Each year right after Memorial day weekend we were primed for the summer to come. That last month of June just could'nt go fast enough.Then finally we'd load up the car and head North, 'biting the bullet' the whole way. Remember the feelings deep down in your gut as you exited the Thruway at New Paltz? Remember your heart pounding when you turned on to Rock Hill Rd?
Thanks Rob,and yes I do remember. It may be the thing I remember most. I don't think I ever slept a wink the night before. Alway seemed like the longest ride ever. First stop was always Badami's, the tomato place, then a brief hello to Jerry at Chez Joey and then over the mountain. Past the Red Barn, wow, almost there, make the turn on RHR, hurry Mom and there it was, the SIGN. We were HOME...........
Life can be a little overwhelming sometimes, nice to travel back, no cell phone, no cable, no TVs, no AC...just a lifetime of memories..nice way to start my week.
What a beautiful ride we had from Connecticut. When we saw the Mohonk, we knew that we were almost there.
My husband and I recently looked into staying at the Mohonk Mountain House for a weekend. When there is a special deal, you can stay for over 400.00 a night. Check out the photos on their site... http://www.mohonk.com/
The Mohonk has some good day specials, where you can spend the day, have lunch, a massage and use the facilities. It's definitely doable. Shari, please say hi to your family for me.
Funny you should mention this. Just the other day I was at an JALBCA dinner which is an affair for Judges And Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert.
An attorney seated next to me brought up the subject about having summers off as a kid. I told him that I had gone to special place called Makowsky's that was Camelot. I said that if they ever dropped the A bomb on America, we would have been safe, because no one, other than us, could ever find the damn place hidden in the lush greens hills of the valley. He asked me where it was located.
I replied that he never heard of it as it was in High Falls, NY. He laughed and said next to the Mohonk as I almost fell off my chair. It turned out that he had business at the Mohonk that very morning and had been there and had seen the sign to High Falls. I proceeded to bore him to death about my wonderful times and all of you with the biggest smile on my face.
My Dad would load all our stuff into the car and off we would go across the GW Bridge and up the Palisades Pkwy. We would always stop at the Red Apple Rest and Gary and I would eat hamburgers, pizza and a hot dog. It was always special as we would come up the back way through Newburgh to New Paltz and then over the Mohonk. I just wish we had one more summer together as you guys were simply the best. Here's to wishing all of you a great summer with your kids and grandkids.
I think I said this before many blogs ago....but, after we turned onto Rock Hill Road....the excitement was contagious and myself, Steph & Nona couldn wait for us to see the "famous sign" just up around the bend....and at that very moment when the sign became visible, my dad would take his foot off the gas and we would creep ever so slowly to the colony....us kids thought we would never get there. Funny what you remember after all these years.
Thanks, Jodi! I will look into the day specials at the Mohonk. That sounds great. Believe it or not, I have never been up there! There was a lot of mountain climbing going on back in the day, but I had always heard tales about "the Lemon Squeeze" and it just left me shaking in my flip flops(We actually called them thongs...now that word takes on a whole new meaning.). ;-)
Jodi, I will send your regards to my family. They will be happy to hear from you. Please say hi to your family for me.
The excitement in our crowded car (it seemed everything that we owned was in there) was palpable as we rolled out of the city--usually the day after the last day of school--we lived in an apartment then, and going to the country, we felt quite special (admittedly a little superior)--not having to cool off under a fire hydrant (we did not have a/c then--that came later)nor taking the occasional trip to a friend's beach and cabana club. I did not realize how hot the city in the summer could be until years later when I worked summers in The City--When we got there and pulled up on the grass next to our unit--which was no bigger than our bedroom is now, but it did not matter because we only slept there (and I had the wall adjacent to the Chalms so Judy and I could talk through the walls), I remember immediately running down to the luncheonette like Rob (and yes I do not remember unpacking either)--ordering a hamburger, fries and a cherry coke, then off to the pool.I was always much more comfortable there than in the city and dreaded going home on Labor Day. It always seemed that we were among the last to leave but even a deserted Makowsky's, with all its secrets and special places, was incredibly special.
I know what you mean, Dave. We also later learned how hot the summers were in Connecticut. In the mountains, I remember that we wore sweatshirts and jeans in the morning. We came home from camp, for lunch, and we changed into shorts and bathing suits. Then, we were back into sweatshirts and jeans at night. The nights were cool and beautiful.
On the very cold mornings, we would light the gas stove(-which was probably not the best idea) and turn on the portable heater to warm up.
Like you all have said, there is just nothing like a summer at Makowskys...
Steve! Unpack? Are you kidding? The only thing I unpacked was my baseball glove. A Rawlings Tom Tresh model. In fact, I had it on my lap the whole ride up.
David, as far as I know we brought up a ton of stuff as well. My dad used to say that he spent the first 4 weeks "schlepping" up stuff every Friday evening...and then for the final 4 weeks "schlepping" stuff home!
Midway thru the summer either I lost my bathing suits , tore my sneakers or just out grew certain stuff. My Mom would take us to Fann's department store in Rosendale. How we got there I don't know, since we had no auto on the colony. Probably was the 'communal' car all the Mom's used
It was the only 'taste' of store shopping we had. A spaulding was .29 and if I was lucky a new pair of thongs (flip flops) for a buck.
