Archive » October 2015 » Columns

by Judy Rothstein

Marey Bailey is a no-nonsense kind of woman. Among other things, she has worked for the Albany County Hall of Records and History. In that capacity, she had the “dubious role of organizing Mayor Corning’s letters,” she said. Marey also worked for Floral Designs in Guilderland for 11 years.

When she retired in 2014, she planned to volunteer. Marey said, “I wanted to have some things to do that are regular.”

She heard about Community Caregivers. Marey’s last job was as a home-care social worker with The Eddy.  She said of Community Caregivers, “It’s local...It’s Guilderland. I like helping people.”

Marey’s volunteer assignment is driving people to doctors’ appointments. She “regularly takes a woman to dialysis twice a week.”  As a volunteer, she feels, for her, it’s important to be flexible but “don’t over commit. I tend to over commit,” she says so she watches it.

Linda Miller, Caregivers Outreach and Education coordinator, holds orientation sessions, emphasizing how Caregivers respects the volunteers’ choices regarding the days and times they can commit to be available.

Marey’s tendency to overcommit isn’t taken advantage of. And, indeed, even though she or any volunteer states their days and times of availability, stuff still comes up.

Mary Morrison, Volunteer/Client coordinator, is fond of saying Caregivers is a no-guilt organization. And this emphasizes the continued need for volunteers so that not just a few are always doing the work, so that, if you can’t make your commitment, there is always someone to back you up.

This is another in a series of interviews with some of Community Caregivers volunteers. Making the decision to volunteer is not easy. Or rather, deciding is easy, but implementing it is something else.

Marey’s decision to volunteer was “…when I retired” and it took a year. Decisions like this, commitments, do take time to come to fruition. For Marey, being local and being known were important considerations for the agency she would volunteer for.

If you’re available and want to help others in your community of Berne, Bethlehem, Guilderland, New Scotland, Knox, Voorheesville, or Albany, please call 456-2898 to make an appointment for an orientation. Currently, meetings are first Tuesdays and third Thursdays through December.

The Caregivers’ mission is to help people of all ages stay in their homes and communities and maintain their independence and dignity. We’re ready for you when you’re ready for us.

Location:

Post date: 
October 30, 2015

Tags:

Print this page

by Alice Begley

The Enterprise — Michael Koff

Standing up for history: Bill Bennett, left, and Bill Donato stand on wither said of the 1803 gravestone marking the grave of Christopher Dunn.

Bill Donato has restored the cemetery Bill Bennett uncovered on land he purchased in Dunnsville.

The old wrought-iron fence with its beautiful decorative pieces on the holding posts are in place.  They were most-likely made in the iron foundry on Foundry Road in Guilderland almost two centuries ago.

Six headstones, once cracked and fallen over, are now repaired with braces; they stand slim and tall. They tell of the Dunn family of that era whose name tags the area on Route 20 in town.

Christopher Dunn, head of the family, was born in 1763 and died in 1830 at age 67. He operated a tavern on the corner of  the Great Western Turnpike and Route 397 called the Grange.

Other stones tell of John Dunn, who died in 1803 at age 35 years; James Dunn, who died in 1813 at 43 years; Richard Dunn, the son of John, who died in 1822 at 20 years; and James Dunn, the son of Christopher, who died in 1829 at 33 years.

The sixth stone marks the grave of Abigail (née Dunn) who died in 1825 at the age of 36.  She had married John Gaskin and she is the only female we noted who was buried in the Dunn cemetery.

On her lovely decorated stone is a poem that reads:

She cometh forth like a flower

and is cut down

She fleeith like a dandelion

and continuith not!

Abigail's stone is the only one carved with flowers and ribbons.

More research needs to be completed on the Dunn cemetery. For instance, although Christopher had a son, there is now grave to mark the son’s mother as Abigail is the only female noted.

Bill Donato of Altamont receives the credit for restoring the historic cemetery on Bennett's acres.  He is to be applauded for saving that important piece of Guilderland's history.

Donato has been busy with in his retirement years, documenting cemetery stones and putting them on the Internet  for those trying to find their ancestors. Anyone who has more information on the Dunn family history is welcome to call this historian at 518-456-3032.

Location:

Post date: 
October 30, 2015

Tags:

Print this page

by John R. Williams

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Your Way Café in Schoharie and the way the OMOTM travel to get there is about the only area around here that the trees are still showing off their fall colors.

In the fall, the hunting begins (as we mentioned in last week’s OMOTM report) but some of the OFs reported not seeing as many of the field animals that they have seen in the past

A couple OFs reported that, under one of their barns, a fox had a litter of pups and the OFs would watch these pups come out and play. They also reported that there was both a mom (vixen) and dad (dog) fox that would be around, a regular family.

These OFs also reported that one day a big, ole coon showed up and would pester that den of fox. Papa fox would harass this old coon while the momma fox just stood and watched — she would not go in and help.

The OFs reported that, one day shortly after that coon showed up, there were no more foxes, just the coon. They surmised that this coon had a breakfast, lunch, and dinner of fox. No proof of that — only fur.

The foxes may have scattered because of the coon; however, the OFs don’t know that for sure, but the foxes are gone. These OFs are outdoor OFs and this was just a summation on their part, but the OFs claim big coons can be nasty and it is not a good idea to mess with them.

Many children’s books show raccoons as cute little animals with a black mask around their eyes, and hands that wash their food, but it is not a good idea to have your kids think they can go up and pet one of these animals and they will curl up and purr like a cat.  No-siree-bob, reach out to pet one in the wild and your hand could come back minus a couple of fingers.

