News from the 2025 Retreat

[DianeB]

Six hundred miles behind me, and two hundred more to go. The signs on I-40 now point to Nashville. I’m in Knoxville tonight. The traveling has been smooth and the days mostly sunny so far. The Virginia Blue Ridge was gorgeous. It’s been a repeat of last year’s edition, with two big differences: no Amy with me this time (on the downside) but no car trouble right out of the gate (on the upside).

I stopped by Lane Music again today, where manager Derek Harvey recognized me from last year. The purple sweatshirt probably gave me away. We commiserated about the state of the music business while I noodled on some Martins. Then it was off to Calhoun’s one more to lighten their load of smoked barbecue pork. Tomorrow, it’s over the ridge into the Cumberland valley.

 

[Gene C]

Diane, Looking forward to some Martin noodling and checking out other fabulous GRUHN GUITAR items.

Happy Trails, Gene C

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

Like I said for so many years of the summer GG event and of the Fall FingerStyle...

Wish I was there.

enjoy.. 

say hi to everyone 

[DianeB]

With the sun at my back, under a brilliant blue sky, once again I crossed the mountain ridge that divides Eastern and Central Time. It’s the most scenic section of eastern I-40. And it goes past quickly when you’re dropping from 2,000 feet.

I landed in town in time for a leisurely lunch at a locals’ hangout, Brown’s Diner, a few blocks over from Gruhn’s. Fortunately it was a good day to dine on the patio, because the interior is not meant to attract the tourist crowd; if anything, it’s meant to deter it. But the house specialty burger was a treat, and my waitress was a delight, especially when she explained the intricacies of the latches on the ladies’ room door: “If ya get stuck in there, just give me a holler.”

For once I had a free afternoon to hit the Frist Art Museum or the Adventure Science Center, but both are closed on Wednesdays. Sighhh. Brown’s is near the Vanderbilt campus, so I aimed for the little art gallery there, only to be defeated by the medical center/campus traffic. I bailed out and went to my hotel.

Barb had just arrived in Mt. Juliet, a suburb an hour’s worth of rush hour traffic east of me. Dave and Keith were already at my hotel. So I met them for dinner at Bonefish Grill: shrimp, steak, scallops, mahi-mahi — dishes we were pretty sure would not be on the menu at Deer Run.

Radar indicates Jim, Don, and Gary approaching from the north with a 100% probability of instrumentation at Gruhn’s around 11:00 in the morning. And so we begin, once more.

[Sharont]

Have a great time Diane.. wish I was there but Dom will be able to amuse you in my place LOL.  

[Strings]

Thanks for your travel journals 🙂

[DianeB]

Reunited, and it feels so good. As I pulled into a spot at Gruhn’s on this sunny Thursday morning, Barb appeared right next to me. We were soon joined by Jim, Don, Gary, Gene, and Dom. I said hello to Benjamin at the desk and met Kyle, a new member of the staff. He asked if I was looking for anything in particular, and I pointed and said, “That. May I try it with an amp?” “Of course,” he said, and pointed to a practice room. If not for Gary tapping on the window I might not have come out for lunch.

We made the short hike down to Hattie B’s for assorted configurations of chicken, dining al fresco, then went right back to Chez Gruhnz. I don’t think anyone left with anything more substantial than shirts and hats. But now I have a serious itch. You know the type.

On to Deer Run. Steve and Paulette welcomed us, about 30 in number, including three first timers. It really feels like a family reunion, but without the drama. We reviewed the schedule, settled into our rooms, and queued up for dinner. Then we formed a small motorcade through the woods to the Valley View building for the evening concert by “The Welsh Tornado,” our old friend Gareth Pearson. (Video will follow in a few days when I have a better internet connection.)

The lodge is quiet early tonight; a full day of music awaits.

[Nancy Lawing]

Sounds like someone may have a bad case of G.A.S.! 😁Enjoy today, Diane!

[Strings]

Great pics Diane.  Looks like a great time is in store for you all 😀👍🎸🎸

[DianeB]

Friday night descends and we’ve all found our stride. The early risers went for walks and returned to start the coffeeklatch. After breakfast cleared, Julio set up the setup shop in the dining room as we migrated back to Valley View.

Steve offered a lesson on hand and body position, then we listened to our first round of student performers: Jim, Mike, Dommie, Reg, and myself. Gareth Pearson was next, with a lesson on a few measures of one of the songs he played last night. After lunch, Steve tutored us on the Chet Atkins tune “Trambone,” then we experimented with DADGAD with surprisingly pleasant results.

The latter half of the afternoon was free. I took a nap, then chilled out in the lounge with Gregg, Nancy, Clarke, Jim, and Gary (or I should say, Gary’s guitar). Clarke is a professional portrait artist. He showed us photos of some of his work, and it is stunningly good. The conversation wandered from Las Vegas slots to power outages to World's Fairs, until it was time for dinner.

