CT – 236 MAY 13 ‘14

A BIG welcome to all of my readers of this newsletter, both in print at P&G’s and online at www.cornerstonetraveler.com. Welcome to another exciting and thought provoking issue of the CORNERSTONE TRAVELER newsletter.

mid-Hudson Valley news: The yearly fair season has started in the mid-Hudson Valley. The Hudson Valley Fair was last weekend at the Dutchess Stadium in Beacon. Huguenot Street has officially opened the doors of the many stone houses. Huguenot Street is the oldest street in America with the original houses still standing. The original Huguenots bought 40,000 acres from the Esopus peoples with axes, blankets, knives and other tools and household items. These acres encompass half of Ulster County and all of Orange County.
There will be the regular county fairs of Ulster, Orange and Dutchess counties.
Then there is the Rosendale Street Fair in Rosendale (of course).
There is always the Huguenot Street Fair here in New Paltz.
There is always the Newburg Street Fair on the waterfront in Newburg.
Thea fairs in the mid-Hudson Valley Fairs are generally well received by all though of the county fairs, I prefer the Dutchess County Fair over the Ulster County and the Orange County Fairs.
Of course there are other places or events to attend in the mid-Hudson Valley. Such as the last encampment of the American Revolutionaries on Rte 300 in New Windsor. A quarter mile past this encampment is the Purple Heart Hall of Honor. This is a eye opening and interesting place to visit and learn.
It seems that every time I write of the mid-Hudson Valley, I always write about the history and heritage of this area. I just can’t help it because there is so much history here.

observations: It is becoming more and more obvious to me that the Tea party is having a hard time coming to grips with accepting that a majority of the American People are showing more and more disapproval of the Tea Party. Especially after the last government shutdown. They have now reduced themselves to innuendo and B.S. against those of different political beliefs. There is a Tea party candidate for Congress in one of the southern states who wants another government shutdown. What is this moron thinking? Considering the latest laws passed by President Obama forestalls any government shutdown.
It appears that the Tea party could give a s…t if a government shutdown cost the American economy 26 billion dollars. Could that be why a majority of Americans think negatively of the Tea Party? Could this be the reason they use innuendo and B.S. to promote their beliefs?
Could this be the reason why Boenhner and a majority of the Republican Party are trying to distance themselves from the Tea Party? It is something to think about.

sports: The 7th game of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Rangers and the Penguins is tonight. The Nets are facing elimination in the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Heat.
The Yankees are tied for second in the AL East with the Redsox, record 19-18.
The Mets are in fourth place in the NL East with a record of 18-19.

other: As with all previous issues of this newsletter, everything written here is either copyright protected of copyright pending.
The history of P&G’s follows this newsletter starting in 1900 when the building was first constructed to about the mid 1930’s
And following this history is part two of the short story I wrote called The WOLF PACK.
I hope you like this newsletter and the short story included.

Thank-you – Rik McGuire

The History of P&G’s from the Beginning

Travel back more than a century to the spring of 1900 as builder John H. Hasbrouck and his men construct a 50′ by 28′ building on the site of the current P&G’s Restaurant. Look around and begin to imagine.
The first floor features a fountain with water softly falling into a cobblestone basin. The exotic effect is enhanced with darting goldfish and blooming water lilies. Palms set liberally throughout the room, provide an air of privacy for those seated at the groups of small tables. Patrons, dressed in their finest, sit chatting, sometimes courting and enjoying the establishments fine refreshments.
The upper story is a promenade, opened to a full view of sunset over the Shawangunk Mountains. Live music gently eases you from afternoon into evening. Welcome to the ambiance and hospitality of the Casino.
The Casino’s owner, Mr Steen, had correctly envisioned the areas many tourists, summer boarders and trolley passengers stopping to enjoy the unique features of his establishment. The terminal station for the trolley line from Highland is located just across Main Street. It is said that Steen patterned the Casino after the famous Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.
On June 1, 1900 the Casino was officially opened. That evening “a large number of people enjoyed the ice cream, music and the lovely mountains views.” according to the New Paltz Independent newspaper. Music was provided by a band which included a piano and several other instruments. The Casino soon became famous for Saturday night dances held on the second floor of the open pavilion. It was decorated with flowers and vines suspended from the rafters. The crowds were so large that special late trolley cars were run to accommodate the guests and take the orchestra back to Poughkeepsie.
The electric power shut down at midnight. According to Independent writer Delia Shaw “…the time of closing and the departure of the last trolley (run by electricity) had to be reckoned with, but as was often the case, several folks ‘Missed the Last Trolley’… seems between intermissions the fellows would walk their girls down the street where numerous straw thatched summer houses were located on the banks of the Wallkill River and they were so preoccupied with making love by the light of the silvery moon that they forgot everything.” Shaw continued. “Saturday Nights In New Paltz Became A Legend! There was not a single hitching post available, nor an inch of space under any of the sheds of the five local hotels. The Casino drew people from surrounding towns and they came via hay loads and 4 seated carriages, while some men even walked and carried their dancing shoes. ‘Little Larry,’ the shoeshine fellow, did a landslide business on Sat. Nights! As did all the merchants and the stores open ‘til 9 p.m.”
By 1921 the Casino had changed hands and names, becoming the Blue Crane Inn. Ads of the era read.
The big Night at the Blue Crane Inn
Dancing Every Wednesday and Saturday Evening
In the Chinese Hall-Good Jazzy Music.

