Request

Now that I've found out how to download photos here though I'm not sure how much memory they allow on the blog I'd love to get ahold of some old pics to put here.Especially if anyone has like old clambake pics that have a bunch of us in it when we were young and had lots of hair.I know Russ and Ann had some great photo books as does Biedy.If you can scan them onto your computer and email them it would be great.

Colorado Home Building Tycoon"Donkey Murphy" with Dougs woman

He Blew them all by Himself

The Best and Brightest

Dewey,Cheatem&Howe with Client The Streaker

The Streaker

Eskimo Pie

I saw an ice cream truck today.I don't like ice cream trucks.You know why?It's because of Dragnet.On Dragnet every time an ice cream truck was involved the guy was either selling drugs from the truck or a pedophile.It amazing they let these scum on the streets.Dragnet set us right on that.What about drugs?If you were to believe Dragnet they're bad.Every time they entered a house with a young couple smokin the bone the kids were sitting naked at the kitchen table no food the place looked like it had never been cleaned and after Joe Friday gives him the 411 the dude says something like"Hey Man Maids Day Off" and how about kids bringing drugs to school.It's "My dad got it in TJ,TJ's a swinging town.Sure its so easy to blame Mexicans.Today I saw a tv ad forMy Little Pony.The announcer says it's"Tea Time in Ponyland".Now a kid heres it like that, someone like Rusty or Scott A . might here it as "Tee Time in Ponyland" but if Dragnet has colored your worldview you hear"Teatime"(Party Time) in "Ponyland" ,Joe Friday in your head Skank,Brown Sugar,Mexican Wedding Powder,Smack,H,Heroin however you say it it's a one way ticket to the morgue.Cue Theme Music...

Townies

The reason I started this blog was cause I had to register as one to post a response in the Pittsford Blog of the D&C on Schoen Place and the over population of ducks and geese there.I recall that in the 70's Schoen Place was pretty much no mans land.There were some stores there but no one hung out along the canal except guys like us when we partied out behind thirstys in the area that would become a little park.Who knew we were pioneers?.That one winter some of the guys living at Richie C's worked at the Ski Hut down there.We had the Brow Party at his house over X-Mass the one my brother taped some of.Hey Jeff L. if you ever decide to run for office we DO still have that video of you holding that piece of glass with all those little white lines on it.Anyhoo that small park behind thirstys has tables and all nowdays.Tom B. told me years ago he, the wife and young daughter went down there for a picnic on a warm summer eve.As they were eating the late(Steady) Eddie Beers comes walking down the hill strips to his underwear and jumps into the canal basically to bathe.Then he gets out and walks away.It turns out he was offspring of one of the very first families to settle in Pittsford.Those townies were a strange eccentric bunch to us suburban Pittsfordites.You had R.C. and Hutch running one end of town and the Boland brothers the other.Numbers,Racketts,Acey Ducey you name it they had a finger in it.Then there was the crowd from Sherwood.It's a wonder they aren't all in prison or Design School teachers.I believe it was a July 4th parade down Main Street one year when Terry Huntoon turned a corner on his cycle and all of a sudden was leading the parade.Lets not forget Bob Wurt... who was shot at by a drug lord/country club exec and has modeled the orange jumpsuit.After the parade that day I went over to Bill F's for the first time and we were out in the back of his house rolling a bone when his mom wanders out and makes some crack about smoking dope and Then he introduces me to his mother.There are still areas of the village I won't go after dark.You just don't feel safe like out in Suburban Pittsford.Maybe it's the water that made townies act so strange.

