Makowsky Friends

Friday, June 27, 2008

Let's Laugh


TV Comedy , there's been so many good ones .
These few have been around 5 decades or so.
Too Bad there hasn't been a Bungalow Sitcom ,
What would you call it ?

posted by Rob @ 9:03 PM  

99 Comments:

  • At 6/28/2008 6:44 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    Ok Rob...I'm game...how about?

    1. Desperate Cottage Wives? (no disrespect intended)

    2. All in the Family (we really were one family)

    3. Mohonk Mountain (catchy)

    4. Rock Hill Road (even more catchy)

    5. Our Summer Place (my personal favorite)

     

  • At 6/28/2008 9:58 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    These are all good ones Kup.
    What about:

    Ulster county CPR
    Leave it to Milton
    Camphouse blues
    What's my Lineup
    Bungalow Idol

     

  • At 6/29/2008 5:29 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    I was checking back to the original postings on the blog and lo and behold....

    cellularghost said...
    Was just surfing the internet and decided to check out makowsky's and look what I fell into. My family spent two fantastic summers at Makowsky's. My name is Mark Gerber and we had the bungalow at the top of the hill. I was there the summer the handball court burned down.I am now 53 years old I recognize the name's Roy Herbst, and Wayne Tepper, I remember the Geiers I am still in touch with Jeffery Kay.If i am not mistaken didn't the owners wife ride around the colony in a golf cart? I remember the swimming pool being huge for the catskills.What was the name of the great Ice cream place in town.Anybody remember me email me at mgerber1953@yahoo.com

    Mark
    11/21/06

    11/21/2006 3:54 PM


    Caren said...
    What a blast from the past. We spent 8 wonderful summers in the 1960's at Makowskys. My parents are Judy and Gene Brotman. I have a brother Randy and a twin sister Lori. Would love to hear from other's who might remember us.

    3/09/2008 3:04 PM


    rocklandrita@gmail.com said...
    Missed the reunion...'Wudda loveta' have known 'bout it..
    Was my old neighbor Audrey Estreich there? Rita

    4/27/2008 1:49 AM


    CAROL said...
    would love to speak to jackie silverman...this is carol madison, remember me and lenny oster ??!!!!would love to see all of you, as i read thru all the names it is incredible what memories we all have. please let me know when and where the next reunion will be, i will absoluetly be there. please contact me at:ccaf116@aol.com.

    5/31/2008 1:04 PM


    CAROL said...
    rob
    i have a picture from the 60's of my group at camp the Chicklets with hy ozer that is just priceless. send me you email address and i will scan it over to you for the site. i also have an original makowky's brochure from the 60's which i am soooo sure no one has ever seen, also priceless. let me know if you want them. please tell ellen hi for me. since moving up to nc i lost touch with her after phyllis died. hope all is good there. you can reach me at:ccaf116@aol.com

    carol madison now feldman

    5/31/2008 1:45 PM

     

  • At 6/29/2008 9:02 PM , Blogger jackie said...

    Carol,now "Feldman", you've got to be kidding. How can I forget you. We were only a handful of Bronxites. I can still see your bubbly (and freckly) smile. You were always one of my favorites. I haven't seen Lenny for a long while, but when I saw him last, he asked about you. You were the love of his life. Probably still are. Hope all is well.

     

  • At 6/30/2008 8:39 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    OK, All you writers out there, someone should come up with this. With all the Baby Boomers and the longing for simpler times, I think we would have a hit.

    I know I would watch it.

     

  • At 6/30/2008 8:26 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Watch it Jodi? You should be the writer of the show. Sort of a 'Upstate Friends" ,maybe ?

    Lots of supporting cast members.

    Instead of an Oscar or Emmy we could win the coveted 'Milton' award. LOL

    OK , how about this, pick your cast and then pick the corresponding movie star play them.

    For instance:
    Who should play Hy Ozer ?
    How about Gene Hackman ?

    Who should play Solomon?
    How about Ben Vereen?

    Who should play Jack Silverman?
    How about ???????

     

  • At 7/01/2008 10:07 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    How about 'High Falls RFD'?, 'Camphouse Blues'? 'The Desert'? ,'Adventures at White Rock'?, or simply, and yes it was done already 'Good Times'? Maybe one called the 'Luncheonette'? I can easily write a few screenplays for a show. Let me know!

    There was a post about an ice cream place. In Kingston, there was a very famous place called Teetzels which was known for its homemade custards. It is long gone and I may have botched the spelling. I remember going there many a time as a kid. Other than that, the only other ice cream was from the luncheonette, Maltz's for one of those Hershey double cones.

    I'm so ready to go up there. The 4th was always a great weekend kick-off for the summer.

     

  • At 7/01/2008 10:09 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Rita; I'm Audrey's son, Larry. No, they were not at the reunion and I did not know about it either. You can write to me at larrye@ny-res.com and I'll give you Mom's e-mail.

     

  • At 7/02/2008 4:21 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Too bad that 'Happy Days' was used already. Our days there were happy. How about....'Summer Days (and nights) of our Lives'?

     

  • At 7/03/2008 8:48 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    TO MY MAKOWSKY'S FAMILY

    HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, AND IN MAKOWSKY'S TERMS THAT MEANS

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDY.....LOVE YOU


    JODI

     

  • At 7/03/2008 11:03 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Happy birthday, Judy!

