Another hearty welcome to all my readers of this bi-weekly newsletter, The CORNERSTONE TRAVELER. To my online readers of this newsletter at www.cornerstonetraveler, I hope this newsletter is becoming easier to read. Thank-you for your patience.

mid-Hudson valley news: The fair season has started in the Hudson Valley with the Hudson Valley Fair at Dutchess stadium in Wappinger Falls. This weekend fair will continue until May 17.
I admit I haven’t checked this fair out just yet, but I will give you my impressions in the next issue of this newsletter.
The 60th regatta was on the Wallkill River a couple of weeks ago in New Paltz. Back in 1973 two friends of mine and I built a boat to compete in this regatta. We almost won. What? A bottle of booze hanging from the bridge over the Wallkill in New Paltz. We built our boat from scratch at a shed by Joes East/ West. Nothing fancy about our boat. It just floated and didn’t sink.

observations: I have grown tired of hearing the verbal omit of people like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity refer to people who don’t hold to their political views as “low information voters” As opposed to them who I consider “pseudo information voters” i.e. They rely on innuendo to promote their conservative views.
Consider O’Reilley, a closet racist. He would come down hard on a black man, Muslim or alien who killed, but said little or nothing about the anti-government, militant coward Eric Frein, who ambushed and shot two Pennsylvania State Troopers, killing one and critically injuring the other. Or that Nazi who shot up a Jewish Day Center, killing three including a ten year old boy. Is O’Reilley an anti-Semite?
Limbaugh was all over the fact that Freddy Gray had been arrested six times before he died in police custody in Baltimore. I don’t think Limbaugh can go a minute without referring to himself in the first person. God forbid he go five minutes. His palms would sweat profusely if he didn’t refer to himself.
I firmly believe that people like Limbaugh, O’Reilley and Hannity believe that service in the American military is beneath them and is only for the poor and indigent to sacrifice their lives. Kind of sad when you think of it.

sports: Both the Yankees and the Mets are doing very good in their respective division of the MLB. The Yankees are 3 games ahead in the AL East with a record of 20-12. The Mets are 3 ½ games up in the NL East with a record of 20-11.
The Rangers came back from a 3-1 against the Capitals and are now even with the final game Wednesday in Madison Square Garden.

other: As with all previous issues of this newsletter, everything published here is either copyright protected or copyright pending. The history of P&G’s follows this newsletter from 1900 when the building was first constructed until about the mid 1930’s. And following this history is part one of the short story I wrote called The WOLF PACK. I hope you like it.

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. ‘L ittle 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

Germany 1939

The saloon in the small German village lay just fifty miles from Berlin. The saloon was filled with young men laughing telling ribald jokes about the Jews. They were all nervous because the following morning they would be going to the training camp as new recruits for the Fuhrer’s army. They all knew of the plans of the Nazi party to invade and take control of surrounding countries. They were all fearful of their futures.
Max and Vincent stood apart from the joking young men. They were just trying to blend in with the German people. They even gagged down several German Lagers so that they would not stand apart from the others. But they knew they had to leave and report on what they had learned to their leader. They did not notice the man with a black trench coat enter the saloon. The man had a fedora tipped over his forehead so his eyes were not easily noticeable to anyone. He just stood to the side and watched the young men in the saloon as they joked among themselves. Max and Vincent did not see him enter and took no notice of him when they left the saloon. The man followed discretely as they walked to the edge of the village with the intent of walking to the woods that bordered the village fifty yards away.
They were about to leave the village border when the man silently walked up to them with his Lugar drawn. He ordered them to stop and turn around. And naturally they both did with hands at their sides.
“Are you to serve the Fuhrer?” The man asked.
Max and Vincent smiled and said. “Of course.”
“Show me your papers.” The man demanded.