Wonders of technology

A few of the OFs who were missing last week had traveled to Maine to get a bite to eat and brought back some pictures on their cell phones for show and tell. As is said over and over, technology is moving so fast it is almost impossible to keep up.

Now just about everyone has a cell phone that will take pictures, videos, and wipe your nose if you have a cold. When interesting events happen while an OF is on a trip, the OF can now let friends and relatives know what is going on in real time whether he is across the street, or with Captain Hook in Never-Never Land.

Thirty years ago, who — except maybe Dick Tracy — would have thought this is the way life would be.

Now the topic turned to discussing the latest technology — drones.  Will the government probably charge a fee and insist people register to own one of these drones?

The OFs say part of the fun of these flying platforms is building them on the kitchen table out of parts you can by at your local hobby store, or Sears, or electronics store (electronics store used to be Radio Shack, one OF added). It is not necessary to go out and buy one.

So if any crackpot wants to raise havoc with a drone he can build at home what good is all that paperwork for guys that want to have one for the fun of it? Like you do with radio-controlled planes, you could purchase the kit and build it at home or buy the parts and do the same thing.

One OF said, “Well, it will generate another governmental bureaucracy and create jobs that will raise taxes and that will insure votes for the ones that vote for all these rules and regulations but for criminal activity these rules won’t mean a thing.”

As the saying goes: You can hoodwink some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all of the time, and you certainly can’t hoodwink the OFs.

One OF thought, if government bodies are going to spend money, they could create better security around airports and governmental buildings and equip the guards with scatterguns and shoot the drones down.

“Hey,” one OF opined, “that is the kind of job I would like — popping those things out of the sky when they are flying where they are not supposed to be.”

Ways of going

The conversation became a little morbid at the end of the breakfast when a few OFs started talking about who would be next to pass away. The OFs were going by physical condition and age.

Really, if the OFs glanced up and down the table, it could be any one of the OFs, including the glancer.

“Then again, when your name is called up yonder, age and physical condition has nothing to do with it,” one OF retorted.

This prompted another OF to say, “Yeah, it does if a ten wheeler is bearing down on me.  I certainly am not in the physical condition to get out of the way, and that is because of my age.”

“Well,” the other OF said, “I am still right, that truck has your name on it, and if it wasn’t the truck, it would be a piano falling from the sky.”

To which another one of the OFs stated that, for him, it would be a bullet fired from the gun of a jealous husband.

“In your dreams,” another OF said. “That scenario would have taken place 40 years ago, not now. The way you are going, your name is written on the bottom of a beer bottle.”

And so it goes.

Those OFs who attended the breakfast at the Your Way Café in Schoharie and one who had to be told where the syrup was when he (not naming a particular name here) had it in his hands were: Harold Guest, Glenn Patterson, Mark Traver, Miner Stevens, George Washburn, Roger Shafer, Roger Chapman, Robie Osterman, John Rossmann, Frank Pauli, Chuck Aelesio, Joe Ketzer, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Mace Porter, Gerry Irwin, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Jim Rissacher, Duncan Bellinger, Don Wood, Elwood Vanderbilt, Mike Willsey, Ted Willsey, Gerry Chartier, interloper John, Harold Grippen, and me.

Location:

Post date: 
October 30, 2015

Print this page

by John R. Williams

On a colorful day, Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Country Café in Schoharie. The drivers of the car pools were at a slight disadvantage because, duh, they had to drive, but the riders had the time to do some real leaf peeping.

There is really no reason for the OFs who live on the Hill (or in the valley for that matter) to travel to Vermont or New Hampshire in order to view fall color and nature at its best, except for the ride. Maybe the OFs who ventured to the coast through the White Mountains of New Hampshire would eventually reach the ocean.

The ocean — now that is different!  Unfortunately locally, where the OFs roam, there is no ocean.

This scribe does not know how true this is but one OF said that an entrepreneurial guy is laminating leaves and selling them.

One OF said the OFs should advertise: Rake your own leaves, five bucks a box. This OF thinks people would do this and purchase boxes of leaves.

This scribe added that this is not original; Joe Gallagher, the weekend guy on WGY, has been advocating this for quite a while. The OFs have to admit that the fall season in the Northeast is unique with the many varieties of hues on the trees and sometimes the same bush will be wearing Joseph’s coat of many colors.

It is fun to notice that the OFs are OFs and they still take rides and trips to view the colors of the season like they have never seen it before.

One OF mentioned he likes this part of fall but it is too short; however, so far this year, it has been a great fall season. Some years, we go from late summer to early winter and skip the fall feeling altogether.

Some OFs thought that fall was a nostalgic time of the year. The OFs said they felt like they had this unexplained empty feeling.

One OF said he just confided in a very good friend that he wanted summer back because there was so much left undone; people unseen; and dreaming dreams, which are still just dreams.  Now he has to wait until spring because, by next fall, he will do the same thing with things undone becoming longer; people not seen now gone; and dreams, well, dreams are dreams, the OF said.

One OF mentioned that, to him, each season has its own aroma. This OF can smell the leaves of fall, the worms of spring, the new-mown hay of summer, and the fresh air of a cold winter’s morning.

“Gone now,” an OF said, “is a fun part of fall, along with Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and that is the raking of leaves and burning them by the roadside — that smell is a thing of the past. We are not supposed to burn leaves now.”

