CT – 216                         CORNERSTONE TRAVELER                                      AUG.  20   ‘13

 

Hi all and welcome to another exciting and thought provoking issue of this bi-weekly newsletter, The CORNERSTONE TRAVELER.  Also available on the web at                                cornerstonetraveler.com

mid-Hudson Valleynews:  This past weekend was very busy  with fests and the like.  The Hudson Valley Rib Fest was this  past weekend at the Ulster County Fair Grounds in New Paltz.   This has been a yearly event for the past nine years.

The Hunter Mountain Ski Resort has found a way to generate  revenue during the summer months.  This past weekend was the Irish/Celtic Festival.  I was at this same festival last year and  throughly enjoyed my self.  There was a constant parades with bag-pipe bands from all over the East Coast or so it seemed to me.  And naturally there was Irish music in one of the big halls of the ski resort.  It was a fun time.  Just a little difficult to get to through the winding road up to the mountain.  But the road side scenery was beautiful and well worth the drive.

The German Alps Festival was a couple of weeks ago.  I wanted to check this out, but couldn’t because of a shortage of funds.

I believe that WRWD country radio had a country music festival earlier this summer at Hunter Mountain.

The Dutchess County Fair started today at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds in Rhinebeck N.Y.  It is to run through to the 25^th of this month.  As you are probably aware, the Dutchess County Fair is my favorite of the local county fairs.  So I will check it out again this year and report on it in my next issue of this newsletter.

observations: Since the Trayvon Martin killing the George Zimmerman trial there has been a lot of talk and verbiage about racism in our fair country.  Mostly from the conservative talk show host on radio and Fox News (an oxymoron if there ever was one) Bill O’Reilly will talk ad nauseam about black and white relations in this country and how black people are sorry excuses for people in this country.  I have yet to see O’Reilly not mention the black people in our country, talking about teenage violence and unwed mothers.  He spent a great deal of time on one show talking about a black teenager pointing a gun at police officers forcing the police to gun him down.  Yet he didn’t mention word one of that shit head in San Diego, Dimaggio who shot to death a mother and son then took a sixteen year old, Hannah Anderson, hostage because he was so attracted to the sixteen year old.  And how the police found him and the girl in a campground and were forced to gun him down when he showed resistance to them.  But to O’Reilly that wasn’t newsworthy enough.  He would rather blather about blacks in our society.  I do wonder if O’Reilly is or is not a racist.

What do you think?

sports: The Yankees are 7 1/2  games back in the AL East with a record of 64-59.

The Mets are 18 1/2 games back in the NL East with a record of 57-66.

Preseason started with the Jets beating Atlanta and the Giants losing to the Colts.

other: As 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 the mid 1930’s to almost the present.

The short story that follows this history was inspired by the song by Emerson, Lake and Palmer called Lucky Man.  And naturally the short story is called Lucky Man.  I hope you like it.

                                 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, Atkins Drug Store,  Schaffert Real Estate Office, Marie Shop 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 fathers interest.  In 1994, he undertook extensive renovations, making the building exterior appear as it did in 1900, when it was the Casino.

                                                  LUCKY  MAN

 

It was a surprise attack by the Saracens upon the encampment of religious priests and monks on their way to visit and tour Jerusalem in the Holy Land.

The Saracens were so quiet with creeping to and into the encampment of the guards that their leader, William of Saxony only became aware of the attack when he heard the clashing of swords against shields.  He jumped out of his cot, grabbed his sword and shield and ran out of his tent shoeless without the mail or amour he wore during the day as the defacto leader of the common soldiers who guarded and protected the pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.  He saw the melee near the center of the caravan encampment and he sprinted towards the chaos and thought he could bring order to the clashing swords.  Before he got to the center of the maelstrom he noted the attacking Saracens were good with their swords, very good!  He also saw the priests and monks peer curiously from behind the flaps of their tents.

“Stay out of sight.”  He shouted to these men.  “My men and I will beat back this marauding horde of heathens.”