Fate

I was going to write something else tonight but I just realised that today is my old friend Joe Filbrichs b-day.I haven't spoken to him in years but if it wasn't for him and his family we never would have moved to Pittsford.He and I were best friends going to St.Margaret Marys in Irondequoit and for the second half of 8th grade he commuted in from Pittsford every day where they had moved in Jan onto Old Forge Lane.We went out to visit in late winter and my parents who had looked in Webster loved the area.Soon we were building our house right below on Railroad Mills.So because of him I got that quality Pittsford education all the friends I have now and the hundreds of Pittsford chics I went out with.Plus I got to become a Parkrat.It's funny cause we fell out over a girl not long after we moved to Pittsford.Anyhoo one of the best times we had was in Nov of 1969.We took Joe along with my grandmother down to my uncles hunting camp in Canisteo.This place was an old farm house no heat,outhouse a real hillbilly heaven.Myself two of my brothers and Joe played Euchre all night drinking springwater and soon after we were in bed upstairs listening to the mice run around in the walls the owl hooting on the roof and talking and laughing I found I had to go.Since it was Nov I had no intention of going outside to the outhouse so I found a cup on the ledge took a leak and tossed it out the window.A few minutes later my brother Larry asks me what I went in.When I tell him a cup on the ledge he says"Grandmas dentures were in a cup on that ledge" So off went the three Abel brothers and Joe creeping downstairs and out the front door out onto the frosty lawn looking for my grandmothers teeth and getting a good laugh over it.After about five minutes with no luck we figure her teeth must have been in another cup.Going back to the door we find it locked and have to bang on it which brings my father off the downstairs couch he was sleeping on to let us in .When he opens it it sets off my uncles alarm which is a loud ringing bell.He wants to know what the hell all four of us are doing outside at that hour and I don't recall our excuse but we snickered about it for another half hour listening to the mice in the walls and the owl on the roof.

My New Venture

I was thinking today about starting a new buisness.I could call it Fortune Nookie.The main line would be Fortune Cookie Condoms.So far I have 4."You are going to get Lucky","Defective?what is that strange new itch?","One size does not fit all" and"Not use me?Baby makes Three" In addition to the fortune cookie condoms I'd have a few other lines.One would be for Bars"I got lucky at Thirstys,Pittsford,N.Y." or "I got lucky at the Purgatory Room,Provincetown,Ma"(that one was for Richie C.) then just think about those boring old matches you get at weddings. What if the male guests got condoms"I got lucky at Bob and Marys Wedding,June 16th,2007"or events"I got lucky at the Mercy High Dance" or reunions"I got lucky at the class of 1974 35th reunion." Then there could be ones to promote a place"I got lucky at St. Monicas Bingo" and list the phone number or"I got lucky at Shady Elms Nursing Home".The possibilities are endless and you would have the condom in your wallet just like a buisness card.Now there's another one.Buisness Card Condoms.

More Lizards

One little thing I forgot.I have a friend named Henry who at the time was the Art Director for a record company.I used to carry his card in my wallet in case I saw anything artistic I could call him.One night at Tootsies RP and his friends were urging me to pretend I was Henry and show the dancers "my buisness card" telling them I could put them on an Album Cover if they wanted to party afterwards.I told the guys I could not betray my friend Henrys trust in me by using his card to take advantage of these poor girls.Henry reads the blog so I hope you appreciate what I did for you Henry.

Lizards

Well I used to spend Xmass and some summer weeks at RP'S in Fla.One trip rp and a few of his friends took me to a place called"Tootsies" I thought it was an odd name for a bar and upon entering I was dismayed to find it was one of these "lap dance" bars.Now I pretended to enjoy myself so to get along with the guys.I usually sat at the bar and read the sports page while rp and his gang did the hoochie koochie thing."Squinsh Down" was one of his favorite sayings as the dancers I guess told him to do this to get lower in the chair.One night a friend of his buddies from Chicago came with us.He was wearing shorts and had a big cigar in his mouth.When he got up from the lap dance it looked like chuck had a large cigar in his shorts.That was amusing.Another night I looked up from my reading to find rp waving my American Express card and yelling"More Chips!" I found out that these purchased in place of money were used for the"lap dances"How rp got my American Express card I'm not sure but he and my brother had picked my pocket after I fell asleep at a New Years eve party at Russ Smiths house years before and taken my little jar of snuff and all my cash so he has fast fingers.Anyhoo at RP'S house there were all these little lizards running around by his pool humping each other on the chairs on the rocks just about anywhere.One morning his brother Tom and I were lounging by the pool and witnessed a lizard three way.I remarked to him that the lizards were getting more action than RP and his group of deviants.

