Altamont

As we drove down the curving road toward the house we were filled with anticipation. Jim and I are fortunate enough to have friends and acquaintances all over the country. When we receive an invitation to visit one of them, we can only hope that we will be in their area of the country and able to stop for a visit. This was one of those fortunate times.

We were passing through Virginia after stopping in North Carolina for a visit with my sister and her husband. Because we had some open days on our calendar we called ahead to see if a visit would fit our friends schedule. Fortunately, our schedules were both clear and we made the plans to stop.

Maggie and Dick are good friends, and like to do many of the same things that we like. Things like eating at our favorite restaurants, resting in the sun either on the beach or by the pool, and trying to help the Native Americans build larger places (Casinos) for our amusement.

Maggie assured us that even without a Garmin we could not miss their house because it was at the end of the road after we turned off of the highway. There were a few other things that she also forgot to mention. The road leading into their home is really a hard packed dirt driveway, complete with potholes. The winding road is also about half a mile long. Regardless of the conditions, it was a beautiful ride with many different trees, bushes, birds, and small animals as we cautiously drove toward their home.

When we reached the last curve we could see the cabin on the other side of a very large pond. It was a beautiful home with a large porch surrounding the building bedecked with a variety of rocking chairs, swings, and tables. There was an out building that contained firewood for the winter months, a building for their hobbies, and another for their car, and other vehicles (tractor, ATV, snowmobiles, motorcycles, etc.).

Maggie and Dick are fortunate enough to have abundant land to hold all of their toys, so they do not need to rent any storage space.

Maggie was like a child on a holiday when she saw us arriving. She ran from one person to another, laughing, hugging, and starting all over again. Their dog was just as excited, and with us all talking at one time it really was total pandemonium.

Soon after our greeting we settled down on the porch with a little iced tea and cookies before our hosts took us on a tour of their home and property. When they got married, Dick started as a trainee in his father-in-law’s window business. Over the years he learned the trade and became the CEO when his father-in-law retired. Their home reflected their interests and was designed for family and guests.

Their home was a ranch style with all rooms on one level. The entry foyer opened into the living room with a large stone fireplace midway on the left wall. A door on the right led us into the sleeping quarters. A master suite on the left of a hallway had another door opening onto the back garden. Three other suites with individual bathrooms were available for family and guests.

While the sleeping quarters filled the right wing of the house as you faced it, the living room filled the center section, and in the left wing was a beautiful commercial kitchen with a dining area near the pantry. The dining room was behind the kitchen, with a double door going into the living room, and another to the garden.

As we exited  the kitchen area there was a hallway going out to the back yard and to the hobby building which gets more use than any other room in their house. The room was covered with fine hardwood cabinets to hold all of the tools, small materials, and equipment they needed for their hobbies.

Because of their business Dick became interested in making reproductions of antique furniture and furnishings. The room was filled with top of the line woodworking tools Dick uses to make fine furniture for friends and family. A cutting and sewing table for Maggie to do her museum quality quilting (many of which she donates to favorite groups to sell or auction as a fund-raiser).

While surveying this beautiful room we noticed a locked cabinet near a sturdy table. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked what was in the cabinet. Dick took out a ring of keys, and unlocked the cabinet to display some well-maintained rifles, shotguns, and handguns. He took out an antique, muzzle loading, flintlock rifle, and explained that he and Maggie belong to a black powder club that meets at their home. Maggie took us outside to show us the regulation target range along the side of the pond. The targets are all measured from the dam at the end of the pond.

Their interest in black powder goes back many years when their town was doing a reenactment of a historic battle. Quite a few of the men became involved. They had the proper uniforms made, studied the history and battle plans, practiced drill formations, and learned how to load their own rifles and fire them. As time went on they became more skilled at target practice and were leaders in their black powder club that now included members of the Virginia State Police. The State Police Barracks is just a short distance from our friends’ house and they helped measure and build the target range which was then open to all of their officers.

In their hobby building there was a complete set of equipment for loading their own ammunition. Not only their black powder rifle shells but also their shotgun shells. Self-loading makes you more aware of the safety required. The amount of powder and shot that is going to propel a projectile out of the end of your rifle or shotgun must be precise.

Having the state police around all of the time can be very comforting, because you know that any errant predators are not likely to come around. However, guns in general have always frightened me.

I remember going into a restaurant out of state that had a sign on the wall as you entered that said, “Please check guns upon entering!” I thought it was one of those cute signs that are often posted but it was not. Residents were allowed to carry concealed hand guns as long as they had a license to carry.

Of course, Jim, my husband, had to learn how to handle firearms when he was in the Air Force. They all learned how to shoot, clean, and maintain their weapons as part of their basic training. That training was for protection but the proper handling of a weapon was even more important for a novice. He did not really feel like a novice with weapons because he was brought up at a time when many boys owned a BB Gun. Jim also owned, in his youth, a sling shot, a pea shooter, and a set of lawndarts called Jarts all of which have since been declared illegal.