     

  • At 7/04/2008 8:32 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    "Red , White & Blue:
    Happy Birthday to You"

    'The Judy' , our friend, companion & eternal Makowskys Icon, We love you

    Many more

     

  • At 7/07/2008 9:25 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Let's not forget
    Sir Lawrence of Brown ,
    whose birthday it is Too.

    I guess you can say He & I have one of the oldest camper/counselor friendships, (actually , he's more like family to us)

    He was my counselor one summer in the 60s , (so that means almost 5 decades ago) He was so thin that some of his campers weighed more.
    "He split the lemon squeeze with ease" Also , he was one of the better outfielders , he knew the field ....no easy task

    We love ya Larry , Have a great one

     

  • At 7/08/2008 10:48 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    All right, I have really put some thought into this one. Although I was barely alive in this decade (wink, wink) how about THAT 60's SHOW? I know, not great, but at least I tried... Do I get anything for effort?

    Rob, it is cool how your photo comes up next to your postings. Can anyone else do that? I would love to see you guys.

     

  • At 7/09/2008 2:26 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    The past few days all I could think about was the colony. Wouldn't the pool be great in this weather. How did we survive without AC. I want another reunion, at least for those two days time had stopped, I want that back. These days are so complicated, we were so lucky.

    I feel bad for all those kids today that only have THINGS, I hope they can also find a way to get some great memories. They will never be obsolete.

     

  • At 7/09/2008 10:49 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    We never even thought about air conditioning at Makowsky's. It is hard to believe. In the mornings, we wore jeans and sweatshirts. We went home, had lunch and came back to swim in the afternoon. After swimming and an ice cream break, we never felt the heat. At night, we were back to sweatshirts and jeans. We slept with the windows open, most nights, under heavy blankets. Sometimes, as Larry said, we would use the stoves or heaters from home. I remember being cold more often than I remember being hot. It was the best summer climate.

     

  • At 7/10/2008 8:28 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     

  • At 7/10/2008 8:35 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    OK....you convinced me!

    "Beam me back up Scotty!"

     

  • At 7/10/2008 10:58 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Can the rest of us put our photos in also? Is it just reserved for the most handsome???

     

  • At 7/10/2008 12:24 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    Oh, Shari, I wish I would have said that :)

     

  • At 7/10/2008 12:37 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    I'll try to walk you through it, but remember, I'm not the "blogmaster"....lol

    After signing on the blog you should be on the "Dashboard Page"

    On the right side you will see "Edit your Profile"....click on that...

    You should then scroll down to "photo url"...click on that...

    Now that will bring you to "Browse"...

    If you click on that you will be able to "upload" any pictures you have stored on your hard drive.

    I hope that helps...

     

  • At 7/10/2008 8:29 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Just remember folks , any info placed in your profile can be viewed by the public by clicking on the posted photo being previewed. If you disable this feature in the profile settings, it will not display.

    Nice pix Kup

     

  • At 7/10/2008 10:22 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I am going to try to figure this out tomorrow. Thanks, Mitch and Rob! If I get stuck, I will ask the kids in my house. :-)

     

  • At 7/11/2008 4:35 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    I remember that the Gewants were the first to have an a/c in their bungalow. One one very, very hot and humid day, a few of us paid a visit (they were out) to cool off! Do not tell Tom or Marilyn!

     

  • At 7/13/2008 7:22 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Happy Birthday Lori!!!!!!!
    See you soon, can't wait

     

  • At 7/15/2008 2:54 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
    IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO THAT WE ALL MET AGAIN AND OUR WONDERFUL REUNION. IT WAS AN WEEKEND I WILL NEVER FORGET.

    HOPE YOU ARE ALL WELL AND MAYBE READY FOR THE SECOND ONE SOON.

    LOVE YOU ALL......YOU ALL LIVE IN MY MEMORIES :)

     

  • At 7/16/2008 11:19 PM , Blogger Bob Hutt said...

    The Ice Cream Place was in Kingston, New York and was called Babcock's. Milton, as our bonus for being counselors, would have Vernon take us on the Yellow School Bus to Babcock's for an Ice Cream Soda. And Milton would sit next to me and ask if it was the best Ice Cream Soda I ever tasted?

    Milton paid me $90 to be your counselor for the entire summer. And the truth be told, I should have paid Milton for the privilege of having so much fun with all of you. The memories are priceless. As the years go by I now realize we lived in Camelot in the valley below the Mohonk in a special place called Makowsky's Cottage Colony. It most certainly was a magical time - one none of us will ever forget. By reading this Blog I only wish we were all the same age so we could have experienced the wonderful times together. I only wish Milton was still with us so that I could take him to Babcock's for the best Ice Cream Soda we ever had.

    With kind regards,
    Bob

     

  • At 7/17/2008 11:26 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    After reading Bob's comments as well as some of the others, I wonder if the kids of today would have memories comparable to those of ours spent @ Makowsky's. Although the times of the 60's-70's were turbulent,those days were simpler. We had so much fun without the need to fancy electronics and many of the things that are taken for granted today. Quite frankly, I do not think many of today's kids could hack a summer at a bungalow colony wtihout satellite TV, PC's, computer games, cell phones and the like. OK, I can agree with tossing in an a/c but that is where it would end. I cannot fathom a teenager today dealing with a party line phone!

     

  • At 7/17/2008 2:36 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Okay, I may need a new photo. This one was most recent. I will give it a try.

    Bob, your comments were awesome and so well put.

