NY STATE TO DELAWARE TO SEATTLE

wow- i just drove across the whole USA, in two and a half days, a new record, and i just drove across the USA with my father- no, let that sink in for a second, yeah, i just drove across the whole USA with my father-2500 miles and horrible weather the whole country was socked in with a 2000 mile wide cold front, with wind and rain unrelenting- so the old man and myself couldn't even get out of the truck all we could do was drive and drive-and complain-



i had to go east to read at Neil Nash's memorial and it was wonderful- the kids - the words - all the friends and family, so great to see everyone- all the crying and hugs- i really love you all-



the rest of the time back east i spent walking in the woods alone- wishing i was a rambler- and there were no real roads, but dirt and hardscrabble- this is what i see- and how i live- when you people don't see me-

this building used to be called the studio-back in the 90's when i painted huge violent paintings within it's hundred year old walls, when Brian and Anne moved in it was called - the barn but this Autumn I've named it the cabin to give it a more desirable name

Joe Fellner signed the house in 1910 after he had built it with is own hands, his family had a saw mill on the property- which was razed after his death


this is my old house-where my sister and El Mutante, Joliet and Dutch live today-




Jo Fellner built the wall out front in '31- probably when cars started racing down Hardscrabble road and Oxford depot toward


newburgh 14 miles away- down kings highway- Joe fellner incorporated this 1840's brownstone road marker into his wall, to save it from poachers- i had a bush growing in front of it- these signs are easy to steal and very sought after

during the cold war a us pilot had to make an emergency landing in the town of Monroe- this F-86 Sabre is still where he ditched it- when i was a kid the cockpit was still open and we could sit there and shoot missiles and .50 caliber bullets into the old A&P

the jet intake was also open back in the old days- fat kids used to get trapped in here- with all the stoner kids sniff'n glue

the beer can pile out behind our house, six feet deep and crazy- Mrs, Jordan's family who had moved into the house after Joe Fellners death, owned a Hungarian restaurant and bar in town and refused to pay for garbage pickup, instead they'd load up the station wagon and dump the beer can, bottles and jars out in the woods



super soft top- for all you girly boys who break a nail every time you use a church key-


these things used to be everywhere- and would stick in your feet and cut your fingers


beer can pile gold


have a sip


the walnuts were very small this year



the walnut tree at Goose Pond State Park where we all used to hike, Lazy Hill Road- is where i became a rambler


this leaf made me gay-



my favorite tree collapsed - and turned into a bridge to magical fairy world-


right above the little rocks i used to sit on and listen to the little creek







large trees in larger fields- the only trees left with any history behind them are the remnants of some farmers whimsy two-hundred years ago, a place to eat a break fast- dream

rocks wearing camo

goose pond mountain park is basically just a bunch of old farms linked by an old road and millions of bike, and motorcycle trials, beaver ponds and destroyed/ burned down homes, a cemetery- one of the trails leads up that hill and up above those shale cliffs-
an old dam crossing the creek

the fall colors- had started to pop when i left
an old maple dying in the woods

stickbugs attack
these things looked yummy, didn't have a book with me-
gentle sunlight falling across late Autumn and my long chestnut hair


the ubiquitous party spots along the Adirondack trail-
Devil's Falls- name changed by metal kids in the seventies- i guess- everything was changed to satanic colloquial - the real name is- Fitzgerald Falls

trail art is a new thing in orange county NY - but heart blazes ?- follow your heart- i get it
mossy balls- alive

Highland Trail blaze and pinnacle registry box, which is very funny. On the way to Mombasha Highpoint and Prospect Mt. and the confluence of three different trails- very confusing

mushroom season

so many acorns i could hardly walk

a very rocky trail to follow- hard on the ankles

lowland forest canopy and perfect weather to be alone in the woods

trail registry trash shoved in the box-

only the first few yards of the trail get the fancy stuff- swampy raised walkways

giant glacier erratic rock trying to hide in the trees-
birches leaning into a pond


hold me



this is the wildlife i was able to see

traily Moses mossless



you could see NYC- 40 miles to the south of here, but it was too smoggy for a pix



all i got to see was some guy i went to high school with praying with an attack dog

really bad graffiti up in the woods and a dump of colvert pipe washed out from under the service road
favorite tree in orange county, Sycamore/ Plane tree, in a parking lot outside of Goshen,NY
the blade that shattered and cut off Joe Fellnor's leg-

now his ghost haunts the house- but don't tell the kids



is the one beer to have when your having more than one- was their old jingle- fucked




nice can graphics don't you think ?


