12/09/13

   Well, here we are again.  Another year soon to be in the history books.  The Holiday's are upon us once again.  I am a "bring your own God" kind of guy.  I grew up Catholic and therefor celebrate Christmas.  The following piece does not discriminate, despite the title and who it's written to.  Please feel free to substitute Santa for whomever you wish.  Either way, the message rings as loud today as it did when I wrote it.  And, given the fact that some of the circumstances are the same, it may for years to come; though I hope not.

   I wrote this in 1992.  I was 21 years old.  My girlfriend, my future wife, was pregnant with our first child. The United States was in the midst of the Gulf War.  Although I was born during the Vietnam War, things had been fairly quiet for a while.  The Gulf War touched a nerve in me that I had not felt before.  Frankly, I was concerned.  Concerned about my family, my friends and my country.  I was having a hard time trying to figure out what was wrong with the world.  I still do, but have realized that things are going to happen, because they are.  I am but one voice and, last I checked, not many people are listening.  I used to publish this in the Lake Placid News, but have decided to post it here this year.  I hope you enjoy it...

My Grown Up Christmas List

Dear Santa,

When I was a child I used to write to you and ask for Tonka Toys, G.I. Joe's and toy airplanes.

Those were the days when my friends and I used to laugh all day without a care in the world.

Throwing snow balls, building igloos and making snowmen; surrounded by the innocence of our age.

Today I present to you, Santa, my grown up Christmastide* list.

I wish for:

1. The hungry to be fed.

2. All the homeless to have homes.

3. All the wars to end and the world to live in peace.  What's all that fighting for anyway?

4. All the caged animals to be set free.

5. Every man, woman and child who walks the Earth to feel the freedom that I feel.

6. People to think more about their surroundings and really want to make them better.

7. All the people to fallow the Golden Rule and love their enemies as they do their neighbors.

8. All the murderers to stop killing and seek the help they need and desire.

9. The child molesters and abusers to stop robbing us of our youth.

10. Someone to find the cure for AIDS.

11. The strength to stop the pain that I see around me.

12. New born babies to be healthy and for pregnant women to stop smoking crack!

12.5. Addicts to find the strength within themselves to get clean. 

13. All the races in all the world to come of age.  To stop seeing the color of someone else's skin

      Or ethnic background and see everyone as brothers and sisters.  After all, there are only six

      Degrees of separation.

14. The rain forests to remain so that every Human Being, animal and plant on earth has a fair 

      Chance to survive.

15. Chemical waste and pollution to stop so that our trees don't continue to die from acid rain.

16. People to stop thinking so much about money and remember there's more to life than the size

      Of our bank accounts.

17. The seven seas to be clean so that the fish and all that inhabit them are assured a natural death.

18. To stop seeing so much land wasted.  For some day we are going to run out of space.

19. To see the divorce rate go down and make sure we love the one we're with!

20. People and countries to be given back their stolen land.

21. People to learn more from past mistakes.

22. Finally, I want to see more peace, love and understanding around the world.  People should know

      The differences of others and learn to respect those differences.  To put down their guns, because in the 

      Past twenty centuries forced death and destruction of others has rarely gotten us anywhere.  Nor has it

      Changed the situation we're in;  accept for a few million dead men...  Peace, Love and Understanding.

So, Santa, this is my grown up Christmas list.  I realize that you can't do all of my wishes at once; but for the 

sake of all new born children and for my own soon to be born child, if you could do as many as possible I

know that it would make their world a little brighter.

With Love,

John V. La Selva

*Christmastide is the holy period between December 25th and January 6th.  

FreeStyle

   While there are many great restaurants in and around Lake Placid, and lately there has been a lot of buzz about Chef Richard's new restaurant FeeStyle.  There's no doubt, Chef Richard Broussard is know around town as one the best Chef's currently cooking.  Many years ago, he had a restaurant on Main Street, below the EMS known as Richard's FreeStyle Cuisine.  It too was a town favorite.  He closed that and became the Executive Chef at the Interlaken Inn here in Lake Placid.  While I did not get the chance to try Richard's FreeStyle, I did have the opportunity to dine at the Interlaken on more than one occasion.  In a word - amazing.

  A friend and client came to town last weekend to look at real estate.  He had been to FreeStyle a few times and loves it.  We decided to dine there one evening.  The menu is fairly simple, but complex at the same time.  It has been said that the genius is in the simplicity.  A concept Chef Richard understands.  I had a Surf & Turf Burger.  A combination I have not had before.  A combination I would not have thought about.  It came on an English Muffin.  Simple, but very good.  Cooked to perfection.  I ordered a side of fries.  They are home made and delicious.  In fact, he even makes his own ketchup.  

   Even the bar is cool.  Paul, the bar tender, is amazing in his own right.  His drink list is exceptional and includes many drinks from bygone days that you don't see anymore.  Paul himself is a very interesting guy.  Worth it alone just for the conversation.  The rest of the wait staff was professional and on point.  Best of all, FreeStyle is not a bank breaker.  It is a quality restaurant with reasonable prices, great service, great food and great drinks.  If you haven't yet, make sure you put FreeStyle on your list and get there for dinner!
It is located on Saranac Avenue behind Saranac Sourdough, across from the Comfort Inn.

John V. La Selva

11/21/13

My Story About the Lake Placid - Marcy

   I started working at the Northwoods Inn on April 24th, 2010.  My business, La Selva Real Estate (LSRE), was having a difficult time pulling through the recession that we were in and I knew I needed to do something to bring in some steady money.  I turned to my old friend, the hospitality business.  I opened LSRE in April, 2007.  Although I had done well, 2010 was not a good year for me and I just did not have the resources to get to 2011.

   Initially, I thought the steady money from the Northwoods Inn would not only help me personally, but help see my business through difficult times.  I was at a personal low.  I could not afford my vehicles and had to sell them, I was not able to eat regularly, my divorce had just been finalized, I could barely afford my rent and, on top of all that, my mother's cancer had once again turned for the worse.  Sadly, she lost her long battle with breast cancer on October 13th, 2011.  This hotel, and the Smith's, helped me get through this time.  I did not talk much about it, so they never knew how down I was, but I owe a huge debt of gratitude to them and the hotel itself.  This is one reason I am so loyal to the hotel and the Smith's, Gary in particular. By the end of 2010, I realized that working at the hotel was not going to be enough to sustain me and LSRE, so I decided to merge with Select Sotheby's on Main Street (now I'm with Weichert, Realtors Venture North Associates).  Part of the decision to go Select Sotheby's was the fact that I didn't have a car.  Living on Highland Place, directly behind the hotel, I could walk to both places I was working at.  Make no mistake, 2010 and 2011 were the worst years of my life.  One of the reasons I love the hospitality business is that it provides the opportunity to step out of my life and into the lives of my guests, even though it's only for 8 hours at a time.  I can forget about what's going on with me and focus on providing my guests the best possible experience I can.  Although my life stops when I walk through the doors, often times theirs does not.  We deal with just about everything in their lives and, sometimes the difference between hospitality and hospital is a fine line. 

   People do not realize that when they pull into our parking lot and come up to the Front Desk to check in, they have now become a part of my extended family.  It is my responsibility to ensure that they are safe and enjoy their stay.  I take that responsibility very seriously!  It is not uncommon for for to come out to the lobby and sit down with people to chat.  We talk about their lives, my life and the history of this "old girl" known as the Nothwoods Inn.  It is intertwined with the history of Lake Placid, my adoptive home since November of 1995.  I enjoy talking to the down trodden the most.  We put up some people coming through the hotel who are transient and in need of a roof and bed for the night, especially during the winter months. We have a great partnership with Ecumenical Charities.  They are affiliated with St. Agness Church.  People who can not survive another night in the elements, or family situations, go there.  They call us and we provide a roof and a bed.  A safe haven from whatever they're going through.  It's one way we can give back to a community that has given us so much over the past 86 years.

