Back from Sycamore

After 3 days at Sycamore Springs, I wonder if my family has learned how to relax. We had full days and nights, but at least we weren't working. We talked about work. During our first try of a Pilates class, we heard inhales and exhales from everybody else, and only bone cracking sounds from my parents joints and frequent grunts of pain from their low threshold of flexibility. They couldn't bare the additional hour of Tai chi afterwards. I complained that I couldn't pick up wireless broadband signal around the resort, and couldn't access work emails via my VPN. My parents wondered why the resort's wellness center has to be "cell-phone free" and not "free cell phones". Our day somehow were so packed that my brother and Helen had to maximize their hot spring experiences either after midnight or very early morning. My dad became obsessed with the wood burning fireplace, and constantly shifting and adding the logs. Helen was a busy bee, making dinner and hot spring reservations. Only her brother Eon seem most relaxed -- a blessing that he is not "corrupted" by our unrelaxing family culture.

The drive back was the most relaxing part for me, I was so sleepy and in between my sleepy lapses, I look out the window and see the serene white sand beaches, clear blue skies, a small plane with a thin and long white trail lingering behind it, and soft rolling waves of the pacific. I had forgotten how beautiful the coast is. We stopped in Santa Barbara for yummy ice cream treats from Cold Stone Creamary.

It's almost 3 am, a bit late for me to fiddle with photo uploading. The photos will come shortly, I promise.