The cornerstone of nightlife in New Paltz continued to thrive.
In 1925, after 28 Years of service, the Highland to New Paltz trolley company folded. The demise of the trolley business and the affordability of the automobile meant peoples outings were no longer confined to the trolley’s narrow corridor. They could drive to any village hotel, restaurant, or scenic spot that caught their fancy. Indeed, New Paltz and the Blue Crane Inn lost their captive audience. The Inn, however, continued to accommodate people well into the 1930’s. Other establishments came and went until 1947 when it became Pat and Georges and ultimately was nicknamed the P&G’s that welcomes everybody.

The WOLF PACK – 1944

The wolfs lair

The war in Europe turned out to be a long and deadly affair with the madman who controlled his army in Germany.
Max and Vincent were lying on the ground of the lair, trying to rest after their repeated efforts to bring balance into the world. But the madman was insistent on proving the superiority of the master race in Germany.
Max and Vincent had infiltrated the upper command of the Fuhrer’s generals as just friendly German Shepard dogs. Though they learned a lot, they could not fathom how to stop the madman. Even the Alpha Queen could not figure a way to bring the end to the madman. She was a shape shifter like Max and Vincent, but because of her advanced age she seldom used this ability. She was over nine hundred years old and her age was showing on her body, Max and Vincent knew she was not long for the world and wondered who would take the reins of the lair when she died. They thought that their three hundred years was too young to be Alpha leaders. But who else could take command of their lair?
The Alpha Queen rose from what appeared to be slumber and asked. “ What have you learned in your five years of infiltration of the madman’s generals?”
Max growled. “We have learned that he is not as easily defeated as past tyrants we have confronted.”
The Alpha Queen nodded. “So what are your future plans?”
It was Vincent’s turn to answer, growl. “We are unsure. We do know of a group of lower

2.

officers, a German resistance, in his army that is planning for his assassination. But so far it is only in the planning stage. And both Max and I don’t think they will succeed.”
“Why not” She asked.
Max was the first to answer. “Because we have managed to listen to their plans and efforts as pet dogs to these officers. And they are afraid of any repercussions if they should fail. And besides Himmler’s SS have become more and more proficient in their jobs. This SS faction is a problem. There have been several attempts on the madman’s life and they all ended in failure with the culprits being executed painfully.
Vincent added. “These young officers are on the lines during battle and they see better than the generals and the madman that this German army has no hope for victory. And they see the madness of their leaders mind set. To defeat the combined armies against Germany, they know this cannot happen.”
“So What are we to do” The Alpha Queen asked.
Max growled first. “We are unsure. It seems the balance has been shifted too far on one side and we do not think we, alone. can bring it back into balance.”
“You have to!” She commanded. “I am not long for this world. But I want to leave it with everything being in balance. Do you understand?”
“We will do our best.” Max. and Vincent agreed as they left her lair.
They padded down the tunnel from her lair slowly.
“She is right.” Max said. “I can smell it as you can that she is not long for this world.”
Vincent nodded. “Yes. I agree. But I can’t think of what more we can do.”

3.