The OF said, “Instead of burning leaves, we burn gasoline in chippers and trucks to pick them up, and cut down trees to make bags to put them in. Doesn’t make sense to me,” the OF said.

Thoughts on hunting

The OFs mentioned that it was the beginning of bow season, and that, at least, is quiet. On opening day of the hunting season, it sounds like World War III is underway on the Hill. By the sounds of some of these things, they must be machine guns.

Unless the hunter is a darn poor shot, maybe two shots should do it, but, when it is pow, pow, pow, one shot right after another, it is a good indication that the hunter has missed the deer. But, if he has hit the deer, the hunter must be trying to make hamburger of the animal before it is dressed.

It is good that hunters do hit the fields and thin out the herd. Not only that, it does put meat on the tables for many of these hunters.

The OF hunters say that this is not cheap meat. All the gear you have to have, plus the travel to where you think the deer are, has to be figured in.

Then one OF said, “And all that beer — that makes for very expensive meat.”

Stewart’s plaza?

The OFs mentioned they have heard that soon Middleburgh will not look like Middleburgh, especially by the school. According to the OFs, Stewart’s has acquired the bank, the dentist office, the chiropractor’s office, and one other building.  These buildings are all coming down and Stewarts is planning on building a Stewart’s “plaza.”

One OF said, “Well, at least the kids won’t have to cross the street now to get to Stewart’s; it will be on the same side of the road and, with no roads to cross at all, the place will be practically on school property.”  Stay tuned.

Forgoing the future

The OFs have mentioned before why we are OFs with ages the OFs never thought they would be, and still having fun. This scribe has covered comments about medicines, food, medical care, and activities.

The topics Tuesday morning that the OFs were covering were geared more to mechanical items like design of homes, and senior apartments with the walk-in showers and tubs, ramps instead of stairs, riding lawnmowers, and now cars that drive themselves.

They like the idea of homes that are now prefabricated, all on one floor, and smaller.  Older couples can still have their own place and basically maintain it, plus the advent of cars that drive themselves will give a sense of freedom that was not around 30 years ago.

The OFs said they are not ready for these homes yet, but they know many that are.  Are they just fooling themselves?

Those OFs who left their three-storied homes and hopped into their standard-shift cars and pickups and drove to the Country Café in Schoharie and had man-sized breakfasts were: Miner Stevens, John Rossmann with his grandson Scott Ciabazttari, Joe Ketezer, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Harold Guest, Roger Chapman, Roger Shafer, Lou Schenck, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Wayne Gaul, Duncan Bellinger, Bill Krause, Jim Rissacher, Ted Willsey, Duane Wagenbaugh, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, and me.

Location:

Post date: 
October 25, 2015

Tags:

Print this page

by John R. Williams

Tuesday, Oct. 6, brought another beautiful sunrise, though the sunrise the day before was more spectacular. The OFs were out taking pictures Monday, and Tuesday morning on the way to Mrs. K’s restaurant in Middleburgh it was no different.

The sunrise on Tuesday morning did not hang around in the sky as long as it did yesterday, but there was a little more color on the trees as the OFs rode over the mountain to Mrs. K’s. As the sun clipped the top of the mountains and added its color to the scenery, there were many moments for calendar shots. 

One OF said that, on his computer, he keeps a folder just for sunrises. The OF did not mention sunsets. Another OF has sunrises and sunsets listed in folders also with dates and times when they occurred. As the OFs become older, they appreciate the finer things life has to offer more now than when they were young Fs.

Chickens with horns?

Why does the chicken cross the road? That was not the question of the day but crushing chicken bones was.

One OF just picked up an antique “bone crusher” used to crush up chicken bones to feed back to the chickens. The OFs speculated that it could be used to crush up other bones too.

This is the same OF who has the dehorning cutter. One OF said he didn’t know chickens had horns.

“Yeah, they do,” an OF said, “And you had better watch out for those chickens with horns — they’ll getcha.”

Oh no! No wonder the OFs’ wives don’t want the OFs talking to the grandkids and telling them things like horns on chickens, chocolate milk from brown cows, and how to plant some raw spaghetti to grow spaghetti trees.

Dodging chores

As we have reported before, our suspicions have been confirmed.  One OF came right out and said he is at the breakfast so he can dodge the wife and get out of chores.

This has been suspected for some time and this is why the attendance at the breakfast is so good. This scribe wonders how many OFs use the term “meeting” (which implies they will be doing something important) with their wives when they head out to join us.

The sneaker-and-pipe crowd

A couple of OFs who were familiar with the General Electric Research and Development facility in Niskayuna talked about all the developments that have come out of that place, one being the MRI technology.

They mentioned that there was no such thing as a Friday casual day, as every day was casual day. The OFs mentioned how some came dressed, and how some (when working on something exciting) stayed right at the site day and night.

They had an ambiguous but respectful title for this group called “the sneaker and pipe crowd.” These people developed much of what we use today as routine, especially in the medical field.

Paid for grades

Siena College was discussed, and what a tight-knit group the graduates of that institution are.

One OF mentioned that his son graduated from Siena and going from BKW to the college atmosphere was quite an adjustment for his son. Many kids from small schools are not ready for the college life, and Siena is not that big.

The OF said his son’s grades were not what he expected and related to his son that he would pay for courses where he earned As and Bs but, for the rest, he was on his own. It worked. The studying started and the grades went up.