I think that the word went out when there was a trip planned to Rosendale. A few moms and a few kids squeezed into one car. Of course, no seatbelts were worn. We were CRAZY back then. We never wore bike helmets and we EVEN drank out of the tap!!! ;-)
It makes me so happy to log onto the blog and see my family here. With that said, how the hell did all you guys get away without unpacking. Mitch, ask your sisters, we had to get the bungalow set up like home before we could proceed with the summer. every summer my mom would hang new curtains, make all the beds with those bumpy bedspreads (there is a name for them, just don't know it. I remember scrbbing the sink and toilet until the rust was a pale orange instead of brown.
Last year at this time we were all counting the days til the reunion. The only bad part of that day is that it is behind us.
Hey Rob, tell Ellen I want the recipe for the Artichoke dip. Email it to me.....
"Rib corded cotton" is what those bedspreads were. They were very durable and great for the summers.
I was lucky to have two sisters who always got the bungalow in order while I immediately ran down to the softball field...if I hadn't said it before, I'll say it now, "thanks Stephie & Nona"
And how do you remember Fann's? I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning.
Unpack? Clean? Never happened. Don't know how our bungalow stayed clean and orderly--I guess it was the gremlins? Must be when all you have is boys, you don't even ask.
And the sweatshirts and jeans at night were a welcome relief--as well being wrapped up in blankets watching movies on the wall on Friday nights--always my favorite.
Reading all these comments brings back such wonderful memories. Mitch get over there at first base as I throw a high hard one (LOL) at someone's head as Dave Baskin nods approvingly.
And later on, let's go down to the lake with Stevie Kiviat and my brother Gary to try to catch Big Chesty.
And on Friday nite Phyl what are you doing? After the movie, we can go into the casino where we can ask Foggy Bess if she has any strawberry ice cream to which she will reply, "Strawberry YES, we don't have any."
And if you listen closely, you'll once again hear Milton's voice on the PA advising all teenagers to bring your buck for Vernon's yellow school bus to go to Ellenville on Tuesday night to see the red headed teenage bombshell, Ann Margaret, in Bye Bye Birdie.
And on Saturday morning tell me this didn't get the blood pumping when you heard, "Attention all men report to the softball field immediately as a game is about to start in 15 mintues." And we prayed that the men would be a few players short so that we could play with our fathers.
Do you know how fortunate and truly blessed we all were? Think back to the early days of TV and the old black and white Rod Serling, Twilight Zone, episode entitled "Kick the Can". Doesn't it now take on new meaning?
The truth is our parents were really the best of the best for taking us to Camelot/Makowsky's and for that we should be eternally grateful. Here's to thinking of each and every single one of you today.
My baseball glove is over 40 years old and spent the "new" years of its life in the outfield of Makowskys....in camp....with the men...with the travelling teenage team and then with the travelling men's team. (What a career!)
Now it's still in use for long toss in the backyard with the neighbor kids. I try not to take a hard throw in the pocket or I'll get a bone bruise that'll last for a month.
I recently saw a group of over 50 mens softball players. All the players were in the infield like in Little League. Maybe I'll join up and volunteer for the outfield again. Two feet either way and I'll wait for the ball to stop rolling and then pick it up.
That's the best part of this blog for me. There is no aging, no balding, no body aches. If I close my eyes I can see clear as day the boys you all were and my dad young again. This blog and the reunion and talk of all the memories allow time to stand still for just a moment and take me back.
Does anyone remember a camp picnic? I remember fresh corn on the cob cooked in a metal garbage can, lots of watermelon AND for some reason...waxed lips! Go figure...
For that corn, I think I might. Maybe I'm crazy, but it was the yellowest, sweetest corn I ever tasted. Have never tasted better. I have tried everything. Went out special and bought a paint brush, melted the butter, but never did taste the same. Maybe I needed a little more Love...it think that's what did it.
This morning as I stopped off for bagels at Panera's there were two women and a few kids. The kids were really hyper, they kept saying "Mommy lets go, we're almost there". When I went outside, I saw their van, filled to the brink with their stuff-clothes, toys, some kitchen stuff. Then it hit me, they were starting their summer. We always went up early morning, me, Shari, Steven Bier, Mom and Slim. By the time we got off the exit we were so excited..Amazing that something that happened so long ago could make you feel this way years later, Hutt calls it Camelot, I call it magic.
Okay, I am back - I did not realize I needed to start an entirely new account - perhaps that's why people are missing from this blog. So to recap on this. Luckily, Mitch, you thanked your sisters for unpacking - those were the days when boys were not required to do "girl" chores - can you imagine that in this day and age!! And yes, the corn in the garbage was the best, but eating out of those "lead" garbage cans probably gave us some of our health issues today! LOL! I do remember during those brutally hot days - driving around in air conditioned cars, right? It was the only relief we got in those days. Although, I actually remember my father's first air conditioned car - it was a 1965 white biscayne chevy that Mitch later got when he went to Albany. My first hand me down car (which I loved) from my dad was a 1968 yellow Ford LTD that I got in 1974, Steph got the same one is green - boy did that car fly, even though it was as big as a condominium!! Ok, back to Makowskys .....
At different times throughout the summer my grandparents would come up and stay a few days. It was like the calvalry charging to save the Fort. My grandfather would load up his car with ALL kinds of stuff that we could'nt get upstate. It was like the supply wagon train .
