The Inexplicable Bee Attack at Kappy's Boats, July 1971

One of my chores as a teenager was to mow the lawn down at the waterfront. One morning this mundane task quickly became an adrenaline-filled and nightmarish experience. Our family owned two very long docks and rented boat spaces to summer residents in our neighborhood. The docks were crowded with boats and vacationers that morning. I gassed up the little 18 inch mower and pushed it down the dirt road to the boat livery. It was pretty warm out for July, probably pushing 75 degrees. I started it and just mowed as usual, thinking about waterskiing later that day if the water kept calm. Back and forth I pushed the little mower, the Briggs just chugging away...then I felt a bug hit me on the neck, then another smacking my back, and I heard buzzing near my ear. I stopped and turned around to to see bees, Yellow-Jackets, flying out of a hole in the ground that I had just mowed over! I let go of the mower and just ran towards the water, the Yellow-Jackets swarming after me. I ran down the boat launch, took a huge breath of air, and plunged into the water. I had the idea to hold my breath as long as I could in hopes the Yellow-Jackets would give up on me and buzz away. I stayed under I don't know how long, until my lungs were about to burst. I lunged up to get more air and go right back under in case the bees were still around, and in that brief second I was getting my air I saw that the bees were attacking all those innocent people on the docks. They were screaming and dancing and yelling and swatting them away as I re-entered the water. I slowly swam away underwater, under one dock to the other side as far as I could go, maybe 50 feet away from the the area under attack. When I re-surfaced, people were running off the docks back up the hill to escape the area. A few were still in their boats. One little girl had been stung and she was crying, her Mom trying to comfort her. I slowly walked ashore. The mower was still sitting there, running on high. I switched it off and walked away. I finished the job later, after I poured kerosene down the bee-hole and lit it. I heard the little girl was taken to the doctor for the bee-sting. I don't believe anyone in the neighborhood ever connect me with the bee attack at all.

Falling Through The Ice

I fell through the ice. Once. In front of Bob Parker's camp (somebody else owns it now). It was December, I was 11 years old. There was an inch of clear ice and I just had to try it out. I walked out North from Scotty's Boat Livery and then West. I was about 20 yards offshore and broke through. I thought I was a goner but the depth was only up to mid-thigh and was so cold I could not catch my breath for several minutes. I slopped around and climbed out of there, wobbling home with frozen pants and squooshie boots- scared that it could have been worse (over my head, I'd be dead). I don't think anyone saw it happen. I never told a soul until just now...I was so frightened I just never wanted to think about it...

Winter at Sandy Pond

The nights were so cold in January. On windless starry nights, we'd walk out on the ice, the snow squeeking underfoot, looking for a comet or a satellite in the night sky and stopping to gulp as we became aware of the northern lights wavering and flourescing in the sky. It was glorious. Sometimes I thought I could hear them make a noise like little glass crystals tingling...but of course there is nothing to hear but the echo of the lake and the prattling of snowmobiles.

Any Ideas?

Looking for new material...Will post soon, sorry for the delay -VERY busy with the job these past several weeks! Any requests?

Brothers Kappesser

Unc George, with wife Esther- 1950s

Uncle France, my dad Edward, and Charles Kappesser late 50's...all Sergeants.

France, Ed, and Chuck...band of bros.

This is a copy of Dad's photo, as a 1st Sergeant, that is still displayed in the lobby at NY State Police Headquarters in Oneida, NY.

I remember many gatherings at Dad's house at Sandy Pond when I was young. Dad's brothers, George, Chuck, and Frances would often visit. They would drink beer, eat heartily, tell jokes and stories, and play cards to all hours. Besides being brothers, these men had another thing in common - - they were all police officers. No Jerry Bruckheimer series could ever top the stories these men fascinated us with, because they were all real...

Brothers Francis, Chuck, Ed, and George Kappesser appeared in many newspaper articles during the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s during their careers as police officers in Upstate NY.

The 4 brothers, 3 of them State Troopers and George a Syracuse City Police Detective, were well known among New York's law enforcement circles during their heyday.
I have heard many stories. Wonderful stories.

