Like Metal Under a Welding Torch

31 May '75

Celebrated Veteran's day with a ride through beautiful NY state, singing old, off-key (not morally) songs and marvelling at mountains.

Passed through the pastel cottageland of the Irish Catskills and arrived at Schoharie. Doubtless it is like tiny towns anywhere, but now that we are here, its special charm seems evident. In historic Schoharie, people leave their skis and bicycles on the porch. Unlocked.

1 June '75

No phones, no TV's, sporadic plumbing, not cheap either. But now I always want to stay in places like the Parrot House. We ssat up late out in the poorly lit hall (10-11' ceiling, old fashioned light fixtures, dumpy furniture) playing backgammon, smoking, and drinking tap water (no ice, either). You could never do this in a Holiday Inn. You wouldn't want to, even if there were a lounge at the end of the hall.

Pleasant wedding, very pleasant reception, danced with everybody. Uncle Ray made a hit with people in general. Sharon's whole family singing "I've Been Working on the Railroad." They dance much more than Mary Beth's family does. Bill and Marybeth have quite a view. I guess if you are going to live in the mountains, you should always live where you can see the sunrise and/or sunset through a cleft in the hills. It was so orange - like glowing metal under a welding torch.

2 June '75

Travelled to Canada via "America's Most Scenic Highway, 1966-1967," I-87, which well lived up to its reputation. The Adirondacks are stunning and fairly empty of human presence. Montreal has a definite cosmopolitan feeling - "all of those continental-looking males," as Sharon said. One also tends to feel that many of the French-speaking females look sort of French. Mont-Royal rivals Roch Creek Park as an urban getaway. It offers wonderful views on all sides, and most of the people cluster about Le Chateau on the southern end. The rest of the 10-12 acre summit is fairly wild and empty. Canadian beer has a deliciously un-American tang which Geoff ascribes to higher alcoholic content and a lack of preservative chemicals.