CALFING 2026
Announcements
Announcements
Below is some additional information about Serenity Ridge and CALFING 2026. I will update this page each time I send out an email so there is a convenient place participants can come to find information about CALFING 2026.
March 16, 2026
Hi everyone,
1) I have heard of long lines, delays and cancellations experienced at the airport just today. Due to current issues with TSA agents, you may experience significant airport or flight delays. Contact your airline or airport information desk to be prepared.
2) I have removed any links from the website to the two spreadsheets I created. I will restrict access to those spreadsheets to the email addresses receiving this message so that no one outside our retreat can access them.
3) The announcements page on the event website shows additional information about Serenity Ridge and CALFING 2026. I will update that page each time I send out an email so there is a convenient place participants can come to find information about CALFING 2026.Access it at https://sites.google.com/richardroman.com/calfing-2026/announcements.
Cheers,
Mark
March 16, 2026
Hi everyone,
There was some confusion about how the travel information spreadsheet works. It is intended to help participants connect and share rides to Serenity Ridge. It is not enough to just enter your arrival time at the airport and your need for a ride to the retreat center. After entering your information, contact another participant offering rides to arrange where and how you will meet to travel together.
Please let me me know if you have any questions or need any assistance.
Cheers,
Mark
March 16, 2026
Hi everyone,
The CALFING 2026 team will start traveling in a day or two so let us know if you have any last-minute questions or communications.
A final PS... Serenity Ridge requests that outdoor shoes not be worn in their meditation room. You may want to bring a pair of slippers to wear inside of the meditation room.
If you haven't already, read the announcements page at https://sites.google.com/richardroman.com/calfing-2026/announcements.
We're looking forward to seeing you on Friday!
Cheers,
Mark
March 10, 2026
Hi CALFING 2026 Attendees,
We're looking forward to seeing you in less than two weeks at the CALFING 2026 retreat!
Detailed information about the retreat is available on the event website at
https://sites.google.com/richardroman.com/calfing-2026, including a new Announcements page. A few of the more timely details follow.
Arriving at Serenity Ridge
CALFING 2026 activities will begin at 5pm ET on March 20th at Serenity Ridge, 560 Drumheller Lane, Shipman, VA 22971. We ask that you arrive between 3 and 4pm.
If you are still looking to share travel with other participants from an airport to the venue, please share your travel information in our travel spreadsheet at [Ask Mark for this link.].
Nutritional Needs
The meals we provide begin as vegetarian and gluten-free, and then address the particular nutritional needs of individuals at the retreat. If you have not yet shared your particular nutritional needs with us, please do so through an email to Mark at drmarkafriedman@richardroman.com.
Serenity Ridge is an entirely vegetarian center. All forms of animal flesh are prohibited from their kitchen. There is a refrigerator and microwave for guests that you may use to store and prepare your own food. Cold cuts and cold fish are allowed in the guest refrigerator. To avoid an odor of meat or fish spreading throughout the center, heated meat and heated fish are not permitted.
No Talent Show
We have traditionally held a "No Talent Needed" Show at CALFING. Participation is completely voluntary, and some attendees simply enjoy watching. If you would like to take part, you may wish to bring an instrument, a costume, or some other items to support your performance.
Down Payment
If you have not yet sent a down payment for the retreat, please do so now. Payments and contributions can be made by Zelle or PayPal through the email calfpayments@gmail.com.
Connection with Attendees
We've created a spreadsheet with your responses to questions from the registration form at [Ask Mark for this link.]. Feel free to view, edit or add your information to share a bit about yourself with other attendees of CALFING 2026.
Questions
If you have any questions or needs, please email Mark at drmarkafriedman@richardroman.com.
Warmly,
Mark, Sylvia, Michael, Amanda and Matt
March 9, 2026
We have created a WhatsApp group so we can connect and communicate with each other. If you would like to join the group, click on the link https://chat.whatsapp.com/LP0L6159LeoJsgbKQJx3op in a browser on your phone.
CALFING 2026 activities will begin at 5pm ET on March 20th. As the CALFING team will be busy during the afternoon on the first day of the retreat. We ask that you arrive between 3 and 4pm. You will be able to leave your luggage in the lounge when you arrive.
At 5pm, we will hold our Room Dance where we tour the accommodations at Serenity Ridge, and then select rooms with consideration of everyone's needs. You will then be able to move your luggage into your room. We will have dinner and an opening meeting following the Room Dance once everyone has settled into their room.
Those arriving early can walk around the Serenity Ridge grounds and converse with each other in some common areas.
CALFING 2026 will end at 11am ET on March 29th after a closing meeting after which bag lunches will be available to take on your trip home. The CALFING team will depart promptly at that time, and would like you to leave at that time as well. If you have other desires, will you let us know?
If you are still needing to coordinate your travel from the airport to Serenity Ridge, please put your travel information and make requests through the Travel Information spreadsheet at [Ask Mark for this link.], or share your needs in the WhatsApp group.
Serenity Ridge is at 560 Drumheller Lane, Shipman, VA 22971. There website is at https://ligmincha.org/centers-usa-serenityridge.
