Hi everyone and welcome to another exciting and thought provoking issue of this bi-weekly newsletter, The CORNERSTONE TRAVELER.  Also available online at www.cornerstonetraveler.com.  I’, sorry if this issue is a week late, but I am still having problems with my Verizon wireless modem.  I’m seriously considering dumping Verizon for another internet provider.

 

mid-Hudson valley news:  Because the mid-Hudson Valley had such a mild winter, (did we even have a winter with less than two inches of accumulated snowfall)   farmers will be able to plant their crops at least two weeks earlier than usual.  Last year because winter went almost directly to summer.  (We didn’t really have a spring) the farmers were forced to delay the planting of their crops by more than two weeks.  With good rains, this year’s crops should be bountiful.  I am looking forward to the first harvest of corn.  The corn in the mid-Hudson Valley is the best I have ever tasted because the farmers reap the corn before the sun rises.  Because they do this the corn syrup (sap) doesn’t flows back into the corn stalks as it does when the sun rises.

On the first day of spring there was snowfall in many parts of New York State.  Even New York City got significant snowfall.  The mid-Hudson Valley?  Not even a fake.  Then on April 3-4 we got almost as much as the total accumulated snow fall of the entire winter.

 

observations:  Regarding President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy by Antonin Scalia’s death, the Republicans in the Senate don’t think it appropriate for a President to nominate a Supreme court justice so close to a  presidential election because who knows which party will win the presidency.  Their reasoning is from the so-called Biden ruling.  A statement the VP made years ago in regards to a presidential nomination of a Supreme Court justice.  As if the so-called Biden ruling has any standing in court.

Using the logic of the Senate Republicans, no legislation should be passed or rejected or even voted on when the election of the Senate and House is nine or ten months of a national election.  Would the Republicans agree to what I call the McGuire ruling?  Most likely not.

Not that the Republicans in the Senate and the House do much considering how much time they spend out of Washington for the many recesses each year.

I wrote a letter to the editor of the times Herald Record with what I thought of the Republican posture in regards to a Supreme Court justice.  Will it be published?  Maybe so,

But who knows

sports:  March Madness is over.  Thank God!  I’m sorry college basketball doesn’t interest me.  I might watch a Uconn or a Notre Dame game because a neighbor of ours was the Dean of Students at Uconn and my mother liked Notre Dame.  But other than those two teams I have no interest in college basketball.  Villanova won the national championship.

NBA:  The Knicks are 22 1/2 games back in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern conference with a record of 32-49.

The Nets are 33 1/2 games back in the same division with a record of 21-60.

NHL:  Both the Rangers and the Islanders have made it into post season play.  The Rangers will be playing Pittsburg while the Islanders will be playing Florida for post season play.

The Rangers have 113 points in the Metropolitan Division of the NHL with a record of 54-16-5.

The Islanders have 85 points in this division with a record of 43-24-9 .

MLB:  The regular season started.   Go Yankees!  Go Mets! Unfortunately both the Yankees and the Mets lost their season openers.

The Yankees record is 3-2 and tied for first in the AL East.

The Mets are 2-4 and 2 1/2 games back  in the NL East.

 

other:  A with all previous issues of this newsletter, everything printed here is either copyright protected or copyright pending.

The history of P&G’s follows this newsletter from about the mid 1930’s to almost the present.

Instead of the short story I usually include in this newsletter, I decided to include the poem I wrote for St. Judes Childrens Cancer Hospital in Memphis Tennessee.  I am doing this because I go to all the radiothons by WRWD held at the Poughkeepsie Galleria where I am a Partner in Hope for St. Judes.  I increased my monthly contributions to St, Judes from $30 to $50 because I believe in the medical research at St. Judes.  Which they share with other cancer doctors and medical hospitals throughout the world.

I hope you like the poem I wrote for St. Judes.