   So, having made the decision to re-enter the hospitality business after an 8 year absence,  I recalled that the Smith's had purchased the Northwoods Inn in 2005.  I knew Kathy Smith, Gary's wife, from my old Lake & Mountain Properties days.  They own a camp on Placid Lake known as Camp Bearberry, which we had rented on occasion.  I called Kathy who told me to call Gary.  I did and he set me up with an interview with then General Manager, Kerry Claus.  I met with Kerry around April 10th, 2010.  I thought the interview went well, but I had not heard from him; so I called and left him a message on April 15th urging him to call my references.  I finally got a call back from him around April 20th to come in for a second interview. In the mean time, I heard from some of my hotel friends that Pam, then Front Office Manager, really did not want to hire me.  Because of my past hotel experience, she felt threatened by my presence, perhaps rightfully so.  Honestly, she was a mess.  No offence intended, but a living definition of the Peter Principal. Remember though, when I fist started there I had no aspirations of taking over or going full time.  I was only looking for two or three nights a week.  Anyway, Kerry, as it turns out, was on vacation.  That was the reason for the delay in getting back to me.  The bottom line is they needed me as much as I needed them.  Honestly, I was a little hesitant myself.  The Northwoods Inn did not have the best reputation.  I knew this even from way back in my Hilton days. 

   Either way, Kerry said if I want the job, I have it.  I decided to join the "team" and landed behind the front desk on April 24th, 2010.  A couple months later I asked Kerry if he'd called my references.  He said he had not.  He said his criteria for hiring me was the fact that I was breathing.  I think my response was, admittedly cocky, "I hope you realize you have somebody far more than breathing..."  I could see right away that the Northwoods Inn was not a team.  It was fractured. dysfunctional and broken.  Thankfully, that is not the case today.  It was slow when I started and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I started diving into the history of the hotel - and what a history it has!

   One night, while in the men's restroom, I felt a presence,  I had just been reading about the tragic fire that destroyed the south wing of the hotel in December of 1966 and the five lives, all hotel employees, that it took.  I began speaking to whatever I thought was in the room with me.  I could feel a bit of sorrow.  A want to see the Northwoods Inn return to its glory days.  Through my reading, I began to feel a connection with the "spirits" that I felt around me.  It lead me to make a deal with them.  I said to them that I had "this old girl" and would do everything I could to help bring her back.  I meant it then and I mean it now!  Let's dive into some of the history of the Lake Placid-Marcy / Northwoods Inn.  I will do this with the help of former town Historian Mary McKenzie from articles she has written over the years...

History

"Northwoods Inn (built, 1880; expanded, 1897; burned, 1966) Lake Placid–Marcy (1927) The hotel now called the Northwoods Inn was originally the Lake Placid–Marcy, the village’s first “fireproof” (i.e., brick) hotel. It was built in 1927 adjacent to and north of an existing, smaller frame hotel, the original Northwoods Inn, the core of which dated to the 1880s but which was expanded and opened as a hotel in 1897. After the Marcy opened, the older building was no longer referred to as the Northwoods Inn, only as “the south wing of the Marcy,” thus leaving use of the Northwoods name open in the 1930s for a newly christened hotel at 159 Main St., next to the Adirondack Community Church. Later, when the “new” Northwoods inn was demolished so that Favor Smith could have the small building currently standing at 159 Main built, the “Northwoods Inn” moniker was once again considered available for re-use. At some point after contractor Gregory Ruppert and corporate lawyer Barry C. Maloney bought the Marcy, in the fall of 1986, they renamed it the Northwoods Inn. The original 1897 Northwoods Inn was first the private home of Charles Wesley Kennedy, built in 1880. (Kennedy also bought the Lamoy house later, to the north.) In 1897, the original Kennedy house was substantially expanded to facilitate its rebirth as a hotel. The Marcy, built in 1927, used the Northwoods Inn for overflow and staff housing until December 1966, when the Northwoods Inn building burned to the ground. An addition to the Marcy was built on the footprint of the old Northwoods Inn. The neoclassical brick Marcy/Northwoods is the largest historical building on Main Street, but its architectural values have been greatly obscured by major and insensitive additions. The original structure, however, survives under the additions. This structure was (or is) a simple but impressive neoclassical block. In its current condition, the building has as much of a negative influence as positive on the character of Main Street. Its appropriate role as a major landmark, as well as its architectural character, is compromised by the additions and the recent painting of the brick façade. The original second-floor windows remain. The upper four floors of this six-story building, however, once set back, have been added on to so that the entire façade is even with the sidewalk" Mary McKenzie for the History of Main Street

Lake Placid, NY Hotel Marcy Fire, Dec 1966

Posted June 9th, 2009 by Stu Beitler

FIVE PRESUMED DEAD IN BLAZE AT LAKE PLACID'S MARCY HOTEL.

Special to The Post-Standard.
Lake Placid -- A search of ice-sheathed debris will begin Thursday in an effort to recover the bodies of five men missing and presumed dead after a fire Wednesday which destroyed a wing of Hotel Marcy.
The missing men, all employes of the famed resort hotel, were identified by Police Chief Charles Prasse as:
MILTON ANINGER, about 50, of Lake Placid.
CLYDE HOISINGTON, 50, of Lake Placid.
MICHAEL GOTHWIN, 19, of the Bronx.
JAMES GRAY, 62, Montreal, Canada.
MICHAEL GUDZ, 67, Montreal, Canada.
The body of one of the men hung over a portion of the smoldering ruins Wednesday. Recovery efforts were futile and he remained unidentified.
Attempts to extricate the body and a search for the others was halted by mid-evening Wednesday
because a police department spokesman said
"the area is frozen over and too treacherous."
He explained that water used to battle the fire had frozen. In addition, he said, "so much debris cluttered the area that it was dangerous for volunteers to walk around in."
The fire which broke out early Wednesday and caused an estimated $500,000 damage, destroyed an entire three-story wing attached to the six-story main structure.
The wing contained a kitchen, dining room, swimming pool, sauna baths, employees' quarters and some guest units.
Cause of the blaze which was discovered about 3 a.m. was unknown, police said.
Five persons, including owner JACK DAVIS, 52, were injured.
DAVIS, who operates the Gotham Hotel in New York City, collapsed while helping police and other employes alert the guests. He was reported
in fair condition at Placid Memorial Hospital.
The hospital identified the injured, in addition to DAVIS, as:
HENRY JULICHER, 19, of Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
WITOLD SOCHAJ, 62, of New York City.
RUDOLPH BURRY, about 60, of Hoboken, N.J.
MISS LISA KOEBRICK, 19, of Plattsburgh.
BURRY was being treated for burns on his hands.
The others were hospitalized because of smoke inhalation.
All 475 guests of the hotel, at Lake Placid for the holiday week, escaped unharmed with little or no loss of personal belongings. During Wednesday afternoon, guests of the hotel could be seen loading their cars with luggage on the ice covered main street or preparing to take buses elsewhere.
Smoke and water damage was heavy.
The Lake Placid fire department was called to the hotel at 3:15 and quickly placed calls to the Wilmington and Saranac Lake fire departments for assistance. The temperature hit an overnight low of -11 degrees and restaurants sent coffee and food to the firefighters.
Firemen said that the fire was under control at about 7 o'clock, but in late afternoon two streams of water were being played into the mass of blackened wood, metal and tangled mass of kitchen and dining room utensils, smashed bedsteads and other equipment.
Water was pumped to the fire scene from frozen Mirror Lake across Main Street from the hotel. A portion of the main building was damaged by fire, but a thick wall between the three-story unit and the six story main building saved the main hotel from destruction.
The fire knocked out telephone lines along Main Street when fire burned through the cable, and telephone workers were busy all day repairing the damage.
The three-story building was the former Northwoods Hotel and about 70 years old. It had recently been renovated by DAVIS in 1961 when the swimming pool was installed.