Max stopped thought then said. “Why don’t we shape shift into German officers and try to convince the plotters to carry through with their efforts. And even volunteer to do their
bidding. We can never be caught.”
They were able to artfully procure German officer uniforms with the proper papers and ingratiate themselves with the plotters against the Fuhrer. It was a long and time consuming process before they were able to gain the confidence of the plotters. But they knew patience. They learned this ability in their three hundred years.
As they became more and more accepted with the plotters group. They gave suggestions on how best to bring the fuhrer down.

Hitlers den

Himmler knocked lightly on the door to the fuhrer’s office, den. He found him seated in a chair rubbing the heads of the two dogs that showed up suddenly and unexpectedly at the Wolfs Lair gate. Himmler knew that the fuhrer had become very attached to the two mutts. So he only stood at rigid attention in front of the fuhrer and snapped a straight arm Nazi salute.
Hitler only nodded then asked. “What have you learned of the attempts on my life”
Himmler could only stammer. “We have learned that the leaders of an attempt on your life are line officers who are directing our troops in battle.”
“Can you replace them? Then bring them to trial and execution?” Hitler asked.
Himmler shook his head. “We are unsure of who the real culprits are and we would have to

4.

bring every line officer in for questioning which could devastate our troops in battle.”
“What are your plans?” Hitler demanded.
Himmler shook his head. “I have my best SS investigators questioning everyone and as
of yet they cannot point a finger at any one or two people.
Hitler turned to his desk and slammed his fist down on it with more force then Himmler thought he was capable of. “Damn it! We should have executed Rommel publicly to show my authority over peoples lives.”
Himmler shook his head. “We all agreed that a public execution of Rommel would have been a public relations nightmare. We were all well aware of how well Rommell was thought of by the troops. We would have lost the troops loyalty and we knew that could not be allowed. Especially now with our losses being an almost daily event.”
While Hitler and Himmler talked, Max and Vincent laid their heads down on their outstretched front legs. They would occasionally turn their heads to each other and smile a quiet snarl. They knew that the madman was becoming more and more frustrated with his army’s failure to bring about a victory in the war. They knew he was devastated by the Nazi army’s failure in Russia. They were bothered that the madman wasn’t concerned with the losses of men in his army, but rather more concerned with his image as a world leader. They and he knew it was becoming less and less popular with each passing day.
When Max and Vincent were on occasion able to scamper away out of the lair, they took advantage of their solitude by agreeing that the madman was making their job that much easier to bring the world back into balance.

5.

They learned that there had already been several attempts on the fuhrer’s life and each attempt had ended with the execution of the would be assassins. Even one of the fuhrer’s top
generals, who had been so successful in Africa was one of the officers who thought the madman
should be brought down. Romell was forced to take a poison so that his family would live. Romell agreed to this, being the faithful officer and family man that he was.
Max and Vincent knew it would be their responsibility to bring the fuhrer down. And they eagerly volunteered their services.
They had used their shape shifting ability as dogs to sneak into the fuhrer’s lair and dispatch him. But before they could do anything the madman had moved himself and his entourage to another hideout where he could protect himself from assassination from his troops.
They tried again and again, but the madman had an evil protection so that he would move or leave at a moments notice just minutes before they could carry out their assignment.
Max and Vincent were becoming frustrated with their efforts to stop the madman and bring balance back to the world. As was the Alpha Queen when they reported to her regularly.
Finally it was decided that they should sneak into his latest hideout, the Wolfs Lair, a
fitting name they thought and dispatch his mortal essence. There they thought to shape shift as scraggly and starving German Shepard mutts into the madman’s hideout where they could figure out the next step in their assassination attempt.
The fuhrer took a liking to the scraggily mutts and fed them regularly. They were happy with the arrangement and no longer felt the need to report on their progress to the Alpha Queen because they knew they would be successful in their attempt to kill the madman.

6.