“Front and center on me!”  He ordered his men as he engaged a Saracen with his sword.  He dispatched the Saracen easily and started with another when his men gathered to form a phalanx around him.  The phalanx was arrow shaped with William at the point.  This arrow shaped phalanx drove into the Saracens splitting them in two and driving them back when suddenly a shower of arrows rained down upon William and his men.  So they had to all raise their shields above their heads to protect themselves.  Seeing this the Saracens had time to rejoin and attack William and his men because their shields were raised and could not deflect their sword thrusts.

The fighting became fierce and William heard many of his men go down with their

grunts  and cries echoing their deaths.  The Saracen he was fighting was able to get past his defensive sword and run him through with a sword through his chest.

William dropped his sword and grabbed his chest where the Saracen had stabbed him, He dropped to his knees, thinking who would be best to replace his as leader of the guards.  He yelled to Brian, a friend who was also of noble birth to take his lead.  And he toppled over onto his side, dead.

The next he knew, his spirit rose from his dead body to witness the carnage on the sands below that was turning the sand red with spilled blood.  He was barely cognizant of other spirits of the fallen floating near him until he saw the spirit of Alan, a common man soldier who lived and grew up on his fathers estates in the village of Saxony.

Alan.  He called to the spirit of a common man soldier.  I’m sorry I failed you and the others.  He said motioning with his arm to the spirits of the fallen.

Alan shook his ghostly head.  You didn’t fail us.  Our King and Rome failed us by insisting that we purge the Holy Land of the Jew and Muslims and now the Turk and Saracens.

But still I failed.

William insisted.

How?  Alan asked.  You were the lucky boy when I was a child then you became the lucky man with all your wealth.

No.

William said.  I wasn’t lucky at all in my life.  In fact I envied you and your life.

How could you envy me.  My family had to scrape by and barely able to live because of the sheriffs taxes.  Many nights I went to bed hungry.  I don’t think you ever went to bed hungry.

William shook his head.  Hungry for food, no.  But hungry for friends, every day.

I don’t understand.

Alan said.

William started to remember his childhood.  Yes.  I had all the food and drink I needed as I grew up and the best tutoring, but I had no real friends.  When I rode with my father in our family carriage into town, I would see boys like you playing and laughing having a grand old time.

So?

Alan asked.  What did you care?

I only wished that I could have that grand old time, you were having.

William said

Suddenly William started to relive his childhood and growing years.

 

He was just five years old when the young boy learned he as to be William of Saxony.  His father explained that he was of noble birth and he would never want for anything.

And it was true he didn’t want for anything.   He was always well fed and nourished.  He never had to worry about the cold in the deep winter because even his own private bedroom had a fireplace that was stoked regularly by the family servants.  His bed was always warm when he crawled into bed to sleep.  The bed was kept warm by the red hot coals from the fireplace being placed in a large metal pan that slid underneath his bed.  Even his clothes fit precisely because everything he wore was costumed tailored to his body.

Even his schooling was almost perfect.  His father hired the best tutors to school him in the basics.  William learned not to complain about any of his teachers to his father because he saw his father fire a very good teacher and his father only fired Mr. Mason because he forced William to study hard and William complained about this.

He had special teachers to train him in the art of fencing and swords.  He started this training at age nine with fencing foils that were especially made for his tiny hands.  He had become so proficient with the fencing foils that by age sixteen he was being taught with real swords and shields.  His father had a special shield especially made for his teenage son.  The shield was to be his until his twenty-first birthday when he was big enough to be able to wield a man size shield.  Both shields had the Saxony crest showing an armored knight aboard a charging white steed.

His father and mother, Harold and Maude of Saxony thought everything was perfect for their only child, William.  Yet they were wrong.  William longed to play with other boys his own age as he saw them in the small village in Saxony playing.  He only met other boys his own age when other Dukes and Earls visited his family or his family visited them.  Even these young boys and later young men relished being pampered by their parents wealth.

William knew there was something missing in his life and it was the reason he joined the King’s Guard and be sent to the Holy Land to protect visiting pilgrims of the ancient cities.  His parents naturally disapproved of his decision and tried to persuade him to search for other pursuits in life.  But he was vociferous in his intention to join the King’s Guard.

