...here's an oldfangled way of keeping in touch.

I once heard that before the Internet and e-mail, people would engage in a strange activity entailing ink, paper and sticky flat squares that tasted funny. It was called called writing and sending a letter. I was reminded of this quaint notion yesterday at work when I was asked to scan a couple dozen vintage postcards depicting various sites around Chautauqua. I couldn't help but admire the sturdy cards for their artwork and age, as well as the notes penned on the other side — perhaps haphazardly at the time, unknowing of future eyes that might peruse them.

I especially enjoyed the one above, which reads: "The most remarkable thing about this place is the absence of skirts. All the girls wear knickers. I hope to see you in them some day. I'll bet you'd look cute. Ten girls here to every man. Best regards. Max Henrici." And with the magic of the Internet, I found his obituary and discovered that when Max wrote that postcard in 1924, he was 40 years old and a newspaper man working for the Pittsburgh Sun (and clearly must've sent the card to a rather cute coworker).

Here are some more...

1933.

1946.

1906. "Have received your letter. Will answer at once. We are having a good time. O how we wish you were here to hear the beautiful music."

Unknown.

1952.

1957. "This is a wonderful week filled with music, inspiring talks, educational films, forums, etc. Gladys and I have enjoyed some programs together. yesterday we stopped at the lakeside to watch a program for the birthday of a dog!"

1920.

1945.

1908. "I just acknowledged my assignment pretty late, for I got it the 4. I must bother you whenever my summer activity takes me to a beautiful place. The circumstances have been kinder that I expected, and I am busy with intellectual enjoyment and camp life. German was too easy, so I took French — Balzac. H.G. Griggs is lecturing here. I cannot half take in all that is offered."

...the body can do amazing things.

Wednesday night I attended a performance in the Amphitheater that left me in utter amazement (and wishing that I was in better shape). Cirque Sublime is a Toronto-based act and is familiar to Chautauquan audiences. I'm not sure how many times it has wowed a crowd here on the grounds, but it has been touring internationally since its inception in 1997. The show was a series of gravity-defying gymnastics, acrobatics, and feats of strength set to pulsing music and a stunning light show. I got to put together a page in the weekend's paper that features some pretty amazing photos from that evening. As a designer, I feel so privileged to work with our staff photographers, who are a talented lot. Kudos to photographer Katie Roupe for snapping this round.

...this week is Harry Potter madness.

The sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, comes out this Wednesday, July 15, and I'm going to see the midnight premiere Tuesday night! I simply cannot wait to see the latest installment of the series. Though I've read all the books (and multiple times), I'm still giddy at the prospect of seeing what Harry, Ron and Hermione will get into this time around. My own school mates, Seal and Kara, are coming visit me that night, as well as to see the film. Huzzah! Unfortunately, my boss isn't the biggest HP fan and was kind enough to remind the newsroom that we still have a meeting at 9 a.m. the next day. Wednesday is going to be rough.

Also, I took this Harry Potter quiz and am ashamed to say that I only got 13 out of 15. Beat that, you Muggles!

(Poster from Scienceblogs.com)

...I love Lucy.

Photo by Dave Einsel / Getty Images

One of my favorite college classes was ANTH 201: Biological Anthropology. In it we studied evolutionary theory, fossil record of human evolution, primates, and human variation. We learned about the Leakey Family and their many discoveries and, of course, the skeleton that has taken on a personality of her own, Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis to the scientific community). Today, I had the immense pleasure of attending a lecture by Donald Johanson, the paleoanthropologist who is credited with Lucy's unearthing. Though most of the lecture was a recap of what I've learned in 201 and other anthro classes, it was a surreal experience nonetheless: the names and stories I've read in textbooks suddenly fleshed out before me.

Something I didn't know: Johanson didn't name Lucy. It was his girlfriend who suggested it while the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" played during the camp's merrymaking. Johanson even admitted that he wasn't terribly thrilled at first that the name Lucy stuck. The next day the team called it the Lucy site, rather than the Australopithecus site. But now he takes pride in the fact that hers is a household name, ingrained in our culture. And other cultures, for that matter. Lucy is also known as Dinkenesh, which is "You are wonderful" in Amharic, the language spoken in northern Ethiopia where she was found.