One summer when they were visiting several groups went hiking the Mohonk on one of those Makowsky's raiding the Mohonk House events. Anyway , we ran into some trouble and really bad weather, so when the call from the counselors to the colony went out for help my grandfather (a NYC Cabbie) got in his car and joined others to rescue us. SO, when they got to the Mohonk gate it was thunder & Lightning and they would not permit them to drive up the mountain. Well , you don't tell this to MY Grandfather !!!! He told them to " Kiss my Ass' and proceeded to go the distance to the Hotel and scooped us up safely.
Now that I've put you all to sleep , just thought I'd share a flashback
Nona... I loved that '65 Chevy Biscayne. Yes it did have A/C, but it was not factory installed. It was installed later...on the floor right in the middle of the "bench front seat"....but it did keep me cool, unlike the original Chevy's "Astro Ventilation" system, where you were only cool if you drove the car at 80 mph.
But, my real love was the car I learned to drive on....my mother's '63 Pontiac LeMans convertable. Oh, did I love to drive that car. I ran every errand my mom wanted, just so I could drive that car.
My favorite car my mother had was a white Bonneville convertible. I remember driving up to Makowsky's with an umbrella turned upside down because there was a slight leak in the rag top. Shari and I used to play in "Honey West" in that car. OK, if you remember that show, who was in it???? Oh we are sooooooo old :)
And Rob, we once lost my dad on the Mohonk. He was supposed to take the trail from the hotel to the tower, and when we got there he was missing. We found him about an hour later having a soda at the lunchonette they had up there. It was the last time he went on any camp outings.
Wonder how many bungalows slept with the oven on this weekend. Amazing we're all still here :)
Jodi, I remember that Bonneville very well and the umbrella, LOL - I played Honey West with you and Shari when we came to Brooklyn. Do you remember when we watched "The Birds" for the first (and last for me!) time at your house when our parents went out - that movie gave me my lifelong fear of birds! Mitch, I remember the LeMans, but how about the Rambler and the time Mom hit a Seagull and you had to clean that bird out of the grill! That did not help my fear of birds, by the way... I really loved Mom's 77' Monte Carlo which I eventually got - now that car had wings, but then again I still have a leadfoot. Happy July 4th everyone and Happy Birthday Judy Chalm Kiviat!!!!!!!!! Boy, I could sure go for a toasted marshmallow on a dirty tree branch, how about all of you??
I guess between the dirty tree branches (Nona, you are so funny.)and the garbage cans of corn, we have had our share...
I just bought my children (2, 11 and 13), a kit to make smores. It comes with 8 CLEAN sticks. I wonder now, am I doing them a disservice, by not giving them any dirt to eat... ;-)
Not too sure I remember the Birds at my house, remember the Wizard of Oz at your house. Remember when we played "Hide the Hamster" what was its name?? I can see your kitchen right now, with the intercom, that was sooooo cool. We had some good times in that house. You had those cushions in the basement, orange I think. Mitch used to make sandwiches with them and sit on us. Am I right or am I making this up.
Mitch, if I remember correctly you could eat a loaf a white bread and a bottle of soda...
Remember my parent's 25th, I can see her coming down the stairs, boy was she surprised. Yeah, lots of great times.
Jodi , I believe Honey West was played by Anne Francis (circa 65-66)
Check out IMDB for more. Mitch's favorite site. Yo Mitch I bet you have this one bookmarked ,,,Right?
I seem to recall many summers we would all pass around paperbacks and comics. I can't believe we actually read something during the summer. Man from UNCLE , James Bond , Fantastic Four , Superman , Green Lantern , Archie & MORE
Rob, I'm having a little trouble myself getting on this blog. Just wrote a long blog and didn't go through so here goes again. You mentioned Archie and "more", well did you know that Jughead was created by our cousin Sammy Schwartz? I tried to auction off some of his original drawings of Jughead but they didn't sell. Can't seem to find them for they got lost in the shuffle through may many moves. Well I'n gonna press publish your comment and hope that this one goes through.
I think the hamster's name was "Hamlet"...and his final resting place is the backyard at 2067 Whalen...you are correct about the orange cushions. They matched the drapes, and were there until a squirrel once got into the house and "Caesar" chased him and he "shredded" the drapes in the Den.
I'm back, just read it all and it brings back my early memories of coming up to the colony. My father would only go over the Mohink, no matter the weather or the fact that the car was so loaded we might bottom out. I remember being in my special spot in the back of out 60 Rambler station wagon and watching all the dust blow as the road was still real narrow and unpaved. remember when you got to the top you had to honk the horn because it was totally a blind tunnel under the bridge the golf carts used? So when the transmission survived, no crash and we started coasting down the mountain, that's when i felt we were home in the colony. We didn't stop to often to eat but I actually LOVED the stop on the Thruway. Amazing how a rest stop and crappy food was heaven to me as a little kid. And the old days were great to us boys. My mom was and still is super mom actually now her picture ins in the dictionary under jewish grandma. I never lifted a finger. Like Rob, i ran to the luncheonette looking for Rob, and Al and bobby and Bruce and even (yuch) the girls Ellen, Laurie and Jody. BTW did any of us as young kids remotely talk to the opposite sex when back in the City or only in the Colony? I had those nickles ready for pinball. Some years my mom killed me because i put my bathing suit on in Brooklyn so then I went right to the pool for a quick cannonball or two...then the lunceonette. Great to be back!!!
My mom always did the cleaning on the day we arrived. What I do remember is that the Himmel's bungalow seemed to be brighter than ours and they stayed directly across from us. Hey Deb, if you are still on here, did you guys pain the inside every year?