Max shook his head. “I’m sorry, but we left our papers at our home. We will show them to you if you will tell us where your office is located and we will be there within an hour.” This always worked before when they were asked to show their papers. But it appeared to Max that the man was not to be put off so easily.
“I am an officer in Himmler’s SS and I demand you either show me your papers or take me to your home where you supposedly left them.” Himmler’s SS man demanded.
Max and Vincent looked at the SS man, smiled, turned and sprinted to the woods.
The SS officer was stunned because he had never seen anyone run so fast as the two men he saw sprinting to the woods. He aimed his Lugar and fired four shots. He saw one of his shots was true with the man on the left because he saw a crimson stain of blood spread on the shoulder. The man only twitched and kept on running as fast as he did before being shot.
They reached the edge of the woods, turned so see if the SS officer had followed them. They saw the man had turned around and walk slowly back to the village.
Max and Vincent hid themselves in two copses of trees on either side of the trail into the woods. They carefully stripped off their clothes and folded them neatly. Vincent turned and saw the crimson stain on Max’s shoulder.
“You were shot.” He said to Max.
Max turned and Vincent saw that the bullet went totally through his shoulder. He also saw the wound heal quickly leaving only the barest hint of a scar that he knew would disappear within a few hours. “Did it hurt?” He asked.
Max. shook his head. “About as much as a sting from a honey bee.”

“Honey Bee?”
Max smiled. “Okay. Maybe a wasp or a hornet, but not more.” He looked to the village and said. “It is time we change to our natural selves.”
Vincent nodded his agreement and within thirty seconds their 5’9″ bodies shape shifted into ferocious looking mountain wolves.
The wolf essences of Max and Vincent reached down to the ground with their paws to pick up their neatly folded clothes. They both leaped into the air depositing their clothes on a V crevice branch of the trees. They landed silently and padded deeper into the woods. They didn’t need to sprint because the SS man was back in the village and the village people were frightened of the woods because of the tall tales of ferocious wolves that lived in the woods.
They trotted silently side by side through the barely visible trail until they came to their lair.
They both howled and growled the precise sequence of the code pass words until they were allowed entrance into the lair by the two wolves that guarded the cave entrance . They both nodded their grizzly heads at the two guards who nodded back in recognition.
They padded down one cavern tunnel until they came to the lair of the Alpha Queen.
“What did you learn?” The Alpha Queen growled in wolf language.
Vincent was the first to speak, growl. “We learned that the impotent mad man who essentially controls the country of Germany is intent on showing his leadership by damning the Jews and conquering other countries so that he can show the world that Germany, the fatherland is the master of all.”

“Can he be stopped? The Alpha queen asked.
Max was the first to speak, growl. “Other countries from around the world are gathering their forces to stop this madman. But I fear that he will do much damage and kill many before he is stopped. There are too many who believe he is the second coming of a deity.”
“What can we do to maintain the balance?” The Alpha Queen asked.
Max spoke again. “We can use our canine selves to infiltrate the upper command of this mad man and do our best to thwart his efforts at world domination.”
“You can do this?” She asked.
Vincent nodded his shaggy and grizzly head. “We have done this countless times in our three hundred years and we have learned how to perfect our efforts each time. Though this might be more difficult because this madman is so maniacal he has a majority of the German population believing his is a king or god. And he has to be followed.”
“But you can help defeat this madman?” The Queen asked again.
Max nodded. “Yes. But with some help from the others who can shape shift as we can.”
Not all wolves could shape shift like Max and Vincent. It was an inherited and learned ability and much revered by other wolves. They on occasion would shape shift into the much feared werewolf. Though they avoided doing this.
“So what is your next move?” She asked.
“We need to get papers so we can more blend in with the German population.” Vincent explained.
“You can do this?” She asked further.

Max nodded. “Yes. We know of two or three individuals who are master forgers and they will make the papers we need. But at a very high price.”
“Can you pay this price?” The Alpha Queen asked.
Max nodded again. “Yes. Vincent and I have become very adept at thievery when we need to be.”
“When you obtain these needed papers, what is your next step?”
Vincent smiled his tooth bearing grin. “We will only observe then infiltrate.”
“Do it.” She commanded.