The Post-Standard Syracuse New York 1966-12-29

   Built in 1927 by New York Hotelier Frank Swift, the Lake Placid-Marcy, affectionately known as The Marcy, was named after New York's tallest  peak Mount Marcy. Fitting, as it is the tallest building on Main Street.  It has seen many changes over the years. In the 1960's then owner Jack Davis added on to the front and back of the hotel, doubling the size of our rooms.  Though necessary, it took a lot of the original, beautiful architecture of the building away.  It was built as a luxury hotel with all the modern amenities one would find in a New York City hotel.  It was advertised as having "private bathrooms" and fireproof, a big deal in 1927.  We've had many prominent guests over the years, including Kate Smith and Sammy Davis, Jr. When Noah John Rondeau came out of the woods, he often stayed at the Marcy.  It was a treat as he sat by the grand fireplace telling travelers stories of his hermit life.  The hotel was alive and the go to place in Lake Placid.  It's location made it that way, and the location is still one of its attributes to this day.  

   The ground in the back of the hotel used to go up to the third floor.  As you can see from the above photo, there was a beautiful outdoor pool where people could hang out and enjoy the sun.  This was removed sometime after Barry Maloney and Greg Ruppert purchased the hotel.  Although tough to see it go, it made way for the much needed parking we have today. 

   In 1977, the land that was our beach on Mirror Lake, originally known as Bennett's Pond after one of North Elba's founding fathers Elijah Bennett, was sold to Winnie Holderied.  He owned the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort.  The property is now the Alpine Mall.  We also owned what is now the Mountain View Inn.  It was known as the Hotel Marcy's Thunderbird Motel.  We also owned the land and cottages behind the hotel. 

   There is a lot more I can say about the Marcy, but I would like to task you to do some of your own research.  It is an amazing path, one you'll surly enjoy.  I can tell you this, I am proud to be a part of the history of the Marcy / Northwoods Inn and as much as it is a hotel, it's an institution.  This property helped develop Lake Placid into the world class resort town it is today!  I follow a long line of great staff and Managers who have worked here over the years.  It is more than the hotel where I work.  It is my house and the people I work with there are my brothers and sisters.  As it stands, the hotel is in need of some renovations.  It is not the modern hotel of today.  Our pools are gone, the beach is gone, the original architecture is gone, the beautiful Victorian style staircase and brass chandeliers are gone, the ball room is no longer,  but underneath it all is the Hotel Marcy!  For me, it's almost like playing for the New York Yankees. It's a privilege to be a part of such a storied, historical property.  Although the newer hotels have some amenities we no longer have,  they do not have the history we do!  And, you know, Lake Placid needs that. We have been through both Olympics.  As many of the old structures were torn down or destroyed by fire, such as the Homestead, the Lake Placid Club, the Grand View Hotel, the Stevens House, the Whiteface Inn, the original Mirror Lake Inn and the Lake Placid Lodge, we survived.  It pains me to see some of the reviews and hear some of the comments people make about the Northwoods Inn.  A lot of people come to her because of the rate.  They do not realize that we don't have some of the amenities they've come to expect and that it is an old hotel in need of some renovations.  But what they get is a clean, comfortable room with a great location, two fantastic restaurants and a staff that will go the extra mile to ensure they have the best stay possible.  We are striving to renovate and it will happen.  In the mean time, people get a nice room, many with lake and mountain views with again, a location that can't be beat.  Our restaurant, Delta Blue, is quickly becoming a must go to place while in Lake Placid.  We have Open Mic Blues Night every Wednesday form 8:30pm to 10:30pm and live bands, great bands, Friday and Saturday nights.  Delta Blue features southern style barbecue food and has patio seating during the warmer months.  We offer some fantastic cocktails and many different beers, many from micro breweries both, locally and from the south. The Cabin Grille offers arguably the best breakfast in the area.  Our rooftop is amazing!  From there, one can see all of the Olympic Venues and the views are unbelievable!  Sun rises and sun sets are amazing.  We hold functions up there, such as weddings and host the radio station annually for the Fourth of July Fireworks display.  Other times, our guests are welcome to go up to the roof to enjoy the views and hang out at the tables and chairs we provide. 

   Gary Smith has gone to great lengths to once again make the Northwoods Inn a vital part of our community by working with the Convention Center, John Brown Lives!, working with and developing groups such as Wood Carvers (open to the public) and hosting photography workshops.  I am proud and pleased to say that the Marcy is alive and well today.  I remember when Gary's son and part owner, Garrick Smith came back to the hotel in 2011 to serve as our General Manager.  He told me that they were trying to find our identity and asked me what I think it is.  My answer is we are the Hotel Marcy!  When Maloney and Ruppert put the log siding on the front and changed the stair case railings and put antler chandeliers and murals on the walls and adopted the name The Northwoods Inn, though with good intentions, they stripped our true identity.  The Marcy was a classy hotel with brass chandeliers, a grand staircase and marble like floors, fit for Kings and Queens.  That is what we are.  That is what's underneath the Northwoods Inn. It works the way it is, but the struggle for our identity is visible.  Though I don't think it will happen, I'd like to see us go back towards the era when the hotel was the best, most classy hotel in the Adirondacks.  One would not take the Waldorf Astoria in NYC and do what Barry Maloney did to the Marcy.  It would be a travesty!  

   Having said that, I understand their thought process and the Northwoods Inn is still a special place.  I truly believe the Smith's will take it where it needs to go, either as the Northwoods Inn or the Marcy.  I invite you to come stay with us and feel the history of this hotel. And, while there, we will help you have the best stay possible and discover, or re-discover, one of the most beautiful, majestic destinations on the planet known as the Adirondacks,  6.5 million acres of wilderness offering hiking, biking, skiing, boating, museums and great restaurants.  We offer relaxation.  A true break from the hustle and bustle of every day life.  And being in the hospitality business, we always remember to be hospitable.

John V La Selva, September 2013

    

The Poets Dream

Soon winter will be upon us.
One can feel the cool Canadian breeze in the air today.
In a few days the leaves will all turn brown and fall to the ground.
Autumn and spring become the stepping stones to the unseen.
A time to be born,
A time to die;
Many sit around the camp fire asking why.

Guitar player,
Ancient warrior of wisdom,
Play us your chords that lead the chosen to discover
   And re-discover reason.
Some of us commit treason.
Others ride the tide from season to season -
We will return again.

My body is being swallowed by the sun.
I run and I run hoping to catch up with the fun.
The deed is done,
The line is cast as I am hooked by all my past.

The clouds faces are tucked away in the corners of my mind.
The sun beams through the spaces like a flashlight
   Violently searching the night,
My body explodes into the heart of the sun.

Floating through the clouds,
The memories come rushing back to meet me now,
Of you and me and how we used to be.
Rising up to the space between the Heavens,
I had a dream, I had a dream;
Of a place where people can walk safely down the street,
Everyone always has enough to eat,
No one ever misses a beat.
Where the waves always reach the shore
And no one kills the children anymore.
Hold on to the dream,
Hold on to the dream...       

JvLs 

Featured Listing

  

126 Parkside Drive, Lake Placid NY

$325,000.00

(MLS #146729)

This is a great home in a fantastic location! Sold fully furnished, walking distance to everything!  The current owners have lovingly restored and remodeled the home over the past few years.  You'll find up to date bathrooms, kitchen and hardwood floors throughout.  

The lower level consists of a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment, currently used as additional sleeping / living space.  Used mostly as a vacation home, the owners do rent high times of the year, especially IronMan.

This home would make a great vacation home, with vacation rental potential, or a year 'round residence within walking distance of the Lake Placid Middle / High School.

Main House:                Apartment:            

4 Bedrooms                1 Bedroom

2 Bathrooms               1 Bathroom

                                   *Private Entrance*

Call or email John La Selva today for more information.

