Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Could be! I met Dad at an Alumni Newman Club meeting January 10th. He was in charge of sending out the monthly newsletter, and I got appointed "staff". That night I told Aunt Lily about the "character" I'd met. Over the next few weeks, I saw him several times, and although he kept asking me out, I didn't go. No way was I going on a first date to an indoor swimming pool at a mid-town hotel! Then Dad changed his tactics and asked me out to dinner -- that was more like it!
We had our first date on January 30th at the Dickens Room in the Village, and odd as it may seem, when he took me home that night, he asked me to marry him. I decided I was not about to rush headlong into so important a decision -- so I didn't say "yes" until the 31st. We'd planned to wait a year, but by the middle of the summer it became obvious that we had to get married or quit seeing each other.
Which is why we celebrate our anniversay on August 27th!
The Hotel St. George, built in Brooklyn in 1885 was Queen of her day. In 1951, when Dad and I spent our wedding night there, she was still a Grande Dame.
In her later years she fell on hard times and was home to AIDS sufferers and homeless families. Still, it was sad to hear that she'd burned down -- coincidentally -- on our 44th wedding anniversary.
Mom and Dad stayed at the Pascack Motel in October and November of 1953 while they were waiting for the house on Villa Road to be completed. This Motel was advertised as being "Rockland County's Finest Ranch Type Motel" and boasted of air conditioning, central heat, tile showers, radios, and television.
Well, we nearly made it through the winter without a snowstorm! Even so, the storms are not what they used to be. One I particularly remember was on All Saint's Day of 1953. Phil, Dad and I were staying at the Pascack Motel in Spring Valley because the house wasn't finished yet. By mid-afternoon the drifts started piling up and it was evident it was no ordinary storm.
I was worried about Dad because it was a school night and the roads were sure to be a mess late at night. Imagine how happy I was when he came home right after work!
The motel room wasn't all that great, but with the blizzard raging outside, it seemed downright snug -- and we had the gift of a nice long free evening ahead of us.
And if you count backwards from July 24th.....
Helen Matcovich, 3/07
