Is that sunshine I see....?

Summer has finally made its return to the Puget Sound. For many this means taking family vacations to fun destinations. Others of us will take advantage of the warmer weather by unwinding, sitting on the porch and enjoying some ice cold Texas Tea. But I remember a time when summer time meant getting a summer job. Sound familiar?

I'm sure most of you have memorable summer job experiences. For some, those jobs opened doors to eventual careers. For others of us though ... well let's just say that we figured out what we didn't want to be when we grew up.

My first summer job was bagging groceries and stocking soda at the Lackland Air Force Base commissary in San Antonio, Texas. I was not very good. Smashed bread, broken eggs, and falling soda pyramids were all in a day's work. It is a good thing I found my way into the events industry.

Erin Haldi, our catering manager, spent an entire summer stripping and re-waxing elementary school floors. This may sound like an easy gig for some of you, but Erin (Lil' E, as we like to call her) is only 4' 9" tall. The average floor buffer is 4' tall and weighs about 100 pounds! Needless to say this was a huge undertaking for Erin. She told me "it was like hauling a mini-me around all summer."  This just proves that, while Erin might be the smallest member of our team, she can handle just about anything we throw her way. We'll just make sure to keep her away from the floor buffers.

Event manager, Danielle Guenther worked for an entire summer as a department store dressing room attendant.  While all her friends were jealous that she had a job in the fashion industry, Danielle thought otherwise.  "I'm over 6' tall and no matter where I stood, I could always see over the doors," Danielle said. "It was so uncomfortable. I hated it." Danielle also said she couldn't keep track of how many garments were in each room and was always forgetting to count items. "It definitely wasn't for me."  While Danielle didn't find her niche in the fashion world, she certainly has found it here. We're lucky to have her on our team.

When she was 13 years old, sales manager, Erin Mitchell picked strawberries at a local berry farm. "I was paid one dollar for every flat and I was given a 25 cent bonus if I didn't miss any days during the season."  All totaled, Erin earned about $120 for the season.  "Back then, I thought I was making so much money. Looking back though, I don't know if that was such a good deal," she joked. "But I did learn the value of hard work ... and the berries tasted great!"

Bagging groceries, waxing floors, counting dresses and picking berries ... it seems like we've done it all. While our summer jobs didn't lead directly to our current career paths, we all learned important lessons.

As you enjoy your summer, think back and recall your summer jobs and what you may have learned from them. I can't wait to hear your stories. I'll be on my porch, glass of Texas Tea in hand.

Gently sauté corn kernels in butter and set aside to cool

In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the half and half.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center of the dry.Pour the liquid into the well and gently mix together. Be careful not to over mix the ingredients. The batter should be fairly thick.

Fold in the corn.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in enough of the canola or olive to lightly film the skillet. Add about a tablespoon of the batter at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, remove the corn cakes from the pan. Repeat with the remaining batter to make about 30 corncakes in all.

Let corn cakes cool. Form thirty small rosettes from the smoked salmon slices. The longer pieces will yield two rosettes. Place a rosette of salmon on each corn cake.