At one point during his career, France was Attorney General (later, Governor) Thomas Dewey's bodyguard. He eventually was promoted to 1st Sergeant of Troop K in eastern NY. During retirement he was elected Town Justice of Pawling NY.

George was one of the best homicide detectives the city of Syracuse ever had. He solved many high profile murders. George also had a reputation for being skillful at talking suicide jumpers down and negotiating with criminals during hostage situations. This before they assigned these tasks to college-boys with psychology degrees.

Ed Kappesser, my Dad, with Grandma, circa 1938, New York State Police Motorcycle Patrol, Adirondack Region.


Ed, my Dad, a motorcycling State Trooper at first, eventually was promoted to 1st Sergeant of Troop D, which serves Syracuse and surrounding counties. He was in charge of the Trooper detail at the NY State Fair for many years. Among the four brothers, Ed was the best marksman. He taught marksmanship at the State Police Academy for a while. He also taught me. During retirement he was elected Town Justice of Sandy Creek NY.

Chuck was one of the first State Troopers to be airborne - using his own small plane for many official tasks. This before the State Troopers (or any NY police force) owned or used aircraft. Charles was also the best driver – he was fearless behind the wheel and knew how to drive faster than anyone he chased. His cruiser was always "personally modified" for more horsepower. This before the police had the special "interceptor" vehicles.

All 4 brothers enlisted as active duty soldiers during WWII. My Dad, a Marine, fought at Iwo Jima and Okinawa against the Japanese. I don’t know about my uncles…these men didn’t talk about it much.

Their collective time in service as police officers numbered well over 100 years, prompting Lowell Thomas (who was also a friend of France's) to have these men as guests on his show during the '70s.


If all this seems unbelievable, read the newspaper articles for yourself.

Click on http://www.fultonhistory.com/

Enter the site and search on 'Kappesser'.

It was a privilege to know these men, to call them my Dad and Uncles. Yes indeed, they were part of the "greatest generation". They are sorely missed.

New Old One-Liners...

You Might Be From Upstate New York if....


If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through
36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will
swim by, you might live in Upstate New York.


If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights
each year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation,
you might live in Upstate New York.


If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you
might live in Upstate New York.


If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the
year, you might live in Upstate New York.


If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work
there, you might live in Upstate New York.


If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of
his forehead, you might live in Upstate New York.


If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live
in Upstate New York.


If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might
live in Upstate New York.


If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who
dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.


YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:

1. "Vacation" means going South past Albany for the weekend.

2. You measure distance in hours.

3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back
again.

5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging
blizzard, without flinching.

6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including
weddings).

7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave
both unlocked.

8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend / wife
knows how to use them.

9. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled
with snow.

11. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and
road construction.

12. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.

13. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to
your blue spruce.

14. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.

15. Down South to you means Albany.

16. A brat is something you eat.

17. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
18. You go out to fish fry every Friday.

19. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

20. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

21. You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."

22. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all
your Upstate New York friends.

The Blizzard of '66

The coldest temperature on record for Syracuse, NY is -26 degrees set on the morning of January 26th, 1966. The historic Blizzard of '66 began the day after, January 27th ...

The Blizzard of '66 is to date the most famous blizzard to hit Oswego, NY and surrounding areas, and holds the record for the most snowfall in a single storm in Oswego, where very snowy winters are taken in stride.

Here is a link to a newsreel on YouTube:


Newsreel: Blizzard of '66



It began as a nor'easter which affected the New York City metro area and was followed by heavy "wraparound" lake effect snows. Winds were more than 60 mph. during the storm and at Fair Haven, New York they are believed to have exceeded 100 mph. The snow was badly drifted and roads and schools closed as long as a week. Drifts covered entire 2 story houses.
A total of 102" of snow was recorded at Oswego, 50" of this falling on the last day of the storm alone. 50" of snow were also recorded at Camden, New York on the same day. The last day of the blizzard the winds subsided and snowburst conditions prevailed, with the snow falling straight down. Fair Haven did not have official snowfall records at the time, but state troopers reported measuring 100" of snow on the level, where none had been prior to the storm. Syracuse, New York received a record snowfall of 42.3" which remained their heaviest storm on record, until the Blizzard of 1993.
The storm lasted from Jan 27 to Jan 31 1966, a total of 4 1/2 days. The daily snowfall totals for Oswego are as follows.
27th 8" 28th 12" 29th 11" 30th 21" 31st 50"
I remember the wind literally howling in off The Pond. It was eerie. It didn’t subside for 4 days. Dad said it was the worst ever and always maintained that no blizzard has topped it since. It was a true blizzard with very high velocity winds and a few feet of snowfall. And it was very cold out. With the temperature outside in the single-digits coupled to the high winds, the wind chill factor was calculated to be 20 below zero at one point. We stayed indoors for a few days, so big deal. We had TV, board games, and comic books. We had snowshoes but no snowmobile. I don’t remember losing power during this one.
At times there were white-outs and we could not see Meyer’s camp across the street just 100 ft. away. The cars in the driveway were quickly and completely buried. A big snow drift kept forming on the roof at back of the house and my Dad had to climb up there a few times during the raging blizzard to clear it off. He would also take a broom to the windows to clear off the snow that the wind had plastered there. The blowing snow got in through the north gable vent in the attic and Dad had to clear it out of the attic too.
It took a few days to dig out and wait for the snow plows and loaders to clear the roads. School was closed for a week. My parents told us to stay off the drifts and snowbanks near the utility poles because they were high enough to enable you to reach up and touch the wires. The drift down by the entrance to Scotty’s Boat Livery measured 13 feet high.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Below is an email from Marie (Mitchell) Reiger. Her dad was Bill Mitchell, previous owner of the original Bayview Hotel.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Marie (Mitchell) Reiger
To: skappesser@hotmail.com
Subject: Blizzard of 66
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:05:41 +0000

Steve, I just read your blog about the Blizzard of 66. I remember that I had spent Christmas of 65 in Florida with my folks and flew into Syracuse in January, the day before the blizzard. Don and Dell Price, friends and customers of the Bayview, picked me up at Hancock Airport and drove me up to Sandy Pond. We knew a storm was coming so they turned around and drove right back to Syracuse. I remember waking up to drift after drift of snow in the road at the pond. Customers came by foot to the hotel. Ronnie Whisnant did plow the parking lot with his jeep. He had to come for his daily coffee!!
I was to begin college at SUNY at Oswego as a transfer from Hartwick College in Oneonta. Jack and Edie Castor were running the Bayview Hotel while my folks were in Florida. I missed a week of school before Jack took me over to Oswego to begin school. The snow was up to the second floor of all the buildings at the college. We had to tunnel into buildings to go to class.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi Marie -

Wow that's quite a story!

Yes' I remember pictures in the newspapers of the the tunnels on the streets of Oswego. Ronnie Whisnant also plowed us out (eventually). He had that red and white Jeep and he knew how to use it. My Dad shot some 8mm movies after the blizzard that I haven't processed yet, but I will post them soon.

I plan to be ice fishing on The Pond the coming weekend of Feb. 20 with my brothers Kip and Pete and friends. I hope I don't have to deal with a blizzard like this!

Do you mind if I add your email to the posting?

Steve

_______________________________________________

Hi Steve, Sure you can post my email. Have fun ice fishing. Do you know Tim Pauldine? He and his wife have a cottage near us but live in Oswego. Tim drives up to Sandy Pond every weekend and checks our cottages. He was up there two weeks ago. He said there were over 100 ice fishermen and it was really snowing hard. Hope you have good luck. Marie

Springerle Christmas Cookies

One fond memory of living at Sandy Pond was of my Mom, Ruthy Kappesser, making Springerles at Christmastime.
Anybody visiting our family would get Springerles, which were thought to bring luck and cheer.

They are German christmas cookies, flavored with anise seed, which is licorice-like in taste. Mom's recipe came from Dad's family - his Grandma I think. Springerles need to be dried for a couple of weeks so they are rock-hard, but us kids would sneak them out of the jar ahead of their day because we liked them soft. I still prefer them soft. (I'm eating one now!)

