A visit to Chautauqua

At silly o'clock in the morning, we left home for an overnight visit to Chautauqua, New York. Chautauqua is a community, a lake, and an institution. On its website, it is described as follows ..."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."

Each week during the summer guest speakers share their expertise on that week's topic. This week the focus is on Iran, and the keynote speakers are noteworthy authors and journalists who have first-hand knowledge of the country, its history, political situation, and its relationship to the western world. Admittedly, some of the information was over my head, but I listened hard and learned a lot.

The charm of Chautauqua is its unusual mixture of current events, political issues, intellectual stimulation, art, music, and fun in beautiful and historical surroundings. A walk by the lake, a tasty lunch, and a delicious dinner topped off by a very large ice cream cone nourished our bodies as well as our souls. The speaker for the evening program was Dan Brown. If you are a reader, you will probably recognize him as the author of The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, and other fascinating books that challenge readers to raise questions about the relationship of science and religion. He is an excellent speaker...entertaining, humorous, and enlightening.

The lovely lady I chose as my blip was resting beside the porch of one of the homes I passed along the way, one of a number of art installations I noticed throughout the community. She is just part of the charm of Chautauqua.


If you are interested in knowing more about chautauquas and the chautauqua movement in America during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there is some information here and elsewhere on the internet and on the Chautauqua Institution website.