The ride from Brooklyn in a 64 Chevy without A/C was always a treat. Once I saw the ranger tower from the Thruway I knew heaven was almost around the corner. I think everyone stopped for a whiz break at the Mobil station right across from the exit on 299. Once you hit the hair-pin turn, made the left on to Clove Rd at the barn you knew you were there! There was always the stop to get milk and Freihoffer's chocolate chip cookies before we got there! Out of the car, see ya, to the luncheonette, pop a dime in to the pin-ball machine (It was one game for a dime, 2 for a quarter) and wait until the sun went down to have fun! Oh that T shaped pool! Only place I could bring a two man raft and just have fun. The "Godfather" sandwhich at Chez was the best! Only entertainment was the juke-box and the transistor radio, the movie night when you took the bus with Vern the driver to New Paltz or Kingston. There was the famous Friday Movie. I think I saw 'Bridge Over The River Kwai' every year I was there! Not to mention the Woody Woodpecker and Chilly Willy Cartoons while being eaten alive by the bugs on the blanket! No TV, no a/c. Just fun. I took my wife up there once (Pre-Kids) and she was like "you stayed here?" Yep..There was nothing like it. Great. Simply great.
I just found this blog! Storch? I remember you from bungalow 4 next to the Gewant's from 69-70? I was in the Desert back then and my Grandparents were in the bungalow across the road called the Doll House, I think? I remember you shooting a bat with a pellet gun that hung on the Makowsky's sign that was on the road. Were you the kid who had the dirt bike or was that one of the Gewant kids? Anyway; it is neat to see this blog. When I went to Makowsky's it was really fun. Jerry.
I remember who you are. Yes, I was in the bungalow next to the Gewant's. It was Peter Gewant who had the dirt bike. He also had a bad accident on it and was banged up pretty good. Mike Markowitz had one also. My Dad would not let me get one. Yes on the bat. I remember there were a ton that flew around at night and scared the women to tears. The bungalow across the road was the Doll House. It was a stand alone with the colored awning. I remember it being empty one summer and when we were in camp, we went there and that was the first time I heard George Carlin. Jeff Keller and Phil Stecker played it for us on 8 Track. It was Jeff's tape, that I remember. Not to mention the laughter! So much for that..I remember almost everything in detail as I have a photographic memory. Did you live on Quentin Road or Ave P and E. 5th?
It's so interesting that I googled Makowsky's. Reading all these blogs brought tears to my eyes. My family started going to Makowsky's around 1953-54. I remember each bugalow that they had. My father played softball every Sunday. He came up on Thursday night and left early Monday mornings. I actually went to Day Camp there. Our family was friendly with the Bofshevers, Baskins, the Kantors and so many more. I'm loving this nostalgia.
My name is Laurie and I have a sister Ronnie. Our maiden name was Dardick if anyone out there is our age, which ugh is 60 and 66!
48 Comments:
At 6/16/2007 11:22 PM ,
Rob said...
Each year right after Memorial day weekend we were primed for the summer to come. That last month of June just could'nt go fast enough.Then finally we'd load up the car and head North, 'biting the bullet' the whole way. Remember the feelings deep down in your gut as you exited the Thruway at New Paltz? Remember your heart pounding when you turned on to Rock Hill Rd?
Truly amazing and exciting
At 6/18/2007 8:18 AM ,
Jodi said...
Thanks Rob,and yes I do remember. It may be the thing I remember most. I don't think I ever slept a wink the night before. Alway seemed like the longest ride ever. First stop was always Badami's, the tomato place, then a brief hello to Jerry at Chez Joey and then over the mountain. Past the Red Barn, wow, almost there, make the turn on RHR, hurry Mom and there it was, the SIGN. We were HOME...........
Life can be a little overwhelming sometimes, nice to travel back, no cell phone, no cable, no TVs, no AC...just a lifetime of memories..nice way to start my week.
At 6/19/2007 5:08 AM ,
Shari S said...
What a beautiful ride we had from Connecticut. When we saw the Mohonk, we knew that we were almost there.
My husband and I recently looked into staying at the Mohonk Mountain House for a weekend. When there is a special deal, you can stay for over 400.00 a night. Check out the photos on their site... http://www.mohonk.com/
At 6/19/2007 5:17 AM ,
Shari S said...
Perhaps the New Paltz Econo Lodge has a vacancy for us? :-)
At 6/19/2007 8:07 AM ,
Jodi said...
The Mohonk has some good day specials, where you can spend the day, have lunch, a massage and use the facilities. It's definitely doable. Shari, please say hi to your family for me.
At 6/19/2007 8:21 AM ,
Bob Hutt said...
Funny you should mention this. Just the other day I was at an JALBCA dinner which is an affair for Judges And Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert.
An attorney seated next to me brought up the subject about having summers off as a kid. I told him that I had gone to special place called Makowsky's that was Camelot. I said that if they ever dropped the A bomb on America, we would have been safe, because no one, other than us, could ever find the damn place hidden in the lush greens hills of the valley. He asked me where it was located.
I replied that he never heard of it as it was in High Falls, NY. He laughed and said next to the Mohonk as I almost fell off my chair. It turned out that he had business at the Mohonk that very morning and had been there and had seen the sign to High Falls. I proceeded to bore him to death about my wonderful times and all of you with the biggest smile on my face.
