This post is a continuation in my Backstage @ Chautauqua series, where I describe what I found when I dug a little deeper photographically during our recent vacation at the Chautauqua Institution.

Guarding no one on a chilly day

I don’t really have much of a theme for this post, and I didn’t set out to make a lot of miscellaneous pictures, but  wanted to capture things that most guests don’t see, or don’t pay attention to. Like above–lifeguards at the normally crowded children’s beach with nothing to do.

Landscapers

The public spaces at Chautauqua are usually very nice, but I don’t remember seeing landscapers actually working to maintain the area before. I’m sure they have, but they are people that we as guests tend to ignore.

Sweeping

Someone has got to sweep the debris off the streets.

Recycling

This moment of juxtaposition really surprised me: our hosts had set the recycling out to be picked up, and this gentleman came along a took a number of aluminum cans, then returned to his multi-million dollar house across the street. Normally people who can afford to spend any time at Chautauqua aren’t seen trash picking. I have no idea why he was doing it (or if, in fact, he’s the owner of said house, or just a renter). No matter the circumstance, I thought this was a moment not seen by many (if any!) at Chautauqua. Very unusual, methinks.

Roof tops

Finally, I wanted to see what Chautauqua looked like from above. Not a big surprise here–closely packed houses separated by blacktop.