Exclusively Offered by:

John V. La Selva, Assoc. Broker

Weichert, Realtors Venture North Associates

5839 Cascade Road.

Lake Placid NY 12946

Email: jlaselva@weichert.com

Cell: 518-354-2912 

Website: www.venturenorth.net

 

Lying Upon the Beams (of Life)

Lying Upon the Beams (of Life)

In the isolated remains inside the dimensions of my soul
  Lays a strength to carry on.
To an eternity I am off.
The curtain hangs low over my existence,
For I have become a man of surrounded dreams,
Body lying upon the beams of life awaiting my turn;
Awaiting my future.
For my eyes, they may be blind, but I can hear and feel the wasted years,
Unnecessary tears,
Unwanted fears;
How I enjoyed the depression of those years!

As the birds nest by the lake,
I start to awake, catching the smell of this fresh new day,
I pray that the sun will never sink,
And people will think.
Think about life and all the climbs and dives.

So hello to you,
It's good to see you again.
To laugh, to cry.
To remember and forget.
It is good once again to pretend that the gold lies around the next bend,
For I see you, my friend.

John V. La Selva

Killing Floor

Killing Floor (the War Cry of People Peace)

People crying,
There are people in the streets dying;
Torn apart inside because we simply are not trying
  Out here on this killing floor.

A mother looks for her son through the tears in her eyes.
Falls to her knees, the riot was long since done.
She lost her child who went out into the night to have fun.
Mother suckles he dead innocent,
Cries for love; but has none.
We simply don't care out here on this killing floor.

A new century is growing ever so near,
For this I cry in fear.
Newly lit candle grows dim,
Soon to die out.
We've worked so hard to fade away;
Left to die on this bloody killing floor!

This is the resurrection of the sleepless mind,
Tired and waiting.
Before I slip into my final sleep, I want to hear the serpents
  War cry of people peace.
To dance in the garden of simplicity;
Stand proud and tall over the grave of stupidity.
Ravage the soul so drenched with blood.
Dance on fire until the end.

John V. La Selva

Motorcycle Trip to Cleveland - Part 2 "The Road Home"

  Chapter I, Broadview Heights, OH to Laceyville, PA

  Call me John.  We got back to Maria and Phil's house at about 9:30pm on Monday, June 3rd, 2013.  Let me veer off for a minute and mention a little bit more about their house.  It had been many years since I had last been there, but I remembered it, sometimes as if it was yesterday.  For this was the home of my father's sister, my Aunt Mary, her husband, Uncle Dick and my cousins Gina and Alice.  It was one of the stops we used to make as kids when Mom &  Dad used to go back home to visit family.  Both my parents were from Cleveland.  My mother grew up on the before mentioned Mayfield Road and my father grew up in the heart of the city on West 32nd Street.  They came from very different backgrounds.  The other side of the tracks, if you will.  My Father's father was a factory worker and my Mother's father owned an insurance business where he would go and investigate accidents and damage to property to determine it's validity and determine a monetary  amount for the damage.

  Both of my parents ended up in the music business. My father was a trumpet player.  He began playing at clubs at the age of 8.  By the time he was 11, he had a steady stream of gigs in and around Cleveland, Ohio. It was during World War II.  My understanding is that a lot of musicians were off to war, giving him the opportunity to step up and get some jobs.  Some time around 12 years old, he found classical music and Opera.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Nona, his mother had a love for Opera and was, at one time, an aspiring Opera singer. My father eventually went on to study at Julliard.  He got in as a trumpet player, but eventually switched to conducting.

  My mother was a pop singer. She was in a group with three other young ladies known as the Silhouettes.  One of the members of the group was my father's sister, Norma.  My mother and Norma were the best of friends.  She used to go over to my father's residence with Norma, but saw little of my father, as he was always buried in a score or practicing his trumpet.  The Silhouettes had a nice thing going.  They toured around the country and made quite a few recordings.  But it was the 1950's and two of the girls were looking towards marriage and children.  My mother and Aunt Norma eventually landed in New York City.  They got an apartment and jobs.  I believe they were in the process of figuring out their next musical move.  My father was also in NYC studying at Julliard.  Just through being in the same city, my mother and Aunt Norma started "hanging out" with my father.  I think they eventually began to feel that they needed to look after him.  As the story goes, he had a small apartment with not much in it, save music scores.  He would go out to eat, rather than making something for himself and didn't much care for laundry.  So, after coming from the same city and running in some of the same circles, my mother and father were finally hanging out in a new city 500 miles away.  One thing led to another.  They eventually started dating and the rest is, as they say, history.          They spent many years together, most of them very happy; maybe a few that weren't;  but they survived as a married couple until my mother's passing on October 13th, 2011.  God rest her soul.  We all miss her so much and life has not been the same without her.  She was the best Real Estate Broker ever, and a fine example for myself and Maria to look to.  My father went on to found the New York Grand Opera. A company that, until this summer, performed free, fully staged, fully orchestrated opera's in New York City's Central park.  An unprecedented 39 years.  He continues to teach at Julliard.  I am more than proud of him, proud to be able to say that I am his son!  I couldn't think of two better people to look up to! 

  Okay, back to Aunt Mary and Uncle Dick's house.  From the moment we pulled into the driveway upon my arrival, I recognized the house.  I can remember the first time we pulled into the driveway all those years ago.  I must have been 5 or 6 years old.  Aunt Mary, Uncle Dick, Gina and Alice met us on the front porch as we pulled into the driveway.  It still looked somewhat the same and I was having a flashback to that day.  I remember having dinner there.  Even the kitchen looked somewhat the same.  Uncle Dick has these toy riding horses in the back yard, four in a row attached together.  I can remember riding them with my cousins, including Beth and Elena.  It was on one of our trips to Cleveland, maybe 1984, that my cousin Gina introduced me to Led Zeppelin.  We were hanging out in her bedroom, now Lizzie's, getting ready to go to a Cleveland Indians game and she asked me if I was familiar with the group.  I was not.  She said you have to listen to this and she began to play the album "The Song Remains the Same".  It was a live album they produced in 1973.  The stand out song for me was "the Rain Song".  It was a life changing experience for me and started a love affair for me with Led Zeppelin that continues to this day...

  Back to the story.  I went to bed around 10:30pm on Monday the 3rd.  I was a little anxious, because I knew what was ahead of me.  I got up at about 5:45a.m. on Tuesday morning.  I had packed everything the night before so I didn't have to spend much time getting things together the next morning.  I sat outside and had a couple of cups of coffee.  I don't go anywhere without at least two cups, three is preferred.  Maria eventually got up.  We hung out for a bit, then the time came for me to go.  It was warmer than the day I started this journey in Wilmington, NY a little more than a week ago.  As expressed in Part 1, I had a great week in Cleveland!  Much of it was going down memory road.  Maria got Lizzie up to say goodbye.  Phil was not feeling well, so we let him sleep.  I warmed up Ezzy, my bike, and off I went.  It was now 6:30am.  More about Ezzy later.

  My plan was to take Rte. 322 East to Rte. Rte. 6 East and go straight through Pennsylvania, turning North in Tunkhannock, PA and end up in Oneonta, NY where I would spend the night with my friends, Steve and Kirsten Cowles.  That was the plan anyway.  