Later Max and Vincent crawled on the floor of the lair to sleep. They did this because they both knew the next day would be demanding after they had shape shifted into their human selves. They both knew they would have to run and hide from Himmler’s SS officers until they had obtained their proper papers.

Max and Vincent padded into the small village as mangy and starving dogs searching for scraps of food. And in reality they were just watching the people of the village. They shape shifted themselves into German Sheppard’s and they were barely noticed by anyone including the Nazi command and military.
As they walked into the center of the village they noticed a military truck in front of one small apartment building. The Nazi soldiers were dragging out of the building a family who all wore the blue Jewish star on their sleeves. One of the Jews being dragged out of the building was a young girl, not more than seven years old and she was crying hysterically. The leader of the soldiers was the same Himmler’s SS officer that they had encountered the previous night. The SS officer was commanding the soldiers with his Lugar pointed at the family. Max and Vincent looked at each other and knew without a word being said what they had to do.
Max ran up to the SS officer and grabbed him by the hand with his powerful jaws and pulled him to the ground while Vincent rushed the two Nazi soldiers and at the first one he swiped a sharpened claw across the chest of the soldier causing the soldier to release the little girl. He then attacked the other soldier before the man had time to unsling his rifle from his shoulder and Vincent ripped the man’s throat out. The man died gurgling in his own blood.
Meanwhile the SS officer was whimpering and crying like a baby as Max used his powerful jaws to crush the man’s wrist. With the SS officers wrist in his jaws, Max stared at the officer and snarled. The SS officer lost control of his bowels and bladder and continued to whimper like a baby. Max was pleased with his efforts to take charge of the situation. Finally he looked to Vincent and saw he had taken control of the two Nazi soldiers. They nodded to each other and left the SS officer and remaining Nazi soldier and sped to a nearby alley. As they sped away, they heard the SS officer shout at the soldier to fire his rifle at the two mutts. Before he could even raise his rifle to his shoulder, Max and Vincent disappeared into the alley where they quickly shape shifted into their human selves. They quickly dressed into clothing they had hid in various points in the village so they could be clothed when they shape shifted from their animal essences. The soldier followed them into the alley, but stopped when he saw Max and Vincent. He asked them if they had seen two dogs running into the alley. Max and Vincent both pointed to the far end of the alley that led to the field that bordered the woods. The soldier shook his head and walked back to the scene of the assault by Max and Vincent.
Vincent clapped Max on his back and said. “We both did good.”
Max nodded. “Now we only have to get that family relocated so that SS man won’t harass them again.”
Vincent nodded. “How?” He asked.
Max motioned with his hand. “Just follow me. I think that SS officer will be fearful of entering this village again considering what I did to his hand and wrist. Did you hear him bellow like a baby?”
Vincent could only laugh. “Yeah. I heard his cries. Not very typical of Hitler’s elite I would think.”
They came out of the alley, turned left and saw Himmler’s SS officer still lying on the ground, massaging his right hand and wrist gingerly. He was still whimpering to anyone who would listen. He tried to order all the civilians that gathered around him to call for a military ambulance. Many just smiled and walked away from one of Hitler’s elite.
Max and Vincent gathered the family that Himmler’s SS officer had tried to capture. They guided them to a known safe house at the edge of the village. They had used this safe house countless times before to secure the safety of the Jewish residents. The owners of the safe house had the ability to smuggle Jewish families out of the country to safety.
As they walked to the woods where they could shape shift unseen by anyone, they were happy with their accomplishments of the day, but they knew it was not to be the last. They knew the Alpha Queen would require more of them to maintain the balance in the world. But they accepted this, their duties to the world.
When they got back to the lair, they went immediately to the Alpha Queen to report on their efforts.
“What did you accomplish?” She asked.
Max. was the first to speak. “We were able to stop the madman’s people from taking a Jewish family to the camps.” He said.
“And? What else?” She demanded.