The kid was not having any of that “I’ll have to pay for it”; he went with “hang it on dad,” There is a lesson here for all us somewhere.

Peerless peach

Sometimes the OFs tell very basic of stories in the most humorous way. This year, the OFs have mentioned how prolific their gardens are, especially mentioning the grape vines and the fruit trees.

There is usually an exception to these stories and this one OF told of his peach tree that produced only one peach. The OF said he watched that single peach develop all year long, then one day last week that peach was on the ground.

The OF said it looked OK to him so he picked it up and ate it. The OF said it was the best peach he ever had.

Another OF said, “No wonder it was so good; it didn’t have any competition.  All that the entire tree had to offer went right into the one peach.”

No surprises

One OF said that his daughter told him that she was planning a surprise birthday party for him and not to tell anyone. Was this so she could do all the planning and the OF wouldn’t take off and go hunting, or take a trip to Timbuktu?

This OF is going off on the next Honor Flight to the war memorial in Washington, D.C. and she probably did not want to prepare two meals, or plan two parties in a row for the same OF. The effort put forth in this would really be redundant for this OF. 

The OFs are wondering who his chaperone will be because this OF is in great shape and he could be some other veteran’s chaperone.  

The OFs were also kidding another OF who is a member of the fire department as one of the fire police. The OFs say he just dons the uniform and goes and blocks roads so he can talk to people in the cars that have to stop.  There is nothing going on and the OF is just flagging them down.

They were kidding him about all the roads that were closed in the Hilltowns, which segued into talking about Pinnacle road with the repairs done and the road just being opened up. The OFs commented how beautiful the view is from Camp Pinnacle.

One OF said, “Yep, just one of many from the Hilltowns, encompassing the Schoharie and Fox Creek valleys.” 

Those OFs who traveled to Mrs. K’s in Middleburgh and made Loretta and Patty happy were: Bill Bartholomew, Frank Pauli, Harold Guest, Jim Heiser, Mark Traver, Chuck Aelesio, Dave Williams, Glenn Patterson, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, John Rossmann, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, Mace Porter, Wayne Gaul, George Gebe, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Roger Chapman, Don Wood, Ted Willsey, Rich Donnelly, Duane Wagenbaugh, Elwood Vanderbilt, Jim Rissacher, Harold Grippen, and me.

Location:

Post date: 
October 15, 2015

Print this page

by Alice Begley

The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer

The history of Guilderland’s roads is recorded in elegant handwriting. The document at left lays out the road through Guilderland Center that is now Route 146, according to Town Historian Alice Begley. The document with the seal, at center, is an 1873 indenture between Guilderland and Albany, signed by Albany’s mayor, Geo. H. Thacher. The 1812 notice over that verifies the road that runs by the “tavern house now occupied by the Widow Eve Apple” — currently the site of the Appel Inn. And, finally, the 1868 document with the engraved county seal and 2-cent postage stamp says that the Guilderland highway commissioners paid “Two thousand dollars in full on contract for building new road in said town.”

It is interesting to think that, back in time, the town of Guilderland didn't have defined roads.  In fact, in 1812, the recently named commissioners of the town highway department were just beginning the plan to turn horse-and-carriage ruts from farmhouse to farmhouse into more navigable roads.

A. Grote and David Ogsbury were the new "subscriber commissioners" of the highway department in and for the town of Guilderland organized in 1803.

The accompanying form certifies "that we have layed [sic] out a Public Highway from a point on the northerly side of the Schoharie Road opposite the Tavern House now occupied by the widow Eve Apple and from thence on a course South Eighty degrees East Eighty chains to the public highway leading from Barent Myderse to French And Campbells Mills near a house owned by French Campbell now occupied by Charles VanOstrander agreeable to the request of the hereunto annexed petition we also direct that the same be recorded — Guilderland the 29th Day of December 1812."

Those directions were recording what we know today as Route 146.

Again in 1833, an old yellowed document in town files records this: "We the undersigned being inhabitants of the Town of Guilderland, and owners or occupants of the land through which the saim [sic] rout or privet road here unto answer, doth set forth and describe, that we have hereby bind ourselves, our heirs forever hereafter, that this shall be for the proper use of a privet road to all those who may choose to use it as such, and further that our signatures here unto shall forever hereafter shall preclude the saim owners or occupants there of, their heirs from all further clame [sic] for damages for saim road.  Whereunto we have interchangeably set our hand this 4th Day of March in 1833." 

This document was signed by Henry Lanehart and Wm. Merrifield.   Witnesses were Elizah Chesbro and Simon Lanehart.

In addition, on Nov. 18, 1818, a notice by Mathew Y. Chesebro written to Highway Commissioners Garret Ostrander, John Moak, and Peter Crounse for an application for a "Private road to be laid out for my use commencing at the Eastern gate porte on the course North 68 de East 60, from Elm Tree in MJ Chesebro's field thence North to the lands of Able French and along lands which belong to OL Davis to the Great Western Turnpike.”

The turnpike had been finished in 1799. The paper was signed by Crounse and Ostrander.

A more notable "Indenture" dated Oct. 15, 1870 signed by the City of Albany's Mayor George H. Thacher and sealed with a very large green stamp to the town of Guilderland "assigns forever" all that plot of ground beginning at a point at or near the center of the public highway from McKowns Hotel to west Albany which point bears north 18 degrees, east 41 links from a marked white pine tree on the south side of said road, runs from said point as the magnetic needle pointed A.D. 1872 north 48 degrees 30 minutes east 19.70."

