Generation Clay

Leaving the car park. This is the shuttle bus waiting area.
The parking lots go on forever: thus, a shuttle bus......
.....which of course does not run late at night, just when one needs it the most.



The main gate...across from the shuttle bus waiting area.



Walking in, rather downhill all the way.  There are no cars- it's a "pedestrians only" place.
The peace and beauty of these streets has to be experienced. It's almost idyllic.



Victorian cottages:







We found a restaurant for dinner....but it had a huge lineup. So we got takeout there...from a buffet.
If we had sat down, dinner would have been over $13.00 each, but the takeout was charged by the pound,
and each of us spent less than $6.50 on our takeout! ( unexpected benefit of arriving at a too-crowded restaurant.
We ate our takeout meals while sitting on a bench in the park, and as we ate,
two little girls serenaded us with their quite-talented violin playing.
This place was just a slice of Americana!



6 p.m. Lining up for the concert. General admission policy (no reserved seats).....
.... so all 6 gates had lineups quite early. We met some very nice people in the line.
Most were full of questions about Clay since they had not seen him since AI2.



Quite different Victorian cottages in this area of the resort. These are over 100 years old, and
were overlooking the amphitheatre's lineup.



7 p.m. The lineup people are inside the venue and getting seated. The seats are church pews.
Clay joked that we had no "cush for our tush," while he, Angela and Quiana had their upholstered stools to sit on.
Once the concert started, we never gave the hard pews another thought. Sort of like church....
...which is held every Sunday during the summer, in this very same place.



Lots of "visiting" going on!




It was a beautiful evening for a concert. Sunny, warm, lovely July night.



An hour later.....waiting for Clay. The orchestra is seated, and it's almost time.
You can't see it, but the venue is now jam-packed, and many summer residents of Chautauqua
who don't have concert tickets are hanging over the walls that surround the amphitheatre.
They will hear the music for free. So will all the residents in the surrounding houses and inns,
who can sit out on their porches and listen for free. (and they did!)



 10:45 pm. Wow, the concert is over (so soon!) and we are on our way to the handshake lineup...
....which will form up as soon as Jerome tells us how he wants us organized.
While we wait, we watch the musicians leave, and watch Clay's posse taking their stuff
to the bus. There was a huge crowd waiting to say good night to Clay.
Note that even "backstage" is Victorian!



Before Jerome did his thing, and organized us down several streets, the crowd was out by the bus...
....some even on this "bridge" over the area. That's the tour bus (blue) in the background.




11;30 p.m....waiting for Clay. There had to be about 1000 people out in the streets waiting to
say goodnight to Clay, and get a handshake or hand touch. Jerome lined us up in single file
(this method is working so well!) downabout three streets of more Victorian cottages.
We were a long way down from the venue, a single file stretching through the soft summer night.
Suddenly there is a buzz, and here he comes, Jerome beside him, protecting him from any crazies who might appear,
security behind him.....he's zipping down the line, so quickly......Clay touches hands or fingers....to each and every person....
all the way down the line, with a "Hi guys; thanks for coming!" to  everyone who has waited.
Is there any better way to spend a summer midnight? Thanks, Clay!



10 a.m. on July 21....the next morning.....on the road again, on our way to Columbus,
and the fourth concert of our 4-fer.
It's another beautiful day, the road is clear, and the scenery is great.
Columbus will be a great concert and a night to remember. So many of our friends to meet and greet.
We can't wait to get there....and see Clay AGAIN!
Girls on a road trip is a lot of fun!



And a final thank you to Clay for motivating us all to take ourselves off on these adventures.
Maybe it should be illegal to have so much fun. Ya think?