I am writing this opener from the Outer Banks in North Carolina where my family and I are celebrating our annual end-of-the-summer getaway. As September approaches, I find myself wondering where the summer went. I am in back-to-school mode as my older son Greg is leaving for his first year at college. Although he will be close by (Fordham’s Manhattan campus is about four blocks away from our office), I confess that I will miss having him around all the time.

College dorm room shopping has reached a new fevered pitch. I spent most of last weekend trying to have my son comprehend that while he will be living in an on-campus apartment, which is pretty cool for a freshman, this is neither a five-star hotel (which I confess that my sons are quite fond of) nor is it furnished like an extended stay inn. It's a dorm. And yes, that does have four letters. In fact, the furniture fancies a minimum security prison (the bedroom) or doctor's waiting room (the living room). I keep telling Greg to look around the house at the things he uses every day like paper towels, toilet paper and kitchen utensils and realize that none of those come with the apartment. I would have used cleaning supplies as part of this exercise, but I am not sure Greg would recognize Clorox Cleanup or Scrub Free. Those were part of the Advanced Housekeeping class he skipped in lieu of taking Lighthouse Exploration and the History of Ocean Liners.

As we write, some of you already have been back to school for a week or so, while others of you are gearing up for the big day. We do not start until after Labor Day in our town, so things here still are pretty relaxed. School supplies are bought, but the paper has not yet found its way into the binder, and we are off to the beach this week to squish some sand between our toes.