is their mascot really a pine tree?

Last week I went down to Stanford for a job interview. The last time I had been to the Stanford campus was many years ago, before I went to college, and the only image that stuck with me from that visit was of the iconic Hoover tower.



Well, on my second visit I was struck with the beauty of the place and I could not understand why at least some general impression of its gorgeousness hadn't stuck with me from the first time I saw it. Maybe the loveliness of the place was intensified by the contrast in weather conditions--when I left San Francisco in the morning it was foggy and cool, but in Palo Alto it was sunny and about 78 degrees Fahrenheit--and by the stunning views that accompanied the drive down the peninsula. At any rate, I was impressed. I mean, palm trees and pine trees all in one place? Could it get any better?