PAIRINGS - Chautauqua... Building Bridges, Not Walls

My home for 54 days this summer is NOT "stuckinindiana" :) During these 54 days I am living inside the gates of Chautauqua Institution on the banks of Lake Chautauqua in New York. My daughter is participating in 7 weeks of intensive art study through Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. I'm care-giver to her ADORABLE & LOVABLE little 18 month old girl. The three of us share a small one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of an old apartment building which was built in the 1880's. That building is perched on the top of a steep slope leading down to the lakefront. I've chosen to call our 200 +/- square foot apartment our "tree top castle" :)

I spend a lot of time "strollering" our sweet little one around. We walk along the gated community from one end to another almost daily. We walk early in the day & late into the night. We walk the small roads & the main roads... and EVERY PATH I can find :) I've made it a goal to try to find every single (public) hidden garden, path and alcove. Truth be told, I'd love to get a glimpse of a few private ones - but, despite the great temptation have decided not to trespass on private property :)

If you're familiar with my blog, I love words... and the power of words. So, my attention is captured when I read a great quote or song lyric or writing. I love pictures... the lighting, the composition... the story each picture tells. When I read an Isaac Newton quote early yesterday morning, I knew exactly what I wanted to pair with it... a picture of the bridge directly behind the Chautauqua Amphitheater.

We build too many walls and not enough bridges. ~ Isaac Newton

I miss my husband (aka the LOML), my home, my cat, my friends, my church, my cornfields & garden... BUT, I'm enjoying my 54 days in Chautauqua. It will be even more enjoyable when we nail down the last 10 days!! Through it all, I've especially enjoyed seeing how many "bridges" this community has built & will continue to build in our world. It's a great environment which celebrates love, life, laughter...and bridges to join all of us together. 

Build bridges friends and look into taking down a few of the "walls" you've put up in the past. I'm planning to be more proactive about doing the same thing!


the stuckinindiana crazy footnote: I seem to be on a HUGE kick lately... being a bit over-the-edge at matching photos I've taken with quotes, lyrics, scriptures, etc. I can't get enough of it. I keep asking God... why am I so compelled to do this?? For someone who was certain she was going to die before she was of 35 and has declared over & over that she's just not quite right, I always seem to wonder... " Am I doing this because I'm going to die soon & God needs me to get it done before going home to be with Him??" Yes... I'm an open book & not afraid to say I'm not normal :)