  To get to 322, I had to take a series of Interstates.  Though my goal was to stay OFF interstates as much as possible, I was not going to take the long way through the city to pick up 322.  It would have added at least an hour to my trip.  Through a series of planned road changes, I found 322 and was on my way.  This time, 322 was nice.  I had missed all the road construction and stop lights.  I stopped for breakfast in Ohio, just before the PA border.  The plan was to take 322 to 62 near Oil City, PA and pick up 6 West, but plans are plans, right?  I ran into another detour in Meadville, PA and, of course, got lost as a result.  Part of the problem, as in Buffalo on the way out, was that there were not clear signs to keep me on the right path.  Eventually I picked up Routes 6/19 North, which lead to to Rte. 6.  All in all, about an hour of lost time.  A word about getting to Meadville.  322 was amazing, really.  The further I got away from the suburbs of Cleveland, the road turned into a country road leading me through the east side Amish Country, which continued into PA.  A very pleasurable ride.  After all, the ride was a major part of my experience.  Cleveland was a stop over in essence. 

  I found 6 East just west of Union City, PA.  I was looking forward to being on one road for a long stretch.  Rte. 6 was proving to be a great road.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Not a lot of stop and go and the towns were fairly spread apart, so I was able to run Ezzy pretty consistently at 55 - 65 mph.  It was a scenic road too.  I found myself in the Allegheny National Forest.  Small town America was looking good to me!  I made a stop in Mount Jewett, PA for gas and to stretch my legs and was off again.  It wasn't long before I stopped again in Smethport, PA.  This time for a bathroom break and get some fluids.  I found a gas station, where I struck up a conversation with the attendants.  Both riders, I started telling them the tale of my journey so far.  They were amazed.  I recall one of them saying "on that, alone?"  Yes, on "that" alone.  Ezzy is a vintage 1980 Honda CB750 Custom.  Great bike!  By this time it was around 2pm and I still had a long way to go.  We said our goodbyes, they wished me a safe journey and off I went.

  I was now in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, riding up and down mountains.  Needless to say, the scenery was beautiful.  I went through Port Allegany, interesting town, and stopped in Coudersport to refuel both, Ezzy and myself.  Here I called my father to let him know I was on my way home and let him know how the trip was going.  He was amazed that I was doing all of this on a motorcycle.  He wasn't the only one, a lot of people were.  It was now about 3:30pm and I began to realize that reaching Oneonta that day was a pipe dream.  My goal now was to get as far as I could that day, but I knew I was not going to make it all the way to my stop over destination.  I was thinking maybe Montrose. 

  It was now about 7 or 7:30pm and darkness was approaching.  I pulled over at a scenic overlook somewhere around Mansfield or Troy, PA.  I pulled in the the rest area where there were three other bikers.  I was hoping to strike up a conversation with them and said something like "what a journey";  but they weren't having any of it.  They looked at me like I had three heads, said something to each other about the route they were going to take and off they went. Okay? I got moving pretty quickly myself, as it was now getting dark.  I had made up in my mind that this was not going to be another Erie incident where I'd stayed on the road too long.  I was in search for a hotel or motel, but there wasn't much around.  I came upon this motel with no apparent name out front.  There were two wings and a house in the middle in back that said "Office".  Hesitantly, I went up.  There was a group of guys in back of the wing on my right hand side.  They had a fire going in a BBQ and were drinking some beers.  This, along with the fact that the place was a bit of a dump, made me a little nervous.  I went through the outside door and the sign on the inside door said "No Vacancy".  I turned and was walking down the path towards Ezzy when one of the guys at the fire said "Looking for a room? Turn around", and was pointing towards the house.  I turned to see a little eastern Indian man dressed in traditional garb waiving me back.  He asked if I needed a room and quickly hustled me into the house.  Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to come out.  I mean, the thought was in the back of my mind.  He brought me upstairs to a room with nasty orange carpeting, no private bath, no TV, a bedspread fastened over the front windows instead of curtains and a double bed in the middle of the room below the windows.  That was it.  No night stands, phone, nothing.  Bathroom, not very nice, was across the hall.  I looked around a little confused and he asked in his accent, "you like room?"  Huh, interesting.  Remember, this is a guy, me, who was planning on sleeping out of doors in a tent, and as Garrick Smith, the GM of the Northwoods Inn where I work as a Night Manager in Lake Placid, NY says about our rooms; it was better than a tent.  So my first question was, "how much?".  He had the nerve to say $85.00!  Huh?  Really?  Yeah, no!!!  We settled on $50.00 and I was off to Wyalusing to grab a sandwich, aka dinner.  I was somewhere near Laceyville and it was a short distance back to Wyalusing to a gas station/convenience store, if you can call it that that I has seen on my way in.  I filled Ezzy, grabbed a sandwich, something to drink and headed back to the hotel.  When I got back the owners wife, who didn't speak good English was trying to tell me how to get in and out, because they were going to close the office soon.  Funny exchange, but we finally came to an understanding.

  So, here I was in "Motel Hell".  I went upstairs to my room, got out of my cycle gear and went back down to sit on the porch to eat my sandwich.  The guys around the fire were having a good time.  A part of me thought I should go over and hang out a bit.  Maybe I could get a beer, but I thought about it and decided I'd better not.  Mostly because I was tired and knew I had a long day ahead of me again.  Though I was planning a stop over for rest in Oneonta, I was determined to make it to Wilmington the next day. 

I got done with my sandwich and was walking down the pathway towards a garbage can when I was approached by one of the guys who'd been hanging out by the fire.  He was a big African-American guy.  He was curious about what I was doing there after seeing I was on a motorcycle.  Eventually the other two guys came over and I began to tell them my tale.  They were all riders back in Texas and we swapped some stories.  It tuns out they were there, along with many other people at the motel, known as the Maplehurst, working on retrieving the natural gas that runs through that part of PA.  They turned out to be great, friendly guys and it reminded me why one should not judge a book by it's cover!   We finished up our conversation and I went up to my hole in the wall to get some sleep.  It was now maybe 10pm and I had been on the road for 13.5 or 14 hours this day.  Luckily, this place did have WiFi, so I was able to watch a little NetFlix and listen to my nature sounds on my tablet. 

  Chapter II, Tunkhannock, PA to Oneonta, NY

  I was planning on sleeping a little the next morning, but found myself up at about 6:30am with a pounding headache.  It was now about 7:30am.  I packed up Ezzy, was warming her up, when the owner's wife came up to me and asked in her broken English Indian accent, "You like room?".  I smiled and said that it had served it's purpose.  In the end, I was grateful to them.  I think they could see that I was at the end of my rope the night before and set me up with a room they wouldn't have normally rented.  Looking back, it was a Godsend, because, as I found out the next day, the next town with rooms was a good distance away and they knew that, so thank you my little Indian friends!  I rode down off the mountain I was on top of and landed at a McDonald's where I got some much needed breakfast and two large cups of coffee.  About midway through my second cup, I began to feel human again.  The headache, though still with me, was not quite as bad.  It had warmed up by the time I was ready to head out for the second leg of the journey home.

  I found Rte. 29  and headed North to Binghampton, NY where I picked up Rte. 86 East.  I was planning on getting off in Windsor, NY and picking up Rte. 8 North, which was going to take me through Sidney and eventually to Oneonta; but there was not an exit for Windsor and I ended up in Deposit.  I pulled off the exit and found a rest area.  I was wondering what I was going to do when I spotted an old man on a hill in his yard across the street.  He was looking out at the highway.  In a way, it felt like he was there for me.  He saw me and my map and cam down to the head of his driveway.  I explained where I was trying to go and he pointed me in the right direction.  He was a man of European decent and also spoke in broken English.  He asked about what I was doing, where I'd come from and where I was going.  I was happy to tell him.  He seemingly enjoyed the story.  We shook hands, I thanked him for the directions and off I went, taking Rte. 44 to Rte. 8.  I saw him waiving to me out of the corner of my eye.  I turned to him, we exchanged a smile, I waived back and was off on my way again with a toot from Ezzy's horn.  

  I did find Rte. 8 North and stopped Sidney.  A town I had last seen in 1990 when I lived just northeast in a small town known as Gilbertsville. Sidney had changed quite a bit since I was last there 23 years ago!  In fact, I did not recognize anything about it.  I saw a State Trooper and commented about it.  He agreed that it had changed a lot since those days.  I confirmed I was on the right path to Oneonta and was on my way again.  

