Athenaeum Hotel

This grand old hotel in Chautauqua, N.Y. is a must-blip for me whenever we get to Chautauqua. We try to make the trip at least once every summer, but we missed last year. It's a little under two hours from home, so not a long journey, but when you walk in the gate at the Chautauqua Institution, you feel as if you have entered a different universe, a Brigadoon, or something equally magical. There are no cars in the Institution, people ride bikes, children and teens can attend the sports camp to enjoy lots of outdoor activities, both on Chautauqua Lake and on land. Meanwhile, the adults have the opportunity to sit on the amazing and beautiful front porches, enjoy and learn from a variety of musical, political, and educational presentations. Among other things, we heard a talk by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and another by Thomas Jefferson (actually by the man who portrays Jefferson at Williamsburg). Some of you may have had the opportunity to see and hear him there. He makes an outstanding Jefferson. It was an interesting day in a delightful setting. I have more pictures, but have had no time to process them yet. In a day or two I will get them up to flickr for anyone who may be interested.

My phone has been out of commission for the past 36 hours and I had to back up everything on it to my computer, wipe the phone, and then restore all the data to my phone. It has been a bothersome, irksome, and time-consuming task, but all is fixed now (or almost all), and I am back in business. I will catch up on my backblips in a day or two and some of the commenting I've missed too.