South Hadley Massachusetts

I spent my early years in South Hadley, Massachusetts. My father lamented that South Hadley was such a parochial place, though he would never have used the word parochial. He was from Holyoke, across the river from South Hadley and he never felt accepted in the more rural community.

Actually, by the time I was going to school most of the farmland was converted to homes for the World War Two vets who were all dreaming of a home with a parcel of land. The town came to be known as a “bedroom” community for the men who worked in the industry of Holyoke and Springfield. My dad could make all kinds of off color remarks about living in a “bedroom” community and he would make my mother blush.

Dad was French and could make just about anyone blush, my mother was Irish and the standards she established for herself were quite a bit more reserved than those my father held himself to.

South Hadley boasted two major accomplishments, it was the site of the first canal ever in the United States though you really had to look for the canal by the time I came along, and it is where Mount Holyoke College has its campus. I couldn't understand the attraction of Mount Holyoke until I was in my teens and I found out it was an all girls college, then it just kind of hit me.

I was raised on the River. The Connecticut River flowed between South Hadley and Holyoke. Our extended Irish family had a cabin on the River, we all just called it the “camp.” The camp boasted a living room with fireplace, a kitchen, a second story bedroom with about eight beds in it, and a screened in porch. There was a dock down the stone steps at the Rivers edge and that is where we kept the boats.

We had two small motor boats and a longer boat that my grandfather had converted into a sailboat. One of the small boats and the sailboat were actually built by my grandfather and were in the fine tradition of the boats on the Shannon River in Ireland. I probably spent 30% of all the time during my summer months in the River or in one of those boats until I was 15 years old. My uncle Andy built a home on that land and he lives there today.

Our cabin had no electricity until uncle John bought a generator when I was about 13. The cabin had an outhouse and never had any running water of any kind. We carried water up in an old milk urn. The cabin was a perfect place for us boys, I never could understand why the girls didn't like it too much. To us boys the Kennedy's had nothing on us.

I went to school at the Woodlawn School, it was built I suppose, during the eighteen hundreds. The building is still being used today. Students in Massachusetts dream about going to Harvard or Yale or Mt. Holyoke College. Many buildings on those campuses are much older. I am still amazed when people in other areas where I have lived want to tear down schools that were built during the seventies because they are so old.

I learned to hunt, fish, swim, live, and love in South Hadley. The town will always have a special place in my heart. The Bridge Cafe in neighboring Chicopee has the best pizza on the planet, the River has the best fish, the people of South Hadley know what is important; their God, their families, and the values that they learned in the beautiful and historic Pioneer Valley, where older buildings and older people are always treasured.

Places On My Mind: Brevard, North Carolina

Places On My Mind: Brevard, North Carolina

The Beauty of Brevard, North Carolina

Brevard has many beautiful things about it, too many things to cover with my limited ability in this limited space.  Still, I promised to try in an earlier post so here are some of my views on the city of Brevard, North Carolina.

Things I like about Brevard include the Brevard Music Festival. There are seven summer weeks in Brevard when world class talent descends on the small town to work magic with their voices and their music. In the past years artists like cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinists Joshua Bell and Midori, pianists André Watts and Emanuel Ax, soprano Renée Fleming and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade have appeared on stage in this city of only about six thousand people.

The downtown area of Brevard boasts activities as diverse as the monthly gathering of peace activists, mostly older people who hold a peace vigil one Saturday in each month. Often braving bad weather, these caring people assemble with their signs to remind us that there are wars going on. Our young people are in harm's way and we could all be working more for peace in the world. The street scene changes on Tuesday as Brevard hosts the evening “Dancing in the Street.” The downtown is closed on Tuesday night, the band plays and the people dance. The downtown streets are actually closed quite often to host various runs, a soapbox derby, a White Squirrel Festival, (Brevard is home to many white squirrels), and all of the classic reasons for closing the city and celebrating, things like Halloween, the Fourth of July and such.

There is a guy who stands at the corner of Main and Broad Streets in front of the Courthouse, with a Bible in his hand. He waves at you and wishes for you to have a good day. If you speak to him, he'll tell you that he has been called by God to stand there and that it is his ministry. I like that guy, I like that he does what he does. I like it that most of the local people wave back to him.

There is a small college in Brevard, (Brevard College, Methodist), with a fledgling football program, sometimes the defeats are embarrassing to watch. I like that the team exists, that the players play, that the effort is made. Having cheered for my son's losing team throughout his high school career, I am perfectly able to cheer loudly for a losing effort and I see the value in the game, the effort, the sport.

The Davidson River offers some of the best trout fishing anywhere in the East. There are bears in the area, daviaupost.blogspot.com/search/label/bears, and I have very much enjoyed my interactions with the bears. There is majesty in Brevard, great panoramic views around each bend. White water rafting, nature trails galore, great equestrian opportunities and wonderful faith congregations. My wife and I felt very welcome in every church we visited while seeking a church home. We found that church home in a place that we could both embrace though she was raised Lutheran and I was raised in a Catholic family.