These directions go on and on until at last the indenture reads "from the northeast corner of burying ground to a point near the center of the road commonly called Washington Ave."

It ends up mentioning William Fuller’s Farm, and stating that the "object of this conveyance being to vest the title of said described property for highway purposes & no other."

This, of course, is the property along Fuller Road conjoining with Washington Avenue.

It amazes this historian to read that this piece of land in Guilderland, which once housed and fed William Fuller’s horses and other animals, now holds a huge and growing group of modern buildings that house SUNY Poly.

I'm sure Mayor Thacher didn't foresee that in his wildest dreams.

The town of Guilderland's archives has reams of antique information on the town that captures untold pictures of yesteryear. This historian remembers William Fuller’s riding stable!

 

Location:

Post date: 
October 9, 2015

Tags:

Print this page

by Frank L. Palmeri

— Photo by Frank L. Palmeri

BJ: Frank L. Palmeri named his truck both for the official Ford color, "Blue Jeans," and also for "Borrow me, you must be Joking.”

Well, I went and did what I said I never would. In doing my part to keep the economic recovery going, I bought a brand new pickup truck to replace my unfortunate mini-van that got hit by lightning.

The thing is, no one ever wants to borrow your mini-van, but, now that I'm once again a guy with a truck, we'll have to see how good my diplomatic skills are (because I'm not letting anyone borrow my truck; you heard it here first).

So why did I purchase a truck when there are so many other types of vehicles out there? Well, as you know if you are a truck owner and as you can imagine if you're not, having a big open box to haul stuff around in can be incredibly handy at times. I like to work with wood and buy quite a bit of sheet goods and dimensional lumber

Having that big bed to slide these unwieldy pieces into is just so convenient; no need to even hook up the trailer. Gotta love that.

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the annual Lionel Toy Trains catalogue. This glossy book was manna from heaven for little boys, and I'd drool over the many different trains, sets, and accessories, even though I could barely afford any of it.

It's kind of like that with trucks. Before settling on a 2015 Ford F150, I visited many dealers and picked up all the fancy brochures and catalogues. The people writing this stuff must have grown up with Lionel like me because they really know how to keep you drooling and entice you to spend a lot more money than you really want to.

Let's take Ford, for example, since that's what I wound up buying. The F150, which happens to be the number-one selling vehicle in this country for 37 years in a row, comes in five trim levels — XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum.

Each trim level is about $5,000 more than the next, with a top-of-the-line Platinum costing around $70,000. That's a lot of Benjamins, my friends, especially for something that will only depreciate over time.

The insidious thing they do is put one or two things in the next-up trim level that you really want but don't want to spring that huge $5,000 premium for. It's like they're dangling candy in front of a little kid.

I went with the XLT, which is the most I've ever spent on anything in my life except for my house. The next trim level up, the Lariat, has many things I would have liked, but not enough to open up the checkbook even further.

A few of those things I can add myself, which is a savings, but some of them — an automatic full-time 4x4 mode, most notably — can't be easily added. Oh well, it's nice to have something to look forward to "someday."

This 2015 Ford F150 is really an amazing piece of technology in three big ways, which is why I went with it. First, the body is made of aluminum, a first for this kind of vehicle, resulting in a weight savings depending on options of as much as 700 pounds. Talk about going on a diet.

Second, the 2.7 Liter EcoBoost V6 (only 164 cubic inches) puts out 325 Brake Horse Power with 375 feet per pound of torque. If you don't know what torque is, let's put it this way — the next time I cut down a tree, I won't have to rent a stump puller.

Third, in certain conditions the engine shuts off completely at a full stop, restarting instantly when you take your foot off the brake. This can be a little strange at first, but soon you're thinking why can't all vehicles be like this; what a great way to save on gas and cut down on pollution.

The small but very powerful engine in this truck can even tow 7,600 pounds, yet still gets a combined 20 miles per gallon. Blending power and great gas mileage in such a large vehicle was unheard of only a few years ago, and I give Ford credit for achieving this level of performance. It's terrific to see an American company leading the way for a change, isn't it?

I can't speak as highly of the actual buying process, however. I have a friend who is a car salesman and I purchased from him, but even with his help the entire process took many hours over several visits and was quite complicated

For example, the truck I wanted was not on my friend's lot, so we had to do a "dealer trade" to get it. The good thing about dealer trades is it allows you to get the vehicle you want at the price you want; the bad thing is your new vehicle will have some miles on it when you get it and will by necessity have been driven by someone else.

I think if and when I ever buy another new vehicle, I'll try to avoid a dealer trade just to keep the transaction as simple as possible. The good news is I may have found a good part-time post-retirement job. Getting paid to drive around in brand new vehicles all day sounds like a lot of fun to me.

With the F150, you have a choice of three cab styles: Regular, Super with passenger doors that open forward, and Crew with normal passenger doors. What I wanted was a Super with the full-size eight-foot box, but my salesman advised me that this makes for a very long truck, so I went with the Super and 6.5 foot box.

With this one I can still carry motorcycles in it I choose, and full sheets of plywood and Sheetrock fit flat with the tailgate down. Even though this is not as long a vehicle as I wanted, it's still plenty long; you stick out when you park in one of those underground garages, and I won't be taking it downtown very often. I'm good at parallel parking but why bother.

The truck sits so high that you really have to grab the handle and pull yourself up to get in; however, once driving, you have a clear, unobstructed view of the road, which is nice.