     

  • At 7/17/2008 2:42 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I forgot to hit "Save Profile". Here I go again... I think that this photo is too tiny, but here goes!

    Storch, I think that I could use one of those kids right about now! :-)

     

  • At 7/17/2008 8:35 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    I purchased my 1st stereo from that $90 I worked the entire summer for. Yes I'll agree both the memories and the Stereo were good to me, but the memories have certainly outpaced my poor old stereo , LOL

    BTW - It was a Panasonic component stereo....complete with mini changer and dust cover.

     

  • At 7/17/2008 10:22 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Okay, let's see if you can see me now... ;-)

     

  • At 7/21/2008 4:13 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     

  • At 7/21/2008 6:26 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     

  • At 7/22/2008 12:45 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    Ok, remember the ices with the great icy bottoms. I loved the Cola flavored, and remember when Blue Ices first came out.

    Just think of the history, The Moon Landing, Woodstock and Blue ices. WOW.

    I was sitting at work, vegging out the window thinking of all our cute lifeguards, Randy (with the blonde hair so blonde it turned green) Lonnie, he was so cute.
    And who can forget Mitch, he was pretty hot back them, still. (LuvU)

     

  • At 7/23/2008 12:31 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Jodi, I can remember being a big fan of the cherry and the chocolate flavored ices. The bottom part was the best! The campers always sat on the grass, in the back of the luncheonette, to enjoy ice cream every afternoon. Later that became the popular evening site for Johnny on the Pony. That game had an interesting concept: jump on other children until you crushed them into the ground. Those were the days, huh... :-)

    I also remember a lot of green hair. Hopefully, it was from too much chlorine and not that funky lake water! ;-)

     

  • At 7/23/2008 2:59 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    Johnny on the Pony....yup that was a game! I remember one time we were playing that and we had about a line of 5 or 6 when it was Jackie's turn....he ran full speed and when he leaped we just scattered...but luckily for Big Silv he must have sensed it and pulled up and was not hurt.

     

  • At 7/23/2008 9:17 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    When I was a enterprising young pup I would bring lemonade down to the softball field and sell it to the men. As I think harder, (ouch) it occurred to me that these were the days before bottled water , Gatorade or energy drinks. When we played we were lucky to have a canteen or tupperware container with us. It was either soda (pre-flip top aluminum) , warm water , lemonade (pink was my flavor of choice) or maybe some hawaiian punch. If we were lucky someone would have an old coleman cooler.

    Meanwhile on the field , we had no batting gloves , pine tar , rosin bags or Bat - donuts. If you wanted to loosen up on deck , you'd grab 3 bats at once.

    Protective cup? Bah , we played with 'balls' & guts , no cup thank you. The catcher , he was lucky to have a working mask , nothin else.
    Bases , sure , but make sure you put them over the hidden protruding rocks on the field. Backstop? , good ole chicken wire and leftover wood siding from recycled bungalows .

    How many fouled softballs do you think have disappeared over the years , probably hundreds

    Things have changed.

     

  • At 7/24/2008 9:59 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    Rob, you paint a great picture.

    Oooooh, I loved Hawiian Punch. Bottled water, hah, we were drinking that rusty mess. I think there were 10 summers when I had no water at all. What would Weight Watchers say. The closest thing to decent water was in the Lunchonette.

    Someone's birthday is coming up....

     

  • At 7/25/2008 3:54 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

     

  • At 7/25/2008 4:05 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Equipment? You were lucky enough to have a mitt from the days of Ruth, a bat that may have had some tape on it. For those of us stick ballers, we had an old broom stick with tape and a worn out Spaldy.

    There was always the guy that brought down a few cans of soda and forgot the opener (remember those?) and we resorted to hitting it on the back stop to pop it open. I remember that we would bring a few empty jars and fill them from the spigot in the laundry room in the desert where it was legend that the water was spring water but it was just good old well water. Either way, it was cold!

    The Marino's ices are still a staple! My little ones have learned from me the "Brooklyn" way of eating them by flipping them over. Actually, there is nothing like going to the Spumoni Gardens on 86th St. for them but here on LI we have Ralph's which is pretty good but lacks the good old luncheonette mystique. Does anyone remember the Hersheys double cones? Those were good!

    Shari- The lake water was green!

    Ring-A-Levi-O anyone?

    As I close my eyes, I hear Milton announcing that the movie for tonight is 'The Out Of Towners' with Sandy Dennis and Jack Lemmon.

    See ya at the porch says Storch!

    Sorry for the creepy picture, it is taken off of our hockey team site but I still look the same (lol!)

     

  • At 7/25/2008 4:09 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    BTW;this just popped in to my head... the brand of ice cream at the luncheonette was Greens Farms which came from somewhere in Ulster. I remember the green truck that always came and delivered the stuff. At one time, the dixie cups for the Midgie's were Hoodsies from HP Hood. I remember that as I would sneak a little scrape off the spoon from my Sister's.

     

  • At 7/25/2008 6:51 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    Storch, "Ring a Leevio" was great also, but my all time favorite game was "Spud." We had the best games between the luncheonette and the 3 bungalows at the top of the hill. ( Kupfer, Streeter & Baskin ) You could really scatter when that ball went up in the air there, because when it bounced it would go anywhere & everywhere. In fact, there should have been a camp award for that activity. Steve Kiviat would never run very far but he would mostly park himself behind the "cherry tree" at the side of the hill by Brown's bungalow and you could never get to him. He would have won that award hands down!

