Chautauqua Institution - Week Two

July 4th Weekend
Since moving to Burlington in 1999, I don't think I have been in the US for a Fourth of July. It certainly spurred my patriotism to be present for the festivities! Saturday afternoon the Chautauqua Community Band played rousing renditions of favorite patriotic and American songs. The Saturday night Pops Concert included the 1812 Overture with the audience popping paper bags at the cannon shot moments. Awesome! Apparently, this is a common occurrence in recent times when the Overture is played, but it was my first experience. Following the concert, we went to the lakeshore to see the flares around the lake and the Mayville fireworks accompanied by patriotic songs being played by the Bell Tower carillon.

The decorations around the grounds were heart-stirring and magnificent.









The Chautauqua Choir sang two patriotic anthems in the morning service. The Evening Song Service, which is a choir concert with some hymn singing, was on theme as well. Sometimes there is a bit too much liberalism expressed here. There was one congregational hymn ("...The poor are rich, the weak are strong, the foolish ones are wise, Tell all who mourn: outcasts belong, who perishes will rise..."and a responsive reading ("...From greed and selfishness, from a society in which the irch get richer and the poor get poorer, compassionate god, deliver us...") which was beyond my conscience to participate.

Sunday afternoon, Jared (organist and choir director extraordinaire) led a Blessing of the Animals at the lakeshore! Guinness must have recognized the spiritual significance and reverence of the occasion. He could not have been better behaved! In fact, he was a favorite of the crowd. Everyone wanted to pet him. I wish old Mr. Billy Goat had been there!



I noted that a "Daily Chautauquan" photographer, Emily Fox, was taking closeup photos of him. Overnight, I was dreaming he would be the poster boy on the front-page! But alas... I ran for the paper first thing! They didn't even include an article about the Blessing. I have since learned that the photos were taken as filler when needed. So he still has a chance for fame. I went to the newspaper office to see if I could buy a photo she had taken. So hard to choose! She had taken several shots of the group with Guinness's glowing face in the lower right corner. At $15 each, I chose only two: one showing the group with Jared leading --

and a full view of Guinny.

I am still considering going back to fork out another $15 for one of those darling shots with just his cute face in the lower right corner!

The first blessing was bestowed upon a cat -- the only cat and a remarkably calm cat. He rolled on the grass with all the dogs present!

Guinness receiving his blessing:


While at Chautauqua, I always go on the weekly Bird Walk. Other than a Great Blue Heron flying overhead, the clan of Purple Martins living in the gourds provided them on the lakeshore, and a Hairy Woodpecker, I did not see any spectacular or unusual birds on the weekly Bird Walk, but I did see a rosy breasted grossbeak out our condo window. I also saw a tiny gray bird with yellow beak and a song which is a rattle, but have yet to identify him.

When I returned to the condo after the Bird Walk Tuesday morning, an empty clear glass bowl was sitting IN Guinness's water bowl -- unbroken! It took me a second to figure out why it was there. A bunch of 6 bananas had been in that bowl sitting on the counter directly above his water bowl! He ATE ALL 6 bananas!!!! No more treats for him that day!

While walking Guinny around the property, I heard an unusual bird song as we passed a clump of trees. I stopped, turned around, and looked for the bird in the trees. I did not see it, but a crow loudly cawed at me from a nearby rooftop. Then I realized it was a baby crow chirping its baby song! When we returned to that spot several minutes later and heard the baby again, I stopped to gaze for the nest. This time, two crows cawed their disapproval of my attention!

The temps last week were chilly. This week is steamy! Here is Guinny after a hot walk.


On Tuesday, Grant's cousin Angela and her dog, Louis, came to spend the week with us. Little Louis took control as the Top Dog immediately and put Guinness in his place. Guinness is such an Omega dog that he defers to anyone. Notice he tried not looking a Louis to see if Louis would let him pass.

That didn't work, so then he looked at me pleadingly to assist him in passing Louis and leaving the kitchen!

These pictures were taken one of our walks around the property to show Angela around.
The President of Chautauqua Institute's home.


The Bell Tower through the trees.

This week, I went on the Tree and Garden Nature Walk for the first time. It was very informative about the species of trees here, the care they are given, the challenges they face, and the replacement for each tree lost. Prior to twenty years ago, basically only shade plants could be grown on the grounds. Now that some of the larger trees are being lost, there is more sunlight and a greater variety of perennials can be planted.

He took us to the Butterfly Garden and explained that there never are butterflies there. They are not sure why unless it is the proximity of the fire station, the large colony of bats on the property, or what. As he was saying this, I pointed out a white butterfly fluttering a few feet from us! He said it must be a moth. ha! A few minutes later, there were three white butterflies hovering around the garden. Again, he insisted that they must be moths. I looked up moths that are active in the daylight. None of them are pure white.

I also attended the Bat Talk Wednesday afternoon. I experienced the bats Tuesday evening while walking back to the condo at dusk. They were flitting around high among the trees except along the pathway to my condo -- they were flying all around me so fast that they were gone before I realized they were there! The Bat Talk dispells all the myths which most consider to be fact, and replaces their image as wonderful creatures with whom we cohabitate.

Thursday, July 8
Guinny and I took a walk down by the lake. It was very hot, so I let him go in the lake where a couple of other dogs were playing fetch in the water.

Then we met an artist painting a lakeshore scene.


Tonight was a Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra concert. They played the Violin Concerto in D Major by Tchaikovsky with the Concertmaster, Brian Reagin (Concertmaster during the regular season at The North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh), as soloist. He was FABULOUS!!!! What a wonderful rendition he played of that concerto under extremely hot conditions. Everyone was to their feet within seconds!