My Dad would load all our stuff into the car and off we would go across the GW Bridge and up the Palisades Pkwy. We would always stop at the Red Apple Rest and Gary and I would eat hamburgers, pizza and a hot dog. It was always special as we would come up the back way through Newburgh to New Paltz and then over the Mohonk. I just wish we had one more summer together as you guys were simply the best. Here's to wishing all of you a great summer with your kids and grandkids.
Bobby
At 6/19/2007 3:22 PM ,
Mitch said...
I think I said this before many blogs ago....but, after we turned onto Rock Hill Road....the excitement was contagious and myself, Steph & Nona couldn wait for us to see the "famous sign" just up around the bend....and at that very moment when the sign became visible, my dad would take his foot off the gas and we would creep ever so slowly to the colony....us kids thought we would never get there. Funny what you remember after all these years.
At 6/19/2007 5:24 PM ,
steve kiv said...
Remember unpacking???
I DON'T!!!
As soon as the car door opened..........I WAS GONE!!
At 6/19/2007 7:38 PM ,
Shari S said...
Thanks, Jodi! I will look into the day specials at the Mohonk. That sounds great. Believe it or not, I have never been up there! There was a lot of mountain climbing going on back in the day, but I had always heard tales about "the Lemon Squeeze" and it just left me shaking in my flip flops(We actually called them thongs...now that word takes on a whole new meaning.). ;-)
Jodi, I will send your regards to my family. They will be happy to hear from you. Please say hi to your family for me.
At 6/19/2007 8:43 PM ,
Rob said...
First stop after unloading was the lucheonette. I could'nt wait to see who arrived, new faces, and what girls had (if any) Boobs.....
A whole years worth of hormones ready to burst.
Second stop was the ballfield , to see who had the 'right stuff' ....
"WE GOT GAME"
One thing never changed ...Steve was still at the pinball machine. Some people thought he never left the Colony from the previous summer. LOL
At 6/22/2007 2:14 PM ,
David said...
The excitement in our crowded car (it seemed everything that we owned was in there) was palpable as we rolled out of the city--usually the day after the last day of school--we lived in an apartment then, and going to the country, we felt quite special (admittedly a little superior)--not having to cool off under a fire hydrant (we did not have a/c then--that came later)nor taking the occasional trip to a friend's beach and cabana club. I did not realize how hot the city in the summer could be until years later when I worked summers in The City--When we got there and pulled up on the grass next to our unit--which was no bigger than our bedroom is now, but it did not matter because we only slept there (and I had the wall adjacent to the Chalms so Judy and I could talk through the walls), I remember immediately running down to the luncheonette like Rob (and yes I do not remember unpacking either)--ordering a hamburger, fries and a cherry coke, then off to the pool.I was always much more comfortable there than in the city and dreaded going home on Labor Day. It always seemed that we were among the last to leave but even a deserted Makowsky's, with all its secrets and special places, was incredibly special.
At 6/22/2007 9:18 PM ,
Shari S said...
I know what you mean, Dave. We also later learned how hot the summers were in Connecticut. In the mountains, I remember that we wore sweatshirts and jeans in the morning. We came home from camp, for lunch, and we changed into shorts and bathing suits. Then, we were back into sweatshirts and jeans at night. The nights were cool and beautiful.
On the very cold mornings, we would light the gas stove(-which was probably not the best idea) and turn on the portable heater to warm up.
Like you all have said, there is just nothing like a summer at Makowskys...
At 6/23/2007 6:31 AM ,
Mitch said...
Steve! Unpack? Are you kidding? The only thing I unpacked was my baseball glove. A Rawlings Tom Tresh model. In fact, I had it on my lap the whole ride up.
David, as far as I know we brought up a ton of stuff as well. My dad used to say that he spent the first 4 weeks "schlepping" up stuff every Friday evening...and then for the final 4 weeks "schlepping" stuff home!
At 6/23/2007 9:35 PM ,
Rob said...
Midway thru the summer either I lost my bathing suits , tore my sneakers or just out grew certain stuff. My Mom would take us to Fann's department store in Rosendale. How we got there I don't know, since we had no auto on the colony. Probably was the 'communal' car all the Mom's used
It was the only 'taste' of store shopping we had. A spaulding was .29 and if I was lucky a new pair of thongs (flip flops) for a buck.
At 6/23/2007 10:09 PM ,
Shari S said...
Yes, Fann's! :-) Rob, you have a great memory!
I think that the word went out when there was a trip planned to Rosendale. A few moms and a few kids squeezed into one car. Of course, no seatbelts were worn. We were CRAZY back then. We never wore bike helmets and we EVEN drank out of the tap!!! ;-)
At 6/25/2007 7:47 AM ,
Jodi said...
It makes me so happy to log onto the blog and see my family here. With that said, how the hell did all you guys get away without unpacking. Mitch, ask your sisters, we had to get the bungalow set up like home before we could proceed with the summer. every summer my mom would hang new curtains, make all the beds with those bumpy bedspreads (there is a name for them, just don't know it. I remember scrbbing the sink and toilet until the rust was a pale orange instead of brown.
Last year at this time we were all counting the days til the reunion. The only bad part of that day is that it is behind us.
Hey Rob, tell Ellen I want the recipe for the Artichoke dip. Email it to me.....
At 6/25/2007 6:54 PM ,
Mitch said...
Jodi,
"Rib corded cotton" is what those bedspreads were. They were very durable and great for the summers.