  I could not resist stopping in Gilbertsville.  I moved there in the Spring of 1990 with a friend from Paul Smith's College, Rob Fitch and his wife Sharon.  I had attended Rob and Sharon's wedding the summer before and had my first Robstock experience.  A few of my old college friends had come for the wedding.  Jeff Turke was there, along with Mike Ryder.  It was a great time!  Rob and Sharon had bands throughout the weekend, we roasted a pig, drank a lot of beer, smoked a lot of marijuana, and a few other things that shall go unmentioned.  There were people sleeping in cars and tents all over the property.  It was interesting in the mornings to see all these people climbing out of cars and coming out of the woods.  Not me though.  I had a spot in the house.  I guess I was in the inner circle.  And, yes, like Woodstock, it was rainy and muddy, but no one cared.  It was a blast of a weekend!  I left there after that weekend planning on returning for Robstock II, which was already planned.  As it turns out, during the winter of 1989 I found myself in a young life crisis.  I was in the car business, but not at all satisfied with the way my life was going.  I remember the feeling of hopelessness and desperation.  I had decided that next spring that I needed a change.  I thought what better place than Gilbertsville?  Ah to be young!  I called Rob and expressed my feelings and that I had to get out of where I was.  We discussed my moving up there with them, so I did.  What I was not counting on was falling in love with his wife.  She was so beautiful, smart and funny.  Rob worked over nights in Sidney at a company that made calendars, day planners, etc, so Sharon and I had a lot of opportunity to talk and hang out.  Though we never slept together, we developed a deep connection that I feel to this day.  Rob began to suspect that something was going on between me and Sharon and even had people spying on us through the windows at night.  There was a time that I gave Sharon a massage.  She was stressed out having issues with Rob and going to nursing school.  That was the most physical contact we'd had and I have to admit, I enjoyed it.  I do have recollections of kissing her.  I began to realize where it was going and decided I had better think about moving out.

  While in Gilbertsville I was selling cars for New Karnes Ford in Oneonta, NY.  This city boy was having a good time selling cars in the country!  So much so that the others guys on the floor got together with the owner's and said it was them or me.  I guess I can understand.  We were 1/2 way through July and I had about 25 cars sold and about 6 more waiting to be delivered.  I remember the day my sales manager pulled me into his office to tell me he had to let me go.  I don't remember his name, but he was actually crying.  He felt so bad about it and I was his best salesperson.  New Karnes had their F & I handled by an outside company.  On my way out the door, the F and I Manger pulled me aside, it was a sub contracted separate company, and said his company was looking for people and I would be perfect.  He encouraged me to call the owners, which I did.  It was a company dealerships contracted for Finance, Insurance and after maket sales, rather than doing it themselves.  I began training at a dealership in Utica, NY.  Towards the end of my training, they told me they didn't have any positions in or around Oneonta, but had a position in Buffalo and a dealership in Route 22 in New Jersey.  Though the choice was mine, it was a tough decision and I was at a cross roads.  I didn't really want to go back to NJ, but in the end, off I went.  I vowed  that I would return to Gilbertsville for Robstock III, now an annual event the third weekend in August.  I said goodbye to the friends I'd made in Gilbertville and off I went.  The experience lead me to write a poem "Turn and Walk Away".  

"Turn and Walk Away"

After shaking hands for the last time,

He slowly turned and walked away;

Knowing that another legacy was born,

And another, part of the present, is now a part of the past.

On each occasion it was time to say goodbye.

Goodbye to old friends gone astray

And start a new life after leaving the always lingering 

  Halls behind.

'T is the day to say farewell.

A day to cry and say goodbye to a first love.

The couple strode out of the building,

Embraced and turned to walk away.

Goodbye to the street lights that lit the paths of his hometown.

The emptiness opens its door.

Seeing visions of childhood play,

He turned and walked away.

And now it is time to settle down.

Say Hello.

Find love, live life, raise a family.

He will always remember the final smiles,

The endless handshakes,

The hard times and the easy times.

They will always be remembered with love.

So here's to all of you!

Seeing visions of a life that has past,

He turned and walked away.

  So, there I was, Back in New Jersey, working at a highway car dealership.  I was not happy, and even not happier that the company I was working for was not paying me.  By this time Maria had re-introduced me and her friend Kim Miller.  She had just come back from New Hampshire where she was living with her husband.  They were now divorced.  Maybe that was the connection.  That we had both left NJ and ended up coming back.  None the less, she was hot and I was struck from the moment we said hello.  I guess she was too. I asked her out on a date and the rest is history. We were together for the better part of 19 years.  Eventually we moved to Lake Placid, NY in 1995, settled down and raised two great boys, Jesse and Sam. Though we eventually split up after our marriage turned sour, we remained friends, for the most part, and speak to this day.  Though I am not in love with her anymore, I will always love her for the life and the boys she gave me.  We did have many good years together.  

  I never made it Back to Gilbetsville, but there I was, 23 years later riding back into town.  I pulled onto the Main Street and parked in front of some shops, walked across the street and reminisced for a while.  Iloved the rolling hills and farmland that surrounded Gilbertsville.   I snapped a photo, which you'll see later.  I found the road that lead up the little mountain where I used to live.  I found the property where the shack was, and it was a shack, but that house was gone.  It was replaced by a newer structure.  There were kids toys out front.  Clearly no one was home, but I had to wonder if Rob still lived there.  I had not realized how close it was to the Unadilla town border.  I sat in front of the house for a while.  The memories were flowing through me.  It was now about 1:30pm and I knew I had to move on.   

  Back on the road, I took Rte. 23 East over to Oneonta.  I found a Dunkin' Donuts and called Steve.  As it turns out, I was not far at all from their house.  He came down to meet me and off we went.  Steve and Kirsten live in a nice house on a hill, not far from Oneonta's business district where there are a lot of shops, restaurants and bars.  I wanted to see the old car dealership I worked at, but time did not allow.  They wanted me to stay over, but I couldn't.  I wanted to get home and Sam was waiting for me in Wilmington.  He didn't have a key to my house, so he had to wait at a friends until I got there.  It was now 4pm.  According to Steve, I should get home by 6 or 6:30pm.  While at Kirsten and Steve's, I couldn't help thinking about the past, in particular Kirsten.  When I worked for the defunct Lake and Mountain Properties, she was a rental agent at the Whiteface Club and Resort.  This was around 2002 or 2003  I can remember thinking one day I have to meet that girl.  Flash forward to 2007.  I still had not met her.  She was just a voice on the other end of the telephone line.  One of my agents, Courtney Crawford was friends with Kirsten and they used to walk around Mirror Lake every Thursday around Noon.  One day she asked me if I wanted to go.  I decided to join them.  It became a regular thing.  Eventually Courtney dropped off and it was just me and Kirsten.  We continued this tradition for the next three years or so.  Along the walks we became great friends.  During the 45 minutes it took us to walk the lake the conversation never got dull.  I can admit that I was a little smitten for her, but she was, as far as I was concerned, out of my league in that regard.  She is a tall, thin beautiful blond woman.  We must have looked a little like an odd couple walking around the lake.  That's why one night at the Pub I introduced her to this guy I had met recently, Steve Cowles.  Steve and I had met at the Pub and got to know each other a little.  I knew they would be perfect for each other.  He is a tall, good looking guy and in my mind, they would be perfect together.  Perhaps even complete each other.  Still, in the back of my mind, I was thinking that Kirsten and I could get something going and take our friendship to another level.  Either way, I reluctantly called him over that fateful night and introduced him to Kirsten.  I could see right away there was a spark between them.  Steve invited us over to a party at his house to be held a few days later.  I picked Kirsten up and we went over.  At the party, Steve asked me if we were together.  I remember saying that we came there together, but we are just friends.  Don't you know that they were kissing by the end of the night and I found myself driving them back to Kirsten's after the party.  That was it.  Now they're married with child on the way and I couldn't be happier for them!  I love those guys.  Both of them. Great people and I'm glad I could help them find each other.
Life is a series of events and moments.  A combination of fate and luck.  If you look back, you can see the cross roads.  Those fateful moments where you make decisions that end up effecting your life forever.  For instance, what if I went to Buffalo instead of back to New Jersey all those years ago?  I would not have met Kim and we would not have had  Jesse or Sam.  Nor would I have moved to Lake Placid.  Life is like Domino's.  Once one falls, everything starts falling.  And like Domino's it eventually stops moving.  "All things must end."