The Kings Knights who saw William in action learned quickly how proficient he was with sword, shield and dagger and how he could analyze the strength of his command and his innate knowledge of the heathens in the Holy Land.  What they didn’t know or want to understand was that William read and even studied the Torah and the Koran.  So he knew the mind set of the people he was fighting.

His problem was his knowledge of the Turk and the Saracens.  He knew the Turk fought under the command of Alexander the Great who over ran much of the countries of the Mediterrian a thousand years earlier and the Turk had become seasoned fighters under Alexanders tutelage.

The spirit of William stopped his recall of his life and looked down at the carnage still happening in the sands below.  He saw how the Saracens won over his guard and even his second in command, Brian, lay dying on the sand.

The priests and monks his troops were to guard were rounded up and summarily executed.

He saw the spirits of these priests and monks rise up to where he floated with their arms spread, waiting for God to give them entrance into God’s kingdom.

“God is not answering His door.”

William told the spirits of the doomed priests and monks.

“What are we to do?”

They all asked.

 

William pointed to the blood soaked sands beneath them.  “Just see what the holy Crusades are all about.”  He said with disgust.  “God is not happy with these crusades because of the needless deaths in the supposed Holy Land.  It is also the Holy Land for the Jew, Muslim, the Turk and the Saracen.”  He explained to the spirits of the recently passed priests and monks.

“But this is the land where the Christ walked and taught.”

They protested.

“Yes, he did, but he also said that the meek shall inherit the earth.  Now who do you

think he was referring with that statement?”

William had to ask.

“It is obvious.”

The spirit of a monk said.  “He was referring to those of lesser means or the poor.”

“Could it have been that he was referring to those who didn’t have the stature in the community as others?”

William asked all the spirits.

“We are not sure.”

On of the priests explained.

“Well I am.”

William insisted.  There has been too much death here in the Holy Land and for what?”

“To return this Holy Land to the rightful rulers, the Christians.”

A spirit insisted.

“Are they rightful?”

William asked then whispered.  “I was considered a lucky \boy because of my parents wealth then I was called a lucky man and again because of my parents wealth.”  He shook his ghostly head.  “My parents had accumulated their wealth on the sweat and back breaking labor of those on their estate who provided them with their wealth.”  William paused.  “Who had more wealth?  My parents who lived on the skills and labors of those who worked in the village of Saxony or those poor peasants who had learned a trade to support themselves?”

“We don’t know what you are asking?”

A spirit of a monk said.  \

William could only smile as he whispered.  “Yes.  I was a lucky man because I didn’t want for anything except for friends my own age.  And there I was poor, almost destitute.”

Another spirit spoke up.  “Here comes another contingent of the holy crusaders.  They will find those heathens that murdered us will exact revenge on our deaths.”

 

William was joined by he spirits of the common man soldier spirits as they explained that they fought and died in a war started by Rome and for no God given reason.

The spirits of the priests and monks looked down upon the sands of the blood soaked carnage and had to nod with acceptance.  They then looked to the heavens, pleading for God to forgive them of their ignorance.  And suddenly a bright light appeared before them and they all accepted their crossing over to God’s embrace.

William knew it might be some time before he was accepted into God’s embrace and only floated over the blood soaked sands waiting.  He was considered a lucky boy then a lucky man.  “How lucky am I?”  He asked himself.   Even Alan, the common man soldier had been accepted into God’s kingdom, yet he had to wait.  Why?

 

A voice came to him as he thought.  “You have accepted that you are no better than those of lesser means?”  The voice asked and almost demanded.

 

William nodded.  “I was told from my earliest age I was a lucky boy and when I grew older into manhood, I was a lucky man.  But this was only because I was born into a wealthy family.  I joined the King’s Guards to prove to those around me and to myself, I was no better than those of lesser means” William of Saxony said.

 

William crossed through the brilliant light and knew immediately that he was a last a truly a lucky man.

9:53 pm

11/06/07

@P&G’s