I was lucky to have two sisters who always got the bungalow in order while I immediately ran down to the softball field...if I hadn't said it before, I'll say it now, "thanks Stephie & Nona"
BTW, Ellen's dip is truly deeelish!
At 6/26/2007 9:12 AM ,
David said...
Baseball glove--Lou Boudreau model
Pennsy pinkies rather than Spaldeens.
And how do you remember Fann's? I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning.
Unpack? Clean? Never happened. Don't know how our bungalow stayed clean and orderly--I guess it was the gremlins? Must be when all you have is boys, you don't even ask.
And the sweatshirts and jeans at night were a welcome relief--as well being wrapped up in blankets watching movies on the wall on Friday nights--always my favorite.
At 6/26/2007 12:07 PM ,
Bob Hutt said...
Reading all these comments brings back such wonderful memories. Mitch get over there at first base as I throw a high hard one (LOL) at someone's head as Dave Baskin nods approvingly.
And later on, let's go down to the lake with Stevie Kiviat and my brother Gary to try to catch Big Chesty.
And on Friday nite Phyl what are you doing? After the movie, we can go into the casino where we can ask Foggy Bess if she has any strawberry ice cream to which she will reply, "Strawberry YES, we don't have any."
And if you listen closely, you'll once again hear Milton's voice on the PA advising all teenagers to bring your buck for Vernon's yellow school bus to go to Ellenville on Tuesday night to see the red headed teenage bombshell, Ann Margaret, in Bye Bye Birdie.
And on Saturday morning tell me this didn't get the blood pumping when you heard, "Attention all men report to the softball field immediately as a game is about to start in 15 mintues." And we prayed that the men would be a few players short so that we could play with our fathers.
Do you know how fortunate and truly blessed we all were? Think back to the early days of TV and the old black and white Rod Serling, Twilight Zone, episode entitled "Kick the Can". Doesn't it now take on new meaning?
The truth is our parents were really the best of the best for taking us to Camelot/Makowsky's and for that we should be eternally grateful. Here's to thinking of each and every single one of you today.
Mitch get out there at first base!
At 6/26/2007 12:36 PM ,
Mitch said...
Bob...
The mind says yes but oh the body says no...
but how's this?????
Playing pinball games in the luncheonette for 5 cents...
Tuesday night bus rides to Ellenville for a dollar...
Hamburger, French Fries, and a Coke in the luncheonette for $2.00
(see Judy Chalm)
Spending a summer @ Makowsky's...
PRICELESS!!
At 6/26/2007 1:53 PM ,
steve kiv said...
My baseball glove is over 40 years old and spent the "new" years of its life in the outfield of Makowskys....in camp....with the men...with the travelling teenage team and then with the travelling men's team. (What a career!)
Now it's still in use for long toss in the backyard with the neighbor kids. I try not to take a hard throw in the pocket or I'll get a bone bruise that'll last for a month.
I recently saw a group of over 50 mens softball players. All the players were in the infield like in Little League. Maybe I'll join up and volunteer for the outfield again. Two feet either way and I'll wait for the ball to stop rolling and then pick it up.
At 6/26/2007 2:20 PM ,
Jodi said...
That's the best part of this blog for me. There is no aging, no balding, no body aches. If I close my eyes I can see clear as day the boys you all were and my dad young again. This blog and the reunion and talk of all the memories allow time to stand still for just a moment and take me back.
At 6/26/2007 11:01 PM ,
Shari S said...
Does anyone remember a camp picnic? I remember fresh corn on the cob cooked in a metal garbage can, lots of watermelon AND for some reason...waxed lips! Go figure...
At 6/27/2007 8:02 AM ,
Jodi said...
Your memory is not failing you, that was the best corn ever.
At 6/27/2007 8:40 AM ,
Mitch said...
The question is....
Would you eat corn out of a garbage can today?
At 6/27/2007 10:56 AM ,
Jodi said...
For that corn, I think I might. Maybe I'm crazy, but it was the yellowest, sweetest corn I ever tasted. Have never tasted better. I have tried everything. Went out special and bought a paint brush, melted the butter, but never did taste the same. Maybe I needed a little more Love...it think that's what did it.
I'm such a mush....
At 6/27/2007 2:29 PM ,
Shari S said...
I do remember the corn also being the best that I had ever tasted.
Jodi, we may need to run out and get ourselves some nice, metal trash cans!
I guess that the answer is yes, Mitch. ;-)
At 6/28/2007 6:52 AM ,
Mitch said...
Must be the zinc and galvanized steel that adds to the flavor of the kernal....lol
At 6/29/2007 11:20 AM ,
Jodi said...
This morning as I stopped off for bagels at Panera's there were two women and a few kids. The kids were really hyper, they kept saying "Mommy lets go, we're almost there". When I went outside, I saw their van, filled to the brink with their stuff-clothes, toys, some kitchen stuff. Then it hit me, they were starting their summer. We always went up early morning, me, Shari, Steven Bier, Mom and Slim. By the time we got off the exit we were so excited..Amazing that something that happened so long ago could make you feel this way years later, Hutt calls it Camelot, I call it magic.
At 7/01/2007 6:28 AM ,
jack said...
I just spent 1 hour on this #*"#**@ blog and when I went to publish, I lost it all so: THIS IS A **$#@&^ TEST!!! Thanks. I love you all.
