I am feeling a bit melancholy this week, and it is because I am not able to experience this summer a sublime vacation that I did for more than a dozen years.

I refer to Stanford Sierra Camp. There are numerous Farm alumni in this vicinity who spend a glorious week on Fallen Leaf Lake each summer. When my now adult kids were growing up, it was an annual highlight to make the trek to the South Tahoe area and pass 7 days at such a beautiful setting and participate in numerous enjoyable activities.

My marriage to my Stanford grad ex is ending, and my daughter and her mother will be going again next week, but it is no longer appropriate for me to be part of the caravan. I suspect this may be one of the last years for them, as many people move on after the kids are grown, although that is not entirely the case. Many couples continue to go there each year even after the kids have fled the nest.

There are so many fun things that are adult oriented, including faculty talks, sailing, water skiing, tennis, hiking, rock climbing, in my case playing Bridge, crafts, evening and star gazing boat rides on the lake, among others.

It would be fun on this forum for those of us who have had the good fortune to spend time at this special place to share some highlight experiences. In that spirit, here is one of mine:

I was playing in an after-dinner Bridge match, and my then wife and I were booked on a 10pm boat cruise to do some star gazing. The game was intense and I had to run to the boat dock in sandals to get to the boat on time. The stairs down to the dock were poorly lighted, and when I should have turned right, I went straight, dropped about 6 feet and broke my foot. The foot now is fine, but it did lead to some better lighting in that part of the camp.

Do others have stories and anecdotes from SSC or the Lair of the Bear (Blue or Gold?) Or other family camps? If so, please share them. It could make for an interesting discussion about the glories and trials of attending family camps.