     

  • At 7/25/2008 10:35 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Mitch my favorite spuds were those greasy twice cooked fries smothered in ketchup and salt.

    Nothing quite like watching your frozen burger scoot along the grill like a hockey puck. BTW it is regarded a 'sin' to flaten or press the burgers with the spatula.

     

  • At 7/28/2008 7:33 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Ring-A-Leevio was fun! That game, sometimes, lasted all night.

    I teach my kids at school how to play SPUD, Mitch. That is a game that many children do not know about today.

    Storch, your photo looks very handsome. I remember, one time, my sister, Lori, rolled in the green lake, in her carriage. Who was her mother's helper???

     

  • At 7/29/2008 2:36 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    I had told one of my neighbors about our old corn and watermelon parties. Last weekend she made her son a b-day party with a cinder block fire, big pot of corn and slices of watermelon for everyone. The Kids loved it. She did the whole thing, melted butter on a paint brush and all. I bet her corn didn't taste half as good as ours, ours was cooked in a garbage pail and our watermelon had seeds.

    No corn ever tasted that good again.

     

  • At 7/29/2008 2:54 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Shari: The only Mom's helper I remember was Darrell Kay's and that was Melinda Keller. Spud was great! I remember many a late nighter with those games.

    No where can I find corn as good as Davenport's from Stone Ridge. The key to it is being cooked in a galvanized garbage can! I guess the zinc added a "zest" to it. The watermelon I never ate as I'm allergic to melon- my loss.

    Do kids today know how to play these great games? How about knucks and those strip poker games that (I take the 5th) played on those hot nights?

    I wonder if Mike continues the tradition with the corn party? The only part that stunk was that the summer was almost over at that time and Bryan Hyland's 'Say Goodbye For The Summer' was on the radio!

    Shari: Who was it?

     

  • At 7/30/2008 12:30 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Sorch, I am not sure, I will ask my mom. I was hoping that some of the more seasoned members might remember. I was little, but I was told that I continued to eat the bread that we were going to use for fishing.(I guess that I have always liked the carbs.) From what I have been told, I did not miss a bite as my sister rolled into the lake, in her stroller.

    I am not sure if you all remember, but my sister and I are "Irish twins". We were born exactly eight months apart, to the day, in the same year. I was born on April 13, 1962 and Lori was born a bit premature, on December 13, 1962. This is pretty unique. We looked in the record books. There was a set of Irish twins born several days closer than we were, but none in the same year.

    Also, my parents just celebrated 50 years of marriage in March. We celebrated with a family reunion in the Boston area, last weekend. We also visited Newburyport and Salem. I loved the Boston Duck Tour! We all had a great time.

     

  • At 7/30/2008 3:07 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Shari: I knew you guys were close in age but that close, I had no clue!

    Send my regards to the folks on their 50th!

    One thing about the lake; There were more dragon flies per square foot than any other place on earth! I bet on a day like today, the water has the aroma of a bag of garbage on a hot Brooklyn street!

    I remember going fishing with Sam Brown to the reservoir with corn meal balls soaked in anise. It was fun but the only thing I remember getting was a ton of mosquito bites!

    Time for ice cream- It's 3PM!!!!!!!

     

  • At 7/30/2008 3:57 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    Hey, there is nothing wrong with falling into the lake. I believe I did it once near white rock. I made Lori and Ellen sneak into my bungalow to get me dry clothes. Funny the things you remember :)

     

  • At 8/01/2008 10:23 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    I may not have a chance tomorrow, so I want to wish Rob and Ellen a very happy birthday. See you in a few weeks.

     

  • At 8/04/2008 10:45 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Thanks Jo...Sharing my birthday with Ellen each summer was/is an extra perk.

    It also has made it a lot easier for my kids to remember. LOL

    There are many summertime birthdays..
    Most are listed in the widely acclaimed fantastic reunion yearbook.

    While we are on the subject , if there have been any contact information changes , additions , etc, Please EMAIL them to Mitch or I so we can update the database.

    Ok , back to fantasyland and games,

    You all know 'Summertime blues' , what about 'Summertime shoes'?

    I remember:

    Thongs(not flip flops)
    PF Flyers
    Keds (high tops)
    (later on if lucky - converse)
    Hush Puppies (for friday night)

    By the end of the summer I think only the hush puppies remained)

    As for Jodi , well she didn't wear shoes....Love ya Jo

     

  • At 8/05/2008 9:56 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Happy Birthday Rob and Ellen.

    PF Flyers and the "Secret De-coder Ring". Back then, the few that were standouts were Adidas Superstars and Puma Clyde and Basket sneaks. Most of us simply had the Keds that turned your socks to the color of your sneaks. The "high roller" of the Keds line: Pro-Keds. You were far from wearing a skip with those things!

     

  • At 8/06/2008 9:12 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    I still hate shoes. I'm sitting right now in my office and my shoes are off.

    At Makowskys, I always walked barefoot on those hot roads. Stephie and Nona used to call me "Leather Foot" because my feet got so calloused. Didn't know about pedicures back then. I guess I took after my Mom, she never wore shoes. If I close my eyes I can see her walking across the lawn barefoot in a bathing suit, Little Bit lagging behind her. And who can forget Aunt Slim, with Tammy at her feet. I love those memories.

     

  • At 8/08/2008 3:11 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Jodi: It had to hurt walking the road after the pot holes were filled and rocks and tar were scattered all over!