Also, the days of trucks riding like trucks are over; this thing rides so smooth it's like being on air most of the time. Now I see why F150 has been number one for so long. If I were a plumber or carpenter or whatever, I'd buy one of these, ride around in style, and then write if off on my taxes. Such a deal.

Speaking of taxes, the amount of tax I paid on this new vehicle purchase is more than I've paid for most of the cars I've ever owned. Then whoever buys it from me pays tax again on it, and so on down the line until it winds up on the scrap heap.

I guess it's good that car sales do so much to fund our government, but I'm thinking that some kind of tax relief would spur sales even further. After paying this much tax, I'll never look at new high-end cars and trucks the same way again.

When I said I was doing my part to keep the economic recovery going, I wasn't kidding. Since buying "BJ" (the name comes from the official Ford color, "Blue Jeans," and also stands for "Borrow me, you must me Joking"), I've added a spray-on bed liner, a folding bed step, mud flaps, a bug deflector, floor liners, bed stake pocket hooks, and a truck-bed cover with an integrated tool box.

It's like picking out stuff from the Lionel catalog. Trucks are just big toys for big boys after all.

Unlike the mini-vans I'd been driving forever, the F150 is rear-wheel drive. This brings back memories of when I first learned to drive, when most cars were like this (yes, I'm old).

Rear-wheel drive just feels right to me. Plus, because the engine is not transverse mounted as with front-wheel drive, everything in the engine compartment is easy to get to. Changing spark plugs will be a cinch. I like that very much.

Whenever I own a pickup, there are three things I always do. The first is to get a pack of Camel cigarettes and stick it on the dash somewhere. I don't smoke cigarettes, but it just seems right to have a pack of Camels with that iconic logo in there.

The second thing I do is put on a ball cap, go to a lumberyard or home center, and drive around the parking lot in reverse. Yes, I really do this.

When I was small, I'd go to lumber yards and there'd always be guys with ball caps on driving around the lot in pickup trucks in reverse, so that's why I do it. Just like old times. Isn't it nice it takes so little to make me happy?

The third thing I do is put on the country station. Country music is about the only music I don't love, but since at least half the songs actually mention a pickup truck, it's only natural to play it, for the truck's sake if nothing else.

Speaking of country music and pickup trucks — the other day I was driving in the truck with my son-in-law, Ricky, who grew up in Houston. Ford was nice enough to throw in six months of free satellite radio, which is fantastic.

So we're driving down the road singing along with channel 60 "Outlaw Country" blasting from the seven speakers (Ford really does things right). Then Ricky turns to me and says, "It's just like we're in Texas!" Yee-ha, yippee ki-yay, howdy pardner, we're havin' big ol' fun for sure.

Now all I need are some overalls, a new fishing pole, a BB gun, and some empty beer cans to shoot. And some juicy barbecue while we're at it, why not.

If you happen to see me and BJ on the road, please give us a wave, just like I wave to the mailman as he takes my loan payment out of the mailbox each month

Location:

Post date: 
October 9, 2015

Print this page

by John R. Williams

Tuesday, ah Tuesday, particularly the Tuesday of Sept. 29, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Middleburgh Diner in Middleburgh. That makes sense, if the Middleburgh Diner were in Duanesburg, that would not make too much sense; conversely, if the Duanesburg Diner were in Middleburgh, that wouldn’t make sense either.

However, it could be that way. There are no rules when it comes to names.

The Middleburgh Diner is just one of the diners the OFs have on their roster and it is one with a very high decibel rating. Some of the OFs suggested that the OFs should all learn sign language, or at least how to read lips.

Some of the OFs are pretty good at the reading of lips because the use of hearing aids in noisy situations like restaurants, parties, and public places where everyone is chatting at the same time, is basically of no help. The OFs have developed certain lip-reading skills (particularly when a person is facing them) to augment their diminished hearing capabilities. The OFs aren’t deaf — just a tad hard of hearing.

Then there is the pitch of voices. One OF said he could clearly understand the OF sitting to the left of the OF directly across from him but the OF directly across from him sounded like Charlie Brown “speak” except at times a few words were understandable.

One OF said for some reason his hearing is pretty good except when his wife speaks, then there seems to be a blockage most of the time. However, for some reason, it generally ends the same way, i.e., “shopping” is an audible word, and “give me some money” is another sentence that rings clear in the OF’s ear.

A study in contortions

Watching most of the OFs sit down is a study in contortions. Most of the OFs have their own way to twist and turn to get their butts into the chairs.

Getting up is the reverse, but most of the time the contortions are different.  In this case, there is a lot of arm movement to assist in raising the body to an upright position, and any position is good enough as long as the OF is not prone.

What is surprising is how strong furniture really is. Some OFs get their bodies just about six to eight inches from the chair and drop straight down the rest of the way, and the chair holds.
In getting up, the OFs apply an undo amount of pressure on the edge of the tables to take some of the weight off of the OFs’ legs, and the tables don’t tip or buckle under the weight. Truly amazing.

Timothy Murphy remembered

The Saturday of Sept. 26 was beautiful and there was a lot going on in the Hilltowns. Thacher Park had its Fall Festival, Westerlo had its day with a parade and fireworks, and Vroman’s Nose in Middleburg had its hiking festival.

One of the OFs who volunteers his help working on the Long Path (a trail that goes from Fort Lee, New Jersey to the Adirondack State Park) donned a replica of the clothes Timothy Murphy would wear and guided and talked to the people at the Nose and told them about ole Tim.

