my house is too quiet tonight

Brian and the kids are at Blowing Rock. I expect that they are making s'mores at the bonfire even as I type this. Part of me wishes that I was with them, especially after I found out that the Blowing Rock Conference Center now offers wireless internet. This is a retreat center that doesn't have telephones or televisions! This time last year they had ONE computer in the lobby so that guests could check their e-mail. Our boys kept sneaking off to play Runescape until their father threatened to block the site the way he did at church. What is the point in taking a retreat if you don't unplug from technology for a while? I think that was one reason why I opted to stay home this year.

My sister and her family took a vacation at Attean Lake Lodge last summer. The cabins are heated with wood-burning stoves and lit by kerosene. Ice is delivered daily by the staff. There is ONE phone in the lodge for guests to use. She and the kids had a blast. I think my brother-in-law had fun once he got over cell phone withdrawal. If I wanted to get away from it all like that I would probably just go camping. Maid service in a cabin would just make me nervous.

The crazy thing now is that even if you're camping you can still take your iPhone with you. I remember camping near Niagra Falls one year and seeing my husband working on his laptop as he talked to somebody in Charlotte. At last he told them "I have to go. I'm camping and my battery is almost gone." I do look forward to travelling without the intrusion of work crisis. I wonder if I'll miss twitter?

Smartphones make it so easy to Twitter that I might just keep updating.

LH