from the Woods......cont.

    I do have too clearify afew things from last time. When I mentioned Barry Quiaoit, last time, I said.."as he kept a keen Eve on what I was doing" It was more like ...keeping an eye on the woman that came in there...& you know who I mean ,right ladies?
    I'm not gonna mention names , or at least, not alot of them. But while we're on the subject,another thing about the 'Bough', & then I'll , ...well no it's gonna come back now & then...so let's just say , Moveing right along....Bessamer, as in Dick ,then approched 2 other 'locals', who also happen to live right in Town.
    Walter Raynor lived only a 'block' away just up to the light, in the center of Town, then just to the right, a half block. Walter started in the kitchen , on the 'cold side', after that we made a journey togeather thru those many establishments;He came to join the ranks of becomeing another 'Dinasour' bartender.Which alot of us still look uppond as a really good thing , even to this very day.
     Marty Carlson was hired as the Head Chef. Later finding out we were cousins, go figure? I also have to mention , for Loris' sake, that Marty was the one to give me the nick name big, 'Tate', like in Potatos, baked, whipped, fried,you name it , when they were out I was in.
     Marty then brought on board, David, Chris, & Karl. Other close  associates soon joined, like Barry & Scott Plumb.

     I don't know if  I mentioned it , but the last 2 Resturants that I worked, the Bough, & the Birches, before I worked at the Casino, weren't like the Casino. Well there really isn't any thing like the Casino, now is there?

From the Woods, to the Golden Bough....& beyond

  After the first 'Woods'...I was planning my 2nd one for Aug. I was sitting at the Pub, talking to a regular, at the time, his name was Richard Bessemer. We started talking about the Festivals & asked me if I ever thought about being a bartender. Well, I thought, yeah, being brought up in a the surroundings of people helping people, in some form. In my case I was raised on a state park in Northwest Ct.,in a little town called Cornwall Bridge, on the Housatonic River. Not only did I become formiliar with the habits of all kinds of people, that came there from exotic places like Thomaston & Norwalk,but I also had a chance to start my own business at age 9 selling worms to fisherman in an 'only' Flyfishing area . By the time I was 13, I was hired to work at a concession stand selling ice cream, candy,soda, & believe it not ..cigarettes!
   So there it began, the knowledge to not only meet & greet but also how to get away w selling illegally certain things over a counter.
  
    Richard thought , because I doNATEd the proceeds from the festivals to charity, I'd make a good bartender. To this day I'll never understand his reasoning! But who am I to question another drunk. He said he was going to open a local bar w an anonimous backer & wanted only 'local' people to work there. By then I was living in the town that my family helped settle, back in the 1700's, Warren, Ct. Hence the fact that he considered me a 'local'. After training at the Pub, under the keen eye of the manager Barry Quioit, I was then certified...it was'nt until years later that I was certified as something else. So began my allustreous career. {sorry but that story of the Golden Bough, will have to come later}.
 
   After my time at the Bough, I proceded to my next destination: The Birches, with another ...how do I say...unstable owner, Hienes Hol ,or as we loving remember him as 'Hiney Hole'. A short time after that I went to work at the 'Casino' just up the Lake Rd.  Now I'm really working it! Handing out 5 to 6 Buds at a time to some real locals at a real bar! How could it get any better?

    Next I will reveal  the crowning moment of my career. A hint: I was reminded by Wendy & Joe on FB.

continue to the Woods..

    After arriveing home w my 2 dogs, & a dead 'Affeck' duck in tow, all I could do was lay on the couch, numb from all the bites. I may not be allurgic, but after getting bit that much you can't do much more. All I could do while laying there , was to think of where am I going to get a white domestic duck, & what am I going to do w this one? Well the 2nd question was answered when I thought that I could sacrifice it to the Great White Oak. So I went to the top of a hill in New Milford where the Oak tree stood, & lay the Duck at it's base to lay in peace as it would in Heaven. Or something like that.
    Now finding  a replacement would seam to be a  problem, but as luck would have it, at the time I was working in Kent. I would have to go down the Mountain every morning. One day as I was about to go over the crest, on the right I saw a sign, it read: Ducks for sale. I don't know how much it cost , all I know is that I had it before my party.
   
    Now as most of you know this would be the 1st of 3 that I did...w alot of help from my friends. The 1st was Alive in '75 Lake Country Green , on May 24th 1975. It was in memory of my father, who died a year earier on April 24th '74. The event brought  a 1000 people to Warren Woods. Which enabled me to give some proceeds to donate to 2 Fire Depts. & the Cancer society.
    The next 2 were almost  as successful, except for the fact that the one on Aug. 24th, the same yr...it rained. 400 showed for that one: Independence '76/ Remember America....for the Bi-centenial. Last , but not least:Warren Woods '76 /Dirt Roads are Down to Earth on July 24th , the next year. That was just to all out party!!! [with preservation in mind] That one brought back those 1000 people.
    I would have liked to continued this tradition, but the town fathers said:"we don't want those 'types'coming into our town". So ended the hopes for Warren Woods '77.....'78....& so forth.
    Of course looking back , that seems like a good idea now, & could'nt imagine doing it again, as much as I was beseiged w request to do another for many years after. It was dubbed 'The Minni Woodstock'. I'm glad to have done it & also glad that I just found my original ticket to ' Woodstock'  from '69.
   
