One thing I discovered during my Bosch Blanco Bloggers' Retreat is that creativity cannot be contained.  It spills out of the box in all sorts of interesting ways.  It was a great experience.  It's exciting and inspiring to learn about all the products, both the history and origins, as well as the very latest technologies.  Most of all, I loved hearing about  the design process and how these products come into being.  I enjoyed interacting, not only with the creatives at Bosch and Blanco, but also with my peers.  Whenever I could, I asked them about their typical days, how they work and what they do in their off time.  What I found is that there is no off time for a creative.  I should know that, right?  I discovered an editor who loves to knit, a kitchen designer who's passion is ballroom dancing and a much admired kitchen blogger who loves to photograph roses.  She confesses to having literally thousands of rose photos lurking in her hard drive!  The creative process is also a big part of what I learned about during our two days at the BSH Design Center in Irvine, California.The process of developing new products begins with colored pencils and adventurous minds.  The team at Bosch endeavors to achieve just the right combination of precision German engineering and the latest technology to address the needs of the consumer.Sometimes these needs are apparent but often they can be situations (observed and researched) that we may not even be aware of!  This is what makes the folks at Blanco and Bosch such a great team. They have a similar approach which understands that everything's connected in our world and it all informs what we need to function comfortably and efficiently in our homes.  Kudos to them and thanks for the memories!