Chautauqua Institution

The clock tower and The Chautauqua Belle

For the summer of 2025, we left our camper parked in Ohio and headed out to a beautiful corner of southwestern New York. We took a step back in time to a community of century and a half old homes, where walking and biking are the way people get around. Instead of tv, we enjoyed lectures, concerts, and dialogues, at a place where the young and young at heart can explore, play and learn.

The Presbyterian House, our home for the summer
We loved sitting on the porches and listening to amphitheater concerts

Our friends Debbie and Jack called us last winter and said "we have a job for you!" We are glad they called! Back in 1988, we worked at Chautauqua Institution for the summer. For years we had thought about going back. When they told us about the job opportunity at the Presbyterian House at Chautauqua, we were very interested. We were ready for another adventure, but, instead of our familiar camper home, this one meant staying in a dorm style room with a shared bathroom and working parts of six days a week. Both were things we likely would not have considered any place else, but Chautauqua is unique.

Our friends Jack and Debbie.
 My mom got to spend
a week with us as well. 

If you're not familiar with Chautauqua Institution, it is a place where you can explore a wide range of interests including music, literature, history, science, religion, and politics. It is a place for life-long learning.  We attended performances and lectures that we normally wouldn't even think about. A typical day could start with a Zen Buddhist meditation, then possibly a science talk on robo cars. We could hear a lecture on building comunity through the arts, about AI or on capitalism. At lunch time, we might attend a book talk, or a presentation on climate change. Afternoons might include a religion lecture, an author presentation, or a tree identification walk. In the evening, maybe a blues concert or the opera, a ballet or the symphony, or even an indie rock concert.  If you just want to unwind, there's always a bench down by the lake, a place to sit and relax. 

A purple martin house by the lake

Chautauqua Institution, on Chautauqua Lake in western New York, was founded in 1874 as a training school for Sunday school teachers. Today the community hosts a nine-week summer season with a variety of themes and events, including lectures, concerts, dance and theater. There are religous guest houses of many denominations, and recreation opportunities around the grounds and on the lake. The grounds are filled with picturesque old houses, with gardens and flowers constantly in bloom. I feel like we walked through a botanical garden each day. Part of the reason the flowers are so amazing is that they have somehow been able to keep deer out of the area, so they can't eat all the plants. Most of the houses have porches that invite relaxation and conversation.  It is a gated community, with car traffic mostly limited to dropping off and picking up luggage. They do have shuttles that transport people, but most people walk or ride bikes around the 750 acre area. It's a place where kids can ride their bikes with their friends until dusk.

We loved all the bird houses
in this garden

One of our favorite houses to walk by, 
we wanted to go sit and relax
on their porch!

We loved this garden with so much color and the tall tree lilies

So many colorful houses

One of the many gardens,
this one was right next to the Presby house

We love how the bikes would be
 parked for the night

Our job title was guest services generalist. Most weekdays we worked 4 to 5 hours a day. The mornings were generally free to attend programs.  In the afternoon Mark usually cleaned the many porches and I washed and put away the kitchen towels and cleaning rags. The hours were flexible so that we could go to afternoon lectures if they sounded interesting. Our main weekday duty was to set up, serve and clean up dinner each evening. The only long work day was each Saturday starting at 8 am when our crew cleaned the all guest rooms to get them ready for the new week's guests arriving at 2:30. Sundays we served the noon meal and the evening buffet meal. All in all,  it was a great schedule. 

Some of our work crew, by the kitchen

A Saturday cleaning crew

At work in the dining room

We were generally finished each evening in time to go to the nightly amphitheater events! Some of the entertainment we saw this summer included Counting Crows, Straight No Chaser, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Laufey, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and the Ballet. We listened to piano recitals, chamber orchestras, opera, and relaxed jam sessions. Each week had a theme ranging from Comedy week with Lewis Black, to The Middle East: The Gulf States' Emerging Influence, to The Global Rise of Authoritarianism (the most depressing week), to Kwame Alexander and Friends: The Power of One (my favorite week, he has fun friends!).

The Chautauqua Orchestra Fourth of July concert in the amphitheater
They gave everyone paper bags to inflate and pop
 to sound like fireworks.

A sold out Laufey concert.

At the Ballet

Some of my favorite things there were the author and book talks, and the nature walks and talks that included learning about purple martins, trees, plants, insects, and monarch butterfly tagging.  We attended morning meditations with a different teacher each week from many of the major world religions.

Our co-workers included folks of all ages from 18 to 85! They all have interesting lives and stories! We were so fortunate to spend the summer there! Thanks Debbie and Jack for finding us this job!!!

End of the summer staff

Some of our work friends

We have a major life change and a new adventure starting! We bought a house in the Lansing, Michigan area to be close to Kari and Jess and our grandbaby, Elliot!!! It will be a big adjustment for us,  but one that we are excited about! We have sold our tiny home on wheels (our camper) to a lovely family.  We are starting our next chapter and looking forward to new adventures. We feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people, and to have lived in many amazing and beautiful places over the last 71/2 years! Thanks for joining us and reading our blog along the way!

We will have a guest room, so come visit us in Michigan!!!