A Wonderful Sunday Afternoon - Even Though Colors Weren't Great

[Henry]

Mary Kay and I went to 11 a.m. Mass then headed out leaf peeping.  Mary Kay drove up to Minor’s to get her coffee.  She insist they have the best coffee in town and Aaron told her that is because they have their own well water and do not use village water.  We headed off down Route 128, crossed over on Weed Road, then up through Jericho, through Underhill Center and up through Pleasant Valley up to Jeffersonville, then back down to Cambridge.

I am not sure whether the leaves are past color or haven’t gotten there yet, but I had my camera with me and did not see any colors that impressed me enough to stop, get my camera out and take any photos.

We then headed up towards Fletcher, took the Metcalf Pond Road and went down to the Pond where we reminisced a bit about our Family Vacations up at Ralph Scott’s Camp.  Mary Kay says she would love to take Henry & Sam up there for a week, but she had heard that they are getting $800 to $900 a week for those camps that they do rent.  I noticed that they have put a second floor on Ralph Scott’s camp and they even have Dish Network Satellite Dishes, which is considerably different than when we used to go camping up there in the 1970s.  I had an outside antenna that I brought up with a small portable TV, but can’t remember getting much of anything for reception.

Ralph Scott’s camp was one of the few at that time that had a telephone.  We noticed that apparently what used to be known as the Public Beach does not appear to be used any more.  I remember on Sunday Afternoons on nice days in the summer that lots of people from the area used to bring a picnic up and make a day of it.  Haven’t heard many people talking about doing that any more.

I remembered hearing Skip Taylor say that he & Mary had a camp up at the Pond at the other end, so we decided to drive down that way, thinking we might find a camp that said Taylor.  Was quite surprised to find that as we drove towards the other end of the Pond there was a Taylor Road, however, I suspect that had nothing to do with Skip & Mary as a lot of those houses have been there for a long time.

Looks like a lot of the places are year around homes, although I believe I prefer to live where I do, rather than try to get out in those roads in the winter.  We didn’t find any entrance where it looked like I wanted Mary Kay to drive my car down the path to see the other end of the Pond, so told her to keep driving as I knew once I got to the other end of the Road, we most likely would hit The Lapland Road.

Sure enough, we eventually got to Morey Road and I knew we were not far from Lapland Road.  The Lapland Road connects to The Howrigan Road which is not far from Fairfield Ridge where I was brought up.  We drove up the Howrigan Road and went by the place where David Juaire was born, then on by where my Aunt & Uncle lived, which is just before the Old Tupper Place where I first met Owen & Imogene Collins and their family back in the early 1940s.

All this driving around and still no beautiful colors, although once we got on the Morey Road & Lapland Road, it was quite obvious that they had some very hard frosts.  Of course no trip that close to Fairfield Ridge would be complete without at least driving up there and taking a look around.  There appeared to be a number of pick up trucks in the fields, so somebody must be hunting something.  Saw a couple of deer eating out in a meadow, not far from the road.  Looked like they were pretty good sized, however, they just continued to eat without even looking towards us.

We then headed home, coming back through Ellsworth & Wilkins Road.  Made a nice relaxing day where I was able to give Mary Kay quite a bit of useless information about my growing up and what I remembered about my youth.  It also gave her an opportunity to tell me about her snow mobiling trips up around the Pond and also reminisce about her never to be forgotten summer vacations camping at “The Pond.”

Not much for colors, but a nice relaxing day where I didn’t have to drive.

[mirjo]

Sounds like a nice day spent with your daughter remembering good times.
Makes me miss my dad, who moved to Tenn. last spring!

[Margie]

Take it from me, Henry - none of what you told Mary Kay was "useless information".  I remember similar rides with my dad - except he always drove - when we would go out to Fairfield to the farm where he was born.  He, too, was full of stories from when he was growing up in that area.  I haven't been in that area since Dad died.  Those days are cherished memories for me...and will be for MK too.

Even if the color wasn't wonderful, it sounds like your time with Mary Kay certainly was.

[mkr]

Absolutely Margie!  I loved every moment of it with Dad and I always love to hear about his days growing up. 

Unbelieveable to think of the changes in technology in the dairy industry alone from when Dad lived on the Ridge and the challenges of just getting to the house in the winter.  When Pepe bought the farm in Fairfax on Fletcher Road and you could drive up to the house all year long, alone in itself must have been amazing to him.  My Pepe and uncle had to bring the milk down to the end of the road to meet the milk truck to pick up.  Dad said Uncle Lewis and Pepe used to take turns brining it down. 

When we get up to Fairfield, Dad knows by the roads how to get around, me, I snowmobile up there more than I drive, so I go by the fields to figure out how to get home  

Our days at Metcalf Pond were always so special to me!  I have always hoped to be able to afford a camp up there some day. 

AND,    If anyone is renting one for a reasonable price for a week next summer, let me know as I would LOVE to show my nephews what it is like on the pond!

[Kathleen]

Learn about history from someone who has lived it or read about it in a book; I much prefer hearing history live.  It's absolutely amazing how much progress has been made in such a relatively short amount of time.  I'm in my early 50s and my daughter can't believe how different things were from when I was growing up say nothing about when uncle Henry and my mom were growing up on the Ridge.

I love your stories Henry, don't ever stop telling them!