I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid the summer seemed endless. In fact it was so long that going back to school was something that I couldn’t wait to do. We stayed in school until the third week of June, and returned the Tuesday after Labor Day, 10 weeks of fun, sun and plenty of time to get bored.
The highlight, often, was the camping trip to Cultus Lake only an endless hour drive from home. There, we would meet other families that we only saw on those summer weeks of camping. On the road just before we turned into the campground was the place that made the entire trip worthwhile. The stables contained the horses that would cause me to whine, beg, and cajole my parents (no wonder the trip seemed so long) trying to solicit a promise to fund a trail ride on one of those horses during our stay. Generally if I was not successful before that turn into the campground entrance I was doomed to a ride-less week. Of course that did not stop me from continuing my quest throughout our time at the lake. I loved horses.
Now as an adult I look back from where I came, British Columbia, and I see those glorious vistas are undeniably pulling me northward. They are embedded into my spirit.
As a parent ,summer is not quite the same. For me it started when the kids started school. Panic set in when I realized that I would have to find something to entertain them for 8 weeks, pay an enormous fee to do so, and change my schedule and routine to accommodate the entire process.
The summer months at the Stanford Terrace Inn are filled with many parents who bring their kids to attend summer camps from science to soccer at Stanford University. There are wedding guests bustling in the halls and sunning by the pool. Special local events fill our rooms with guests who would not ordinarily find their way to Palo Alto.
We get to experience summer in that endless relaxed fashion as our guests laugh and linger over breakfast, interacting with others that they just met over a waffle or pain au chocolat.
Soon it will be back to business travelers, new and returning students, all needing to focus their time in a more serious fashion.   All of us will look back on the summer and think, ” that was so much fun, I can’t wait until next year.”

Shanti to all!

Barbara Pressman

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{ed note: summer went so fast we just got to this one now! =) ]