Saratoga Springs and Chautauqua

We settled into an RV park just outside of Schenectady and planned a day trip

to Saratoga Springs.  Man!  Did I learn a lot about that town!

A town built on and by corruption and greed.  What could be better?!?!

This is the town museum where my eyes got opened.

Finn was even invited to come in too.

Gambling and illegal activity brought the moneyed and corrupt to town.

There was bootlegging, gambling, prostitution - just enough to get your 

grandmother excited.  

The kingpins of organized crime all found their way to Saratoga Springs.

(Doesn't it just ring of the movies of the 30's and 40's..?)

Diamond Jim Brady and his longtime companion Lillian Russell.

They even displayed a couple of her corsets!

Rooms of fine design of the time

While the gents gambled, the ladies gathered in the music room.

 The Kefauver investigations in 1950 set out to look at crime in interstate commerce.

It led to admission of a national crime syndicate, and educated the public

about issues of municipal corruption.
Ed says he looks like a used car salesman...

There is lots to do in town.

Ed went to the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

He bought a book... 

This museum special exhibit focused on the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.

This is one of Ed's favorites - a mid 20's Pierce Arrow luxury auto

manufactured in Buffalo, NY from 1901-1938.

Next stop:  The Saratoga Battlefield - a National Park Service site.

Spike was waiting for us.  The first time we have met another

Kerry Blue Terrier.  He was really cute, not as friendly as Finn, but

a very nice dog.  And they looked so cute together.

The Battle of Saratoga in 1777 was considered the turning point of 

the Revolutionary War.  The battle provided the impetus for France to

join the Patriots side against England.

We drove the 9 mile loop with 10 stops overlooking the battlefield areas.

It's frightening when you try to imagine 8500 Americans and thousands 

of British troops from Canada.

This house has been reconstructed exactly as it was and where it was.

It was used as an American officer's quarters, and then reverted

back to the family that lived there.

The battlefields are marked with cannons giving an idea of

what the soldiers looked at.

Cannons are heavy.  Hence, the crane to lift them.

Paintings depicting the battles are present throughout the drive.

The Hudson River.  

Ed explained to me that a "redoubt" is

a fortification to protect soldiers outside of the main defensive line.

The first visitors to the Springs in Saratoga were  mostly Jewish immigrants who brought
with them familiarity of "taking of the waters." 

The hotel building boom began when their off spring - 1st generation Americans -

wanted better accommodations.

What began as sacred Indian ground became a lively resort for the rich

and a mecca of gambling and horse racing.  Still is.

Back in Saratoga Springs we went to test the water.  The springs around

the city are placed in these gazebos.  Each is meant to treat a specific

part of the body and all are different waters.

Hawthorne Spring is supposed to treat digestive issues.

Here I am, cup in hand, having a sip.

It was carbonated and tasted of sulfer.  Yuck!

Ed ran into Brenda while photographing some of the old homes.

She owns this one.  It's circa 1850.

She sent us to see what the wealthy built in the Gilded Age.

Life can be pretty good in Saratoga Springs....

We never made it to the races, but we did tour the area.  Can just

imagine the chaos Finn could create among the horses...

Chautauqua, we are heading your way.

At least we were heading your way...until we got stuck in a blinding rain storm.

We abandoned the idea of reaching the RV park, pulled into a rest stop, and

spent the night with the truckers.  The rain had stopped in the morning and

Prendergast RV park allowed us in early.

Looking for a good breakfast on the way, we stopped at a cafe that turned out to be a bar.

The owner saw Ed leaving and ran out to tell me that there was indeed a restaurant inside.

His daughter, Lindsay, delivered wonderful service and good food, and Ed was gifted 

with a t-shirt before we hit the road. 

We spent two glorious days at the Chautauque Institute.

It's a village complete with all services,

The map may give a sense of the size.

There's a theme for each week during the summer.

Week 7- A week with Ken Burns.

A lecture each morning at 10:45 in the amphitheater addresses the theme.
The venue holds over 5000 people seated and standing, and is home to all kinds of events.

The Chautauqua Symphony plays here.  Jackie Evanko was doing a concert on Friday night.

They have featured rock, jazz, classical and everything in between.

There's a renovation planned to enlarge and rebuild the amphitheater.

It's 100 years old...and I bet it looks like it's 100 when it's done.