They are formed with a special hardwood rolling pin or press that is carved with different designs to imprint on the dough. Barb has 2 of the rolling pins and 1 press...

Springerles. Barb made these with whole wheat flour she milled herself from some wheat we bought from the Amish in Lancaster County PA.

Barbs collection of Springerle tools...

A press.

This is an old pin.




Barb's been doing that Christmas cookie thing all week. The house smells great when I get home from work. The Springerle German cookies are almost ready to eat (drying for 10 days now). We have cookie exchange at Cobham (work) tomorrow and so I have plenty to bring to the table. I might make a batch of traditional Bavarian Cookie Wreaths. (Kappessers emigrated from Bavaria in 1803). Some of my fellow coworkers have no baking resources so they bring their cookies in from fancy upscale bakeries (or BJ's Warehouse)...they aren't bad either...




Of course we use a lot of cookie canisters!




The first one on the left is a fruitcake cookie, also new this year...visitors will be forced to eat cookies.

Here are all the different kinds Barb made this year. The front row is the German Springerles - my favorite. My Mom gave her the recipe from my Dad's Grandma (as I recall), originating in the old country (Bavaria, Germany), but I think she's researched and developed a better one...

These are new. A marshmallow covered with melted caramel and rolled in rice krispies.

Barb has been baking cookies every Christmas since we were married in 1982...and I have been eating them!

SCCS Football 1970 Part II...

Appearing in this video clip and part 1 in the previous post were ROXY JANACEK, JILL SOULE, JULIE SOULE, JEANETTE BLOUNT, LORI YERDON, MYSELF, KEVIN MCDOUGAL, BILL MILLER, FRANKLIN NINOR, RANDY DAY, MARK RICHTER, CHRIS OUDERKIRK, MIKE PRESLEY, DWAYNE CLEMONS, SUE BLOUNT, and STEPHEN GREENFIELD.

Once I have these digitally transferred, I'll post again - the fidelity will be better then...

SCCS Football 1970

Just a short video...clips my Dad, Ed Kappesser, shot at a SCCS football game in the fall of 1970. This video has not been digitally transferred from 8mm to MPEG yet, hence the "flicker"...

SCCS Cheerleaders

My Sandy Pond Memories will always include the high school culture at Sandy Creek Central school.

A big part of life at SCCS was SPORTS and CHEERLEADERS. Now, I was no athlete in those days, but I enjoyed going to the games once in a while and watching the teams play and Cheerleaders do their stuff. Now the Cheerleaders had talent that I could appreciate. They would practice for hours and choreograph clever cheers and routines. I think they worked hard at what they did and never really got the credit they deserved. In any case, as a teenage boy with raging hormones, I would rather watch the cheerleaders (in their short pleated skirts) than the guys playing their games any day.

I went steady with a cute, bright, freshman girl for a while who made it on to the cheerleading squad. She was jumpin' up and down squealing happy when she made the team - it was a big deal. After that, I even got to ride on the bus with them for a few games (boyfriends of cheerleaders were allowed).

After one particularly hard fought basketball game against Belleville for the local Championship in which SCCS lost by one point, we filed out on the bus to go home, a little subdued and sullen. A couple of psuedo-juvenile delinquents snuck over and let the air out of Belleville’s bus tires. Our bus driver pretended to be mad and yelled at all of us like we were all guilty, but I saw his face in the mirror after he sat down in the driver's seat and I swear he smirked.

Belleville's basketball team got home late that night, but I'm sure they didn't care.

High school was full of great moments like that, and I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything.

Here is a short video of a football game at SCCS in the fall of ’71. I have more footage but haven't transferred it from 8mm to MPEG yet. I'll post that another time.

February Visitors

Almost every year, by February, winter's accumulated snow would be piled at least 5 or 6 feet high along the roads and around driveways from the incessant plowing and snowblowing and shoveling. At Sandy Pond, sometimes it would snow every day for 4 or 5 days. Blizzards with their strong winds and horizontal snow with sporadic "whiteouts", would hit maybe 2 or 3 times a month.