Frogs

I see in the Monday D&C the paper Foss called "The Demunist&Comucrat" that a warning is out for drivers to be careful tonight cause the first rain in warm weather usually brings about the emergence of Spring Peepers in large numbers looking for love or whatever frogs do.I recall a spring night in 1973 when Teg Jones and I were cruising Railroad Mills in the convertible after dark with the top down when our headlights hit thousands of the peepers right before Railroad Mills ended by Faith Cowgills house.It was incredible and though we swerved way over and moved very slow we may have squashed one or two.A lot of the swampy areas along Railroad Mills are gone.When we first lived there there was always a small pond at the end of the street each spring heading towards Powdermills.One day Wildman was down there with his model rockets and we decided to send up a"Manned" flight.We caught a small frog from the pond put it in the nose capsule and launched the rocket.When it crash landed with the parachutes that never seemed to open all the way we found froggy melted inside.We sort of felt bad cause we didn't think the top would get hot enough to fry froggy plus he was way to small for us to enjoy the frog legs.

A Wise Man Once Said

"You Dance with Mary Jane you get Your Toes Stepped On"

Earth Science

This little story ends in front of Mr.Dudleys house our old science teacher from Pitts-Mendon whom once we found out where he lived on Railroad Mills was often greeted with hearty and very loud chants of"Hey Mr.Dudley,What's going on" with much blowing of the horn in the wee hours whenever we passed by the house which was quite often.One Pretty Pittsford summer night Wildman and I were doing our best"White Punks on Dope" act.We'd eaten some mushrooms drank whatever we had and decided around 11p.m. we wanted to drive to Durand Eastman and look out at the lake.The Vega Wagon was low on gas and in our "Schroom" state we hit on a brilliant idea as we passed Church Street.Richie C's mom had at the time a pale yellow Vega Wagon and we figured that another Vega Wagon was the only car we couls steal gas from.So lord knows how but I managed to just get a small taste of gas and we borrowed some from Mrs.C.We drove to the lake and sat there about ten minutes giggling like idiots and then drove back to Pittsford.Coming up out of PowderMills toward our houses and going god knows where Bob suddenly exclaimed pull over man I have to puke.I started to pull over when out of the corner of my eye I saw the passenger door open and Wildman fall out.In my schroom state it took about 100 yards for me to react so I stopped backed up and there was Bob lying in the gravel in front of Dudleys house making spitting noises."Dude are you okay"I asked to which Bob replied"Yeah I'm okay, I'll walk home from here" as we were right near Old Forge.Wildman and I have a history of him falling out of autos I was driving but this was the first time it happened.

Jimsonweed

This post is a bit more normal than the others.I have been emailing Mr.McGowan about plants on Nantucket that aren't native as Marty is the Landscaping King of the Island.I found a link for invasive plants on the Island last night that is quite interesting.One is Jimsonweed which here in L.A. one hears at least one news story every year about some kid getting his stomach pumped after trying to get high on it.The thing is another name for Jimsonweed is Moonflower.The thing is Jimsonweed is in the Datura Family.There is another Moonflower in the Morning Glory Family"Ipomea Alba"which is a huge night blooming white morning glory.Now why do two different plants have the same generic name the first nasty the second one not so despite Wildmans past attempts at Morning Glory Milkshakes from the Luellens back yard.These science guys need to get their act together.

More Postcards

I do recall now the second postcard was from a box of fudge at work.The cut up fudge box read."We took the fudge factory tour today.It's really interesting how they pack it.I can't wait to show you when I get home,Bruce."

Postcards

Some years ago I sent our friend RP some postcards a few months apart.I can't for the life of me recall the second one but for the first one I cut up a "Prep H" box into postcard size and wrote"We took the factory tour today.It was fascinating!I thought about you a lot.Love and Kisses,Bruce".The third one I cut up a Hersheys Kisses box and wrote"We took the Hersheys tour today.It was a lot of fun but there were no hotel rooms in town so we had to stay out on the highway!.Love and Kisses,Bruce"

