Day Ten – June 27, 2018 – Chautauqua

Day Ten – June 27, 2018 – Chautauqua

There is a pretty good chance of rain today, and the offerings aren’t quite as appealing as in previous days.  That means that after people figure out what they want for breakfast, there will be a group of, as Nick calls us, Whiners!  (My breakfast was my leftover burger and fries from last night – still pretty darn good!)

Around nine-thirty or so, Ginger, Betsy, Roddy, and I go off to explore some of the local wineries!  There are quite a few of them, so we decide to stick fairly close to home, and to go with some of the ones that the lady at the Welcome Center suggested.

Our first stop is really easy to find.  There’s a large, pink elephant by the road!  Yep, that’s 21 Brix. There is a black limo in the parking lot, and a lot of cherry trees lining the edge of the lot.  So far, so good!  The crowd from the limo is just going in and they’re already in a really good mood!  As we’re all getting organized and oriented, we chat with the seven ladies and learn that they are all from the same school in Greenville, PA.  They make this trip every year, sometimes with even more ladies!

We're pretty close to Buffalo, New York

No surprise here!

The tastings are three for a dollar and there are many wines to choose from! Ginger is more of a dry red person, so she goes for the top four on the list.  I skip around and take full responsibility for the fact that I’m going out of order!  Roddy and Betsy aren’t really tasting much, and that’s fine because we’re all trying everyone else’s choices anyway!  Ginger falls in love with something called Noiret and finds a bottle to take home.  I just find a pair of earrings!!  Betsy wins, because she doesn’t buy anything!

Before we leave, we have to taste the five different varieties of cherries which are growing next to the parking lot!   They are Chelan, Benton, Summit, Hedelfingen, and White Gold. And, of course, we have to visit the pink elephant!

Next stop is Mazza which is a winery, brewery AND distillery.  Colleen is our guide through this sensory experience.  When I ask if we should start with the wines or the beers, she doesn’t really have an opinion, which makes me feel better for not knowing!  Ginger and I decide to start with the beers.  I go for a lime hefeweizen first.  It is nice with a lime undercurrent.  I also try a cream ale and “grape lakes” which is a wheat beer with some grape juice added at the end of the process.  Ginger also has the stout.   Betsy and Roddy have sips of everything.  We all agree that anything but an IPA would be good! 

On to the wines!  I find that I really like the Nutt Road, a semi-dry Riesling. I’m disappointed that they are out of their shiraz.  My favorite, though, is called Bare Bones Moscato!  It’s not as sickly sweet as the regular moscato!

Ginger is shopping here, too.  I was considering just buying one bottle;  but then I see some goodies that my guys might like.  I text them choices and am pleasantly surprised when they get back to me before we leave and it becomes moot!  When Colleen sees what I’ve selected, she gets me a taste because she thinks I might want a bottle for myself, too!  Oh my goodness!  Yes!

Our teacher buddies are also here, and tell us that we need to go to Noble winery because they are on the ridge and have a magnificent view of the lake (Erie).  On a clear day you can even see Canada!  We think that we’ll try Sensory Winery first, because they are supposed to have an art gallery, too.  But when we get there, it is closed.  Apparently they are only open on Thursdays!

We’re heading back and will try Sensory and Noble tomorrow.  But we’re passing right by the Johnson Winery, New York State’s oldest estate winery, and must stop!  Maybe we’re wined out, but nothing here really strikes anyone’s fancy.  

 It’s time to head back if we want to see the Artists in the Market and/or the opening of the Masters of Craft at the gallery.  When we get back, though, it is raining and somehow neither one seems important enough to venture out for.

The entire townhouse is quiet, with everyone either taking a nap, reading, or on their computers.  Around five we start to organize for dinner.  We are meeting Pete, Kris, Isaac and Elliott at The Watermark, a nice restaurant outside the grounds, on the road to Mayville.  We take up two tables of six and everyone enjoys their meal.  Most people at my table have some form of salmon, while I have a Chautauqua salad with chicken, dried cranberries, almonds, and citrus slices.  The restaurant is right on Lake Chautauqua and Betsy, Myra, Roddy, and I wander the shore for a bit, while the rest gather out front.  Nick asks me to take pictures of the family.

Thanks, Betsy, for this great picture of Myra!  And me!

Back at the ranch – there is just time to put away leftovers, for those who have them, regroup, and head back to the amp for the Charlotte Ballet!  Oh boy!! They are doing three pieces with an intermission between two and three.  The first two are more like modern ballet, with toe shoes and everything, but no tutus! They are called "Tsukiyo", which is basically a pas de deux, but with heavy modern overtones, and "Stepping Over", which is an ensemble piece, with dancers entering and exiting throughout the routine.  The music for the later is by Phillip Glass.

 

Toward the end of the intermission, with the house lights still on, the dance captain, James Kopecky, begins a solo which defies description.  He is dressed in a black suit and is at once contemporary and comic, with occasional dips in classical grand jetes.  After the audience realizes what is happening and has settled down, he is joined on stage by the other dancers, one at a time, and the final piece, “Minus 16”, begins.  This is the one we saw being rehearsed and it is just as mesmerizing as when we first saw it!  It was choreographed by a famous Israeli dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company.  That explains the Israeli folk song which is part of the piece. 

After the piece is over the dancers fan out throughout the audience and select members to join them on stage! The dancers are all in black and have chosen people in bright colors for contrast.  Some can actually move to the music, while others are just set pieces;  but the effect is fun and keeps the audience enthralled.  It’s kind of the dance equivalent of having the audience sing along and is just as effective! As the audience remains on their feet, clapping wildly in unison, the corps does some free-styling to everyone’s delight!

 

After the show Betsy and I take the river walk home and everyone unwinds for a bit before gradually peeling off and heading to bed!  Great day!  But just 6,512 steps! I’m beginning to understand how this can be addicting!