 On an entirely different level there are many people who love to hunt. One morning, about a year after we moved into Altamont at around 11 a.m. we saw our next-door neighbor Arnold Keenholts at the post office. We were surprised because it was the first day of the hunting season and Arnold had planned to go to his favorite spot on the hill.

When we asked why he was here he just said that it would be the worst hunting season ever. After further pressing, he angrily said. “I went to my favorite spot and sat by a tree to smoke my pipe before I went into the woods. Just then a deer came out of the woods into the clearing. I thought I would watch and see where the deer went and track it later. The stupid deer just kept coming into the clearing. I put down my pipe and loaded my shotgun. Instead of running the deer kept coming. I stood up, aimed, and dropped him right there.

“Can you imagine, the first day of hunting season is not over and yet I have already caught my limit.”

We had a holiday picnic with several other families and friends. We said it was going to be a wild party. There were seven families and we each had to bring something wild. A couple of the men brought some fish they caught and put in their freezer. Most of us brought produce that we grew in our gardens and a few men who hunted brought some venison. They only shot what they would eat and not for sport.

We can all probably think of friends who are into the sport of target shooting. Some belong to sport clubs and others are in some type of military or law enforcement who maintain their skills for the protection of other people. We can remember other experiences in our lives where friends or family members have used a gun to provide food. Hunting for sport and for food in this area of the country is magnificent because of the wonderful terrain for their foraging. Guns can be our protector or our purveyor. They can be used for good or evil.

Guns by themselves are just a tool. How that tool is used is what makes the difference between good or bad. Most people who have a gun will maintain it properly. They will keep it locked in a safe place. The trigger will have a lock. The bullets will be kept out of the gun and in another location for safety.

Most of the tragedies we hear about involving guns are because the people owning the guns stored or used them improperly. Other large tragedies that involve guns and the loss of several lives is something that I cannot begin to explain, just pray for the innocents.

Please, if you have any guns around the house, be sure to store and use them properly, and keep them out of the reach of children.

Thank you

The kindergarten class at the Altamont Elementary School wish to thank all who supported their recent lemonade stand. Special thanks go to the PTA who purchased the necessary supplies for the sale.

A reminder, the students will also be selling lemonade on Friday, June 20, during Jelly Bean Field Day. The children are Fighting Childhood Cancer, one cup at a time.

Masons installed

0n May 27, members of Noah Lodge 754 met and installed this year's officers.

They are as follows:  Dale A. Hotaling, master; Richard D. Bollten, senior warden; David E. Ingraham, junior warden; William M. Korn, treasurer; Walter J. Young, secretary; Edward T. Czuchrey, senior deacon; Duane Rapp, junior warden; Harrison A. Moss, senior  master of ceremony; Harvey H. Levin, junior master of ceremony;  Michael E. Burby, marshal; William M. Korn, historian; William F. Okesson Jr. chaplain; and William F. Okesson Jr., Harvey H. Levin, James P. Caruso, trustees. 

Cyrene Temple

Members of Cyrene Temple, No. 18, Daughters of Nile will meet on Saturday, June 14, at the Latham Masonic Temple at 10:30 a.m., to rehearse for the Supreme Queen's visit.

Food pantry

The Altamont Community Food Pantry, at St. Lucy/St. Bernadette parish center has need of peanut butter, jelly or jam, paper towels, and facial tissues. All donations can be left inside the Gathering Space at the church.  All donations are appreciated.  

Barbecue

The Altamont Free Library will again hold its annual Chicken BBQ on Friday, June 20.  It will  be held in Orsini Park. More news to follow.

Volleyball

Interested in playing volleyball? Available on Wednesday nights? The village of Altamont is offering something new this summer.  A pickup game of Volleyball will be offered June 25  through August 20  at the Bozenkill Park.  There is no fee to play,

The park staff invites all interested persons to just show up on June 25. Games will be played from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Anniversary

Happy-anniversary wishes are extended to:

—  Sharon and Dwight Mathusa celebrating their special day on June 23; and

— Helen and Bob Reals and Pat and Ken Rau both on June 25.

Birthdays

Happy-birthday wishes are extended to:

— Joanne Arpin and Ronald DeBenedetti  on June 13;

— Mark Houck and Mike Houck, on June 14;

— Deirdre Bertrand, Betty Ann Best, and Susan Chrysler Sprung on June 15;

— Matt Consolo, Tim Northrup, Natalie Michaels, and Gary Pruskowski on June 16;

— Ashley Dzingle, Evan Dzingle, and Kaylee Munroe on June 17;

— Thanda Fields, George Knapp,  Tom Nowak, and Dan VanSyckle on June 18; and

 — Eleanor Alland,  Steve Furr, Josh Lare, John Smith, and Mary Beth Vail on June

19;

       —  Kyle Drake, Karen (Hukey) Rogotzke, and Elizah Munroe on June 20.

To my readers:  My anniversary and birthday lists need to be updated.  Please send me new additions, corrections, and deletions to my e-mail at rojascaru@aol.com or call me at 861-6569 or 330-2855.  Thank you.

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