At 7/01/2007 3:07 PM ,
nona said...
Okay, I am back - I did not realize I needed to start an entirely new account - perhaps that's why people are missing from this blog. So to recap on this. Luckily, Mitch, you thanked your sisters for unpacking - those were the days when boys were not required to do "girl" chores - can you imagine that in this day and age!! And yes, the corn in the garbage was the best, but eating out of those "lead" garbage cans probably gave us some of our health issues today! LOL!
I do remember during those brutally hot days - driving around in air conditioned cars, right? It was the only relief we got in those days. Although, I actually remember my father's first air conditioned car - it was a 1965 white biscayne chevy that Mitch later got when he went to Albany. My first hand me down car (which I loved) from my dad was a 1968 yellow Ford LTD that I got in 1974, Steph got the same one is green - boy did that car fly, even though it was as big as a condominium!!
Ok, back to Makowskys .....
At 7/01/2007 3:59 PM ,
Rob said...
At different times throughout the summer my grandparents would come up and stay a few days. It was like the calvalry charging to save the Fort.
My grandfather would load up his car with ALL kinds of stuff that we could'nt get upstate. It was like the supply wagon train .
One summer when they were visiting several groups went hiking the Mohonk on one of those Makowsky's raiding the Mohonk House events. Anyway , we ran into some trouble and really bad weather, so when the call from the counselors to the colony went out for help my grandfather (a NYC Cabbie) got in his car and joined others to rescue us. SO, when they got to the Mohonk gate it was thunder & Lightning and they would not permit them to drive up the mountain. Well , you don't tell this to MY Grandfather !!!! He told them to " Kiss my Ass' and proceeded to go the distance to the Hotel and scooped us up safely.
Now that I've put you all to sleep , just thought I'd share a flashback
At 7/01/2007 9:56 PM ,
Mitch said...
Nona...
I loved that '65 Chevy Biscayne. Yes it did have A/C, but it was not factory installed. It was installed later...on the floor right in the middle of the "bench front seat"....but it did keep me cool, unlike the original Chevy's "Astro Ventilation" system, where you were only cool if you drove the car at 80 mph.
But, my real love was the car I learned to drive on....my mother's '63 Pontiac LeMans convertable. Oh, did I love to drive that car. I ran every errand my mom wanted, just so I could drive that car.
At 7/02/2007 11:44 AM ,
Jodi said...
My favorite car my mother had was a white Bonneville convertible. I remember driving up to Makowsky's with an umbrella turned upside down because there was a slight leak in the rag top. Shari and I used to play in "Honey West" in that car. OK, if you remember that show, who was in it???? Oh we are sooooooo old :)
And Rob, we once lost my dad on the Mohonk. He was supposed to take the trail from the hotel to the tower, and when we got there he was missing. We found him about an hour later having a soda at the lunchonette they had up there. It was the last time he went on any camp outings.
Wonder how many bungalows slept with the oven on this weekend. Amazing we're all still here :)
At 7/02/2007 11:46 AM ,
Jodi said...
Hey Nona, great to have you back.....
At 7/02/2007 11:07 PM ,
nona said...
Jodi,
I remember that Bonneville very well and the umbrella, LOL - I played Honey West with you and Shari when we came to Brooklyn. Do you remember when we watched "The Birds" for the first (and last for me!) time at your house when our parents went out - that movie gave me my lifelong fear of birds!
Mitch,
I remember the LeMans, but how about the Rambler and the time Mom hit a Seagull and you had to clean that bird out of the grill! That did not help my fear of birds, by the way...
I really loved Mom's 77' Monte Carlo which I eventually got - now that car had wings, but then again I still have a leadfoot.
Happy July 4th everyone and Happy Birthday Judy Chalm Kiviat!!!!!!!!!
Boy, I could sure go for a toasted marshmallow on a dirty tree branch, how about all of you??
At 7/03/2007 8:32 AM ,
Shari S said...
I guess between the dirty tree branches (Nona, you are so funny.)and the garbage cans of corn, we have had our share...
I just bought my children (2, 11 and 13), a kit to make smores. It comes with 8 CLEAN sticks. I wonder now, am I doing them a disservice, by not giving them any dirt to eat... ;-)
At 7/03/2007 8:49 AM ,
Jodi said...
Not too sure I remember the Birds at my house, remember the Wizard of Oz at your house. Remember when we played "Hide the Hamster" what was its name?? I can see your kitchen right now, with the intercom, that was sooooo cool. We had some good times in that house. You had those cushions in the basement, orange I think. Mitch used to make sandwiches with them and sit on us. Am I right or am I making this up.
Mitch, if I remember correctly you could eat a loaf a white bread and a bottle of soda...
Remember my parent's 25th, I can see her coming down the stairs, boy was she surprised. Yeah, lots of great times.
At 7/03/2007 10:12 PM ,
Rob said...
Jodi , I believe Honey West was played by Anne Francis (circa 65-66)
Check out IMDB for more. Mitch's favorite site. Yo Mitch I bet you have this one bookmarked ,,,Right?
I seem to recall many summers we would all pass around paperbacks and comics. I can't believe we actually read something during the summer. Man from UNCLE , James Bond , Fantastic Four , Superman , Green Lantern , Archie & MORE
At 7/04/2007 1:54 PM ,
SUSIE said...
Rob,
I'm having a little trouble myself getting on this blog. Just wrote a long blog and didn't go through so here goes again.
