Chester's back in the Poconos*

I'm blaming the pain meds, even though I'm only on Excedrin, for the nostalgia I'm feeling. Or, maybe it was just the woman at Michael's who reminded me of my Mom. Whatever it is, Vintage Photo Friday is all about my hometown (or actually, the general area, since photos of my hometown are hard to find). First up, the Lackawanna Hotel, circa 1900's. These buildings are still there. To the left you can see part of the bank where I had my first checking account. The porch and overhang parts of the hotel are gone, but the bar is still open, or it was last time I was there.Here we have St. Matthews church, my family's parish, with my old elementary school on the left and the convent connecting the two. I love this church and I loved that school.

Have a fling in the Spring in the Poconos, at your host with the most in the Poconos--beautiful Mt. Airy Lodge. (sing it, Will) This is just one of the myriad resorts in the Poconos that catered to honeymooners, as well as city folk just looking to get away but not too far away. Easy on the budget--that's The Poconos.And look at this couple. Now here's a honeymoon gone wrong. He's reading and she's on the phone (probably with her mother).I can't remember which movie it was (although something tells me "Hello Dolly") but Barbra Streisand says something to the effect of "I want to go to Rome, Paris, Delaware Water Gap." And I remember as a kid thinking, "Why the hell does anyone want to go to Delaware Water Gap?" To me, it was just a passage to New Jersey. In the above photo, New Jersey's Mt. Tammany is on the left and Pennsylvania's Mt. Minsi is on the right. The boaters are on the Jersey side. You can't tell from this angle, but that upper bare patch on Mt. Tammany contains a rock formation that looks like an Indian profile. Erosion has made it less noticeable these days. I actually have this postcard in my kitchen. That's Main Street, Stroudsburg. See the black car on the left? (red car, black car, white car...oh, black car) I lived in the apartment over that store front that is right in front of it. (gray building, black awning) It was a great apartment and I had a great roommate (love you, Krista Waters).
This one I'm throwing in mainly for Katie. Brenda Muller was one of her best friends in high school and they were bridesmaids for each other. The Muller's were so nice and down to earth. Alice (the mom) even let me drive the family car on the day I got my driver's license. I'm also including this for my Dad, who may or may not read this, I'm not sure. I rarely got to go fishing with Dad because I talked too much, I wouldn't bait my own hook and I couldn't cast for shit. But sometimes, I'd get to go and one of my best fishing memories involves a trip to Muller's diner on the way home, where I had chicken soup, hot cocoa and the waitress thought I was adorable (which, of course, I was). And it's not just a diner and a pancake house, it's a restaurant, too.

Thanks for joining me. And thank you CardCow.com for having so many amazing old post cards on your website.

*The title refers to a variation of the old "Chester's back in the Army". You never heard of it? Okay, here it goes. You go up to somebody and say, "Guess what?" and when they say, "What?" You say, "Chester's (then punch them in the chest) back (punch them in the back) in the army (punch them in the arm)." For the local version, you end with a poke in the nose. Get it? Poke a nose? Oh, it's the height of comedy.