And as it turned out they didn’t have to do anything because they knew he had lost his attempt to have the German master race control the world. He was that bothered that his army
had been defeated by the combined forces of other countries.
He and his defacto wife hid in one of his bunkers and committed mutual suicide.
Max and Vincent immediately reported to the Alpha Queen of the demise of the madman. When they got to her lair they were immediately shocked at how old she looked. They knew she was nearing the end of her days, but they were still shocked. It had only been just over a year since they last reported to her in their efforts to bing balance into the world and they couldn’t believe at how much she had aged in that short period of time.
“So the madman has been eliminated and his fanatics captured or scattered into the wind. What will you do next?” She rasped hoarsely with a growl.
Vincent spoke, growled first. “We thought to be there when the Allies who defeated the madman liberate the camps he used to imprison and essentially murder the so called undesirables in the German society.”
“What will you do there?” She asked. “And do you think your efforts will have of any aid to these people”
Max answered. “We really don’t know. But we have to be there to help these people because there is still an imbalance in the world.”
The Alpha Queen nodded. “I know. I have felt it also. Just do the best you can because you will both will be needed when I leave this world.”
“But. . . .” Both Max and Vincent protested.

7.

The Alpha Queen shook here head. “No buts. I have been on this world for a long time and it is almost time for me to leave and ascend to the next level of consciousness.”
“But who will lead our lair?” Max asked hopefully.
The Alpha Queen could only smile. “I know the two of you can figure this dilemma and
choose wisely.” She demanded.
“Of course.” Both Max and Vincent growled as they bowed and left her lair.
“What are we to do now” Vincent asked as they padded down the tunnel to the wolf’s lair entrance.
“We go to the camps and help all those who have been freed so they can continue to exist. We will use our natural abilities to help clothe and feed these poor people who have suffered at the hand of the madman.”
Vincent could only nod his grizzled muzzle in agreement. “Yes. I do suppose that is what we should do. But what of the Alpha Queen? Should she pass while were gone, what will happen to our pack”
Max could only shake his head. “We leave it to the rest of the pack to decide. What else can we do? And we do trust the others in our pack, correct?”
Vincent could only nod. “I guess you are right. So now we go to the camps”
“Yes. And immediately.” Max answered. “I have the uncanny feeling that the people released will be needing our assistance so we must leave now.”
They left their liar to go to the nearest camp being liberated by the victorious troops and they were stunned by what they saw. They couldn’t believe mans inhumanity against man. They knew

8.

instinctively that this inhumanity of man against man was what really brought about the imbalance in the world. And now it was correcting itself with the release of these emancipated
and near death prisoners.
They shape shifted themselves to appear as allied soldiers of the troops liberating the
camps. They took it upon themselves to almost carry out the surviving prisoners of the camps. As they did this both Max and Vincent shook their heads at the emancipation of the freed prisoners.
“We have to help them get fed again.” Vincent said to Max.
Max agreed. “The victorious Allies are doing a very good job of feeding these people. Though the little children look worse than all. I don’t know how much food that I have given these children. It is heart breaking to see them almost inhale food that they were denied for so long. How could anyone have allowed children to starve because of the wishes of that madman”
“Yes. And what of the camp guards? I have learned that many of these guards escaped to surrounding towns and villages when they accepted that they had been defeated. What should we do about them?” Vincent asked.
Max could only nod. “We find them and bring as many as we can to justice. And maybe even use our werewolf selves to scare then into surrender. What else can we do”
Vincent shook his head. “First we finish here then go to other liberated camps and bring aid to them. And maybe we can learn where these sadistic guards escaped. What else can we do?”
Max thought then said. “We could go to the Alpha Queen and ask for her guidance.”
Vincent shook his head. “That would take too long. We have to remain away from the lair and aid those that need our help.”

9.

Max agreed and they kept themselves as shape shifted soldiers until they thought they had done all that they could at the camp then shape shifted into their natural selves, wolves, and
sprinted to the next liberated camp.

As allied soldiers they had dinner at a local tavern, café and were amused when they saw the Himmler SS officer working as a dishwasher and cleaner. The same SS officer they had met years earlier in the small village where everyone cowed at his appearance. Now he was cowed by the barking orders of the café owner. He bowed sheepishly to each command. They almost laughed when they saw how things had changed so much in the new Germany. They could only smile when they saw the madman’s officers reduced to menial jobs only to survive.
One night as they lay in a barn as their natural selves, wolves, they heard the howl of the wolves in the forest. They knew immediately it was a message to all wolves that the Alpha Queen had died. They turned to each other and asked.
“What do we do now?”
The next morning they sprinted to the lair to pay their last respects to the Alpha Queen.

2/28/09
9:25 p.m.
@P&G’s