Derry Hill
Home Of The H.C. Auletta Clan
Cabin Stories
Reminisces Of The Written Kind
My goal is to conjure up the Cabin in three ways - orally, visually, and cerebrally. The audio clips bring back the memories via voice and ear, the photos via eye, and the written word by brain. There is nothing quite like taking pen to paper and mining your recollections for gold. Just one more way we can all rehash the good old days.
This page is just for that – a place where whoever wants to can write down a memory, thought, reaction, or experience from the past they'd like to share with the rest of us. Danny’s friend Rich Caiado sent me an email with a great little story about one of his trips up to the Cabin, and I thought, “It’s time ... it’s time to start the Cabin Stories page,”
Rich get’s the honor of being the first one up on this one. I'm hoping more will follow. There’s some good stories out there – we all have them. They can be long or short, sad or sweet. They don't even have to be about the Cabin. They can be about whatever you want. Just write ‘em down, or send ‘em as a picture, or tell ‘em to me over the phone, and I'll put ‘em up. Quips, quotes, or stories.
Now if I could only figure out a way to include touch, I'd have it all covered.
Rich Caiado Remembers A Trip Up One Winter
I think it was late winter 1970. We went up there with your Mom. The temp dropped drastically and a snow storm came. There was a new song that just came out. To this day, whenever I hear this song I think of that week we spent in NH at the cabin. Maybe you heard of this song, it went like this ... "So Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, Drove my Chevy to the levy ..." Does it ring a bell?
- Rich Caiado
The Old Buick
Do you remember the old blue Buick that we took the plates off of and would drive around to all the fields looking for woodchucks?
We'd ride hanging out the windows, and used to drive it to the Red and White store. Then I think Blayde used cooking oil instead of motor oil in the engine. It's final demise came when we pushed it over the cliff at the dumps. Then we stood there armed with .22's, 410 and 12 ga shotguns and assorted handguns and weapons and shot it up. Ahh, those good ole days!
- Rich Caiado
Hey Rich - I found this photo of the old Buick, and there we are - riding hanging out the windows, just like you remembered. Pretty safe, eh? Danny and Ricky out the windows, I can't tell who's driving. Looks like we're at the bottom of the first hill, right at Grandpa's Stream. Photo provided by Brian.
Grandpa's Lost Painting
Brian, I have a good story about this painting. I am sending this to Danny as well so that he can read it. If there's anything incorrect, let him tell you. I am not proud of what we did here nor would I ask anyone else to do the same, but the truth must be told...........
Danny and I were just out of the Military and shared an apt in Greenlawn. We decided to go to a little known bar in Centerport. It was pretty crowded and we were having a shot of Southern Comfort or Yukon Jack at the bar. We were talking when Danny became very interested in a painting hanging on the wall of the bar. Something drew him to this figure of a nude woman, and he went over for a closer view. Danny walked back excited and said that the painting was done by his "Grandfather" ... Of course I said "oh, really?" (actually, I said "BULLS*%T" under my breath), so I walked over to check it myself – and there at the bottom was the same name as on the Cabin, "H.C. Auletta". I went back to the bar and Dan said, "I gotta have that painting". I suggested purchasing it from the owner. He called the owner over and offered him some cash for the painting, I think he said $50. Then it went up to $100, and I think the last offer was $200 (again, I'm not sure the exact amount, probably $5, $10). Anyway, the owner stubbornly said "NO" and walked away. I looked over at a disheartened Dan and said jokingly, "Why Don't we steal it????" Well his face LIT up and he said "Let's Do It!!" I said "I'm KIDDING, I'm not stealing that painting". Then he started in that he should have it. He elaborated that in 30 years his brother BRIAN would do a web site on the painting, yada..yada..yada.. Well I figured that it was important to him, the manager was an idiot, and we would both do jail time together, so WTF?? So - we planned it. I'd Leave the Bar and pull up my Ford Granada to the front door. I opened the passenger door and waited. From the street I saw Dan down his shot, then he casually walked over, pulled the painting off the wall and steadfastly walked through the bar patrons, out the door and ran to the getaway car. We took off spinning the tires (because Ford Granada’s are known for that). But just to tempt a deadly fate, I decided to make the first right, and turn around and return to confuse them. We drove right back past the Bar, thinking a large crowd had formed to pursue us with torches, guns and a noose. If I remember correctly, there was no one outside anywhere. Anyway, we drove back to our apt and celebrated, stolen art work and all.
- Rich Caiado
The painting in question. Photo provided by Dan.