It was Vincent’s turn to speak. “The madman’s SS officer who was in charge of gathering the Jewish people to the camps has been neutralized and mainly because of Max’s efforts to hurt him.”
“Will that be enough?” She asked.
Max shook his head. “Probably not because there are far too many people who adore the madman.”
“So? What are we to do to maintain the balance?” She demanded.
Max and Vincent shook their grizzly heads. “We are unsure.” They growled in wolf language.
As it turned out when Max and Vincent went back to the village as the same mangy mutts as before. They learned that Himmler’s SS officer was so upset at being thwarted by two mutts, he ordered a quarantine of the entire village. In other words, residents of the village were not allowed to leave and no one was allowed entry. The SS officer knew that this quarantine would lead to starvation of the residents of the village, but he didn’t care because most were of the Jewish persuasion and it just made his job that much easier if everyone died in the village accept those loyal German young men who had signed up for the Fuhrer’s army. They and their families would be fed, but everyone else would just suffer.
The SS officer was able to maintain this quarantine by having Nazi soldiers patrolling constantly the perimeter of the village with orders to shoot on sight.
Max and Vincent knew what their duty was and that was to smuggle food into the village by any means necessary.
They went to the nearby villages and artfully procured food they could bring to the quarantined village. They did this by their human selves and by their mangy mutt selves. And on occasion would revert to their wolf selves to snag chickens, pigs and lamb along with the occasional cow or bull.
They were able to sneak past the patrolling Nazi soldiers with parcels of food in their jaws.
After a few weeks the SS officer was unsure how the people in the village were feeding themselves. He half expected to find them begging in the streets for scraps of food, but there was none of that. Instead the villagers seemed to be robust and in good health and spirits. He sat in a café of a nearby village mulling this dilemma and nursing his fifth or sixth brandy.
Max and Vincent were able to follow the SS officer to the café as their mangy mutt selves. They waited as the SS officer constantly rubbed his forehead thinking and ordering brandy after brandy. They looked at each other and understood they would allow their werewolf selves to emerge when the SS officer walked back to his home away from the village proper.
Their intent was not to kill him, but rather scare him into flight.
The SS officer left the café on unsteady legs with the intent of making it to his home to sleep it off. Max and Vincent followed discretely as their werewolf selves. They wanted to confront the SS officer in a very secluded spot where the officer could not be seen or heard when they confronted him.
Finally at a copse of trees near his home they emerged in front of him, growling menacingly. The SS officer immediately drew his Lugar from the holster at his hip and fired four shots at the ferocious, grizzly looking wolves in front of him. Two bullets struck each of them, but Max and Vincent didn’t even flinch. This bothered the SS officer. He didn’t know how he could defend himself from beasts that just shrugged off bullets entering their bodies.
The SS officer backed away until he was against two trees growing side by side and he knew he had no escape from the two beasts that confronted him. He tried to scream in terror, but his throat was too constricted to even sound a muted cry.
Max and Vincent approached him with ferocious snarls as he whimpered. And just as the previous day he lost control of his bowels and bladder. Max and Vincent smelled the offensive odor and almost smiled with their snarls.
The man put up his hands to cover his face when Max spoke in a werewolf gnarled voice in precise German. “You will leave the Jewish people of this village alone so that they can live in peace or we will be forced to do something about it.”
Vincent nodded his shaggy and grizzly face and spoke in the same guttural German. “Or we will be forced to fillet you like a fish.”
The SS officer spoke with a whimper. “I don’t know if the high command would allow that.” He said.
Max could only nod. “Convince them or we will be forced to deal with them as we are dealing with you. And it won’t be so pleasant.”
Within a couple of weeks Max and Vincent saw that the Nazi command did not harass the Jewish residents of the village. It was apparent to Max and Vincent that Himmler’s SS man did not think the few hundred Jews in the village was worth the confrontation with the beasts. What was a few hundred Jews in the grand scheme of things? He probably thought.
Max and Vincent knew they won a small battle. Now they had to help win the war.

9:29p.m.
10/10/09
@ P&G’s