Movie producers often use a very old exchange of comments among young men with some free time on their hands. If they are under driving age they can usually be found standing around with their bikes ready to roll. If they are a little older they might be packed into an automobile when the exchange begins.

It goes something like this, “Where do you want to go?” says the first to speak. That is usually followed by the others in succession saying, “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?” When they have all repeated the same question about two times each, then one will ask,” What do you want to do?’” Followed by another round of friends repeating the same question before someone breaks the round of questions with a comment like, “If we don’t decide soon it will be time to go home! What are we going to do?”

This situation is used frequently by producers because it happens so often in the real world and is funny each time. The boys are wasting time because no one took the time to plan what they were going to do. Planning is always one of the most important parts of any trip or vacation, even if it is just a few spare hours that need to be filled.

Jim loves to do the planning for our trips, especially now that there is so much information available on the Internet to help form the plans.

When our girls were younger and we had a major vacation coming up, we would try to do something that they would remember for a long time. One Christmas we traveled to New York City to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. The trip to New York City was a really an exciting time for us all, but to see the Rockettes was fantastic.

As Jim was planning for the trip he found that the hotels in the city were almost vacant over the holidays and most of them gave a wonderfully discounted rate. This meant that we could travel to NYC, see the Rockettes, eat at a good restaurant, the girls chose one of the famous New York Deli’s, which was a show in itself and stay in a famous hotel, all without breaking our household budget.

This planning also was a big help on another Christmas vacation when Jim found that the Festival of Lights at Niagara Falls, was open to the public during most of December and a little into the New Year. Once again, we were all able to spend Christmas vacation in a wonderful tourist location on a very modest budget.

Elizabeth will always remember the beautiful lights all around the waterfalls on both the American and Canadian sides. She will never forget swimming at Christmas time while her friends froze at home. But probably the most memorable experience was sitting in the revolving restaurant on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, while looking out the window and suffering with a very bad cold.

The waitress was a mother and could tell how miserable Elizabeth was even though she tried to hide her feelings and tough it out. After taking our food orders the waitress went into the kitchen and emerged with a hot healing bowl of chicken noodle soup. This simple, hot, bowl of soup or as we have heard it referred to “Jewish Penicillin”, worked its magic almost immediately. Liz began to feel better, at least well enough to swim after dinner, and was back to her normal self by the next day.

With summer just around the corner it is time to do some planning for those vacation days that have been piling up or to plan what to do to keep your children busy for the summer. Fortunately, we live in a part of the country that provides wonderful destinations just a short drive away. The more local vacation spots are always advertising, making us forget that the most popular destinations fill up quickly. That is why planning is so critical for the summer of your dreams.

Where do you want to go? Cottages, bed and breakfasts, rooms in the mountains, on a lake, or any waterfront will fill up quickly. Select your date, with an alternate, select what activities you want to enjoy and make your reservations as early as possible. Remember to factor into your planning your age and the ages of the others in your family.

Younger children might be happy just playing on the beach if you are on a lake or other waterfront. Older children might want to water ski, ride a wave runner, or go for a parasail ride on the water. A sport that is growing in popularity is paddle boarding.

The board is similar to a surf board but the rider stands and paddles instead of riding the waves into shore.

My youth was filled with hours and hours of time spent on the waterfront. We lived just a short walk from the Acushnet River, which meant that everyone was geared to water life in one way or another. Some men earned their income by fishing while others may have worked in the processing plants. We were all close enough to the water that it had to affect our way of life.

I spent my summer days swimming or sailing with a classmate. In the evening, I would often baby-sit for a family whose father was a fisherman and the mother worked in a restaurant or bar to make ends meet.

If your idea of a vacation leans more to the out of doors activities, then you have a wide range of choices . All-terrain vehicles are also getting very popular. Horse trails can be found all around the state and BMX tracks are growing in number and popularity.