And, every February, our old and dear friends from Pittsburgh would brave the elements and visit for my Dad's birthday celebration on the 15th. The party usually included Dr. Rex Newton, his wife Alice, son Bobby, and Alice's brother Bob Hopkins and wife Peggy, and Regis and Jean Cannon. Oh my gosh we had some great times - ice-fishin', playing cards, tellin' stories, Back In The Day.

Here is a video of (the late) Bobby Newton snowmobiling in the winter wonderland of Sandy Pond...Bobby sure loved to ride!

WIGWAM HOTEL

Photo taken a few years ago.

OLD PHOTO
When I went off to Navy boot camp on March 11, 1980, my mind sort of “photographed” Sandy Pond the way it was that day.
I have been living far away from there since so that photograph is tainted but vivid. The Wigwam Hotel is part of that old picture.

MR. KENDRADT
Growing up at Sandy Pond we took the Wigwam for granted as a run down local business who‘s hey-dey had come and gone many years ago. Mom and Dad took us there once in a while for a Friday fish dinner and Dad would take the opportunity to chew the fat at the Bar with the former owner old Nick Kendradt. I have forgotten who owned the Wigwam before old Nick - after all, I was a small child then.
Mr. Kendradt lived on a pension and chose not to sink much money into his hotel, content to let it coast down a slope while he made a meager living off the regulars - mostly card-playin, stogie-smokin’ beer drinkin buddies and “fish-heads“.

FISH HEADS

There always seemed to be a lot more activity at the old Wigwam in the winter. Fishermen would descend on Sandy Pond every weekend to try their luck through The Ice. There were hundreds of them on the ice on the weekends, many of them relying on the Wigwam, The Comfort Hotel (burned down from “faulty wiring” in the early 70’s), Sandy Lodge (which later changed hands and became “The Lodge“), Eddie’s Cove (or, as we used to call it Eddie’s “Cave”), and the Bayview Hotel (also burned in the 70‘s, from a lit ciggy-butt in the ladies room trash).
Seems like the Wigwam got the most customers, looking for chili, burgers, and beer for lunch - then back out on The Ice. Mr. Kendradt also sold bait and a very basic assortment of tackle available in the basement.

STOCK CAR RACES…
Living in my own teen world, I never knew who arranged or sponsored them, but there used to be stock car races on the ice in front of the Wigwam. Once or twice a winter, on a typically cold winter-cloudy-gray Saturday afternoon, huge crowds of people would watch dozens of cars compete in several classes, including “powder-puff” for the ladies. A few days before, a crew would plow the snow in the ice to form a big flat oval track with snow banks for walls. Tires and hay-bales were piled around the curves for extra protection. The cars were typically back-yard budget creations, right down to the tires outfitted with spikes. The spikes helped, but ice is still ice and the lack of friction provided the crowd with plenty of crashes (more like slow-motion fender-benders). Top speed, if a driver was skillful, was probably a brief 40 MPH, and none of the cars had mufflers, so you could hear the roar no matter where you were within a 3 mile radius. Beer flowed freely among the race-fans, and there were plenty of tailgate gatherings. If it snowed it just made the races MUCH more interesting…
I also remember a demolition derby in front of the Wigwam one or two years, with similar noise and crowds.

CARS KICKED OFF THE ICE
In the late 70’s, the Sandy Creek Town Board passed and ordnance that prohibited automobiles on the ice of any body of water in Sandy Creek township, which includes Sandy Pond. My Dad was one of Sandy Creek’s Town Justices in those days (Maurice Hurd being the other). He attended the Board meetings that debated and finally voted yes to the new ordnance. Despite the loss of revenue for local businesses, the town wanted to prevent any more drownings. Over the years too many cars had broken through the ice and fisherman drowned. In those days, once in a while, springtime yielded a body or two on the shore after the ice went out. Grisly...

Some photos from the mid-1970s. The horse and dog belonged to Nancy Warner,

(Photos courtesy Charlene Cole, Sandy Creek Town Historian)

SOUTHWICK BEACH STATE PARK

Growing up at Sandy Pond I never paid any attention to this park and I rergret that. It's beautiful. We have camped here several times in the past 20 years.

If I lived in the area I would take advantage of this park several times a year.