    I wonder if the Makowsky crowd of the modern day wears Crocs, Keens or Birks to the pool and well, all over?

    Movie might be inside tonight!

     

  • At 8/12/2008 7:04 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I know what Crocs and Birks are. What are Keens? CT is a bit behind you, in fashion.

    I STILL like the platform shoe! You can find them with a modern twist. I am 5'5", but I wish that I was taller. People at work always say things like, "You can wear that because you are tall." I step down off my platform and say, "It's all smoke and mirrors!" :-)

     

  • At 8/12/2008 9:55 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Keens are super comfy sandals and they make shoes too. I have a pair that is so great I wear them all the time. Check them out at Zappos.com. CT is not Alligerville!

    Summer is almost over and really never got started weather wise. Out here, we had hail the size of quarters yesterday. Wacky! Nothing will beat the summer of 72 when we had to walk over all the planks to get to bungalows.

     

  • At 8/12/2008 12:21 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I remember that summer. As I told you guys, I loved it when it rained at Makowskys. It was so quiet. I also remember the walking over the boards to get to the hill.

    I forgot about the indoor movie nights. I remember how things echoed in the casino and those folding chairs.

    I will check out those shoes!

     

  • At 8/17/2008 7:29 PM , Blogger LARRY said...

    Storch, after reading your comments about fishing with Sam Brown, I want to clarify what those corn meal balls really were. The real name for those balls, is "mamaliga" which is cornmeal cooked in boiling water. The anise, was actually vanilla extract which gave it that sweet smelling flavor. Thanks for bringing back fond memories of my father!

     

  • At 8/17/2008 10:07 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Yo Lawrence...My time at the card tables each summer were divided by my Dad's AKA 'The Wild Bunch' and Ellen's Dad Jack and his 'Desert Dueces'. Sam Brown of course was among them and one of a kind. We have lots of fond memories about him.

    BTW ...he made those card games more 'colorful'. He and Jack would lovingly banter till the women would tell them to shut up. An F/You would occasionally follow. LOL

    My fathers group were a whole different thing . It was like watching Oceans 11.

    The Hills would Rock in their 'marathons of madness', rain or shine.

    Every so often they'd come up for air to get something to eat or to go to the bathroom. I have mega memories of those games.

     

  • At 8/18/2008 9:33 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Larry: Your Dad took me fishing for the first time (outisde of the lake) as I was a "hunters" kid. Catching the fish in the reservior was a lot of fun and I have the fondest memories about those few times I went with your Dad. I recently told my children about those little expeditions. To me, these memories are precious and if a price could be placed on them, there would be no room for all the digits needed!

    As far as the card games go, My Dad was in on many of them with Murray Kay and I remember watching those marathons of poker. I always remembered Joe Streeter was always there with them too.

    Hard to believe that another summer is almost done. These last weeks of August were always bitter sweet but we always knew that we would be back again for more fun. I keep checking MLS for a good deal on a piece of property up there. I keep telling my wife that one day, I'll own some land up there. For now, memories will have to do and so far, they are serving me well!

     

  • At 8/18/2008 12:22 PM , Blogger Mitch said...

    Oh those marathon card games that Mannie, Harold, Joe, Seymour and a host of others would have. They started Friday morning under that cherry tree (my dad would drive up Thursday night) and end late Sunday afternoon. And Rob you are right maybe they stopped for meals...maybe.

    If I was in need of money, I would take a look and see if my dad was smiling. If he was, I'd hit 'em up for some moolah and then run down to the luncheonette to spend it. It ia amazing to me the things you remember. I can also see my dad now with his Camels and his "Zippo" lighter he used to hold down his cards from blowing away in the cool breezes. I swear, my dad smelled of lighter fluid in those days.

    Here's another memory for all of you. Do you remember getting into your car and driving on a hot summer day and sticking your arm out the window to feel the "cold spot?"

    Does anyone remember where that was? Larry did it this weekend, and he told me it is still freezing! Oh, what comes to mind.

     

  • At 8/18/2008 1:25 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    I believe it was a spot in High Falls, once we started using the Mohonk we didn't go there as much. I love all this talk about those games, it was GIN not poker under the cherry tree. Man, they sure did laugh a lot. Joe and Manny had great laughs.

    The women were pretty good at the laughing department too. I remember laying in bed in the back room, my Mother, Aunt Norma, Sylvia, Yetta. Sometimes you couldn't hear what they were saying, but all of a sudden the greatest laughter.....boy they really loved eachother, the men and the women........My dad still misses Manny, Joe and Seymour, he never had better friends.

     

  • At 8/18/2008 7:52 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I believe that you are talking about the ice caves, Mitch. As we drove by on the bus, we all, always, reached our hands out of the bus window, to feel the cold air. I don't even know if anyone ever said anything, we all just put our hands out and smiled.

     

  • At 8/18/2008 10:07 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    Weren't they called the 'mushroom caves'?

    At some point someone was assigned to pick up the booze and the mixers.
    I recall:
    Befeaters
    Seagrams
    Dewars
    Gordons
    and a host of others

    Chivas & Johnny, & Tanq. were for special occasions in smaller groups

    There was no Stoli , absoltue, keTel or other 'top shelf' then.

    Plenty of tonic water, bitters, club soda , 7 up Coke & more.

    We'd try to steal a gulp or two from our parents cup , hoping to get a quick buzz, once in a while they'd even let us sneak a drink, but only after they had a few. They had some great parties and great times too. Watching are parents happy and having fun made us feel good too.

