Chautauqua Trip

 Sunday Aug 3

We departed Lynchburg on our way to Chautauqua. It’s a two day drive stopping at Wrights Campground in Altoona, PA. We arrived at the Lake Erie KOA Monday afternoon…our home for the week. The campground is across the road from Lake Erie.

Tuesday

We began touring the area going to Jamestown. It’s famous for being the birthplace of Lucille Ball and houses the Lucy-Desi Museum (We did not go here!) The city is not in great shape since many industries have closed.  We did eat lunch at a really great vegetarian restaurant, the Labyrinth Press.

Wednesday 

We drove north along Lake Erie to Dunkirk where we ate lunch and toured the Lighthouse which was in operation from 1875 to 1960. 

On the way back to Westfield, we stopped at Lake Erie State Park where we hiked one of the trails.

Back in Westfield, we toured the Lake Erie Grape Discovery Center.  Along the Lake, there are over 30 thousand acres of grape vines!  We stopped at Johnson Estate Winery, New York’s oldest estate winery for a tasting (wines were ok).  We then completed a delicious tradition, picking up a rhubarb pie at the Portage Pie Company!

Thursday

We checked out Findlay Lake and walked around the small town. It has charming little shops and a candle factory. 

Our next stop was Bemus, a small village on the east end of Lake Chautauqua. It was alive with tourists and had many shops, restaurants and hotels.

Friday

We spent the day at the Chautauqua Institute.  The morning lecture was “The Power of One” exploring the effect one person can have on his/her area of concern. We did not know of the speaker Kwarne Alexander, but he was very good.

We had our traditional lunch at the Heirloom Restaurant in the Athenaeum Hotel.  The afternoon lecture was an interfaith theme, Whose Body, Whose Choice? Religion, Sexual Politics, and the Law. Following the lecture we went to a discussion at the Unitarian House. 

We walked around the grounds, supported a wine bar and ate supper at Brick Walk Cafe before heading to the concert. The opening act was Brandy Clark setting the stage for Mary Chaplin Carpenter.  It was a great night of beautiful music! 

Saturday

After spending 12 hours at the Institute yesterday, today had to be a relaxing day for  the old folks!  We took a short drive around  Casadaga Lakes and stopped at 21 Brix, the top rated winery in the region. Tomorrow we head home!

 

Escape to Mountains

 Monday June 14

The weather has been hot, and since we love to travel we decided to go to the mountains to cool off!  Today we headed to Fancy Gap in southern Virginia next to the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of where it enters NC.  We set up camp and enjoyed the cool evening breezes!

Tuesday

We drove to Floyd in time to eat lunch at the Floyd Country Store, our favorite restaurant when we lived in the area. After decades, it is still a busy restaurant with great food! It was great to see that Floyd is still a busy town!

Wednesday

The Blue Ridge Music Center is on the Parkway a little before it crosses into NC. They have free concerts every weekday at noon.  We always go there when we are in the area. The “band” was a group of musicians from the area who never played together before.  One musician would start playing a bluegrass tune and then all of the others would join in! They were great!

Thursday

We headed north on the Parkway to eat lunch at the Villa Appalachia Winery.  The food was great! We drove back down the Parkway stopping to hike the trails around Mabry Mill.

Friday

We are driving to Myrtle Beach today to see the Hills.  When we got  set up in the KOA,  Gretchen called Kelley to see what we would be doing tomorrow. Bottom line was Maggie was sick with a 103 degree fever.  So, we were not going to see them and decided to drive home Saturday.  It was disappointing not being able to see them, but things happen.  Overall, we had a great trip!

First Camping Trip

Monday June 9th

It's our first camping trip of the year, and we are headed with the Bishops to a campground at the western base of Skyline Drive. 

On Tuesday afternoon we went to Mountain Run, a creek with a waterfall in the Shenandoah National Forest.  It was promoted as a hiking trail but we could not find it.  From the  parking lot, there was a short stroll  to a pool on the creek.  The only trail we noticed headed up the mountain to Skyline Drive but it was not along the creek.

Wednesday we spent the day driving on Skyline Drive.  It was a beautiful day and the Mountain Laurels were in full bloom.  None of us had been there in recent years so it was a real treat to see the sights along the Drive again.  

Thursday we went to Edith Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at James Madison University. We spent several hours strolling around the trails in the Garden. It seemed we were in the period between the Spring and Summer flowers, but it was still a beautiful spot.

Alas, on Friday it was time to pack up and head for home.  We had a great time with the Bishops and look forward to another camping trip with them.  Our only hope is that Bill was not too befuddled because their campsite had Full Hookups.

 

Spring 2025

 Spring 2025

Due to medical issues, I never got around to writing on entry in this blog until today (6/16)!

In February we celebrated Gretchen’s birthday with Jenny, who prepared a wonderful meal!

We hosted our annual Valentine's Day meal with friends!

And then I was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer!  Derek and Katie played a major role in arranging for me to be treated at the Duke Cancer Center AND providing a place for us to stay during my treatments.  Thank you so much! Thank you Kelley for coming to see me in the hospital. Thank you Gretchen for caring for me through this entire ordeal! Love to all of you for your outstanding support!

Sally came to visit and check on my healing when we returned to Lynchburg.  The timing was right to celebrate her birthday! We went to the Peaks of Otter during her stay and walked around the lake on a beautiful spring day!

 

The last day of May, CVGS celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding.  The event was attended by a large number of students, parents and faculty.  I loved seeing the people from my time at the Governor's School!

I'll end this entry by saying I am healing well from my surgery.  Each week I note something that reflects an improvement in the healing process.  Today, I'm back to a normal routine, walking everyday and feeling fine.  It will be the end of this year until  I'm totally healed!  And then I'll be able to ride my bike again!