Country Oasis

 

Our annual vacation took us from the hot streets of Brooklyn to our green oasis in the Catskill mountains. Our family rented a stone cabin in Fort Montgomery about ten miles south of West Point, New York.

We had no electricity or running water. Kerosene lanterns gave us light in the evening. Our drinking water came from a well and a rain barrel caught run off from the roof for washing. An outhouse sat about fifty feet from the cabin and chamber pots sat under each bed for night time emergencies.

The small front yard had a three-seat swing. I can still hear the creak of that metal swing on its hinges. 

             L to R Me, cousin Margie, mom Ann Fahey 

Mom cooked our meals on a wood burning stove. I remember I sat at the kitchen table, rolled newspaper and tied them into knots to augment the wood fire. A stove top toaster with four sides needed supervision or else the bread would burn black. Mom never wasted food. She used a butter knife to scrape the burnt areas and slathered peanut butter and jam on it to hide the scraped areas. We didn’t care\. Everything tasted better in the pristine mountain air.

Some of my best early memories center around summers in Fort Montgomery. I never felt at a loss for something to do. Although I had playmates, I enjoyed exploring on my own. I loved the surrounding woods and spent a lot of time alone in fantasy in the quiet of the forest. I got to know my way around pretty well and had a play area set up in a small clearing. I erected a teepee with scattered branches and put large stones around it for seats. I loved the smells and sounds. I loved the way the sunlight filtered through the trees and created patterns of light and dark across the ground. Fascinated by the woodland life, I marveled at all kinds of insects, salamanders, birds and an occasional snake. I once became frightened when I came upon a rattler - or it came upon me as I played. I heard the rattle before I saw the snake and beat it out of the woods fast.

Another time I found a small garden snake and wanted to keep it as a pet. I knew that I wouldn't be allowed to, so I hid it in my mother's teapot. When she went to make tea, the snake coiled out of the spout and sure gave her a fright.

 In retrospect, I realize that my penchant for being alone might be rooted in those happy childhood times. I've never felt lonely.

Yes, we didn’t enjoy modern conveniences and had to endure primitive accommodations but this was our country oasis from an otherwise sweltering city summer.

L to R Aunt Josie, cousin Eddie, cousin Delores, cousin Margie, Uncle Jack
Front kneeling, brother Andy, me in front of Uncle Jack
Rear: father Andrew Fahey