chautauqua

The Heron and I

June 21, 2014 at 8:01 am by Claudia

Friday morning brought a walk down to the lake. The beaches weren’t open for swimming yet, some fishermen were out on the lake, and I got to spend some time drinking in the lake’s beauty.

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I found a deserted dock.

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Wait…not so deserted. A Great Blue Heron and I shared the dock. As I crept closer, the heron maintained his still, graceful stance.

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Closer and closer.

Pretty good for an iPhone. But oh, what I could have done with my big girl camera!

Some boaters came near and he got a little fidgety, then he stopped, leaned over the dock, peering into the water, flew down and came up with a fish in his mouth. But alas, our time together was disturbed by the boaters and he flew over to the next dock.

But what a lovely time we had together, he and I.

Happy Saturday.

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The Lake

June 18, 2014 at 8:32 am by Claudia

I grew up spending time at my aunt’s cottage on a lake in Michigan, my home state.

That particular lake was named Silver Lake and it was about an hour or so from our house. The cottage itself was built by my grandfather in the early part of the twentieth century. In fact, it was the very first cottage on that lake. My parents spent their honeymoon there.

The family cottage was owned by all six Hill siblings after the death of my grandparents and eventually, my aunt became sole owner. The lake was another world for me, a place to sit on the dock, or sleep on the sleeping porch with the gentle sounds of waves lapping against the shore as my lullaby. It was a place where screen doors slammed, where we played with inner tubes or swam out to the raft. It’s where I learned to water ski. There was a little store just down the dirt road where we would walk to get a cold 7-up and some candy. The adults would play cards at night – usually a spirited game of ’31.’

Very different from my life in suburbia.

It’s no wonder that I’ve always loved lakes and have always wanted to live on a lake. The lake here, Chautauqua Lake, is 17 miles long and 2 miles wide. There are several communities on the lake, one of which is the Chautauqua Institution. On Sunday, I grabbed the opportunity to spend some time there – before the influx of summer visitors that will start on June 22nd.

It’s gorgeous.

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You’d better believe I sat on this dock for a while.

I would love nothing more than to wake up each morning and walk down to my very own dock with a cup of coffee. Universe? Are you listening?

And speaking of Michigan, look what I spied in someone’s yard:

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Michigan shaped adirondack chairs. Dawn, my fellow Michigander, you need these! My cousin Eileen reads this blog; have you seen these before, Eileen?

Yesterday was a long day. Today will be equally as long. But I’m having a wonderful time working in these surroundings.

Happy Wednesday.

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Some of the Cottages of Chautauqua

June 14, 2014 at 8:40 am by Claudia

It has been gray and rainy all week but yesterday, between rainstorms, I grabbed some morning free time to explore Chautauqua. The website for the Chautauqua Institution gives this description of the community:

Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 100,000 visitors will stay at Chautauqua and participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages—all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village.

Self-improvement through lifelong learning was at the heart of the impulse that motivated Americans and founded Chautauqua in 1874. Chautauqua’s tradition of self-improvement through lifelong learning continues today through a variety of programs aimed at the exploration and exchange of ideas in an atmosphere that encourages civil discourse.

There are communities like Chautauqua scattered around the country, all founded with the same ideals in mind; Oak Bluffs in Massachusetts and DeFuniak Springs in Florida, among them. Chautauqua, where I am, was the first, and the word ‘chautauqua’ was often used to describe other communities in this movement.

Besides the obvious draw of speakers and music and theater and opportunities for learning, the Victorian cottages that sprang up in Chautauqua are a feast for the eyes. These homes are often held onto through succeeding generations. Some are summer homes. But there is also a year-round community here of about 300 residents. In the summer, the numbers jump to the tens of thousands.

I took some photos yesterday to give you an idea of why I am gasping every time I walk down a narrow path or road. It’s gorgeous here.

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Lots of the cottages have names, like this one.

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Almost all of them have incredible porches with wicker furniture and charming details. This one? I fell in love. Check out the blue wicker chair, the shutters around the blue door, that table with framed photo, the cupboard on the wall. Sigh.

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This farmhouse-style cottage had an incredible cottage garden. You can see the white wicker chairs on the porch. And if you look a little closer, you’ll see this:

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That pink wicker rocker is calling my name. Adorable!

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There’s lots of construction and landscaping going on right now. The ‘season’ here starts in 10 days or so. I wish I could have captured what was inside the front door of this cottage. I could see a new vintage-y looking kitchen island with beautiful pendant lighting.

These narrow cottages really evoke the Chautauqua movement for me. I’ve seen countless photos of them over the years.

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Here’s a perfect example. Could you die? The gingerbread, the upper balcony, the charming screen door….it’s like a dollhouse!

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There are shops, lecture halls, restaurants and all of it is on the shores of Chautauqua Lake.

Heaven. I could live here quite easily and I told Don that in no uncertain terms.

More later. I have a day off tomorrow and it just might be sunny.

Happy Saturday.

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The Heron and I

The Lake

Some of the Cottages of Chautauqua

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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