"Too bad cameras are not allowed here. Otherwise we could take the pictures as keepsake for our bravery." I continued.
"Lin recommended this place but she could not make it herself because of her little boy." Jun sighed.
At the exchange of this conversation, we were sitting around the fire pit in swimming suit outside with minus 10 degree Celsius at Scandinave Spa, a reclusive haven for weary skiers 5 kilometres from Blue Mountain, the largest ski resort in Ontario. At the reception earlier, a lady taught us the process of hot-cold-relax at the Spa. We followed her instructions to the letter by gushing into different hot tubs first and then torturing ourselves in the non-heated pools for a few seconds before rushing to the sanctuary where we could get the only chance to relax in unfreezing temperature. This was already our 3rd round. And we decided this time to stay beside the fire pit for a few minutes in the open air as the alternative for cold water. As much as it sounded crazy, the effect of this process was actually astounding. I dozed off at least twice in the relaxing rooms. The sores and aches in my muscles from the previous day ski were miraculously gone.
By the time we completed our "adventure", our kids almost finished their day at the ski camp on Blue Mountain. At the pick-up spot, we found that the kids made no less accomplishments with some of them including mine venturing onto black, double diamond and even mogul trails. While the kids were still babbling excitedly about their experience today on the backseat, we already pulled over at the cottage. Once inside, in no time did the kids jump out of their heavy snow jackets and pants, they automatically formed their small-play groups over DS, table tennis, TV and mini-camp downstairs and upstairs. We adults, as usual, gathered in the spacious living and dining room on the upper floor.
The idea to spend this Christmas with 7 families together under the same roof was initiated by Lin, a good friend of mine two and half months ago. While busy with her usual routine and quarter/year-end risk capital reporting at work and as a mother of 3-year and 7-year old boys at home, she invested considerable amount of time and efforts locating an appropriate place for 22 persons including 10 kids ranging from 3 to 8 years old and co-ordinating the trip like the mother of all the families with detailed instructions, safety measures, proposed fun activities and schedules etc. A week before the trip, she called on a meeting among all us ladies over the lunch to recap all her instructions. Laughing all the way through the lunch, we parted with one common strong desire: to look forward to this trip.
On the day of our arrival, we found that our chief leader and three other families broke one of her own rules by taking almost half of their kitchen stuff at home to the cottage instead of our discussed share of food. With so much "raw materials" and snacks, our original plan to dine out on Christmas night seemed no longer feasible. Theoretically, two cooks spoil the broth. Practically more than two cooks with excellent skills effectively make the feast. Among all the moms, Jun was undoubtedly the crown chef and our nutrition expert with Yan and Lin as the best support. Under Jun's leadership in the kitchen, preparing food for 22 persons was like a piece of cake now. With so much variety of choices in food and cozy surroundings, eating in the cottage turned out to be one of the best parts during our entire stay.
On the hills, Beilin and her hubby were definitely the queen and king. But despite the king's authority and skillsets, he could not stop Yan from walking half way down the green trail. He later confessed that he never sweated as much when helping Yan on the hill as on the black ski trail himself. Two black horses came out from nowhere. One hour earlier, Yiwei and Yingfang, two young moms were still on the bunny hill. In a second, they zoomed from green to blue trails. Tricked by their seemingly easiness for control, Lin managed to get onto the lift to land on the top of the green only to find herself trapped. With a few bad falls, she gave up the green after two successful yet difficult tries and back to the bunny hill to beef up the basics.
In the evening after the dinner, while the kids were huddling together in groups, we adults sat down naturally beside the huge dining table or in the long couches to continue the unfinished conversation at the dinner. We had several good "lectures" on real estate market trend in Toronto from Wei, Xiaoyin's hubby though his last lesson was conducted in a half-sleep mode after ski for a whole day during the daytime and several hours at night. We laughed at Beilin's unnecessary worries about her hubby's safety and comforted her that her hubby would listen to her not to risk himself in the narrow black trail under the dim light in the evening. We chatted about parenting issues and fun things about our kids. The lively conversation dragged on to late night after all the kids went to bed. We followed this routine every day at the cottage and nobody seemed to get tired of it.
On our last night, when the discussion centered on banking, I took a break and flipped through again the emails I received in the past several days from our friends on vacation around the world in Austria, Cuba, Italy and Egypt etc. In addition to Christmas wishes, each seemed to have some story to tell about their trips. Remembering three much talked about movies in China released recently in time to celebrate New Year, I started to write my reply:
"When Li and Daju's family was about to undergo the Sacrifice of their trip in London, UK (英氏孤儿) instead of Austria, they managed to alter their doomed destiny and fulfil their dream by finding a car and chauffeur among the chaos and being driven all the way through the English Channel and Europe Continent to their final destination.
Much encouraged by our own courageous exposure to the cold while half naked at Scandinave Spa, we would keep up the same spirit on Blue Mountain. Despite numerous falls, we were determined to continue to Let the Ski Fly (让雪橇飞) on the hills.
Ten years ago, Shirley and Lubo's family paid their first visit to Cuba. If Cuba is the Place (非古巴勿游2), where else shall they and their friends go this time? Though time flies, they have aged with grace. Similar to the political and cultural scenes in Cuba which have remained unchanged, the romantic bond between the two has been maintained as deep as before over the years..."
I finished my email and sent it out along with my New Year blessings to all. The enthusiasm at the table did not diminish at all when I was busy typing on the blackberry. I took a deep breath and walked over to the gigantic French window facing the silver trails lit under the rows of lights on Blue Mountain. Looking down through the window, I spotted vaguely in the dark several icicles hanging down under the railings of the balcony. It was chilly outside. Turning around, I caught at the room centre corner the fire dancing merrily around the log in the fireplace. It was warm inside. All of sudden, behind me burst out of a loud laughter that could shake the whole house. With a big smile, I hurriedly rejoined the crowd.
"Special thanks to our beloved families and dear friends who have made our life journey memorable. In spite of the cold in the outside world, it is they who have kept us so warm inside!"
Season's Greetings and Warmest Regards from Freelance on December 30, 2010
