Photo of the Day: Chautauqua Mermaid

I’ve been coming to the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, off and on, for about 20 years. But never, until this past Friday—the last day of my most recent visit—did I ever encounter a mermaid on the grounds.

I was always under the impression that the natural habitat of this combination of fish and female was the ocean. But Chautauqua Lake must have provided an unexpected aquatic haven for one such creature, whom I caught here in this photograph, taking in the sun at Bestor Plaza.

This particular mermaid told me she had been coming to the Chautauqua Institution for every year of her life, and that she is originally from northern New Jersey. That last fact made sense, since I can confirm that at least one other unusual life form had washed up in this bucolic setting from such a distant origin point: me.