Back from Chautauqua Institution and missing it already!

It is a different world there. My favorite word to describe Chautauqua Institution is "magical".

This chair sits on the corner of one of the brick streets with an invitation to sit awhile. One of these days I am actually going to sit in this chair and use it for the purpose for which it was intended. I wish I had had my good camera so you could see what the sign says or that my memory was better so I could remember exactly what it says but its something about taking a break to dream. I will be going back in August to teach again and will try to remember to get another picture of it and a close-up of the sign.

Lake Erie Sunset July 2011

My family and I are fortunate enough to own a little cottage on Lake Erie in New York. This is a picture from the bench at the end of our street on the path that goes down to the beach. We had one incredible sunset after another. This past weekend was very busy because of the holiday but we still had a wonderful time. Our cottage is in a nice, little neighborhood, with a lot of year round residents that we only get together with a couple of times a summer, but we never feel like outsiders. We had a potluck supper and Bingo at the pavilion Sunday night. Time seems to stand still here. Someday I hope to spend whole summers there and maybe build a small studio on our lot in which to teach. When I am there I tell people this is my "real life" and, what I do elsewhere, I do to finance my real life.

Do you have a favorite place to be? How often do you get there? Are you fortunate enough to live your "real life"?