Summer in the Country

Just got back from a week in the New Jersey countryside at the home of my son and his family. Walking along the rural roads with my grandson Sam took me back to my long ago summers in the country, starting when I was about five or six. My grandparents and great aunt Kiki treated me – and later my younger sister Kathy – to a few weeks at a farm in Ellenville and a resort in Calicoon, New York. Many years later, one of our lemon cars actually broke down on the Route 17 exit for Ellenville. That was the time that we hitched a ride with the three kids and had many adventures along the way – but that’s another story.

At the farm, we played with the young farm kids, William and Francis. One of the games was leaping over the trap door in the hayloft; of course I fell through and was knocked out momentarily. Another great game was chasing the pigs when they got loose. Although there was no TV in those days, we never lacked for entertainment. We took daily walks along the road, where we would find lizards and wild flowers. In the evenings we played rolls of melodies on the player piano and had sing-a-longs. We even spent many hours writing and performing little plays. Kids haven’t changed all that much. Just last week, my grandkids, Marina, Chase and Sierra performed in 3 plays, written by their home school friends. I am happy to report that talent has grown remarkably in our family since the plays of my youth.

While I was in New Jersey last week we went to the Warren County Fair. It was great fun, especially the Demolition Derby. And I realize that part of my childhood country summers must have included a trip to the fair. I remember clearly wanting a special prize at a festival in the country – a Bambi stuffed animal, perched atop all the other prizes. My grandfather tried all evening to win it for me. Checking to see if it was still there, I discovered that it was gone. I was heartbroken until my grandfather came along with my Bambi tucked under his arm; he did it! Again, grandkids have not changed over the years - at every fair or theme park, they are lured by the games that promise stuffed animal prizes.

Home cooked country dinners were part of the farm vacation experience, a big draw for my grandmother and aunt. I guess Grandmas haven’t changed all that much either. One evening, the dinner menu was hot dogs and potato chips. Well, we kids were delighted. Needless to say, my grandmother was not amused and that ended our summer stays at Ellenville.