Gregg and I were absorbed in our chat when a cheerful looking chap landed in the empty seat next to me: Clive Carroll, tonight’s guest artist. He now lives in Warrenton, Viriginia, in my home state. And he’s already learned to pronounce it, and Staunton, correctly. I’m impressed, and he’s yet to play a note.

Back at Valley View, a second round of student performances: Doug, Ben, Gary, Gregg, and Gene. Paulo Olivera, who’s been a guest on Live Lessons several times, warmed up the audience with a short set, then Clive poured on his own wizardry. We snacked on ice cream floats and traded greetings with Collin Hill, who came down just to see Clive. For now, I’ll leave you with a few snapshots; video will have to wait a short while. Time now for taps to sound — figuratively.

[Nancy Lawing]

Kudos to you for performing, Diane! What did you play?  That porch looks like an inviting place to hang out, with an ice cream float, no less!  Any word about how Greg Voros is doing?  Enjoy your final full day today -- it goes too fast, doesn't it?

[Anne Hill]

Enjoy reading your news clips and nice pictures. Nice one of Paulette's spot.

[DianeB]

Our Saturday was full, our cup is overflowing. Steve’s morning lesson covered how to extract melodies and riffs from chord shapes. Our last group of student performers were Josh, Michael, Barb, and Stephen. Clive Carroll returned for a workshop that impressed many of us with how well he explained the construction of one of his songs. Before he left, he took the time to say goodbye to as many of us individually as he could. Then we all lined up on the balcony for our group picture.

After lunch, Steve taught another class on chords. A carload or two skipped class to check out the Franklin Pumpkin Festival, a 15 minute drive away, where Josh was auctioning off his handmade guitar to benefit his nonprofit. Steve continued with a lesson on “Ashoken Farewell”. With help from caffeine, I managed to avoid crumpling at Steve’s feet from sleep deprivation and stumble to the final G chord.

I took a short nap. My roommate Nancy took a coma. We revived in time for dinner, then it was another trip through the woods to Valley View. Paulette had gone missing; Steve advised us she went back home with a bad cold. So, it was on with the drawing for door prizes with Josh filling in for Paulette. I scored a capo and a Fishman pickup. Keith (I think) won the Fishman Loudbox Micro, and Bob took home the grand prize, a Cordoba nylon string guitar.

Our guest artist for the evening was Stephen Bennett, who wowed us with a 1909 harp guitar. That’s a year, not a model number. Snacks and cherry cobbler à la mode followed. Nancy, my chauffeur for the moment, now thoroughly refreshed post-coma, enjoyed a reunion of sorts with Stephen Bennett. I collapsed in the big sofa as almost everybody else returned to the lodge.

Steve pulled up a chair and we had a few minutes to commisserate. Nancy called it a night and we headed for the lodge. Now for my coma. Scenes from today:

[Anne Hill]

Congratulations on your winnings.

[Nancy Lawing]

Not just what you say but how you say it......your writing is a pleasure to read. Chords to form riffs sounds interesting. I've heard that freeing the pinky and changing chord fingerings can help free your right hand to play more interesting notes in a song. Have a safe trip back, Diane......lots of caffeine, I imagine!

[DianeB]

We have wrapped. The songs, the hugs, and the goodbyes are all now a memory. We greeted our final, overcast day with French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fresh strawberries. The food and service from Deer Run have been quite good. No one goes hungry.

Julio was still working on guitars when I went to bed last night at 11:00. He’s been unstoppable. We mere mortals made it to the finish line on caffeine, m&m-fueled hyperglycemia, and will pow— no, it’s more like guitar lust. Call it what it is.

One more round this morning at Valley View for Stephen Bennett’s workshop. We had to be out by 11:00 am, so most of us, myself included, found it easier to leave our guitars back at the lodge. But Stephen, improvising on the spot, went with teaching the first few bars of the theme from “The Andy Griffith Show”. No printed music or tab: just show and tell. I played fingerstyle air guitar for a couple of minutes as I watched Stephen, until Steve dropped his Gibson in my lap. Well, I suppose that’s what I get for sliding my footstool his way yesterday.

Paulette remained at home, sniffling her way through a bat code. Which brings us to another hero of the retreat, Joshua, Steve’s all purpose sideman this week. Joshua manned the sound system and the store, schlepped chairs up these ridiculous slopes and steps for our comfort, tended to the artists’ needs, and generally ran interference for Steve all over.

Of course, the artists are top drawer. The instruction couldn’t be better. But you can’t help be moved by the many small kindnesses, the unselfishness, the empathy that flows through these rooms: Keith pitching in to bake the cherry cobbler in Paulette’s absence, Dave breaking down and packing up the PA, Stephen Bennett taking time to sit on the couch with me last night after his show to chat about Virginia, then patiently coming over to me this morning to get my fingers positioned correctly — on Steve’s guitar.