Lucy's skeleton is currently being exhibited in NYC's Times Square.

Photo by Reality Photo

...I totally geeked out today.

Today's morning lecturer was Kobie Boykins, a NASA engineer who is in part responsible for the creation of the Mars Expedition Rovers. Specifically, he worked on the solar panel arrays that power the two Rovers currently exploring Mars, named Spirit and Opportunity. These robot geologists scour the planet's surface, collecting data about mineralogy and hopefully giving us the information we'll need to unlock the Red Planet's secrets. What secrets? Well, primarily: What kind of water activity was there on Mars in the past? As Boykins noted, if Mars once had a flourishing water supply and it has since disappeared, the same thing could potentially happen here on Earth. A disturbing thought.

On the lighter side, I couldn't help be delighted when I designed the front page of today's paper. NASA was gracious enough to give us a beautiful high quality image for publication. I think the little Rover bears a striking resemblance to WALL-E. :)

Check out these amazing videos of how the Rovers enter Mars' atmosphere, descend, and land on the surface (aka the "Six Minutes of Terror"). And of course, how it gets around.

(WALL-E photo from The Huffington Post)

...it's National Geographic week!

Well, sort of. This week at the Institution is sponsored in part by National Geographic. Today, I went to a lecture by Annie Griffiths Belt, a photographer who has worked for NatGeo ever since they came knocking on her door two years after she graduated from the University of Minnesota. Some people have all the luck. But she certainly isn't without talent. Her photographs seem to capture the absolute essence of whoever the subject is. She spent much of her time in the Middle East and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the people, cultures and traditions she encountered.

A wisp of a woman from the Midwest (her Minnesotan accent was endearing and adorable), her stories of swimming at the top of Victoria Falls, backpacking in the desert and imitating a man to sneak into restricted ceremonies awed and inspired me.

I was also completely amazed when she said that she has two kids and brought them along on assignments while they grew up. She and her husband, a writer/editor for the magazine, made the vow to never spend more than two weeks away from them. An impressive feat considering some assignments can last months and months. Here's her book, which I desperately wanted to purchase (and have signed) but refrained from doing so. I suppose I can admire her photography online and save the 40 bucks.

Other speakers this week that I fully intend to see: Donald Johanson (dir., Inst. of Human Origins; discovered "Lucy" fossil), Wade Davis (ethnobotanist, photographer, author, The Serpent and the Rainbow), Kobie Boykins (NASA engineer, Mars Expedition Rovers program) and Mattias Klum, (National Geographic photographer, filmmaker).

(Photos by Annie Griffiths Belt)

...I've been a busy girl.

Chautauqua Cinema

There's simply too much to do in Chautauqua and not enough time. So far I've seen the film "Adventureland" at the cutest one-theater cinema I've ever beheld; experienced a variety show/lecture by NPR's Garrison Keillor; met the characters of "Sesame Street Live!"; gone to the symphony; and attended a brilliant performance of the play, "Arcadia." The best part? It's basically all free. Taking that into consideration, I really can't complain about not having time to go do everything I want. Though I am working six days a week, the schedule is somewhat flexible, and my editor encourages all of us in the newsroom to run to a lecture or see a performance, as long as we are willing to stay late to get our everything done.

This week I'm going to see "Il Trovatore," an opera that, little did I know, I had heard of and even played parts of in my high school band. It's famous for it's "Anvil Chorus," which is what I played. I remember now that it was a big deal because one of the percussionists actually got to strike a real anvil. So cool. Trust me, when you hear it you'll recognize it. Here's a great performance of it on YouTube. I especially like the conductor's afro. :)

The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in the Amphitheater as it fills up for the show. We sat in the choir loft, which was a fun perspective.

Fourth of July before the CSO Pops Concert. Michael and a few of my roommates/interns: Sara, Christina, Elise and James.

"Sesame Street Live!" came to Chautauqua. What can I say? I'm just a big kid.

Bestor Plaza the day "Sesame Street" took over. Notice the children everywhere.

My sweet ride. Okay, it's my dad's old bike, but it's mine for the summer!