Surfing Soapbox: Always nice to get away with family

The Pribram retreat was a blast last week. We stayed in Morro Bay for a couple days at a great inn, whose name escapes me at this moment, which won’t go over well when my parents read this. Seeing how their family friends of them. I’ve tried to Google it without luck, and time’s running out because I have a flight to catch to Sayulita, Mexico.

So I’ll catch you up on the name in next week’s column. Anyway, we had a great time as the four of us stayed in a great cottage. It was nice and a lot of fun, the four of us staying together. It was priceless, some would say, and time that I feel very fortunate to spend with them. It’s truly amazing how beautiful it is up there with the rolling green hills and spring flowers in full bloom.

We spent Sunday in Santa Barbara having brunch at the Biltmore Hotel, which was simply divine. Montecito is a great little town that reminds me of Laguna.

Driving home we stopped off at the Alpine Village in Torrance, where my dad loves shopping for cold cuts.

I’d wanted us to take a family vacation for the last couple of years and it was well worth the wait. It’s these times in life that I most cherish.

Well it is 6:56 a.m., and I have to finish packing and make my flight. I’ll be hosting a surfing event there with the proceeds going to the Costa Verde Elementary School, which is also there.

From there I’ll be flying home for a few hours for a cup of tea with my folks and grabbing a change of clothes before grabbing another flight to New York for Earth Week and some promotional events for my new sponsor, O’Neill.

I’ve always heard that expression that life is a trip; I guess they’re right.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. His websites include AlohaSchoolofSurfing and ECOWarrior Surf.com. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com