Ken Burns and Jeff Ward presented clips and discussed their projects.

They spoke about The Roosevelts during the two days we attended.

After their talks, they had a meet and greet on the back porch.
We didn't get there in time, but we were able to photograph.
I think those who met and greeted skipped the lecture and 

waited at the porch.

Everyone got their photo with Burns.

I was impressed that he genuinely seemed to enjoy himself.

We went through the daily schedule and decided to go to the

Everett Jewish Life Center where they were having a Yiddish class.

Neither of us can speak the language, but we grew up with Ed's parents

speaking both Hebrew and Yiddish, and my grandparents who only spoke Yiddish.

My parents spoke it when they didn't want Bob or me to understand.

I understood every word!  Even when I was in single digits!

We were so warmly included and we both learned how much we can still

understand.  I was amazed how clearly I could keep up with the conversation

though I answered in English.

Our next stop was the Hall of Philosophy...

...to hear E. L. Doctorow 

read from his latest book.  

We stopped at the amphitheater before leaving for the day to hear

part of the rehearsal for the symphony concert that night.

Chautauqua Institute was exceptionally crowded this week.  We had a difficult time

finding seats on Thursday, so on Friday we attended the morning worship service and then

held our seats for the Burns lecture.  We later found out that most of the people

attending had done the same...   

It was the final lecture of the week.  The place was packed!

Ken Burns walked out taking a video of the sea of people.

Burns and Ward have worked together for many years, and Jeff Ward wrote

the 14 hour movie on Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor.  The discussions were

moderated by the president of the institute.

Four excerpts were shown each day and then hand written questions
were taken from the audience.

Beware of commentary following:

We found the questions to be very "watered down."  Nothing was touched upon that

could stir up controversy.  Might that have been planned???  There was never any
reference to FDR not bombing the death camps during WWII, yet there were
many many people in the audience who would have wanted to know what they
learned in their research.

We spent a good part of the afternoon strolling the village and taking photos.

This is Bestor Plaza from the steps of the library.  

There was a juried craft show this weekend so we spent a good deal of

time going through the booths that went around the plaza.
Beautiful work.  Especially the glass and leather.

You get the idea you are on a movie set.  This isn't a set and it is more than 100 years old.

The Chabad House.

They were making challah on the driveway.  Everyone who participated took one home

to rise and bake.  Some braided, some loaves, poppy or sesame seeded, and all looking delicious.

The end of Bestor opposite the library with the craft show in progress.

Each home, inn, hotel, guest house has a plaque marking it's year of "birth."

The sculpted figures along the street were not interesting to me when we arrived.
But, they grew on me for the joy they exude.  I decided I wanted
to visit the artist's open studio in Mayville.

The Athenaeum Hotel

The is the old hotel in the village.  

This side faces the lake...

...and this is the view from the porch.  

There's a yacht club, a beach, shuffleboard, and lawn bowling.

Strolling along the water...

...and taking photos of the buildings facing the water.

It's so pretty here and so peaceful when not involved in the politics
that it must take to keep this institute going.

The four pillars of the institute are art, education, religion, and recreation.

For me,  it feels more like the focus is on peace, acceptance of all, love
of learning and appreciation of culture.

It was, again, a wonderful experience.  I have been here twice and both times I've felt 

enriched and contented after the experience.  

So many people just keep coming back...there must be a reason.

Our last day here.

This is the shop at the studio of Kristin Engstrom,

creator of those joyous figures.

She gave us permission to photograph her work.  I left inspired and itching to

hand build something new.  

Could my affinity for this Indian woman have anything to do with where I live?

I imagine her in front of our house...

We moved on to Westfield

where we found a farmers market in progress.

The Amish were selling their baskets...

...and beautiful produce.

Of course, they arrived by buggy.

The old train station has been converted to an art gallery...

featuring the work of one artist - Katherine Galbraith.

She and her husband bought the station.

Johnson Estate Winery is right in the middle of the second largest
wine growing area in the U.S.   That's a fact I hadn't known.
 New York is bested only by California.

Nobel Winery overlooks the vineyards of the area.  There was a wedding there on this day.
We learned at an antique store that a lot of the grapes are grown for Welch's who
make their grape juices in Westfield.

We've enjoyed three lovely days here.  Full and thoughtful.

We'll just keep that mood as we head to Cleveland to visit family.