You mentioned Archie and "more", well did you know that Jughead was created by our cousin Sammy Schwartz? I tried to auction off some of his original drawings of Jughead but they didn't sell. Can't seem to find them for they got lost in the shuffle through may many moves.
Well I'n gonna press publish your comment and hope that this one goes through.
At 7/05/2007 11:57 AM ,
Mitch said...
Jodi
I think the hamster's name was "Hamlet"...and his final resting place is the backyard at 2067 Whalen...you are correct about the orange cushions. They matched the drapes, and were there until a squirrel once got into the house and "Caesar" chased him and he "shredded" the drapes in the Den.
Rob
It is bookmarked! Great site for a film buff ...
At 7/13/2007 2:07 PM ,
augie said...
I'm back, just read it all and it brings back my early memories of coming up to the colony. My father would only go over the Mohink, no matter the weather or the fact that the car was so loaded we might bottom out. I remember being in my special spot in the back of out 60 Rambler station wagon and watching all the dust blow as the road was still real narrow and unpaved. remember when you got to the top you had to honk the horn because it was totally a blind tunnel under the bridge the golf carts used? So when the transmission survived, no crash and we started coasting down the mountain, that's when i felt we were home in the colony. We didn't stop to often to eat but I actually LOVED the stop on the Thruway. Amazing how a rest stop and crappy food was heaven to me as a little kid.
And the old days were great to us boys. My mom was and still is super mom actually now her picture ins in the dictionary under jewish grandma. I never lifted a finger. Like Rob, i ran to the luncheonette looking for Rob, and Al and bobby and Bruce and even (yuch) the girls Ellen, Laurie and Jody. BTW did any of us as young kids remotely talk to the opposite sex when back in the City or only in the Colony? I had those nickles ready for pinball. Some years my mom killed me because i put my bathing suit on in Brooklyn so then I went right to the pool for a quick cannonball or two...then the lunceonette. Great to be back!!!
At 7/17/2007 10:53 AM ,
Mona said...
My mom always did the cleaning on the day we arrived. What I do remember is that the Himmel's bungalow seemed to be brighter than ours and they stayed directly across from us. Hey Deb, if you are still on here, did you guys pain the inside every year?
At 7/17/2007 10:53 AM ,
Mona said...
"Pain" should have been "paint".
At 12/07/2007 3:29 PM ,
Larry "Storch" Estreich said...
The ride from Brooklyn in a 64 Chevy without A/C was always a treat. Once I saw the ranger tower from the Thruway I knew heaven was almost around the corner. I think everyone stopped for a whiz break at the Mobil station right across from the exit on 299. Once you hit the hair-pin turn, made the left on to Clove Rd at the barn you knew you were there! There was always the stop to get milk and Freihoffer's chocolate chip cookies before we got there! Out of the car, see ya, to the luncheonette, pop a dime in to the pin-ball machine (It was one game for a dime, 2 for a quarter) and wait until the sun went down to have fun! Oh that T shaped pool! Only place I could bring a two man raft and just have fun. The "Godfather" sandwhich at Chez was the best! Only entertainment was the juke-box and the transistor radio, the movie night when you took the bus with Vern the driver to New Paltz or Kingston. There was the famous Friday Movie. I think I saw 'Bridge Over The River Kwai' every year I was there! Not to mention the Woody Woodpecker and Chilly Willy Cartoons while being eaten alive by the bugs on the blanket! No TV, no a/c. Just fun. I took my wife up there once (Pre-Kids) and she was like "you stayed here?" Yep..There was nothing like it. Great. Simply great.
At 12/12/2007 10:46 AM ,
gumball said...
I just found this blog! Storch? I remember you from bungalow 4 next to the Gewant's from 69-70? I was in the Desert back then and my Grandparents were in the bungalow across the road called the Doll House, I think? I remember you shooting a bat with a pellet gun that hung on the Makowsky's sign that was on the road. Were you the kid who had the dirt bike or was that one of the Gewant kids? Anyway; it is neat to see this blog. When I went to Makowsky's it was really fun. Jerry.
At 12/12/2007 11:23 AM ,
Larry "Storch" Estreich said...
I remember who you are. Yes, I was in the bungalow next to the Gewant's. It was Peter Gewant who had the dirt bike. He also had a bad accident on it and was banged up pretty good. Mike Markowitz had one also. My Dad would not let me get one. Yes on the bat. I remember there were a ton that flew around at night and scared the women to tears. The bungalow across the road was the Doll House. It was a stand alone with the colored awning. I remember it being empty one summer and when we were in camp, we went there and that was the first time I heard George Carlin. Jeff Keller and Phil Stecker played it for us on 8 Track. It was Jeff's tape, that I remember. Not to mention the laughter! So much for that..I remember almost everything in detail as I have a photographic memory. Did you live on Quentin Road or Ave P and E. 5th?
At 1/07/2009 11:27 AM ,
laurie worthman said...
It's so interesting that I googled Makowsky's. Reading all these blogs brought tears to my eyes. My family started going to Makowsky's around 1953-54. I remember each bugalow that they had. My father played softball every Sunday. He came up on Thursday night and left early Monday mornings. I actually went to Day Camp there. Our family was friendly with the Bofshevers, Baskins, the Kantors and so many more. I'm loving this nostalgia.
My name is Laurie and I have a sister Ronnie. Our maiden name was Dardick if anyone out there is our age, which ugh is 60 and 66!
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