 

Thank-you  -  Rik McGuire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          History of P&G’s continued to the present

 

From 1925 – 1945 a number of diverse businesses occupied the building.  These included Carols Clothing Store (1937), Atkins Drug Store (1938), Schaffert Real Estate Office (1943), Marie Shop (1960) and Dicks Bar and Grill among others.

In 1947 Dicks Bar and Grill was purchased by two Lake Mohonk employees, Pat Cafferty and George Jayne.  Legend has it that neither told their wives of their intention to purchase the business.  They immediately changed the Grills name to Pat and Georges.  Among it’s loyal customers it was simply P&G’s.

One of the best things to happen to P&G’s occurred in 1961.  An ex Dodger player named Stormer Nickerson became a bartender.  Stormy as he was affectionately known became something of a legend.  His heart, quiet good humor and generous spirit made P&G’s the one place that welcomed all from the harsher outside world into a refuge for college students, business people, local characters and even for a while, in the 1960’s, bikers.  According to one source.  “They weren’t as rowdy a crew as you might expect because although he was quiet, Stormy commanded and got respect.”  His professional baseball background made him a natural to pitch batting practice for the New Paltz College teams and he did so for a number of seasons.  One college fraternity considered P&G’s their private domain.  The scene of everything important, news, views, camaraderie and especially humor was always evident at P&G’s.

After the St. Helens volcano erupted and news reports discussed the possibility of ash fall out across the U.S., Stormy came to work to find the staff dressed in garbage bags and metal kitchen colanders on their heads.  Since no ash was reported on anyone Stormy reasoned the attire had been affective by making everyone laugh their ash off.

 

In June 1991, after 30 years, Stormy retired from P&G’s.  He died in June of 1994.  From his casual humor that lingers, to his Chile recipe that is still served and the kind memories often repeated by his many friends, Stormy is still here.

In 1969 Edwin Beck bought P&G’s.  His first weekend as owner was completely successful.  The following weekend, however, the place was deserted.  A disheartened Beck couldn’t understand what he had done to alienate everyone so quickly.  He was relieved to learn it was simply a matter of poor timing.  Everyone was away and wallowing in a farm in Bethel NY.  A music festival or something.

Ed Beck never spent time worrying.  He looked across Main Street and up Platekill Avenue, seeing thousands of thirsty college students who, for the most part remained on campus.

Taking a good supply of liquid refreshment, Beck went to the campus and gave the students (all legal in those days) a new place to call home.  He transformed P&G’s from a neighborhood bar into a local institution.

The face of Beck’s personality had much to do with the continued success of P&G’s, the place was fun.  One oft quoted story about Beck concerns a young P&G’s enthusiast who wanted to be just like Beck when he grew up.  It is reported that Beck in all humility replied.  “Well you can’t do both.”

The name Pat and Georges was officially changed to P&G’s in the 1980’s by Ed Beck and his son Mike.  In 1985, Mike bought out his father’s interest.  In 1994, he undertook extensive renovations, making the building exterior appear as it did in 1900, when it was the Casino.

 

 

 

St. JUDES ANGEL in HEAVEN

 

I look down from my heavenly chair

And see a small girl of three years old

Sigh her last breath when held by a father who loved her

She was a child so brave and a child so bold

I took her hand as we walked the stairway to heaven

She was at peace and no longer in pain there were tears in her eyes

When she remembered her parents love

But deep down she knew she would see them again.

 

There was the little boy who wanted to play ball all the time

This came to a crashing end with a tumor in his brain.

He had more courage than you or I, that brave little man

And to heaven we rode in gold and silver train.

He sat beside as we watched his friends play ball

He wanted to play again, but he knew he couldn’t

He accepted his dream ended with heavens call.

 

I am the angel who guides the souls of these children to heaven

And every time I see a little child suffer and die

It’s not fair I scream to the people on the earth below

My wings shake and tremble as I break down and cry.

Just to see a little girl open her eyes one last time

Smile Daddy I love you and pass with a final sigh

Too many people below see these children and forget

But they should remember when a small child lives then dies.