My wife has enjoyed her involvement with the local AAUW, (American Association of University Women), chapter. The small community has the largest chapter in the state and the ladies do important work as they organize a massive book sale each year. The proceeds from that sale go largely to provide scholarship money for girls in the area and the money is really significant for many girls who aspire to graduate from one of the local colleges. My wife's involvement with the AAUW has been good for both the organization and for her as she has made many new friends through her work with the AAUW.

Brevard is a place that cares, with a free clinic and free pharmacy, those experiencing hard times have a place to turn to for medical care. The city boasts a charity called the Bread of Life, an organization that feeds those who have no good place to turn.  So very many people in Brevard care about those in need and I like that about the community.

 There are many good people in Brevard, it is an idyllic place in many ways and while the community has some problems, those problems are far from being beyond solution.

Houston, Texas

I have a love/hate relationship with Houston. The city is vibrant and alive with professional football, baseball, and basketball teams. The new light rail is efficient and beautiful. The huge Mexican minority along with the Asian minorities impart a cosmopolitan atmosphere punctuated with delicious food from all over the world.

My wife and I disagree on entertainment, I think the Rodeo is entertainment, she doesn't want to go to the Rodeo until she knows who the band playing will be. We both agree on the Symphony, we like the Pops.

There are such an abundance of places to go for entertainment or a gourmet meal that it is often difficult to make a decision. The downtown, at night, is at the same time, exciting and a bit humbling. The skyscrapers, built by oil money; make one feel a bit insignificant in the scheme of things.

Housing is relatively cheap in Houston, we sold a class home for about $200,000 on the inner beltway, a short drive for Jeanmarie to go to work in the downtown. We bought a condo in its place for about $100,000. and built a home in Brevard for about a million dollars. The home in Brevard is nicer but not that much nicer than what we had in Houston.

The hate part of the relationship that I feel for Houston has to do with 110 degree days, a total absence of seasons, and traffic that would make New Yorkers pine for the carefree driving in Manhattan.

Houston stretches for about 70 miles across at the widest point and is the poster child for urban sprawl. I am always impressed by the cities of Europe where so many people fit into such a tight land area. Because of the structure of European cities, you can function quite well without an automobile and the mass transit can be very efficient. With people spread out over so much land area in Houston you cannot function without an automobile and you must subject yourself to the tortuous traffic.

The downtown deals with the excessive heat by having a system of walking tunnels that connect virtually all of the downtown buildings to one another. The tunnels are cooled and there are restaurants and shopping areas in the tunnel system.

I like the people of Houston, there is a simplicity of life there that one doesn't find in New York. People are not as complicated, you can impress just about anyone who comes to dinner with a good BBQ beef brisket.

With oil and NASA firmly planted in the city, the future for Houston is more secure than cities of the Midwest that are dealing with declining manufacturing. There is no income tax in Texas and it is the fastest growing state in the union.

On balance, I feel more love for Houston than hate. I think it to be a very well run city and there isn't much that the city fathers can do about my complaints regarding the heat.

Chattanooga Tennessee

In the 1970's, Chattanooga won the dubious honor of being named the nations dirtiest city. The city fathers, being offended at the distinction, began the process of cleaning up their place in the world.

Today, Chattanooga boasts a vibrant downtown bordering a bend on the Tennessee River. The city itself sparkles with the old train station having gone through a major refurbishing. Many people stay in the hotels which are that old Chattanooga Choo Choo where they sleep in refurbished railway cars and can choose from a myriad of restaurants and other entertainment among those retired railroad cars and engines. Others choose the overnight accommodations on the river, the Old Delta Queen Riverboat is moored in Chattanooga and welcomes travelers and Riverboat enthusiasts alike. A tourist Riverboat, (The Southern Belle), cruises the Tennessee River at noon and in the evening, it features live music and good food.

The annual Riverbend Festival features world class performers and the areas largest fireworks display. There are rides for the children and shows for the adults. The festival also features some of the most unusual food offerings that I have seen at any such event.

With a Zoo, world class Aquarium, and 3D childrens theater, Chattanooga is an inviting place for young families. The Ruby Falls, a majestic waterfall in and underground cavern and the incline railway down Lookout Mountain make Chattanooga a favorite destination for families of all ages.

A Civil War city, Chattanooga has a national cemetery where many of the soldiers who died during the struggle rest among the precise lines of headstones. For those interested in the Civil War there are battlefield reenactments at Chickamauga, a place where the South lost a major battle and a supply route was achieved for General Shermans march on Atlanta.