Chapter III, Oneonta, NY to Wilmington, NY

  I left Oneonta via Rte.88 West at 4:00pm.  I got off 88 around Daunesberg and found Rte30 North.  I cut across 29 East and turned onto Rte. 9 North just below Saratoga Springs.  It was on Rte. 29 that I made my first and only potentially fatal mistake.  I was following another bike and took a right curve badly.  I couldn't lay Ezzy into the turn quick enough and ended up on the other side of the road.  Of course there was a pick up truck coming the other way.  I remember seeing the drivers wide eyes looking at me.  Thank God he was paying attention and got over enough to miss me.  I regained control of the bike and waived to him as we passed.  That image haunted me for days.  I am as afraid of a line crossing resulting in a head on collision as Ritchie Valens was of getting on an air plane!  My only other mishap was when I hit a rabbit earlier that day.  Poor little thing ran right out ion front of me.  There was a guy behind me when it happened.  We both pulled into a gas station.  I asked him about it and he said I shredded it.  "Pieces went flying", was what he said.  After a few stops, it was now 7pm. So much for 6 or 6:30pm...  I continued up Route 9 and stopped Lake George.  It was CRAZY.  I pulled into the middle of Americade.  An annual biker rally that was living up to it's name.  There were bikes and bikers everywhere!  I wish I could have spent more time there, or had gotten there earlier, but I was on a mission to get home.  It was now about 8pm and time and light were getting on - fast!

  Around Chestertown, I decided to take the Northway, I-87, to Exit 30 in North Hudson / Keene.  Although it saved me some time, it was dark and cold.  It was now 8:45 or 9:00pm and the air temperature was in the low 50'sF.  By the time I got to Keene Valley I was freezing!  I had to pull over at the Noonmark Diner so I could feel my hands again and stop shivering, kind of anyway.  I warmed up a bit, hoped back on Ezzy and planned to pull into the Stewart's Gas Station in Keene to refuel, get something to eat and really warm up.  I got there at about 10:00pm.  It was a little slice of Heaven!  I had one more leg to go.  However, it was the most dangerous in so far as Deer are concerned.  After warming up, I left Stewart's at about 10:30pm.  I turned onto 9N towards Upper Jay and don't you know, the first thing I saw was a Deer. Literally less than 100 yards after I got on the road.  I continued down 9N with caution.  I don't think I went over 45 MPH.  I finally got to Springfield Road in Upper Jay, my road.  I was cold again, but I didn't care, I was almost there.  I had to travel the whole length of the road, as I am the last house on the road in Wilmington.  It's a distance of at least six miles.  Again, the stretch of Springfield Road to Fox Farm Road is notorious for Deer and I had to be very careful.  Earlier in the spring, I put Deer Whistles on Ezzy, so I felt somewhat comfortable; but they are no guarantee.  Finally, at 11:00pm I triumphantly turned into my driveway and I was home.

  What a journey this had been!  In the end, I spent a total of 49 hours behind the bars and approximately 1350 miles.  My journey began traveling along side two Great Lakes, Ontario and Erie.  I went through many small towns and a few big ones on the way to Cleveland, and switched roads more often than I liked.  In contrast, for the most part, I was on one road for much of the ride home, Rte. 6 West.  It was a beautiful Roads through forests, farms and mountains.  Everywhere I went, every time I stopped, people would ask me where I had come from and where I was going.  They were amazed, especially on the way back to hear my story.  More than once I heard "on that?" and "where's all your gear?"  I guess I can understand when I think about it.  I left out of the Adirondacks on May 27th with only one small suitcase strapped to my luggage rack.  I was wearing a black pair of snow clogs, as they are called, a pair of jeans, a T-Shirt with a warmer Columbia long sleeve shirt over that and a gray seemingly thin wind proof/water proof jacket.  That was it.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Crazy?  Maybe, but for me it was about the journey, the ride.  Throwing chance to the wind and just letting go.  What will happen, will happen.  It was rather nice.  I, and I think we as humans in general, get caught up in our regimented lives.  We stick with what is safe and comfortable.  Taking chances is for our youth and it was nice to let it all go.  I felt that I had God and many spirits with me on the road.  My mother for one.  Whether she was actually with me or not, it felt good to think that she was.  How ironic too.  I've wanted a motorcycle for a long time and never got one, because of her.  Every time I mentioned it, she would say "what do you want to do that for?  You'll only end up killing yourself.  Please don't."  Well Mom, I made it!  Me, myself and I, along with Ezzy.  My beautiful now 33 year old 1980 Honda CB750 Custom.  Aside from having to have her chain tightened in Cleveland, she didn't burn a drop of oil the entire trip, and she only used a total of $130.00 in gas!  I could not ask for more from her.  Every time I twisted the throttle, she responded.  She handled the highways and byways like a champ, so yes, on that!

  I don't know what the future will hold from here.  At 45 years old, I feel I am approaching another one of those cross roads in my life.  Perhaps the last cross roads, perhaps not.  I do know that nothing lasts forever.  I have been in the greater Lake Placid, NY area for 18 years now.  I am divorced, Jesse is 20 years old and Sam is 14.  I have a good career in Real Estate, although I am increasing unsatisfied with the inconsistency of this business in this area, I take the responsability very seriously!  It is more that just selling homes to or for people.  The buying or selling of ones home is a major event in people's live and it is not to be taken lightly as an agent or Broker.  It is so much more than dollars in the bank!  Over the years I have sold many homes and done many more vacation rentals.  In April 2010, I got back into the hospitality business by going to work at the Northwoods Inn in Lake Placid.  It is a business I am good at, comfortable in and love.  For me, it's more than just a business!  As Hoteliers, we have an obligation to provide our guests' with a clean, comfortable well maintained facility.  I always try to make connections with my guests.  Their stories and lives interest me.   Over the last 18 years in the hospitality business I have met many great people and have become friends with many as they return to the hotel year after year.  I am always reminded that it is a personal business.  People do not leave their lives at home.  Often times they bring it with them.  People get engaged in my hotel.  They have sex, They find out they're pregnant, they find out a loved one has passed away.  Occasionally they get married. And every so often, they die in our hotels.  Domestic disturbances don't stop either just because they are on vacation.  That is always a hard issue for me to deal with.  Makes me sad to see that!  It's very personal.  It has been researched and proven that traveling is one of the most stressful things one can do.  Think about it, a 10 hour dive with screaming kids in the car, or flight delays or cancellations.  Rough weather along the way, like white knuckle driving for the last hours of the drive.  Sometimes I can tell that people have been fighting while on their way to the hotel.  I take great pride in that it is me they see when they turn the corner and come up to the front desk.  From that moment, they are my personal responsibility.   After all, they are staying in what I per sieve as my house.  Though I am the "Night Manager" at the Northwoods Inn, I see more in my future.  Only time will tell and those subtle moments where seemingly meaningless life decisions are made.  I am always looking ahead for those moments.
  For now, I'll continue doing what I am doing.  Effecting people's lives in real estate and the hospitality business.  More than those two things, I am a writer, a poet a musician and a philosopher. Always have been, always will be.
  At 45, the striving is over and I find I am living within my zone.  I am happy, for the most part, doing two things I love.  I remain single, but I am okay with that.  Relationships can be complicated.  Heck, I am complicated.  I have a hard time dealing with myself.  Perhaps it's not fair to have someone else have to deal with me!
   I love the friends I have gathered along the way, for I would not be the same person I am today without having had them in my life.  For my past, present and future lovers, I offer this...