     

  • At 8/19/2008 8:51 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    Well...here is the scoop, I googled "Mushroom Caves Rosendale, NY" (thanks Rob) an found this little tidbit if you want to read about it just "copy & paste" in your browser

    www.abouttown.us/ulster/articles/rosendale.shtml

     

  • At 8/20/2008 9:40 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    I remember Dad telling me to bring the money for the "set-up" list for the table to the casino so it would be ready.

    The 'shroom' caves on 213 were amazing! We would ride by and everyone would stick their arms out of the windows as the temperature would drop 30 degrees as you went by.

    I do have to say that the women had quite a run with all the Mah-Jongg games that went on. There was not one night that the sounds of 6 bam and 5 crack with a soap tossed in was not heard echoing from the desert to the hill! My Mom still talks about those games.

    OK; the folks had good times too but us kids knew a thing or three about having good times( I am taking the 5th here) and well, by today's mores, one could wind up in the pokey for some things that we did.

    Beefeater is good stuff! It was fun trying to get a gulp but someone would always have beer and well, why bother the folks when a 99cent six of Genny Scream Ale got you tossed to the screws and all you had to do was hike to Maltz's to get it? OK; guilty for taking a few Marlboros, Parliaments, and once a few Lucky's from Jerry Z to enhance the buzz. Every table had packs and who would miss them said Jerry Cohen as he would send me in to pick a pack. I was OK with it as he would usually buy the beer. Greg Brown my man from E12th Street would have the gold 66Corvair (no plates and no license) and well, we rarely walked to Maltz's. The crew was usually Greg, Jerry Ranieri, Jerry Cohen and myself. Being the youngest, I had the most fun! Shari? You were there plenty!

     

  • At 8/20/2008 10:34 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Oh, you witch, Storch! ;-) Please do not let my children read this. According to what I have told them, I was an angel. Back me up on this!! I do remember some amazingly fun times.

    I began smoking at 13. Robin used to "borrow" Murray's Parliaments. (Sorry Murray!!) I was hooked for many years. My children do not know this, either! I have not smoked in 7 years and, today, do most of my shopping at Whole Foods. Things have REALLY changed...

    Does anyone know how Jerry Cohen is doing. He was a good friend.

     

  • At 8/20/2008 11:36 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Shari: One of my favorite TV shows was 'Hogan's Heroes'. I will quote a line made famous by John Banner who played Sgt. Schultz and that is " I know NOTHING! NOTHING!!"

    I had a two pack a day thing for a while and quit 15 years ago cold after seeing all my relatives die from winning the gold medal in the cigarette smokers olympics.

    Yeah, I wonder how Jerry Cohen is as well as Richie, Jan, Jerry R, Greg and Lori Brown as well as Wendy are doing and where they are today. I know that the Brown's still have the house on Rock Hill Rd. Jerry R had a bungalow down the road with the Weisman's and Wendy's family had those pink bungalows down the road near the Brown's. You could not miss those on the left side as you went toward Makowsky's.

    What times those were!



    Tofu ground round taco's anyone?

     

  • At 8/22/2008 4:35 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    It is almost another summer done and over! I always remembered hearing Bryan Hyland's 'Say Goodbye For The Summer' being played ad nauseum on WABC (When they were the "Music" station) and I knew that it would be time to pack it up and head back to Brooklyn. The worst part of the trip back was when my Dad said "As I make this turn (On to East 13 st) your summer is offically over!"

    I would also say a few choice words under my breath and knew that it was back to school the next week and well, that stunk!

    At least when I moved to Rockland, I was only two exits away on the Thruway and can get to the Big M in an hour!

     

  • At 8/23/2008 6:21 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    We have some great news

    Steve & Judy have just become Grandparents for the first time. A beautiful healthy baby boy. Both mother and child are doing great.

    They now become counselors to a new generation. You can bet they will be wonderful Grandparents . Join me in wishing them the very best Mazel Tov

     

  • At 8/24/2008 8:32 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    We all welcome Calder Martin Kropp to the world!

    A great big Mazel Tov to Judy, Steve, Sabreena & Jason.

     

  • At 8/24/2008 12:12 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I am so happy for you, Steve and Judy! Little Calder Martin is very lucky to have such a wonderful family.(I love his name!)

     

  • At 8/25/2008 10:10 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mazel Tov to Steve, Judy and Family!

     

  • At 8/25/2008 4:07 PM , Blogger Jodi said...

    WOW, what can I say.....Congratulations to the entire Kiviat/Kropp family...Big kisses for Calder :)

     

  • At 8/26/2008 8:21 AM , Blogger Mona said...

    I remember Laurie Brown and Wendy very well. I used to ride dirt bikes with them behind the woods on their property.

     

  • At 8/26/2008 9:51 AM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona; you are on the money with the dirt bikes. They had a moto cross track back there. I wanted to get one and my Dad would not have it after what happened to Peter Gewant. I used to ride this little one that Greg had and it was fun! Looking back, it was dangerous, but fun. Driving the car on Rock Hill Road was more fun and well, get caught today, spend 15 days in the Kingston Pokey!

     

  • At 8/26/2008 2:11 PM , Blogger Mona said...

    To this day, I have a burn under my right knee where my brother pushed me into one of those bikes while I was getting off it. Apparently, I wasn't moving fast enough for him. I don't remember you Storch. What years did you go to Makowsky's? I went for 4 years in the early 70's when I was 12-15. My family stayed in the desert across from the Himmels. The Gewant's were 2 bungalows down on the left. What happend to Peter? I hung around with Lisa who was a year younger than me.