Which is, as we know, whence all these good things come.

[Nancy Lawing]

Alot of good music, good times and the good people who made it all happen, both participants and organizers. Pardon my overuse of the word "good" but 'tis true. Thanks,Diane, for allowing us to vicariously enjoy the Fall Retreat.

[Eracer_Team-DougH]

See if the wife will open her purse for me to get back down there

 

[jasn]

Thanks, Dianne, for yet another excellent synopsis of our annual retreat. I binged the entire thread this morning, so it was nice to touch on all of the days again before they fade away.

While I was there, more than once I found myself "having a moment"... sitting at one of the dining tables or enduring one of those numbing, wooden chairs in a workshop. I was overcome with the camaraderie and sense of community of our group of 30 and how positive the vibes are—nonstop! It comes from all of us, but most of all it comes from the thoughtful and hard work of Steve and Paulette. Thank you both, and I'm already looking forward to the next retreat.

~Jim

[Gene C]

On 10/26/2025 at 1:23 AM, DianeB said:

Keith (I think) won the Fishman Loudbox Micro, and

Diane, I associated Keith with COBBLER and we BOTH were grand prize winners although not the Cordoba guitar many were holding out for. Well pleased with my new amp can't wait to get it cranking. Hope you had a good trip and enjoyed the assorted leaves showing out their colors, Kentucky can be so beautiful in October too.

Thanks for the good pictures, you took some that I wished I had done. All of the retreat holds good memories for me. Good to see everyone again and meet some new musicians !

Gene C and Doris in London KY

[Steve Krenz]

Wow! Sounds like a great event! I want to go!

Loved the pictures and your insightful commentary. 

This retreat just seemed to fly by for me - the quickest one ever.  Paulette is currently downstairs coughing and sniffling her way back from her cold. But my heart is as full as my fridge of leftovers from camp!

It was a great time.  Not just with the amazing artists, beautiful surroundings, and plentiful food but from the camaraderie of close friends who meet each year to laugh and learn, hang out in the early mornings and late nights. 

You all were such a blessing to me and Paulette and to the artists, helpers and even Deer Run retreat staff.   

To me, it seemed like this year, one of the best attractions of the whole event were the wonderful people who drove and flew from near and far, who gave up a week of their lives, to come together and have fun with each other and music.

People from vastly different life experiences all together enjoying music and a meal and a few days in the woods just being friends and guitar lovers.

You embraced the new folks and made sure everyone was included.  You hung out with the artists like they were friends.  You opened your hearts to each other in every way. 

These are the intangibles that Paulette and I hope to foster but are difficult to put into a written schedule. 

This year, more than in previous years, you all brought the event with you. It wasn't the great music, the artists, or the teaching - it was you all that made the event. 

It passed by all too quickly but we have been blessed by all of your hospitality and friendship to each other. 

Love you all. - Steve 

[Sharont]

Thank you Diane.. Every year I read your travelogue with delight and anticipation.  It helps to ease the sadness at not being there myself.  

Steve - I truly hope Paulette is feeling better quickly and that as generous as she is, she doesn't share with you.  

On a personal note - thank you Steve and Paulette for all you do to create this amazing experience.  I see the effects of the community that you have created and how it feeds his soul.  

[DianeB]

Here's a sampling of videos from the artist and student performances: Gareth Pearson (3:05), Gary (0:58), Gregg (2:16), Paulo Olivera (3:22), and Clive Carroll (9:12).

[DianeB]

And a few more from Clive (5:06, 3:49), Josh (0:44), Barb (4:37), and Stephen Bennett (3:49, 2:44):

[DianeB]

Epilog

I'm home, at once renewed, humbled, grateful, and inspired. Steve and Paulette craft these gatherings like a John Williams symphony.

Our sponsors were generous. Everyone received a mix of capos, CDs, tuners, picks, strings, t-shirts, notebooks, Acoustic Guitar magazine, and Acoustic Coffee.

The crew at Gruhn Guitars treat us like special guests. Thank you, George, Julio, Kyle, and Benjamin. Greg Voros continues his treatments, is in good spirits and doing well.

The dining staff at Deer Run could not have been more gracious. We never see the housekeepers, but our rooms are always spotless and tidy when we arrive.

If someone (Doug, I'm looking at you) is careless enough to send me a clip of my performance of "I'm Easy," I may be shameless enough to post it here.

So we return to our scales, our songs, our lives. To those who endure health challenges, storm catastrophes, crushing bereavements — here's to you, my brothers and sisters, for offering us the joy of your music and your companionship. You truly keep the faith.