Final Taos Report Plus Bear

Yesterday, in addition to a steady invasion of ground squirrels into the lodge, we had a bear sighting. It was ambling across the parking lot:

Today, however, was less about wildlife than about the last class. We critiqued the final two stories, after which there was a round-table discussion of agents, e-pubbing, political correctness in SF, other worthwhile workshops, and general trends in publishing. Tonight will be a farewell dinner at Old Blinking Light, with many Margaritas, and tomorrow everyone goes home. During the two weeks, we read and critiqued a total of 197,000 words of fiction. It's been a great workshop. Memorable quotes from the last few days:

"Breast reduction surgery is a shamefully under-explored topic in SF."

"You can never have too many maggots in a re-animation scene."

"Being dressed in a loin cloth and flak jacket, with a Mohawk and a Fu Manchu mustache -- this doesn't really inspire fear."

"We have butts and nipples that don't seem to be doing anything."

"I was confused about how many legs your narrator has."

"EEEiiiEEE! Flaming dicks!"

And, in the most concise synopsis ever offered of the rest of a story:
"What you just read.
Stuff happens.
The heroine wins."