A Country Store: Swimming in High Woods in the Summer in Quarry Pools

There were two other wonderful swimming pools in High Woods in those days both owned by artists who had made homes in abandoned quarries.  Tomas Penning's pool was quite large with just a small amount divided off for swimming.  That part was lined with flat bluestone rocks.  Swimming past that, one encountered several inches of muck, so it was best not to put your foot down.  The pool was filled with gold fish grown very large and very wild.  They would come by and nibble your toes if you sat at the water's edge.  When Tom and Elizabeth Penning had a party, everyone brought along their kids, and we had a grand time in the pool and around their beautiful, spectacular house. It is gone now having burned down a decade or so ago. Below is a picture of Tom Penning and Ernie Short standing by the pool having caught some fish.

Harvey and Barbara Fite owned the other wonderful quarry pool.  Harvey had two stepsons, Tad and Jon, one of whom had a birthday in the summer at which time there would be a party.  One year, in the early 50's, Barbara Fite decided to have a party for kids with a theme:  a scavenger hunt.  My sister, Meed (the artist Meed Wetterau Barnett)  and I were invited although we were on the young end of youngsters.  Most were early teens , but we were tweens.  Meed and I were put on the same team.  Looking back, we did not remember much of the scavenger list, but it was quite an adventure. One item was to collect a drawing of a duck from one of a list of local artists. 

This is how Meed remembers it:” I don't remember the other things on the scavenger hunt, but I can add some humor regarding our team's adventure with the cartoon by a Woodstock artist.  Not only did the drawing have to be by one of the artists on the provided list, but also, it had to be of a duck.  Our team was all but certain we could find Fletcher Martin at the Irvington Bar terrace.  He was there, and much amused by our request.  He was probably two sheets to the wind.  He drew us a wonderful picture of a duck that had breasts, and signed it lavishly.  We were delighted and giggled all the way back to headquarters." “It was (later) called Opus 40 because Harvey thought it would take 40 years to complete it.  At the time of the scavenger hunt-birthday party (Tad's or Jon's, don't remember), many of the present paths and terraces of the present Opus 40 were not yet created, and the great piece of bluestone that would become the monolith had not yet been found.  The quarry pool was green and clear, and much deeper than it is now.  At eight years old, I was not yet a strong swimmer and did not dare go into the pool, as it seemed not to have a shallow end. The quarry pool was green and clear, and much deeper than it is now.  At eight years old, I was not yet a strong swimmer and did not dare go into the pool, as it seemed not to have a shallow end.  One thing I remember well is how I admired the daring of the biggest kids as they climbed out onto the high stone winch, which had been left rising over the pool.  When a climber was good and ready, they hung from the end of the winch and let go, falling about fifteen feet into the cold waters of the pool.  I had felt mild frustration at not yet being strong enough to do it myself.  It looked wonderfully fun, and made a great splash."

Meed writes:  "I was probably the littlest kid there--still a child among tweens and teens.  I wasn't ready yet for the social aspects of the day, but the beauty of the place was not lost on me.  It had been one of the ten most perfect weather days of the year.  The sunlight turned the trees a thousand hues of green, and the view of Overlook was blue and purple and dappled with cloud shadows.  The surrounding woods were much closer, shaggier, and wilder than now. There was no thundershower that afternoon to interrupt the goings-on.  I spent most of my time climbing on the rock piles, gazing into the pool, and watching the clouds shadows on Overlook.  I sat in the middle of the little suspension bridge that spanned a deep outcarving in the rock.   A little stream ran below, making the rock smell like heaven.  Much of this formed the basis of future paintings and drawings."

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