A sign on the outskirts of town read “Lakeview Cemetery.” I was trying to picture that view. Originally a major Cayuga Indian village called “Chonodote,” Aurora, New York was the furthest west town on the official US mail route in 1795. We had a holiday dinner fit for a king and queen in the Inn there and for good measure we stayed overnight. We walked around town from historical marker to historical marker. You have to walk to the outskirts to find anything that has not been lovingly restored. For kicks, we looked up the price of a large home on Cayuga Lake. It was over three million. The house in the picture above was built in 1840 and converted into a bank by Henry Wells, the founder of Wells College, American Express and Wells Fargo. This was the original Wells Fargo bank.
The Inn at Aurora offered “Morning Sun Salutations with Olivia” so we set the alarm. I don’t like soundtracks with yoga and her’s was completely incongruous with the activity. Mainstream vocal jazz, things like Frank Sinatra’s version of “The Way You Look Tonight,” an upbeat version of “Me and Mrs. Jones” and “The Girl from Ipanema.” There was one beautiful minor key ballad by Miles that I loved but even that was distracting. The set list must have been planned because when it came time for deep relaxation it switched to a start-stop roaring noise. It sounded like we were having a severe windstorm outside but I’m guessing it was supposed to be waves coming ashore. I shouldn’t be complaining, the class was just the right way to start the day. And it was a magical, sunny day in the mid fifties.
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