     

  • At 8/26/2008 4:35 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona: I went to the big M from 1969-1976 and then I would stay with the Kay's once and a while to catch up. My first bungalow was next to the Gewants 69-71 then I went to bungalow 28 in 72, then to the Hill 73-75 and one summer in the Gewants old bungalow next to the ball field. Greg and Lori lived around the corner from me in Brooklyn and I saw them all the time.

    Peter had a bad accident on his bike in the summer of 1970. He was racing in the back trail behind the main house when he fell off. It was nasty from what I remember. Lisa is my age and Rob is a year older maybe two than me. I last saw the Gewants at a restaurant in New City 14 years ago. Lisa looked the same as did Marilyn and Tom. I picked them out as soon as they walked in. I knew they lived in Park Ridge, NJ which was not far from Rockland. The dealership in Kerhonkson is long gone. Tom always came home in neat cars, that I'll always remember. My mother played Mah-Jongg with Maida for many a summer. I last saw Robbie about 15 years ago in Manhattan. I'm pretty sure I know who you are. I remember everything! As a little kid I had hippie long, blond hair.

     

  • At 8/26/2008 4:44 PM , Blogger Mona said...

    Storch, what is your real name? My mother played Maj-jangg with Maida too. I'm on thier joke list. I get e-mails from them every now and again. Robbie is a Doctor. Debbie was married to one, is divorced, lives in Florida and has a 20 something year old son. Don and Maida are also in FL. I don't know where Robbie is. I had longer than shoulder lenght blondish brown hair, blue eyes and dimples...and of course, kept a good tan going all summer thanks to the pool. I hung around with Debbie, Lisa, Robert Wagner, Richie Cohen, Scott Shipiro and that age group. You and I must be close in age...I'm 46 (ouch!)

     

  • At 8/26/2008 5:32 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona, I know who you are. I'm 45, I know Scott Shapiro, hung with Jerry Cohen, Jan, Rob Wagner (I remember his pet raccoons), Richie Keller, Mike Markowitz and Greg, Jerry Ranieri, Robin Kay, Shari and the whole crew. I was as dark as a Bud bottle all summer with the long blond hair. I was called the Coppertone Kid. My mom's name is Audrey. If there was a game, she was there along with Audrey Shapiro, Maida and so many other women. All summer it was 5 bam 6 crack echoing all over. I loved the rickshaw that the Himmels had.

    My sister, Laurie was one of Janet Wagner's Midgies!

    Put a pic up!

    I'd love to go back just for a weekend and stay in one of my bungalows. My wife and kids need an indoctrination in summer fun. When I showed my wife the place years back she said to me "you stayed here?"

    46 is not so bad. I stay young by playing hockey with 21 year olds. The kids freak when they find out I'm almost 46!

    Where are you now?

     

  • At 8/26/2008 7:40 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    Mona,

    You also hung out with me, at times, Shari Stien... How are you?

    You knew Storch. He was a wild man. He had a lot of energy; it sounds like he still does! His initials were L.E.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 7:51 AM , Blogger Mona said...

    Hello Shari. I responded to your e-mail on another post about remember you. I remember you very well and yes, we did hang out together as well. Storch, I must be losing it, because I'm drawing a complete blank with you. Why didn't you hang out with the rest of us (our age group)? Were you too cool (LOL)? I'd love to go back too. My boys (19 & 21 now) wouldn't believe my entire family stayed in one of those small bungalows. I do have a couple of pictures on classmates dot com. You can check those out. I'll try to put one on here.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 7:55 AM , Blogger Mona said...

    Storch, I was wrong, it was Richie Keller I was thinking about. I'm in Lexington, Kentucky. I've been here since 78'. We moved from the Bronx to Long Island in 75' (when we stopped coming to Makowsky's) and then to KY after that. We were there the summers of 71-74.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 10:24 AM , Blogger Mona said...

    I loved Makowsky's. I smoked my first cigarette there and something else (with Wendy and Lori behind the camp house), had my first kiss (Robert Wagner), and met the nicest people on this earth there. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I've been posting on and reading this board for a couple of years now. Mitch and Rob are wonderful for putting it up.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 2:15 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona: I'm in the Bronx once a week in court on the Concourse and you are not missing anything! Trust me!

    Seems like we all did many a first there. I will plead the 5th as I may incriminate myself and others.

    One day I have to put up pictures. I have some classics and one of my favorites was with Jerry Cohen, Richie and myself with a go-cart in front of Jerry's bungalow ca 1971 or 72.

    I was always with those guys and there is no way you could miss me! I had so much fun driving Greg's Corvair up and down the road. It was also good that I knew how to fix it too! Everything I learned about driving I learned on Rock Hill Road!

    Last I heard the Wagner's are in Canada. Janet has some acting thing going on. Robert I have no info on. My sis loved going to camp with Janet.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 3:16 PM , Blogger Mona said...

    Storch, little Janet was at the Makowsky's reunion. I think some of them are in Florida now.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 5:02 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona: The Wagner's are great people. Rob was kind of on the quiet side comapred to me that is... I'm taking a guess that you were a Co-Op City kid. Half of my block growing up in Rockland were from the Bronx and Co-Op City in general. Now, I'm on LI and have been for 8 years now and have my company out here too.