F85

One can't forget some of the better moments in Foos's F85.He always had that freakin Jerry Lee Lewis tape with "Wine Spodeeodee" on it.Going to the first Mendon/Sutherland soccer game at Sutherland we had a keg tapped in the trunk.The trunk lid was up for most of the game in the parking lot on the hill above the old Sutherland field and after the game we picked up two guys hitchiking to Victor on Route 96.We dropped them off on the road off 96 that led to JK'S house and after smoking with them we sent them on their way by opening the trunk and pouring them each a draft.Then there was the favorite Foos pastime of "Mailboxing" but that was better in one of his dads brand new wagons off the lot.Especially when it also involved taking road signs another Dave favorite so we could rip holes in the interior ceiling of his dads brand new wagons.I recall one easter morning when my parents were out of town Dave decorated our front lawn with road signs.This was the same night he and Doug Turner had managed to put a chair through one of our front windows while wrestling and Doug greeted one of the young Della Villas who was our paperboy with beer in hand and a hearty"How Ya Doing!"as he handed doug the Sunday Morning paper.My fave with Dave though happened one winter sunday night when all five of us in the F85 seemed to have joints lit and Dave cruised through the Monroe Ave./Clover Street Intersection coming towards Brighton from Clover and pulled into the gas station on the corner before we could even react.He rolled the window down and a huge cloud of dope smoke hit the gas pumper in the face and he backed up a little as Dave said'Two Dollars Please".

Dirt Roads

I see I have received a comment on my Mustang Convertible post from an "rp" on my track record on dirt roads.I do believe that "rp" owns a chain of Driving Schools these days.He certainly has done things behind the wheel no one else thought of before.I will post soon a story about "rp" and I and a dirt road in the Bristol Hills which stars my late 1975 Vega Wagon of which I have a small books worth of stories.I've also sent "rp" some interesting post cards over the years which will be a future post.Back to hoops.Fight The Power!!!

Mold

I can't recall exactly when it was but does anyone recall the period when we buried our bags in damp places so mold would grow on the herb.It was supposed to improve the buzz.I remember some very moldy pot but don't know if it really worked.It looked cool though.

Mustang Convertible

I saw a really mint 73 mustang convertible tonight while talking to my neighbor out front.I had a hardtop version for awhile but everytime I see a convertible I think of the one Teg Jones parents had.He used to go down to Dansville early sat mornings and go up in gliders.During the spring of 73 I used to go with him.We left Pittsford at like 6:15 and got to Dansville early.The great part for me was Teg used to let me take off in the Mustang for a few hours even though I had no License.I would put the top down no matter how cool and cruise back roads the tunes blasting.One morning around 9 I was up in the hills above Dansville cruising a dirt road smokin a doob.I see no one for like half an hour and then out in the middle of nowhere on this back road are parked two black caddies one with the trunk up.I start slowin down to see what's up and about fifty yards off in a farmers field I see six guys in dark suits who look like and ad for The Godfather.Two of em are holding shovels and I'm staring at them and they are staring back at me real close.I'm thinking in my head"I don't see nuthin here" while one guy pulls his glasses down and gives me a LOOK.Thats enough for me and I punch it spitting up dirt and getting the hell back down to Dansville quick as I can.The whole time I'm checking the rearview mirror and all morning at the glider lot I keep waiting for a caddie to pull into the lot but I never saw them again and have no idea what they were doing up there but it wasn't planting vegetable seeds.

Up in Michigan

I saw an article tonight on The Bay City Rollers suing their record company for like 25 years of royalties.They have a lot of nerve.It's us who should be suing them for being forced to listen to their tripe.Even Stoned on good lumbo they sucked.It was like a whole band of Shaun Cassidys.They have to be the absolute worse thing to come out of Scotland besides Haggis and Scotsmen wearing Kilts without underwear*.I still recall Joe K's version of the chorus for Saturday Night I'd rather not print here. Though they did have a song called Shag-A Lang I don't recall Tim having their poster on his wall. The only good thing to come of them was the Nick Lowe song"Rollers Show" which made fun of their fans.It was on Pure Pop for now People here in the states but in the U.K. the album had a different cover and cooler title"Jesus of Cool". .On a like note the best thing to come out of Scotland was The Three Stooges episode in which they guarded the castle."I'd like you lads to meet my niece,tis Lorna Doone"Shemp"Hi Lorna How You Doin?" *(See Grounds Keeper Willie)

Brownies

Does anyone make real Brownies anymore.I don't even recall the amont of weed to add into each batch but Dave Foss was a master at it.I recall one night at my parents house where we ate a batch of his brownies after eating windowpane an hour earlier.It was the giggles stage of the acid and the brownies kicked in.A fine double blast.Foss went around the first floor of my parents house in a circle kicking up rugs and I went around the house smoothing them out.I did this for like twenty minutes before I realised what he was doing.Then there was his Bristol Blue homegrown the fall we lived down at Cand Lake.The stuff was awful smoked but made great brownies.One day Rusty and I came home to see a huge plume of smoke leaving our chimmney.The smell of pot was strong all down the road and Foss was inside burning the stalks from pounds of homegrown.He had a shitload of the stuff.In fact our other roomates little brother Chris spent a winter break with us in the cottage when he was in 7th grade and Rusty and I gave him an ounce of the stuff to do like two weeks worth of dishes.I don't think Kevin F. ever found out.