For My Love

Lay down with me in this bed of roses.

Hold my hand.

Stare up with me at the day blind stares,

A sky cast in blue.

The wind rustling through our hair,

Gentle and soft.

Smell the air,

Lovely spring air.

The sound of near by water, the power of life,

Flowing by.

Feel the earth, our almighty Mother,

Beneath our bodies.

Today, in this moment, we are one with each other.

Today, in this moment, we are one with the world.

    To a degree, life is about touching people's lives.  Making connections with people that last forever.  Lois Wyse once wrote, "A good friend is a connection to life. A tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world."  

Chapter IV, The End

  This is the end of this story, but not the end of this life.  There is much, much more to come.  Though it has not been easy all the time, I am constantly reminded that life is like a river.  You have to struggle while in the river in order to survive.  In life, if you stop struggling, you die.  I have a keen understanding that the God's have not made it easy to be a Human Being.  I only hope that one day I can look back and realize I have beaten the odds.  Hope, Romans 5:3-5 says something to the effect of "Rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; which builds character and hope, and hope does not disappoint us..."  Hope, to me is like a candles flame.  We must do everything we can to keep the flame burning.

John V. La Selva, June, 2013

My Motorcycle Trip to Cleveland, OH (Part 1)

  I recently took a motor cycle trip to Cleveland, Ohio to see my sister, her family and other family members. I left on Memorial Day, May 27th, 2013. I meticulously planned my route old school style with a road map. I did not use GPS. My original thought was to bring a tent, get as far as I could on the 27th and find a place to camp, but I could not fit the tent on my bike.

  We received approximately 3 feet of snow on the High Peaks between the 25th and 27th and, sure enough, Whiteface was covered with snow on her peak the morning I left, living up to her name. I got up early on the 27th and was pulling out of my driveway by 6:30am. It was cold, about 38F degrees, but I was determined to head out.

  I planned to take route 3 west through the park and pick up Rte. 104 west just below Pulaski. I rode 104 along Lake Ontario and picked up Rte. 78 South just east of Niagara Falls. I picked up Rte. 5 west just north of Buffalo. There was some road construction in Buffalo, so I got a little turned around, but eventually found my way. I stopped for a brief break at a beautiful marina in Buffalo. The break was nice, especially after being lost. However, it was getting late, now about 6:30pm. I got back on the road and picked up Rte. 20 west on the other side of Buffalo. I began to realize I was not going to make it to Cleveland that night. Just west of Erie PA, I threw in the towel. It was now 9:30pm and I'd been on the road for 15+ hours! With the help of my sister, I found a Super 8 in Erie to bed down for the night. What the heck, it was starting to rain and the room was only $69.00! At this point, it was Heaven!!

  I woke up the next morning, got my free continental breakfast, not bad, and started thinking about my final leg into Cleveland. It had rained pretty hard over night and I had to wait a bit. At about 10am, the rain lightened up and I decided to head out. I figured I'd hit Cleveland at about 1pm. I continued down Rte. 20, now riding along Lake Erie. I found Rte. 534 South in Geneva, OH. Nice road through some Amish country. Thankfully, the weather was much better. Hot, humid, but partly sunny. I took 534 to Rte. 322 East, aka Mayfield Road. Nana and Pop's old road. Pretty cool. However, the road was not fun. There was a lot of construction, a road closure and a major detour; which, as we know from Buffalo, I am not good with. I finally made it to Little Italy in Cleveland at 2;30pm. I came over a hill and there was Maria waving me down. I wasn't sure how we were going to find each other, but it was as if we planned it. There she was. I pulled over, we greeted each other briefly and off we went to her house. Let me tell you, by this time all I wanted to do was get off that bike, but it was another 1/2 hour to her house. I wanted to take the fastest route possible, so that included some pretty heavily traveled interstates and 65 - 70 mph. Honestly, I didn't care. I just wanted to get there!!!

  So, there I was, at Maria's in Broadview Heights, OH after 600+ miles and about 21.5 hours behind the bars. I had a great time at Maria's. It was great to see her and Phil and Vincent and Lizzie. It had been a long time. That night, my Aunt Gail, Beth, her GF and Aunt Norma and Uncle Joe came over to Maria's for a "Ghetto Bon Fire". Ghetto, because the fire was in an old metal garbage can in the driveway. Ah, I didn't care. I was with family I hadn't seen in years, good food and beer.
We had a great time that week. I reconnected with Maria and was able to spend a lot of time with her. It was like we were teenagers again! We went to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame one day. Another day the whole family went to Put in Bay - awesome! and another day we all went to Amish Country. It was Sunday, so not much was open, but we made the best of it and saw some nice sites. The next day, Monday, Maria and I went to Rock Creek and saw Nana and Pop's old house. It was sad, because It looked nothing like when they lived there, but time goes on, right. We went down to the lake where 10 years ago I put Nan's ashes, per her wishes, with Mom and my cousin Rob. Pop is also there. We sat for a while and reminisced about when we used to come there as kids. Where we were used to be a boat launch and beach, but was now covered in grass. We left soon after and found ourselves in the west side Amish Country and I had a great, traditional Amish lunch and Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen. Just awesome. At one point, we also drove by Nona and Papa's house in Parma.  It looked somewhat the same.  Maybe not as well taken care of as when they had it, but certainly recognizable.  So many great memories in that house.  Too many to go into here.  What I was finding most pleasurable was spending time with my sister. We had a great time all week. I slept on her couch all week with her dog, Duke at my feet. Made me miss my dogs.
  Their house is in the process of being renovated,but is coming along. She has nearly 2 acres. A mixture of woods and yard. Very nice. I would sit out in the morning and watch the Deer. That is until their crazy little dog LuLu would start chasing them. Imagine that, a little 8 - 10 pound dog chasing huge deer! But you know what? The Deer ran from her. Funny stuff.
I was leaving on Tuesday, June 4th. On Sunday we went to Aunt Norma and Uncle Joe's for dinner. I love their house! It sits on a cliff over Lake Erie and has stunning views of the lake and Cleveland. We had a great dinner of Sausage and pepper subs. Aunt Norma really out did herself! Uncle Joe is doing well. I was happy to see that.  I took some unbelievable pictures of the sunset over Lake Eire. Amazing! The next night we went to Aunt Gail's in Parma for another great dinner. Beth and her GF were there, finally, Cousin Elena, and Aunt Norma. Uncle Joe had a prior commitment. We had a great time. I love my cousins like sisters. They are twins and we are about the same age. I think I'm a tad older, but not much. I hated to leave. We were having such a good time, but I had a road trip to start the next morning and we had to head at about 9pm.
All in all, a great week with Maria and everyone. I saw some family members, both on the La Selva side and Lovell side I had not seen in years. Most of all, I think I am proudest of Lizzie and Vincent. They have become such great young adults. Lizzie is smart and funny and Vincent is doing well in school and playing football. I am a PROUD uncle! The only missing component was Niece E.L.E.N.A. She and her fiance Brandon moved to Virginia a while ago. Brandon was transferred with his job. I am happy to report that they are dong very well. Elena is expecting, so I am going to be a great uncle soon. Imagine that! I love Elena so much. I may not have told her enough, i don't know, but I hope she knows that. I am SOOO proud of her for the woman she has become. She continues to dabble in the music business, but most of all, I think she's looking forward to being a mom. I believe she'll be a great one!

  This is the end of Part one. Part two will consist of the trip home. I left for home on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30am. The story of that adventure is coming in the next few day...

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To be Continued~