The beach is immaculate...the bottom of the water in swimming area is all soft sand, the staff doesn't harass you, and they even allow you to body surf / boogie-board when the waves are high.

These photos were taken just after sunrise.

Wish you were there...

SOUTHWICK BEACH

Aug 22 - Aug 29 we are staying at Southwick Beach State Park, north of Sandy Pond. That'll be fun. Campsites 47 and 48 - stop by...say hello...
I hope to be showing the 30th Anniversary Edition of The Rat Pack Movie Uncut (Blu-ray disc) someplace during this time frame. Maybe at Brewsters, maybe at Eddie's Cove...maybe at somebody's home...not sure yet.

I don't know if I'll be updating this BLOG during that time.

Bus #34

I remember waiting for the school bus during the long cold, grey, winters at Sandy Pond – how could anyone forget freezing like a popsicle? Most of the time there was at least a breeze coming in off the Pond and when it was more than a breeze the wind chill factor would plummet exponentially deep into the minus numbers of Fahrenheit. There have been many times in my life that I have experienced being “cold to the bone” so to speak – and the majority of those times were either waiting for that stupid school bus or ice-fishing with my Dad.

The bus did not pick us kids up in front of our home. We had to catch the bus down on the lower road, which meant walking down Ontario Avenue and over in front of Meyer’s camp (which used to be the “Jappyland” skating rink / dance-hall / hang-out) under a big oak tree. Fortunately that tree offered some protection during bad weather. The bus we rode was (I’ll never forget) #34, a 60 passenger ’61 GMC custom made by Superior Bus Co, driven by Mr. Fahnestock. Mr. Jim Fahnestock had more than one job at SCCS. He also taught MATH and coached basketball. He was a short, fearless man with a crew cut and a macho attitude. Everybody liked him, but you did not want him mad at you.

I remember Mr. Fahnestock using the school bus full of kids as a tow truck, yanking cars out of the snow banks and ditches when these situatiuons presented themselves. Amazing.

Every Friday Mr. Fahnestock would reverse the bus route so the kids who normally get off last got off first to start their weekend. Those kids were always elated on Fridays, and there was always an air of excitement.

Several things happened on the bus that are remarkable and worth mentioning here. In order to keep a close reign on Mike Richter, who was a mischievous boy in his mid-teens, Mr. Fahnestock appointed him to be the official door opener and Mike took it seriously - doing a good job at it. Unfortunately Mike had the worst beer farts west of Route 3. He was under-age but that did not stop him from indulging himself and from time to time he would let her rip and we would all suffer, windows flying open and sleeves over noses... Mr. Fahnestock thought it was funny…

One morning we arrived at school and before he opened the door to let everybody out Mr. F said only the girls could get off – he needed to talk to the boys. After they were all off Mr. F said that he heard a boy saying the "F word" and wanted him to ‘fess up' and we would ALL be staying on the bus until the perpetrator confessed. There was a long pause and we all looked at one another, shrugging our shoulders. Then a hand went up and Mr. F told the rest of us to leave. As I got off the bus I glanced at the bad boy and was surprised that it was my brother Kip! I not surprised he was using bad language because that was certainly nothing new…I was surprised that he confessed… that had never happened before. Mr. Fahnestock could intimidate somebody twice his size…

One time the bus accidentally ran over a dog. That was sad. We had just picked up the Mc Williams Kids and we all felt a little bump as the bus started off. Mr. F slammed on the brakes and sent Mike back to see what it was. Mike came back shaking his head and muttered something to Mr. F. He bounded out the door and knocked on the McWilliams' porch door to tell them the bad news. They wrapped the dead dog in a blanket and took it out back. The Mc Williams kids got off the bus and stayed home…

Another time while making a turn onto another road off the Ouderkirk Road, the bus slid off the road on some ice into a deep snowbank and we were stuck. Mr. F radioed for another bus to come get us. While waiting, he tried rocking it back and forth – gunning the old engine and grinding the gears…that was a ride as good as at any theme park - but he could not get it back on the road. We were all laughing and the girls screaming etc.