With all of the children’s camps, adult camps, art programs, music programs, auto and horse racing, summer schools, plays, and other activities that abound throughout our area, you will have many choices regardless of where your interests lie. Be certain to schedule enough time to do all of the things you want to do and see all the sights that will be surrounding you. Make sure to prepare your budget so you will all be able to have a good time without stressing about money. Most important is to be safe and have fun. Learn how to use any new equipment before you use it. Wear proper clothing and shoes for your activities.

Most of all, again, have fun. Then you can start planning for your next vacation

Confirmation

Congratulations are extended to the following who were confirmed on Friday, May 8, at the Immaculate  Conception Church: Matthew Coburn, Thomas Gallagher, William Gallagher, Kathryn Johnston, and Amanda Smith.

VBS

Altamont Vacation Bible School is scheduled for August 17 through 21 from 9 a.m. until noon. Children ages three (as of Dec 1, 2014), and school aged students having completed kindergarten through  grade five are eligible to participate.  The VBS is sponsored by the Altamont churches.

Children must be registered to participate in the program. To register, complete a form that can be obtained at any of the local churches. The cost per child is $4 and registration and payment must be received by August 10.

VBS T-shirt

Parents are advised that if you wish to order a VBS T-shirt, please indicate child's shirt size (child: S M L XL). The cost is $4. Checks should be made payable to the Altamont VBS and mailed to Post Office Box 671, Altamont, NY 12009.

Class of 2016

Students who will be part of the Class of 2016 are reminded to order their first day of school Senior Pinniet shirt by June 12. The order forms are to be returned to Mrs. Benner in Room 721 or Mrs. Autrey in Room 733.

Checks should be made payable to Guilderland High School class of 2016.  

GCSD PTA

Parents are reminded that the PTA council meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 17, in the district office's main conference room at 6 p.m.

Women’s weekend

It has been announced that the Women's Weekend 2015 will be held the weekend of June 19 through 21, at Camp Little Notch in Fort Ann, N.Y. The alumni encourages all women whether you have attended in the past or are a first timer to attend.

For information or to sign up for the weekend go to noreply@facebookmail.com.     

Officers installed

On Tuesday, May 26, members of Noah Lodge No. 754 were installed at the Altamont Masonic Lodge on Maple Avenue in Altamont.

Michael D. Derry, past Master of Noah and past District Deputy was the installing Master.  Past Master James P. Caruso was the installing Chaplain, and RW David E. Ingraham Past Master and Staff Officer of the Grand Lodge was the installing Marshall.

The following members were installed: William M. Korn, Master; Dale A Hotaling, Senior Warden; Edwart T. Czuchrey, Junior Warden; Duane E. Rapp, Senior Deacon; James E. Johnson, Junior Deacon; Harrison A. Moss, Senior Master of Ceremony; Harvey H. Levin, Junior Master of Ceremony; Michael E. Burby, Marshall; and John A. Minozzi Steward. Also installed were:  John W. Anson, Steward; William F. Okesson, Jr. Chaplain; Walter J. Young, secretary; Richard D. Bolten, treasurer; Robert R. Rawlins, Tiler; Michael D. Derry, Trustee one year; Harvey H. Levin, Trustee 2 years and James P. Caruso, Trustee 3 years.

Following the installation, refreshments were enjoyed.

Food pantry

 Donations of items such as pasta and sauce are always needed at the Altamont Food Pantry. All donations are appreciated and can be left in the Gathering Space at St. Lucy/ St. Bernadette's Church on Grand Street.

Anniversaries

Happy-anniversary wishes are extended to:

— Jan and Scotty Clark who will celebrate their special day on June 14; and

— Kathy and Larry Adams  and Valerie and Phil Walton on June 15.

Birthdays

Happy-birthday wishes are extended to:

— Kerry Peters and Kristen Strnad on June 12;

— Joann Arpin, Caitlin Bataile, and Ronald DeBenedetti on June 13;

— Mark Houck and Mike Houck on June 14;

— Betty Ann Best and Deirdre Bertrand on June 15;  

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

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

— Thanda Fields, George Knapp, Gregory Munroe, Tom Nowak and Dan VanSycle on June 18.