    I'm tempted to drop a note to Ginger Brown and ask where her son is. I know they moved to Florida and the folks have the house on Rock Hill. I had so much fun with Greg and the crew on many a night. We used to call Greg "Monkey" as he was short and got in to everything like a monkey. I was called Storch since I was a little kid. There was a charachter on 'F-Troop' played by the comic Larry Storch. Basically, being the comic of the pack, it stuck forever.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 5:22 PM , Blogger Mona said...

    I didn't live in co-op city. The Himmels did and so did the Abbotte's who lived in the other 1/2 of our bungalow. The Abbotte's lived in our apt. building before moving there after meeting the Himmels. I lived close to Fordham University on 195th and Decatur. I lived on LI too...West Babylon. Where do you live? I went to HS for 2 years there and made life long friends I still keep in touch with. I go to a reunion in the Bronx almost every year with classmates from my Catholic elementary school. They are great fun. We party all night long in the Bronx. Usually at Rory Dolan's on McClean (really on the Yonkers side). I used to be very active in sports up until a few years ago. I played co-rec softball and bowled. Now I golf.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 5:24 PM , Blogger Mona said...

    Storch, do you remember my brother John? He is 45 now and hung out with Greg too. I know we both rode dirt bikes with them often.

     

  • At 8/27/2008 10:17 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    Mona; I remember your brother. You are one of the rare ones that lived near the "Conk". A good friend of mine lived on 201 and Valentine. One of my fave Bronx places is the Full Moon Pizza on Arthur and E 187. Best in the Bronx! Then I simply walk a block over to Egidio for some gelato and maybe a bottle of chinotto for the ride. If you ever want a house or a Co-Op, I auction them on Mondays at the courthouse.

    When I get up to the folks house I will scan pics that I have and will send them to you.

    I live in Commack. My office is in Bay Shore which is closer to Babylon. I only went to college out here @ Hofstra, HS was in Rockland.

     

  • At 8/28/2008 10:57 AM , Blogger Mona said...

    My sister Kelly was registered to go to Hofstra, but ended up going to the University of Kentucky because we moved here the summer she graduated from high school
    78'.

     

  • At 8/28/2008 11:50 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    Janet was at the reunion, cute as ever. Janet is a choriographer. I once went on her web site, pretty cool. Laurie and Ginger met us all at the colony that Sunday. What a weekend that was.

    Hard to believe the summer is over. I remember what it was like for us at the end of the summer, savoring every moment with eachother.

     

  • At 8/30/2008 5:11 PM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I just heard the song, "Rock the Boat". It always makes me think of my friend, Alan Reiss. He loved that song...

    Do you remember how we would all learn the latest dance steps in the luncheonette? Anyone could join, anyone could learn. We had so much fun. Jodi, you were always dancing, if my memory serves me correctly.

     

  • At 8/31/2008 9:07 PM , Blogger Rob said...

    You 'youngsters' should have seen Mitch's moves at the luncheonette or even Flash Ezekewitz in his saddle shoes. Doing our infamous 'Makowskys Slide' ,

    Hey Kup, wasn't there a dance called the 'Horse' ?

    Too bad we didn't have cell phones with cameras back then ....On 2nd thought, I'm glad we didnt..who needed them? The images are burned into 'my cerebral memory card', undeletable...LOL

     

  • At 9/01/2008 8:29 AM , Blogger Shari S said...

    I am thinking ahead a few years, Rob, to the Hustle and platforms! Thanks for calling us youngsters; you made my day!

     

  • At 9/01/2008 9:23 AM , Blogger Mitch said...

    We AARP members go back to the Twist, Swim, Mash Potatoes, Monkey etc. But we also did those "Line Dances" as well. Those youngsters like Shari didn't have exclusive rites on that yet. I remember dancing to Van McCoy's "Do the Hustle" in 1975.

    But I think what we were famous for were those "A Capella" sessions on The Luncheonette Porch" We thought we were the best thing since sliced bread in those sessions. In the early days it was Doo-Wop then to The Beach Boys & Beatles but I really do remember our best work was the way Larry, Jackie & I harmonized & did a mean version of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"

    Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo OOP!

     

  • At 9/02/2008 11:28 AM , Blogger Jodi said...

    You guys were so cool, I remember I couldn't wait until we could hang on the back porch. Hefty aspirations back then. The porch, the back of the bus...it was a passing of the torch. We felt so grown up. Hard to believe another summer is behind us. Now I look forward to the end of the hot weather (really grown up now :))

     

  • At 9/02/2008 1:43 PM , Blogger Storch said...

    I'm anti-disco! While KC and the Sunshine Band was playing, I was listening to the Ramones and the Pistols!

    OK: I always got a chuckle out of the Huck-A-Poo shirts with the largesse collars. I never wore one but it was funny as hell when everyone would get dressed up and look like the dootdoodaroos from 86th Street (Bensonhurst for those non-Brooklynites)! Oh, my hair! I spent so much time on my hair and you hit it!

    I will admit that it was cool when you could hang in the back of Vern's bus on the way to the movies and get back porch privileges too. I think that once you smoked your first Marbie or (5th taken) you got to hang on the porch. G-d knows that I have done all of the aforementioned and then some on that porch!

    Flash made a killer malteds and lime rickeys when he ran the luncheonette!

    Pardon me while I walk down 86th with a can of paint in my hand. Next stop 2001 Odyssey!

     

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