A Year in the Life

Well, it has been quite a ride this summer at the Nathaniel Morris Inn. We have had the best summer we've had in quite a few years, and it felt good. Besides myself, the restaurants and shops were booming also. A different energy in the air, too.
This is the time of year of mixed emotions. Like taking down the Christmas tree. Having an inn at the beach obviously lends itself to being a seasonal business. Although we are open all year, obviously summer is our busiest time. I love the ebb and flow of the energy as we go through the year.
End of summer brings relief, as it truly is exhausting to make breakfast and beds every day.
But it also brings melancholy. Saying goodbye to faithful guests who come every year is always sad. You wonder what the year will bring until you next see them. And then there are the new guests who become instant friends and promise to come back again and again. When Labor Day hits it's like a smack in the face. Instant quiet....outside and inside.
But then comes the most beautiful time of year at the shore and with it more guests. A different variety. The kind that don't run off to the beach necessarily but sit on the porch and read and enjoy the crisp air. The church bells ring, Manasquan High Marching Band and the sound of the football game being announced.
Then come the holidays. Wood smoke in the air. Manasquan's football parade at Thanksgiving and the bonfire by the beach. The beautiful Victorian homes decorated for Christmas along with the shops on Main Street. A quiet old fashioned town that happens to have a beautiful beach. A beach that is as beautiful in winter as it is in summer. Just a diffent kind of beautiful.
Then comes the dead of winter. Snow falling and winter nesting. This is when I do my projects to get ready for spring and summer at the inn. Paint touchups, linen updating. Recipe collecting. But before you know it, it's March.
March is the season of anticipation. Excitement building for the busy season ahead. Restaurants painting outside, inns sprucing up outside. Deposits coming in along with reservations. Everyone talking about gas prices...will they really effect business this year? What about the economy? But still you come. And we are so grateful.
Spring and summer arrive and the hustle and bustle begins. The bands start playing on the outside decks. The boats are in the water. The water taxi starts running again. The horns are honking with impatient beach goers.
Ahh, life is good!!!!