August 28

CRANKING DOWN, BUT STILL RICH AND FULL

This was a great day, in spite of the noticeable lessening of activities and people.

Our last weekday church service was today, which meant my last singing with just the motet choir and the last time to hear Otis Moss this year. The choir holds a breakfast every Friday, and even though I stick to my regular breakfast, I show up to socialize. Funny how now that we're practically done, I'm beginning to feel a part of this group. They have a winter retreat over a weekend, and I will come if I can depending on the time and the weather. At the end of every Friday service, Jared Jacobsen, our choir master and the organist, play's Widor's Toccata #5 which is always thrilling.

After church, I had arranged to meet a new friend, Jane to drive into Jamestown (home of Lucille Ball) and go to visit the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. I admit I did not know about this man who is responsible for the Peterson: Field Guide to the Birds, the largest selling bird guide in the world. If you have a bird book, it's likely that it's one of his. The building was an architectural wonder in stone and wood. . .very Mission-style. The original drawings/paintings of the birds were on display and they were spectacular. I was so glad to get to see this exhibit. After visiting that, we made a quick stop at Wegmans where I picked up some pasta salad to take to the choir picnic on Sunday. Then we drove to Mayville to get some lunch.

It was pretty cool being off the grounds. We got back in time for me to attend the final of a group of weekly presentations that have highlighted a different part of Chautauquan history each week. This week they picked 5 active Chautauquans to showcase 5 Giants of Chautauqua. Each person picked someone from the history and presented a slideshow/talk about that person. They were fascinating. One person chose the wife of Mr. Bestor, for whom Bestor Plaza is named. They showed pictures of this woman with Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart. Another presented about George Sheridan, the head of the piano department in the early years. And one man chose his own father who was in the audience and had worked on the grounds for 53 years as a groundskeeper and fireman among other things. I really enjoyed this program.

Had choir practice tonight at 6:00. The big choir still has to sing Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Then went to the Sara Evans Concert. I don't know her music, but I know that she is a country star and was on Dancing With the Stars. She had some hard core fans in the audience from off the grounds, but most people were like me and didn't know the songs. However, she got a warm reception and gave an enthusiastic and loud performance. Tomorrow night is Elvis Costello!

Tomorrow night and Sunday night I will stay in the same room, but all of us in this building will move our food stuff to a kitchen in an adjoining building so that they can begin to clean our kitchen. There are going to be some significant renovations taking place on our building soon after the season is over.

It will be hard to leave, but I will be ready to go home, get my doggy and start back into my life at home. But in the meantime, I have two whole days left and I plan to make the most of them. RP