Hi y’all– I’m still on my mid-summer vacation with Aunt Cathy at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state. We’ve been here since Saturday and have walked tens of thousands of steps, seen upwards of three million blooming hydrangeas, and partaken of many musical, cultural and nature-al events. There are still three days to go, during which we plan to kayak (canceled Monday because of small craft warning and torrential rainstorm), ride bikes (delayed in part because of rain) and try English lawn bowling (details tba).
For now, I can show you a bit of what we’ve been seeing on foot here. Many of the houses have detailed lacy railings and other ornamental details.
The gardens are very well tended. Some are neat and formal, while others let nature run wild.
My newest house ornamental obsession is awnings.
And then were the individualists in the neighborhood. One family expressed their love for Barbie and Ken for all to see.
Others opted for classic bathtub necessities, enlarged and relocated for all to enjoy.
Bottom line: how often do we have time to just stroll around, gawk at other people’s houses and gardens, take pictures and then form opinions about them? Not very often! So, if you are taking some vacation or down time or an afternoon off, I suggest you find an interesting area and walk around. You never know what you might find…
