August 29

This day of respite was pretty terrific. With almost nothing scheduled except to allow most people to check out, there was a relaxation of the sometimes frantic movement from one activity to another as everyone tries to cram in as many enriching experiences as possible.

This morning I awoke and went to buy my paper, and to go to the Farmer's Market for the last time. I talked to the soup guy about his recipe for the outstanding beans and greens soup that I have had a couple of times. Today he had turkey chili, and since it is cool and rainy for the next two days, I decided a large container of that would see me through to the end.

I left around 8:45 to go over to the Disciples house where Phyllis and Bill were staying. I knew they were leaving this morning and I figured I could help them load their car in the steady rain. As I turned the corner I saw Phyllis getting into the car where Bill was already in the driver's seat. I had to literally run to make it to say goodbye to them before they pulled away. Again. . . .I'm chasing after a 91 year old, and and 87 year old. I told them I would see them next summer!!!

I jumped on the tram bus and went out to the north end of the grounds where I joined a Peace Pole walk. The concept of Peace Poles was developed by the Japanese after WWII. There are well over a dozen or so poles on the Chautauqua grounds. They are made in Michigan, and people put them in their yards as a testament to the desire for world peace. Most of them are 4-sided, about 6+ feet tall. When you order your Peace Pole you tell what 4 languages you want. The message on each side of the pole is one of peace in the world, or peace in the community. We visited all the poles in the grounds (took about 2 hours). When we got to the house with the pole, the owners came out and told us about their language selections and about the significance of their poles. Some people selected languages of their heritage, and many chose languages from countries where there is no peace. There is also the choice of putting sign language, braille, paw prints to represent animals, and also Native American languages. There are hundreds of languages to choose from. It was a really interesting way to see the grounds, talk to owners, and learn more history of Chautauqua. You can Google Peace Poles for more info. I'm thinking about getting one for my lawn at home. There are Peace Poles all over the world.

I had to leave the walk for about 20 minutes in order to move my kitchen food stuffs from the house where I'm staying to a neighboring house. So I'm in the same room for the next two nights, but I have a new kitchen.

Once the walk was finished, I ate some lunch (chili and fruit) and decided to drive to Jamestown to see the movie Julie and Julia which was terrific! Then I decided to drive all the way around Chautauqua Lake. The lake is 20+ miles long and 2 1/2 miles wide. It was a beautiful drive, and I admit I stopped for an ice cream cone in Mayville before arriving back on the grounds. I'm listening to Sidney Poitier's book The Measure of a Man, which I started on the trip up. I got to hear a couple of chapters today, and I'm looking forward to finishing that book on the way home. It was pretty wonderful doing my favorite activity. . .driving around. At one time I had a panoramic view of Lake Erie in the distance.

Final choir practice tonight. We sing tomorrow at church, then have our choir picnic, then sing for the final Sacred Song Service tomorrow night, which ends with the three taps of the gavel signifying the end of the season.

One cool story from my walk with the Peace Pole people (say that 10 times fast). . .we got to the home of the man who started Murphy's 5 & 10 cent stores. A beautiful house overlooking the lake. On the shutters of the house there was a cut out V on the left shutter, and an X on the right shutter of every window. It took me a moment to figure that out. . . . . .5 and 10. Get it???? One of many great stories I heard on the walk.

So as the strains of Elvis Costello drift through my window from the concert next door, I'll sign off on this second to the last night of the 2009 season! RP