Timothy Murphy was a Revolutionary War “hero” in Schoharie County.  Murphy was the subject of a novel written by John Bricks titled “The Rifleman.”

At Bemis Heights, during the second battle of Saratoga, Timothy Murphy climbed a tree and from 300 yards, in four shots, dispatched British Brigadier General Simon Fraser and Sir Francis Clarke the aide-de-camp to General Burgoyne.

Timothy Murphy rose through the ranks after joining the revolutionary army and was eventually assigned to Daniel Morgan’s riflemen because of his marksmanship. There is a monument to him in the cemetery in Middleburgh.

Hooked on fishing

We have some OFs who fish for salmon; some go up to Pulaski, and others who go to Mexico Point.

The OFs were covering fishing in that area of New York State and discussing when is a good time to go. When the fish are spawning is not the time. They are just going up the rivers to lay their eggs and die.

The OFs said this was not good eating fish. Maybe for us, but the animals might not mind.

Some of the OFs take fishing excursions out on the lake and fish for salmon on the big water. A chuckle for the OFs was the signs in the motel rooms about no waders in the rooms, and no cleaning fish in the tub or sinks.

Many of the motels have a garage, or shed, or some kind of building out back where that can be done, or some motels will even do it for the OFs.

We are all different

Just listening to the OFs talk about their hobbies or extracurricular activities is like sitting in a classroom with each small group of OFs having their conversation going on with the five or six other OFs who are within earshot and discussing current events, old times, their interests, and hobbies.

Rarely do the OFs discuss diets, but a brief comment was made on dieting. The gist of the comments was there is no such thing as a diet.

There are many, many diets and there is not one diet that fits all people. So if Joe Blow tells the OF to eat this or that so they will lose weight, it may not happen.

The OF may eat this or that and put on weight. The OFs say we are all different, and that is what makes us who we are.

Now, if some were to tell the OFs a sure-fire way to get along with the wife, kids, and grandkids ,the OFs would be all ears and take it to heart.

Those OFs attending the breakfast at the Middleburgh Diner located where it belongs in Middleburgh, New York were:  Bill Bartholomew, John Rossmann, Harold Guest, Miner Stevens, George Washburn, George Gebe, Karl Remmers, Bob Snyder, Frank Pauli, Dave Williams, Don Wood, Robie Osterman, Roger Chapman, Roger Shafer, Jim Heiser, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Chuck Aelesio, Lou Schenck, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, Duncan Bellinger, Joe Bender, Bob Fink, Bob Benninger, Jim Rissacher, Rich Donnelly, Duane Wagenbaugh, Ted Willsey, Mike Willsey, Gerry Cartier, Harold Grippen, and me.    

Location:

Post date: 
October 9, 2015

Tags:

Print this page

by Linda Miller

Safety and the older driver is a sensitive topic.  Concerns about driving as one grows older   include the physical safety of the driver and others. And it includes the emotional decision of when to stop driving, as the ability to drive represents independence in our society.

Often, transportation is the number-one barrier for people who are seeking to age independently. Therefore, especially in our rural and suburban communities here in Albany County, independence means hanging on to the car keys.

As it turns out, we are neither helpless nor hopeless with the challenge of driving safely as we age. Education, preparation, and awareness can help all of us. Improvements in driver safety are not limited to those who are elders in the community; everyone can benefit. 

The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, www.nia.nih.gov, offers safe driving tips for you or the older driver in your family.

Mobility

If you have stiff joints and sore muscles, perhaps due to arthritis, you might have difficulty turning your head to see what’s behind you, turning the steering wheel, or braking safely.

See your doctor if the pain and stiffness is affecting your driving.

Drive with power steering, power brakes, and larger mirrors, if possible. 

Do exercises to improve flexibility and strength.

Vision 

If your vision has changed with age, it may be harder to see movement of cars or people outside of your direct line of sight. Glare from blinding sunlight during the day and from oncoming headlights at night can make it difficult to see the road.

See your eye doctor at least every one to two years from age 65 on; many vision problems, like cataracts, are treatable.

Make sure your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses is up to date.

Cut back on nighttime driving or stop altogether if you have difficulty seeing in the dark.

Sunrise and sunset are good times to avoid driving, since the sun can be directly in your line of vision. Pay attention to changes in the length of the day throughout the year and adjust your travel plans.

Hearing

If your hearing is impaired, which is common as we age, it’s harder to hear sirens, car horns or other vehicles approaching.

Get your hearing checked. The National Institute on Aging recommends having your hearing checked at least every three years after age 50.

Keep the interior of your car as quiet as possible while you are behind the wheel. 

Watch those warning lights on the car’s dashboard for any signals of something wrong with the car.

Reflexes

Older drivers may also experience slower reaction times and reflexes. To avoid other drivers, pedestrians, or hazards in the road, you need adequate response time. Consider that medications might make you drowsy and slow your reaction time.

Leave more distance between you and the car ahead of you.

Brake earlier when you need to stop.

Avoid high traffic situations and high speed driving.

If you must drive on highways, stay in the right lane with slower traffic to give you more time to make safe driving decisions.

Read medicine labels carefully; speak to your doctor or pharmacist about side effects that may affect your ability to drive.

Driving programs

There are driving programs aimed at older adults to update and refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road and learn how to adjust their driving to compensate for age-related physical changes. Safe-driver courses and resources are offered by the American association of Retired Persons, the American Automobile Association, and some insurance companies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also has resources devoted to senior drivers. Its website can be found at www.nhtsa.gov/Senior-Drivers. 

