Posts from — August 2010

As this season comes to a close at the Chautauqua Institute, I am saddened. The cold is begining to seep into my joints and the trees are changing color before my eyes. I look forward to next year where I hope to hear new lectures at Alumni Hall or in the Hall of Philosophy, and I look forward to the Yoga classes and art courses that will soon appear on next summer’s schedule. I simply love this small Victorian city. There is nothing like it on earth.

Chautauqua Institute is a wonderful place to renew and feed the body, mind and spirit. I placed some pictures of some of my favorite things about Chautauqua on my corporate Facebook page Medical Health Supply, but visuals do not serve the institute justice. To learn more about this very special place read on or visit the institute’s website.

Chautauqua Institute is short distance from Jamestown and Buffalo. I encourage everyone to visit this wonderful victorian city.

Some years ago, I listened to a speech by Sandra Day O’Connor at the amphitheatre in Chautauqua. This week I had the opportunity to hear Sandra Day O’Connor speak for the second time in the amphitheatre. I always learn something of value and good use at the lectures and shows in Chautauqua; I have never been disappointed.

I regularly attend performances of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in the amphitheatre in the village center. One of our friends, who is a teacher at the Eastman School of Music, often plays in the summer orchestra. He lives in a lake house across the way. It is always a pleasure to listen to beautiful music and breathe the fresh air and goodwill that permeate the streets of the village. He did not need to pull “strings” in the orchestra to have my child become the youngest member. I made her set her violin down when she became concert mistress in Interlochen. As a mother, I understood that she needed to explore new venues. Life is not about being number one. It is about being the best you that you can be.

I saw the Buddy Holly revival which featured the Big Bopper’s son singing his father’s favorites in the amphitheatre. Members of the audience danced and sang in the isle while the more advanced “jitter buggers” fled to the back of the theater to let loose. They did not look like the same people who attended the previous night’s lecture. This is what I enjoy most about programs. People from all walks of life coexist in harmony and peace when they walk through the Institute’s gates. There is something special for everyone in this magical city.

Some years ago a relative, who was studying at Yale at the time, sang in the Opera program over the summer. It was nice to visit with a relative, who is interested in classical music. My children often attend different performances than I.

Last summer I was able to convince a niece to attend the Barry Gibb’s concert with me in the amphitheater. Her foot tapped throughout the concert and she danced and swayed while she listened to the music. As an old Bee Gees fan, I was totally thrilled to learn that some of the Gibbs boys still had it. It is fun to turn back the hands of time and listen to the music that was popular when I was sixteen.

The entertainment and fun is endless in Chautauqua. The spas and accommodations are enjoying and relaxing. This is all important to some people, but I just need to be challenged. Again, I remind people that the challenge is what I enjoy about Chautauqua.

I usually eat at the Athenaeum Hotel, or the Refectory when I am on site. When I venture off grounds, I like to visit Bemus Point or Mayville. The Hound and the Hare at Bemus Point offers more formal dining. Mayville’s Olive’s offers excellent Italian dishes. I once attended a fund raiser at the Chautauqua Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Mayville. Both the appetizers and meal were outstanding. This year I tried the Watermark, the crab soup and artichoke dip were excellent.

This year I ate at the Tally-Hoe and the new restaurant under St. Elmo’s. The Roast Turkey dinner at the Tally-Hoe was delicious. The staff at the Tally Hoe and the new chef on the Concierge level under the condominum complex. The new chef and did an excellent job. For fun and fattening treats, we ordered the angle wings and the gingerbread pastries at the pastry shop under the St. Elmo’s Resort and Condominiums. They were also very delicious.

One would think that I work for the Institute or have a vested interest in its programs or well-being. My interest in seeing Chautauqua Institute thrive is personal. I hope to be able to visit the institute to walk the grounds and listen to interesting lectures in the gardens for more decades to come.

Visiting Chautauqua revives the body, mind and spirit. For pictures of some of my favorite places in Chautauqua visit Medical Health Supply on Facebook.