Fairy Houses

This is the entrance to the Fairy Trail in Lily Dale.

Remember, we must walk softly here so as to not disturb the fairies.


Lily Dale has set aside some space in their old growth forest to encourage its fairy population to build their houses along the Woodland Trail. (Shhhh! I suspect some of the houses may actually have been made by human hands--but don't tell the fairies!)

<--This is my fairy. I placed her in the woods to encourage other fairies to build on the trail. I am looking forward to visiting with her when I am there.

As I am sure you know, it is a well-documented fact that most fairies LOVE bling!

But there are those who prefer their living spaces to be much simpler and more rustic, like the one at the right.

And while a goodly number of fairies are rather loosey-goosey in their home designs, now and then you'll find one who comes with a floor plan firmly in mind.

Below are some of the natural fairies house I've spotted around Green Lakes.

Make sure you take a close look at the last picture. Now, I'm not saying it IS...and I'm not saying it's NOT, but those bright lights over on the right of the last picture look an awful lot like one fairy chasing another one off the edge of the photo to me. (And cross my heart and not my fingers, this is just the way I took the picture...I've done nothing other than enlarge the photo a little so you can see the fairies better.)

See the fairies?

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Lily Dale

Well, the season is upon us. No, not the Christmas season! Today marks the opening day of the summer season at Lily Dale http://lilydaleassembly.com. I wait for this all winter long. (In the sign to the above you can see that Lily Dale is also known as "The City of Light" because it was one of the first places in New York where every home was hooked up to electricity.)

Lily Dale is a community of Spiritualists south of Buffalo, NY off Rt. 60S near the Fredonia/Dunkirk exit of the Thruway. During the summer season (last full weekend of June-Labor Day) there is a full slate of daily events to keep our guests occupied. Most people come for the message services (in which Spiritualist mediums give greetings and readings from our dearly departed), the healing services, and the workshops with people like Deepak Chopra, James Van Praagh, and Wayne Dyer. But I love the place for the peaceful spirit it engenders in me.

This is the Healing Temple. Twice a day, healers practice the gift of the laying on of hands for a crowd of visitors that may number a hundred or more people per service. Next to my home, this is probably my favorite place in the Dale.


(L) Inspiration Stump. Twice a day (weather permitting) Message services are held in front of this stump in the heart of an old growth forest.

(R) Once a day (again weather permitting), message services are held here at Forest Temple. Although I don't have a photo of it right now, the Forest Temple is very near the entrance to the Fairy Trail. We must be very quiet there so as not to disturb the fairies!

(L) This is the Mediums' League. It is one of only eight octogon buildings in New York. We hold meetings and worshops here.

(R) The Assembly Hall is another meeting and workshop site. In the "off" season, my church holds its services here.

(L) The Maplewood Hotel is THE gathering place in the Dale. In the evening, a good number of Dale residents join the hotel guests in sitting in the rockers on the verandah, looking out on the lake and chatting the evening away. The accommodations at the hotel are "primitive": most of the rooms share a bathroom in the hall and there are no phones, TV or A/C in the rooms. And yet...the place has a charm all its own.

(L) This gazebo is behind the Hotel. It really doesn't serve any function beyond being picturesque but sometimes that is enough.

(L) A view of Cassadaga Lake from in front of the Hotel.

(Above) The Lily Dale Museum.

(R) The Skidmore Library. Yes, THAT Skidmore Family. This library is the largest repository of information on the Spiritualist religion in the world. It is a closed stack research library.

That's it for now. When I remember, I'll post photos of the Pet Cemetery and the Auditorium.

Green Lakes photos

Here are a couple of pix of Green Lakes. Neither of them capture the color of the water exactly. But these will give you an idea.