she prays for incense

best mushroom of the trip - it looks to be about six foot proud


Elm- near my Mom and Dad's house on mine road- built over a civil war iron ore mine- with sink holes and rock piles everywhere
christmas present house- deer haven- where i grew up in the woods-


sunrise over Assawomen canal, Delaware
the back yard boat drive way in Oceanview- stinky too
up-in-the-air-house with big dodge pick-ups
very glassy and quiet
Delaware flatty, drove down to check it for the next days dawn patrol and laughed- beautiful though, empty and a cold offshore breeze-


the Neil Nash obituary is from the New York times- no matter what the oldsters say, i love the photo that goes with it- will try to post it up soon along with Jamie Carse's speech- very lovely

low land forests all third or fourth growth, overgrown feilds









Highland trail peak- Mombasha High Point

i'm on the west coast now- Home !

13 comments:

  1. This is an epicly wonderful post. Thanks Neil. And yes pls do post Neil's obit in the Times if you can, I didn't know when it was in so I didn't get the paper version

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stumbled upon your blog recently, purely by chance. You seem to be doing well. Me and mine - the wife/4 kids/in Alberta/looking for a farm - send our greetings. Hoping Dawn and Hugh are doing well - send them my best. Sorry to hear about Neil Nash. I made a bittersweet trip to Orange County myself this summer after many years absence – my mom passed away in March, we had a storage site to clean out. Your photos triggered my post. One forgets the natural beauty of the area, not to mention the rich history connected to all those little hamlets and burgs. I don’t get to the States much these days, so it really a was a nice slice of deja vu. That said, the Lake Region is not the same place. Dairy farms forever paved-over, wildlife dispossessed by mega-malls and poorly built subdivisions. Sad state of affairs. I was glad to get back to Alberta. We stopped on Mine Road by the bus garage to pick up some mica and ore for the kids. Passed your old place tucked back in the bush. Always admired the location! Went by my dad’s gravesite. Saw Hugh’s dad's headstone, as well. Brought back some fond memories. I’ll keep and eye on your blog. Again, sorry for your loss. Good post, by the way. Cheers - Hynes/J

    ReplyDelete
  3. hello Jaimie-
    great to hear from you- drop us an e-mail
    sometime- how alberta ? Cam loups ? Calgary ?
    Farming ? we have three boys- Dawn has a boy and a girl- hugh, lives in france with five kids- one boy-
    hope all is well- last time i saw you must have been in BRKLYN at my old apartment-
    what twenty years ago ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. 20 years, indeed. You look good. Aging well! Alberta is great. Wide open spaces. Not a lot of people once you get outside the two main cities. Much wildlife and natural beauty. Good for the soul, not to mention the kids. Kamloops is in BC. Far from my world. Very hot, dry. Not my speed - I like the mild summers here. And the cold winters. I'll drop you an email - where to? Glad to hear everyone is doing well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Blue house (Joe Fellner's) has no ghosts!






    Joliet

    ReplyDelete
  6. Neilwaukee,
    Very nice post, some of the pic's were beautiful, as well as the prose.

    El Mutante

    ps: No ghosts!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Although, if you look in the picture window, you can see Grandma doing the crossword!

    El-Mutante


    ps: Ghosts indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  8. NO GHOSTS, I REPEAT, NO GHOSTS, only people for the past.
    Dawn Ann

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like people "for" the past better. Power to the people for the past, yeah!

    ReplyDelete
  10. people for the past was a campaign slogan of Ronald Reagan!
    El Mutante

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good post - nostalgia ∞

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Supported by the website design company guide .

Blog Archive

Followers