reading on Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing people's work. So far I've just heard about it, not seen anything. Everyone's working away in their studios in private.

The weather is beautiful: cool and sunny in the morning, warm and sunny in the afternoon. I've gradually peeled off more layers.