When I was a senior I started driving my van to school and got away from riding the bus. I missed it a little but driving to school was cooler. Once in a while I’d take the bus when I had no money for gas or the van was broke down.

Lots of good memories on that bus. Every Spring would bring squirt-gun battles and every winter the snowballs would fly (while Mr. F wasn’t looking). But if he caught you he would yell and glare at you in his giant 2 foot rear-view mirror, and deal with you harshly once we got to school. The popular punishment was to sweep and mop the bus…it was a very clean bus indeed!

I never thought I'd fondly remember the stupid bus...

SO LONG "WILD BILL" We'll Miss Ye...

I first met Bill Stedman at the Redfield Hotel one thirsty night in the late ‘70s.
He was mouthing off about our President suffering from “rectal-cranial” inversion. I lost my beer out through my nose I was laughing so hard. We were shootin’ pool and he was pretty good (for an Army puke)…

We called him “Wild Bill” Stedman in those days.

He had been in a tough outfit during his service in the Army and I honor him for his service. The special training he endured in the Army is physically and mentally grueling, and any man who makes it through that deserves recognition and respect.

He was a good shot and one heckuva deer hunter and knew the Tug Hill well of course. I suppose I can say this now that he’s gone off to the great hunting ground…but Wild Bill told me he liked smoked salmon BETTER than venison sometimes. Well, I like venison a LOT more than salmon, so we agreed to swap venison for salmon pound for pound. He always gave me a tenderloin or sirloin – only the best cuts. We continued with this arrangement until I enlisted in the Navy and went away in 1980.

I haven’t seen Bill since and now I am sorry to have read his obituary. Now that he’s gone I regret I didn’t look him up when I was home on leave. He had a quick wit and a long list of jokes. He was a dependable sort and willing to help you out if you were broke. I probably still owe him like 20 bucks for beating me in 8-ball so much. Once in a while I’d beat him but I think he let me.

One time some friends and I were on the way home to Sandy Pond at zero-dark-thirty after an evening of revelry and mischief at the Redfield Hotel. Some local band had played that night and we all had a real good time. It was December and a light rain was icing up the roads so I had to drive like a Grandma. Coming around a long curve on a down slope somewhere between Redfield and Greenboro, we suddenly saw a dark figure with a flashlight in the middle of the road waving it around at an alarming rate and holding his other hand up, screaming over and over STOP! STOP! STOP! I started pumping my brakes but the tires were not experiencing any road friction on the wet ice so it took forever to get her stopped, just missing the guy with the flashlight. Then we saw the accident about a tenth of a mile down further. Looked like about 4 cars in a serious pileup in the middle of the road.

The guy with the flashlight was Wild Bill.

He was standing in the middle of the road forcing cars to stop before more cars piled up. He stood there waving that flashlight and screaming at cars until the cops and ambulances got there. Some of the cars he was stopping got a little out of control so he had to dodge them as they slid by. The man was fearless and agile. I don’t think anybody in the pile-up got hurt, but if it hadn’t been for Wild Bill stopping all those cars who knows how horrible it could have become. After he was done he just got in his vehicle and drove away.

He never mentioned it again – didn’t think anything of it I guess. The people involved in the crash don’t know it, but they owed Bill a lot after that night, maybe their very lives. Wild Bill was one of the good guys and I was fortunate to have known him only for a couple of years…we’ll miss him.

RECENT PHOTOS at The Pond

SUNSET AT THE BAYVIEW

OUR ROOM AT RAINBOW SHORES HOTEL


READY TO PICK UP DAD'S BOAT

JUST GOT DAD'S BOAT OUT OF THE WATER

DAD'S BOAT ARRIVES AT IT'S NEW HOME ON THE CHESAPEAKE

FLAG AT ACUTEC LODGE

EVENING AT ACUTEC LODGE

BAYVIEW

RAINBOW OVER THE BUCK, LANCASTER COUNTY, ON THE WAY HOME

NICE SIGN ROB!

BARB AND I WITH DAD'S BOAT - - FINALLY

EVENING AT THE SMITH'S...

HOG NOSE POINT, SANDY POND

BAYVIEW DOCKS

DAD'S BOAT