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If you look very closely at the picture, you may be able to detect my proud tan lines. I spent time outside! I was not in front of a computer or on a phone or anything. I did nothing. Just ate and slept and walked and played in the sand. John and I invented a game we called "driftwood" but it didn't appear to catch on with the other people along our beach and it did result in a lot of sand in the bikini for sure, but it was fun.

I was hoping to come back all rested and I guess I am, but it was somewhat diminished by the 6:30 pm arrival time turning into a 3 am arrival time back to Ottawa. Pulling an all-nighter takes something. But we had fun and it was definitely relaxing. Only one person spotted me as a yoga teacher from Rama Lotus and I felt pretty anonymous at our beach. It was fun.

The next trip is to Huntington Beach to visit my grandmother. I'm taking Remi along for this one and we leave in a week. Just over, but it's about a week. We'll do Disneyland and Surf City as we can walk to the beach from my grandma's place. A whole other scene. From the DR to Orange County beaches. Culture shock for sure!

The only thong bathing suit I saw last week was worn by a man. If my memory serves me correctly, my bikini will be considered quite modest by the SoCal locals. I'll report back.

On another note, I hate flying. I'm happy to fly to get to where I want to go, but the whole being on an airplane thing freaks me out. I could tell you many stories of my trips and flights that were "notable" and the truth is they've always been fine and I'm here and have been many places in the world and don't have the slightest bump from being on a plane. But there's something about being in turbulence that has me face my death and I can tell you right now I don't want to go. I don't want to die. I'm not done, I'm not ready, I don't want to. I don't want to say goodbye to this beautiful life and at some point I'm going to have to do that. So I appreciate being able to face that fear and feel it and look at it and sit with it for a little bit. And I don't like it.

And next week I get to do it on 4 flights as we have a stopover in Chicago. Great. But really, the great part is I get to take my daughter on a really important trip to see her great-grandmother - something we haven't done together in the last 7 years.