Do you have a retreat?

Everybody needs a place to go for relaxing, perhaps with a good book, but mainly to get a way from it all for a short while.  It recharges the spirit and is good for you.  If you’re fortunate enough to have your retreat in your own home so much the better.  We are fortunate enough here at Mobile Tech Manor to have a long balcony outside the master bedroom.  We were at a loss what to do with it until recently.  My beautiful wife Sheri decided to do something about it while I was away in Seattle and she single-handedly turned it into an oasis of calm in our crazy bustling house. 

You reach the retreat through these doors in the bedroom:

Once you walk onto the balcony you find a lovely sitting area that is so comfortable:

It is so peaceful and quiet in the retreat that I find myself gravitating towards it every chance I get.  It’s the perfect place to escape with my Tablet PC for reading an ebook or just surfing the web.  There’s usually a light breeze blowing, just tickling the wind chimes hanging from the rafter.  The great view is very relaxing too:

I love sitting here and chilling after a long day.  Great job, honey, and what a nice surprise when I returned from Seattle! 

So do you have a retreat?  Where is it?

Comments

[Rodfather]

Definitely the beach to go fishing.
My bed to go to sleep.
The bar to drink some beers.

[Anton P. Nym]

My balcony. I live in an upper story apartment in a midrise building, with an eastern exposure of the city's skyline. In the spring and autumn, the concrete overhead canopy lets in the sunshine to give a little welcome warmth against the morning chill; in the summer, it gives welcome shade while still letting the cool breeze. (And it's only about 8' from my wi-fi, so it's a perfect spot to curl up with my UMPC, but if I want I can close the sliding doors and not hear the phone.)

For those interested, here's a view from my balcony taken at dawn: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/sumpca/random/londondawn.jpg

-- Steve

[Chris Magnusson]

There used to be a bench, overlooking the Columbia Valley, a few minutes' walk from here that I absolutely loved to sit on, but some punks decided to destroy it. So now I go for a daily walk and when my route passes that point, I continue past it for 30 minutes or more and I find that to be relaxing.

[James Kendrick]

Steve, great view!

[Anton P. Nym]

Thanks, James. I'm proud of that shot, too, though I must confess having to edit the contrast and saturation levels a bit to compensate for my great-but-aging camera's older CCD.

However, I must now lodge a complaint that your great photos are driving me to consider new patio furniture for my balcony...

-- Steve