In and Out of My Garden: Chautauqua Lake

Evie's garden

We've been going to Chautauqua since Brooks was three months old, when Tom and Evie first bought their house on the lake. It's a place where our whole family often gathered in the summers and where we celebrated many special occasions. My parents loved it there, my kids love it there, and so we have lots of Chautauqua memories. Walt and I spent a long weekend there these past few days, and were lucky to have lots of lake time and do many of the things we love about Chautauqua. Evie always has the best meals and she made homemade pasta and shrimp vodka sauce for our first night there. It's so nice to eat every meal outside, with the lake just a few steps away. On Saturday, after a breakfast of Turkish menemens (turkish omelet), we put on our walking shoes and took the boat over to Bemus Point, taking the usual walk along the lake drive and admiring the lakeside homes, then stopping at Seezurh House for a beer afterwards. Then it was back to the lake, sitting on the dock, and taking a swim. Tom and Ev were hosting a neighborhood cocktail hour that evening in their yard, so we got to meet lots of their neighbors, some of whom we've known over the years. Then we drove to their Rod and Gun Club for dinner, having a good old-fashioned prime rib dinner (delish), and even danced a little to the after-dinner band. My mom and dad would have loved it.

On Sunday we relaxed in the morning then had a breakfast of eggs and pea meal bacon and bagels. One of my oldest friends was also at the lake that weekend, so Kathy and her husband Bill stopped by for about an hour and we got to catch up. They have visited us before at the lake and it was great to see them and hear about their recent trip to visit their daughter in Africa. Then we took the boat over to Chautauqua Institution to listen to a free concert of Dixieland music. It was the last weekend of the season at Chautauqua, so there was a lot of activity with people packing up and leaving. We walked around a little and stopped in the great bookstore on the grounds. We got back in the boat and Biff drove us across the lake to the Viking Club for beers, and we sat on their deck for about an hour enjoying the pretty day. Such a nice afternoon on the lake! We went home and Evie made Turkish koftes with pita bread, one of my favorite Chautauqua meals. So many Chautauqua favorites!

It was so good to see Biff and Evie, and get in some Chautauqua lake time.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of Evie's garden, of course, everything so lush and colorful. She has a great perennial garden and lots of hydrangeas, rhodos, and pretty trees. I love the painted rocks they use to border the garden and decorate their porch--a project they do with their grandchildren every summer. Biff is into cairns and they have several amazing ones around the lake. Guess who brought home a bagful of rocks?