Of all the places I have lived, I think Chattanooga is probably the most interesting. The Tennessee River and the Locks on the river give it such a unique character. Unfortunately, even with industry such as Volkswagen moving in, the area suffers from the recession that the rest of the country suffers from. Our business there is an insulation business and housing starts are a small fraction of what they were several years ago. Maybe it is for the best, perhaps the mix of old and new America is well served with a slowing of construction in the area.

Cobleskill, New York

My family was living in Winston Salem North Carolina in 1986. We owned a home on Baux Mountain Road at the time. My oldest sons school was raided and numerous drug arrests were made that year. He was in the eighth grade at the time.

I told my wife that he wouldn't spend another year in the school system there and we set out to find the perfect place to raise young children. After spending several months searching, we decided to re-locate our family to Cobleskill, New York.

At this stage of my life I probably wouldn't do that because Cobleskill is a very cold place. At that stage of my life it was perfect.

Located in Schoharie County New York between Albany and Oneonta, Cobleskill is small town America. There is minor league baseball in Oneonta, great Little League and girls softball in Cobleskill, skiing in easy driving distance, and Howe's Caverns nearby. There is a Summer Fair in Cobleskill that everyone in the County, it seems, attends and enjoys.

I liked the High School in Cobleskill, it was built during the Thirties and had wonderful plaster artwork on the magnificent walls. I understand that since we left a new school was built and the old Cobleskill High now houses Intermediate School classes.

My oldest son played football for the Cobleskill Blue Devils, they lost every game but still, I was their biggest fan. My daughter was the Majorette for the band and I thought, the most beautiful Majorette ever. My youngest son Matt was the catcher and MVP on his Little League team.

We made the move and opened a business in Cobleskill. I got three children raised in the best little town I could have imagined at the time. I sold the business that I had started there, Insul-Mart, an insulation distributing company and moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1993. My wife's mother was dying of cancer in Greensboro and Brenda, my wife, wanted to be near her mother during that time.

My son Bill had already moved to Greensboro. He was taking pilot lessons in Winston Salem, North Carolina before going to college at the University of New Orleans. My daughter Amanda ended up going in the Navy as a Corpsman and being disabled during her service in the Middle East. My youngest son Matt never really found himself but attended the University of Texas in El Paso for a time before deciding that he needed to see and save the world.

Matt died in Laos in 2006. He had been teaching English at a Catholic School in Thailand prior to his death.

I am forever grateful to the people of Cobleskill for welcoming our family of outsiders, for teaching my children academically and socially, for the experiences of our time there.

More on Brevard

Many of my friends wrote to say that I should be careful about the postings I place about Brevard, North Carolina. They say that if I am right about the corruption then I will pay some price. I am right and if need be, I am willing to pay the price whatever it may be.

The corruption is endemic and needs to be addressed by someone. We had an exchange student stay with us last year so we have been exposed to more truth than we wished for. We are told that the family of law enforcement people, including their children, carry cards that prevent them from being arrested by other police officials. Knowing that their family members and the family members of their friends are immune from the "system," the local police are free to be much harder on everyone than they would be if those they loved were subject to the same treatment.  There is a deep unfairness in only certain people in a community being held accountable for their actions.  Giving preferential treatment to some is, in my mind, simply un-American. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, no one says that they believe in "Liberty and Justice for Some."

In the County where I grew up, public officials served the public. When they went to work they were told not to park near the entrance of the building, that was for the public. In Brevard, 60 year old women report to jury duty having to walk, sometimes in bad weather, blocks to the Courthouse. Most of the near parking is reserved for the "public" officials. Can you imagine any private business reserving the best parking for the employees? Tellers at the banks and cashiers at the grocery stores are told to park away from the building to allow the public the best parking spots. Since when does "public service" allow perks that demean and inconvenience the public?

The culture of arrogance is so engrained in the system of Brevard that it has become an accepted practice to allow those elected to "serve" to think that they are entitled to view themselves as superior to the citizens that they are supposed to be serving. That became clear to me when we went to football games and found the best student parking spaces marked as "reserved" for the Senior Class President and for other elected student body representatives. It is no wonder that so many public service employees in Brevard thinks it a "right" to inconvenience the public that must go to the City or Court offices a couple of times each year so that the government employee can avoid walking in the rain.

There are things I find troubling about other places where we have or had homes but sometimes I am simply appalled at what happens in Brevard.

Why do we have property in Brevard? Partly because you cannot know these things about a place before you buy property. There are not many bloggers writing about local issues and the information we were able to gather about Brevard came mostly from local Realtors and promoters of the community. Brevard is a place of waterfalls and majestic mountains, the physical features were a huge attraction to us. Hopefully, those thinking about moving to the area in the future will find my blog or the local officials will find it and make needed change.

I hate to write negative things about any community, most often I write about the good side of life in the United States and that is what I enjoy writing about.  Brevard has much good to expose in these writings and in my next blog about the town I'll focus on those things that made us want to retire to Brevard in the first place.