It’s nice to remember the simple, really good times we all have shared
SCHOHARIE — Some days are just harder to wake up to than others. Tuesday, June 17, was one of those days for the OMOTM.
Maybe it was the gray, 55-degree, misty morning with the rest of the day not looking much better. As we made our way to the Your Way Café in Schoharie, we may have been thinking about the fine day we all enjoyed the Sunday before. It was Father's Day!
It was a day for families gathering together. The OMOTM don't really need a special day in order to enjoy getting together with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The weather was dry and mid-70s, maybe a little cloudy, but that was OK; we didn't need to get sunburned anyway. It was just fun to welcome the family into our homes; anticipation can be half the fun. Is the barbecue grill ready to go? Do we have enough charcoal or is the liquid-propane tank topped off?
Sometimes some of the family members bring a favorite dish that all of us look forward to each year along with the hamburgers and hot dogs and potato salad. There are definite unwritten rules and customs that are followed regarding who brings what.
Nothing is written down; nobody votes on anything anyway. It all works out just like it always does because the same people always bring the same stuff each year, and it is great!
If the Oldest OF, let’s call him the “OOF,” is lucky, his favorite pie will appear for the millionth year in a row. Most of the time, someone will have to go find this OOF, a man among men, who usually is found on the couch in the family room or maybe in the hammock under the big shade tree, enjoying a nap.
They will wake him up so he can tell everyone for the millionth time that this is his favorite pie. This will cause a younger OF to try to take undue credit for the pie even though all he did was to carry the pie from the car to the kitchen. Everyone knows he doesn’t know how to boil water!
By the way, concerning the rules and regs for Father’s Day festivities, there is, in fact, a select group of individuals who do know all the unwritten rules and regulations, and nobody but nobody messes with them!
Who are these people who have this knowledge? I refer you back to May11: Mother’s Day!
After the paper plates and plastic knives and forks and napkins have been thrown into the trash (no one needs to do dishes on this day), some of these younger OMOTM fathers, many of whom are grandfathers and some of whom are great-grandfathers in their own right, will try and prove their prowess by pitching horseshoes.
This will be a mistake as they learn why the OOFs are not joining them in this game. These OOFs have long since learned they can’t throw a horseshoe anywhere near far enough. That’s why they are over there smiling and shaking their heads and will, under no circumstances, be tempted to pick up a horseshoe.
In keeping with the outdoor sports and the day in general, with picnics and barbecues, a discussion was overheard at one of the tables about going to the ballpark to watch a game. Many of us have fond memories of going to a ball game with our family and absolutely nothing has ever tasted better than a hot dog at the ballpark.
How many of us remember the old Hawkins Stadium in Menands where the Albany Senators played? Or the Albany-Colonie Yankees out by the airport? One of the OFs talked about how much he enjoys going to the Joe Bruno Stadium to watch the Tri-City Valley Cats play a good brand of baseball.
A friend of his and his family went to a Mets game in New York City. They went down by charter bus with the tickets and everything paid for in advance.
He showed pictures of their seats in what, just a few years ago, would have called Uecker seats out in right center field. Not anymore!
He said they had waitresses, couches to relax on (I saw the pictures), and enjoyed a real dinner (four different choices in addition to the aforementioned hot dogs). How times have changed, but the idea of a family going out to the ball park and spending a great afternoon together having fun, remains the same.
Sometimes we forget the simple, really good times we all have shared on our way to the status of OFs.
Some of those good times come in the form of having a Tuesday breakfast at the Your Way Café. Those sharing in the good times were; Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Frank A. Fuss, Ed Goff, Glenn Patterson, Joe Rack, Mark Traver, Miner Stevens, Pete Whitbeck, Robert Schanz, George Washburn, Wm Lichliter, Marty Herzog, Frank Dees, Russ Pokorny, Warren Willsey, Roger Shafer, Gerry Chartier, Herb Bahrmann, John Williams, Dave Wood, Lou Schenck, Gerry Cross, Dick Dexter, John Jaz, Roland Tozer, Elwood Vanderbilt, Dave Hodgetts, Bob Donnelly, Paul Guiton, John Dab, and me.