Other Friends

If any of you have emails for other old friends I don't have in my email book like Andy Ash,Framer,Farley,Flynn, Jeff L. etc,etc please send on the link.Thanks the Parkrat

The Barn Party

Anyone on the "A" list who spent summers in Pittsford during the mid 70's recalls The Barn Party at the Crowther estate on Church Street.It was an ongoing thing night after night as long as his parents were in Canada.The Barn Party attracted the"Smart" crowd who could wander in an out of Thirstys and over to the barn.The theme music was Commander Cody,Southbound,House of Blue Lights, Boogie Man Boogie,etc,etc and Richies cat was the coolest.I don't recall a lot of harder drug use there but we may have dropped a hit of acid or two or ate some mesc.Nothing like the Trip Fests.The Barn Party was more of a stop each night on the social scene.

Rochester Americans

I see the Amerks are stumbling down the stretch this year.I went to Amerk games off and on growing up but it wasn't until the 74-75 or 75-76 season I went to a lot of games.Marty McGowan had season seats and somehow I wound up going to games on a regular basis with him.Marty was an avid fan and had some great lines for Amerks and opposing players alike.Ray Maluta for the Amerks was one of Martys best targets with the great line of"Hit em with your purse Maluta" and"There's a bus leaving for Providence at midnight,be under it" I'll never forget though the playoff series two straight years with The Nova Scotia Voyageurs who were the Montreal Canadiens farm team and a thug they had by the name of Gilles Lupien.This guy had 316 penalty minutes his rookie year when hockey was still played by real men and he had the build of Randy Johnson.Big Bird became his moniker and I have never seen such fun invective hurled at a player by Amerk Fans.I had a great time with Marty at those old time hockey games.

Basketball Jones

There was a story in the L.A. Times sports page on the song last week and it brought back the fine memory of Wildmans most famous night.It was winter of Senior year and a bunch of us went to see Pittsford Mendon play E.R..We went to watch that wild eyed afro star Bill Moser the white wonder and of course to party.There were two rows of us high up in the bleachers and guys like Deacon were in the front row shielding us as we sucked on beers and those goat skin flasks full of rotgut wine.Right before halftime we looked around and noticed Bob was no longer with us.Someone pointed out that Bob was now sitting on the end of the Mendon Bench next to Mose in his winter cap and Tocque.At halftime Bob wander into the lockeroom and asked Dick Heffernan while he was yelling at these guys.They were his friends man.Well Bob was escorted outside and we smuggled him back in by switching outfits.Bob actually quit partying for a few weeks after that but was soon back sucking the wine and smoking the Devil Weed.

Gone Fishin

This blog will be more than about the park once I figure out what to put up here but one of the funniest park stories was spring of our senior year when Bill Morin loaded his canoe on top of his van at 2a.m. and went fishing.Trouble was he went fishing in the big holding pond at the hatchery in Powdermill.Thats where the Monroe County Sherrif found him and his canoe at around 2:45 a.m. He had a six pack some doobs and several fish in the canoe when the spotlight hit him.Bill was also the discount stereo guy for awhile as Flynn will well recall.

Speaking of Powder Mills park has any one noticed that the place is now like a ghost town? You have to have a freakin permit to do anything there.The road to Shady Rest is closed for good it appears which means the Townies would never be able to play with their hippie toys on that big lawn while they smoked townie weed.We would never have been able to park up in the trees smokin a doob or made those great fires in the fall with Old Mr. Boston Blackberry Brandy as a warm up against the chill the firewood masking the dope smell when we went home to our parents."The Woods are full of wardens" nowdays

What is Parkrat

Parkrat comes from Powder Mills Park in Rochester,N.Y. .During our high school years in Pittsford N.Y. the park was our living room.Being the 70's a lot of good things went down there mostly illegal.When several friends were "detained" after a misunderstanding at a local bar one summer night the judge asked if we were "Parkrats" hence the name.