    Well, Deb...as I hoped you have learned, the Wasp is the less agressor...I hope this has helped.
    As far as you, Lori...you'll just have to keep on 'posting' & maybe I'll just come up w  another story for you...


    

Back from the Woods

  There was a story I was trying to put on FB many weeks ago....ran out of space & promised Lori I would get it to her. That's when I realize I had to come here & Blog, so that I could ramble on.....& on......& on......& on. So I'm gonna try to recreate  a  time back in the Woods, a few years ago.
   It also referred to an incident that happened to Debbie, when she got stung by that Hornet or wasp, & wasn't sure which it was ...all she new is that she was pissed & it hurt like hell. ...re:FB..a month or so ago.
   I'm going to try to help Deb with  the difference between the two, while bringing you back to the sping of '75.
  
   The many times I visited Tom that spring, going over plans to have a party for a few close friends, this time I could'nt help but notice his one apple tree, that once stood on the sloop just off the lawn, had blown over. I quickly volunteered to cut it up for him, & we made plans to do it the next day.
    Arriveing at his house the next day with my trusty Homlite,which had been my fathers, I first noticed that Tom's car was not there. [ ye 'ol Blue '65 Falcon] So, I thought, at least I could get started. He'll get back from the Pub at some point.
     Even though I was low on gas & oil, I should haved stopped then, but no, get 'er done! I proceded to the fallen tree, which was split in 2 leaders...or  limbs....I started my trusty Homlite &  began walkin toward my 1st goal which was to cut at the 1st branch, I reached down w the saw & started.....then  WAM.......standing there w just a pair of cut-offs...a swarm of white - assed Hornets came right  up my crotch!! The 1st one I hit was on my inner thigh, It left my hand print for a week!!
      I jumped off the tree, with chain saw in hand, tossed the saw, rolled on the ground screaming the most profane words that pierced that sunny, warm , peaceful day on the quite back roads of Warren. After running down Brick School House Road, I stopped & turned around , the neighbor  accross the street came over to me to see if I was alright.After telling him what had happened, he said even though I was'nt alurgic, I should see some one that knows bees.
   
      I jumped into my Landcruiser, along w my 2 dogs at the time: Tokas & Charlie. and started home, then it came to me that I could stop at the Masseys farm to consult about my stings, knowing that he kept bee hives on the farm. I pulled in next to the barn & as soon as I stopped, Tokas jumped out....haveing no doors on at the time....run down the stairs below the barn. Not too soon after he returned w white feathers in his mouth. Oh, SHIT......then came the Massey family, following right behind.I think they were on their way to lunch.
      Dumb-founded, all I could say was: 'want can I do to make up for this?'  His reply was:'Replace it'.
      O.K., now I have to replace a white domestic duck for the guy that's the Fire Chief in the town that I'm just about to throw a little gathering at the park where I named the Fire Dept.as one of the beneficeries of any profits.


   

  I knew this thing would get me. There's an error on the  last blog due to bad math & bad memory. Marley is 17 today....I guess in the back of my head I kinda knew it & just thought 16 ain't so bad to take , for just allittle longer.......
   So, ck out the stuff she does w art on her page, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to many & all your birthdays, no matter how old or young you may be.....

Well, It's Jan. 11th 2011.  It's my oldest grandchilds birthday, my granddaughter Marley Love. She's 16 now, WOW!!
    Also on today, here in St. Pete. Fla. , they just opened the new Salvador Dali museum. Go to tampabay.com/dali .
    He's got to be my favorite artist & I have a few connections to him. Mainly we have the same birthdays on May 11th. Also my 1st contracting job back in the early 70's was for Julian Levy, who at that time lived in Bridgewater, Ct. He was responsible for bringing Dali to America. Got to see his work 1st hand. Our friend Seymore Butts actually lived as a caretaker there.
   Since then  I've been true admirer of him, ended up with one of his books...which I will give to Marly, when I get back to Ct.  Also made an attempt to do some surrealistic painting myself , some day I'll post those. Of course that's another Ct thing, not to mention the fact that it's not  quite a priority .
   So, as you can see this is a special day all around, there is also something to the number '11', not sure the whole meaning around it, but I know it's there.
   Hope you enjoy  your day as much.....