Jensen Family Journey: Day 5 New York

Our longest journey on the bus took us from Philadelphia to Palmyra (the Sacred Grove) and then to Buffalo. We stayed 2 nights in Buffalo, but had our concert in a wonderful place called Chautauqua Institute.
The best part about this day was spending 30 minutes with one of my best friends from high school, Elise. It had been about 10+ years since we'd last seen each other. Her kids were darling and after such a short time, it felt like I'd known them forever. I can't let another 10 years go by.
I fell in love with NY state. I had no idea NY was so green and lush and beautiful. If it weren't for choir, I could move there in a heartbeat!
Visiting the Sacred Grove was so amazing. Just a beautiful feeling. I wish I had more time and I can't wait to take the kids there.
Chautauqua was a quaint little place...like a time warp to the early 1900's. I loved it. The people were so gracious and excited to have us there. When we got off the bus, there were hosts waiting to take us to the venue for our rehearsal. I think the choir first performed in Chautauqua in 1947 and there were actually members of the audience who attended that first performance! While we were on break walking around, we had one lady ask us if the choir members ever fight while spending so much time together. The truth is there was very little grumbling and bad feelings during tour. Everyone is so kind and helpful to each other. The spirit among the choir members themselves is so happy.
The weather was quite cool and I ended up getting a jacket as my souvenir.