A WSA respite weekend was held July 9-11, 2010, in the sun-drenched fishing village of Rock Hall on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

We arrived Friday night and gathered at the Swan Haven bed and breakfast, where a number of participants were staying. WSA respite events -- for supporting members -- are meant to give everyone a chance to relax from caregiving duties, or in the case of former well spouses, to mix with friends and meet "newbies" to encourage them in their current caregiver journey.

Friday night we met for dinner and dancing, in one of the dockside restaurants -- a local tradition.

Saturday brought another kind of drenching -- pouring rain and thunderstorms, so the planned sail in the Chesapeake Bay had to be put off for a day. Some toured nearby Chestertown, and others even went as far as Annapolis, doing lunch and shopping and sightseeing.

Sunday morning the 12 of us who did not have to depart due to prior commitments were able to go for a sail in two 35-foot boats. The combination of bright sun, a gentle wind and a two very agreeable captains was perfect!

The respite was all about being able to relax and take a break from our over-full lives -- whether or not we had spousal caregiving duties to go back to.

Here's a sample of comments:

- "This was my first respite weekend, and my only question is what took me so long? I had a great time, and even the bad weather on Saturday didn't dampen the mood. And what a gorgeous day for sailing on Sunday; I am sorry that everyone did not get to go."

- "It was a great weekend, I opted for canoeing down the Chester River Sunday, I had been on the sailing cruise a couple times before. It is one of my favorite weekends also."

- "I think this is my favorite respite. I was here last year and it was just as wonderful. The only negative was the rain on Saturday. That pushed the sailing trip to Sunday morning at ten. Not everyone could go. Some spouses had to get home. But I spoke to someone who did go sailing and they said it was great. They got 2 hours on the water. Dinner at Harbor Shack was good and they had a wonderful band out on the deck. Lots of dancing. Yay! After breakfast we went driving around to some of the shops and antique stores. Saturday night we all met at Watermans and had some dinner. People say they have the best crab cakes. Afterwards they had a band and more dancing. I had a really nice time. Connecting with everyone and meeting the newbies was just what i needed. Its a very calming atmosphere and i recommend it."