Day 51 (Cave people get some culture)

Day 51
August 11, 2006
Chautauqua Institution

Busti is near Jamestown, a small, old city that was built at the southern tip of Lake Chautauqua, which is shaped like a miniature finger lake of sorts (about 20 miles long, north to south, and 1 mile across). Chautauqua Institution, an historic, gated summer retreat and learned institution where thousands of people spend a week or two during the summer and immerse themselves in an array of artistic and intellectual pursuits and other vacation activities, is located at about 10 o’clock on the lake.

We decided to visit the institution and were joined by Jonathan and Barbara and Frank’s parents. The weather could not have been better—77 degrees, low humidity, gentle breezes, blue skies and not a cloud to be found.

On the way to Chautauqua, we went past a family farm that was sold in the 1970s. Like most of the family farms in that area (and the rest of America), it is no longer a dairy farm although some of the land is planted in corn. It was a bit sad to see the old barn needing paint and the fences taken down, but the house had been expanded and looked cared for.

We also stopped by the Busti Cemetery for a look at the family plot. Frank’s grandparents, Harold and Dorothy, are among the many relatives buried there.

We continued on to Chautauqua Institution where Sylvia and Barbara spent most of the time browsing the crafts exhibits around Bestor Plaza as the rest of us walked through the village taking in the lake views and historic architecture (most of it four-square and Victorian wood-frame dwellings). We also visited the Athenaeum Hotel and spent some minutes on its grand porch overlooking the lake.

Chautauqua is known to be a multi-denominational enclave where people strive to find their common ground and the pursuit of truths is highly valued. The town’s three dozen or so square blocks were carefully laid out to make it a pedestrian friendly. As a result, cars are not really necessary and have therefore been restricted within the institution. Most visitors park their cars in a large parking lot across the highway and walk or bicycle in. It’s the kind of place were you see artists painting scenery, musicians playing on street corners and people playing lawn sports typically associated with the gentry class.

We had a wonderful afternoon at Chautauqua and Jonnie and Frank decided they would like to spend a week there some year.

We then met Frank’s Aunts Beverly and Shirley and Shirley’s husband, Louis, at a local restaurant for dinner, followed by an informal gathering at Uncle Louie and Aunt Shirley’s house to look at photos of the trip.