Part Two of Older Driver Safety will consider when to give up driving.

Community Caregivers, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides non-medical services, including transportation, and caregiver support at no charge to residents in Guilderland, Bethlehem, Altamont, New Scotland, Berne, Knox, and the City of Albany through a strong volunteer pool of dedicated individuals with a desire to assist their neighbors.

To find out more about our services or volunteer opportunities, please visit www.communitycaregivers.org or call 456-2898.            

Editor’s note: Linda Miller is the Outreach and Education coordinator for the community Caregivers.

Post date: 
October 9, 2015

Print this page

by John R. Williams

On Sept. 22, the Old Men of the Mountain met at the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville.

The OFs can’t complain about the weather this late in the year. Getting the home ready for winter for most of the OFs is moving right along.

Many of the woodsheds are full and ready for whatever winter has in store. Judging by the goldenrod, the wild apples, the pinecones, and other natural winter indicators, we may be in for a winner of a winter, this winter. The OFs hope it is not like last winter.

The OFs have talked about this a little while ago but now it is more emphatic: “DO NOT” sign up for or get Windows Ten. The thing is a disaster.

One OF says they can advertise all they want but this OF thinks Microsoft should be challenged for false advertising. This OF continued that even computer engineers have problems figuring this version out, and at times are left completely stumped.

Money misspent?

Switching topics quickly, the OFs talked about the rebuilding of the Blenheim covered bridge that was destroyed and washed downstream in the flood caused by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. The OFs were throwing out numbers of $5 million to rebuild this bridge.

The OFs might not mind if they had enough parts of the old bridge on hand so the antiquity of the bridge would still be part of any rebuild, but, the way the OFs understand it, this bridge will be completely new. The OFs can’t understand the logic in this.

The OFs think that $5 million would go a long way to help those who have not yet recovered from the storm, or help some of the businesses that lost everything and are still struggling to get back on their feet.

Teachers remembered

It is amazing to this scribe how some OFs can remember their first- and second-grade teachers. Some of the conversations Tuesday morning were on who had what teacher in what grade and how they remembered them.

The OFs wonder if teachers realize what an impact they have on their students, good and bad. Some must, an OF thought, because, as adults, a few of a teacher’s former students will mention to him or her how that particular teacher formed their lives, and that teacher may have been in the lower grades when the OFs brains were still like soup.

Then the opposite is true: There are some teachers who made life a living hell for some of the OFs and they remember this teacher for other reasons.

One OF said, when he graduated, he couldn’t wait to run for the school board to get a chance to fire her a--. Never happened.

Then some OFs couldn’t remember their teacher in the lower grades at all. They couldn’t even recall much of what happened in elementary school.

These OFs did not have a good recollection of teachers until middle school, high school, or college. Some became good friends, and some even dated. Today they both would be put in jail.

“Life isn’t fun any more,” one OF said, “There are too many rules, and too many do-gooders.”

Migration

A few more of the OFs who winter in warmer climates shook hands and said it was October and they were heading down to Florida. This seemed to some OFs that it’s too soon for this migration, because it seemed like these OFs just got here.

The OFs leaving are from the area and should know they’re missing one of the best parts of the year.  With fall and all its color, and the upcoming fall events, an OF doesn’t even have to leave his backyard to enjoy what fall has to offer.

The OFs said these migrating OFs should hang around until the last leaf falls and then head out.

This latest exodus of OFs talked about where they were going to land in Florida, and it was in a town near The Villages in Florida. One OF from that area said that The Villages started as a trailer park, and that two brothers operate it now.

The Villages, as a development, according to these OFs, is now over 100,000 people and is the largest “city” in that area. The OFs wondered how in the world does one family accrue all the land necessary to construct a development of that size.  One OF thought there had to be some political shenanigans involved in order to pull this off.   

Some OFs reported that the rules and regulations at The Villages are pretty strict. One OF thought it depended on where you bought into; however, no one really knew for sure.

Construction know-how

All this about building homes and how fast they were constructed in The Villages had the OFs talking about building homes here in the Hilltowns. More than one OF mentioned how little “dirt” was over the bedrock.

They discussed building their own homes and having to blast the cellars or make sure the house was on solid rock, lay up the foundation, and then back fill.

One OF said, “You can tell how much dirt is around, or how many cracks are in the rocks by looking at the white pine trees. If they are spread out like shrubs, or have large round trunks but not too high, there is not much dirt. If some are tall and others are short and squatty in the same area, it is safe to assume there are quite a few cracks in the rocks.”

It is possible to learn a lot from an Old Man of the Mountain.

The knowledgeable Old Men of the Mountain that used their knowledge to make it to the Hilltown Café in Rensselaerville, and again using their knowledge to know that this was good place to eat on the mountain, were: Harold Guest, John Rossmann, Art Frament, Robie Osterman, George Washburn, Bob Benac, Jack Benac, Joe Ketzer, Alvin Latham, Bob Snyder, Lou Schenck, Mace Porter, Jack Norray, Gerry Irwin, Bill Bartholomew, Dave Williams, Mark Traver, Glenn Patterson, Jim Rissacher, Duane Wagenbaugh, Rich Donnelly, Mike Willsey, Gerry Chartier, Elwood Vanderbilt, Harold Grippen, Ted Willsey, and me.   

Location:

Post date: 
October 9, 2015

Print this page