Ride services are available from Charlottesville to Serenity Ridge including from the airport (CHO), Amtrak (train) and Greyhound (bus) stations. Uber and Lyft are available through their respective apps when traveling from Charlottesville to Serenity Ridge, but not from Serenity Ridge to Charlottesville. During our last retreat at Serenity Ridge, some participants made direct arrangements with drivers on their way to Serenity Ridge for the driver to provide a return trip back to Charlottesville on the last day of the retreat. Let us know your return needs, and if needed, we will support you in finding a ride.
We’ll be holding our retreat just as spring is beginning to show in Shipman, VA. We will build spaciousness into our days so you’ll have opportunities to integrate what you are learning and experiencing through quiet time, conversational time, and walks on the Serenity Ridge grounds. March is a transitional month in Shipman with typical afternoon highs in the upper 50s to low 60s (13–16 °C) and nighttime lows in the low to mid-30s (1–3 °C). Bring layers so you can be comfortable from cool mornings to milder afternoons, along with an umbrella and a light jacket in case a spring shower or front passes through. Sturdy shoes can be helpful on damp paths, and a flashlight is handy after dark.
We’ve been told that there are year-round ticks at Serenity Ridge so do not walk through the grass particularly with open shoes or without socks. Generally, stay on the road to maintain friendly relations with neighbors. You may also wish to bring insect repellent.
Cushions and chairs are provided in the meditation hall, but you are welcome to bring your own, as well as anything else to ensure your comfort. The temperature in the meditation hall can run from rather cool to quite warm, so dressing in layers or bringing a shawl or blanket can be helpful.
Each day, we will begin with a remembering to remind us of the consciousness of NVC. If there is something you would like to share, a story, a poem, a dance, a game, some music, you will have the opportunity to share it with the group.
Serenity Ridge requests that outdoor shoes are not worn in their meditation room. You may want to bring a pair of slippers to wear inside of the meditation room.
Serenity Ridge requests that when drinking water in their meditation room, it is contained in a water bottle with a fully closing lid or cap. You may want to bring a secure water bottle with you.
Accommodations at Serenity Ridge include single rooms and double rooms. With a couple of exceptions, the rooms at Serenity Ridge do not have a private bathroom. Most of us will be sharing separate adjoining men's and women's bathrooms. (Yes, with hot water for showers.) You may wish to bring bathrobes for the walk to the bathroom from your room. Sheets and towels are provided.
Every room at Serenity Ridge has electrical outlets. If you need an outlet close to your bed, please bring an extension cord to ensure an outlet close to the bed.
All meals begin as vegetarian and gluten-free, and then address the particular nutritional needs of individuals at CALFING. The registration form asked you to share any specific nutritional needs. Please let us know if there are additional preferences and food sensitivities, or foods you cannot eat for health reasons that you did not mention during registration as soon as possible.
Serenity Ridge is an entirely vegetarian center. All forms of animal flesh are prohibited from their kitchen(s). There is a refrigerator and microwave for guests that you may use to store and cook your own food. Cold cuts and cold fish are allowed in the guest refrigerator. To avoid an odor of meat or fish spreading throughout the center, heated meat and heated fish are not permitted.
Serenity Ridge has well water which is tested monthly and filtered with UV sterilizers.
Serenity Ridge has laundry facilities available for our use. Soap is provided. The washers and dryers require quarters to use.
Most of the areas (inside and outside) in which we will be living and meeting have a free Internet connection available. (The Internet technology at Serenity Ridge has been upgraded since the last time we were there.) There may be one or two dead spots.
The best cell phone service at Serenity Ridge is Verizon, however, the service is spotty (and perhaps even spottier than when we were last there). Serenity Ridge suggests that you rely on a WiFi (Internet) service for communicating with those outside of Serenity Ridge. When we were last at Serenity Ridge, they had a landline phone that we could use to make calls and which could receive incoming calls. That landline phone is no longer available. Mark suggests we can find an alternative using WiFi technology, particularly for emergency communications. (Details to be discussed later.)
If there is something you would enjoy offering to the group (e.g., a game, a yoga session, a presentation), there will be time during the evening for you to do so.
We have traditionally held a "No Talent Needed" Show at CALFING. Participation is completely voluntary, and some attendees simply enjoy watching. If you would like to take part, you may wish to bring an instrument, a costume, or some other items to support your performance.
Sometime in the middle of the retreat, we will share a breakdown of the fixed expenses we have incurred for the retreat (estimated between $2,300 and $2,500 per attendee), and you will have an opportunity to adjust your payment towards those fixed costs given the down payment you had previously made. This "Money Dance' will also give you an opportunity to make a financial contribution to the CALF team (suggested $800 to $1,600) to compensate for the time and efforts the team contributed towards creating the retreat. Please bring a means to make a payment towards the fixed costs of the retreat and the contribution you will make towards the CALF team. Payments and contributions can be made by Zelle or PayPal through the email calfpayments@gmail.com.
Serenity Ridge Retreat Center is dedicated to support the spiritual practice and well-being of all of our guests, teachers and staff. As safety remains a top concern, they continue to follow both CDC and Virginia state guidelines to minimize Covid exposure and transmission. Their current policies to protect our guests and our staff from Covid infection are posted on their website.
Should anyone contract COVID during the retreat, Serenity Ridge has set aside two dormitory rooms for use by those with COVID. The dormitory rooms are on a separate air handling system to ensure maximum safety for everyone. If this happens to you, we will still include you in the retreat. You can continue to participate on your phone or other devices through WiFi.
If you have additional questions, please send an email to Mark at drmarkafriedman@richardroman.com.