Pocono Vacations

Driving through the Poconos recently on our trip back and forth to Philly reminded me of the times my family vacationed there.

My extended family on the Emery side often went to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania for vacation when I was growing up. My father and his brothers along with some of the older folks went there together almost every year that I remember in the late 50s and early 60s. I don't know how often we actually went but it was a lot and I have many memories of those times.

We always went to the same place that I remember. The name of the vacation place was the family name of Winkler's or Winkle's. I'll have to ask my siblings what they remember about the name and the place. Each of the families with kids had a cottage and the older folks stayed in the big lodge building. It had a large porch that went around the lodge and our grandmother and great aunts would sit and watch the kids play on the big lawn.

There was also a large club house / dining hall where dinner was served every evening for all of the guests. Each family had a large table. I remember each tables plates and water pitcher were a different bright color. After dinner the space was a big playroom with lots of games.

There was a large swimming pool on the property that was almost like a lake. It was a very different and was not at all what I was used to with swimming pools down the Jersey shore in at our neighborhood boy's club. 

I think the last time we went to this vacation spot was in 1964. The following summer was very tough for the family following the death in 1965 of Nana Emery and Uncle Joe. I don't remember ever going back there after that.

There was another time that we went with some of Mom's family added to Dad's family. This picture was probably taken by me Dad and it included Nana Emery, Mom-Mom and Mart, Aunt Mary and Aunt Francis, Mom, Betsy, me, Tom and Cathy. Mom is pregnant with Rita. That would make this photo from the summer of 1956.

Later in the 1960s we went up to the Lake Wallenpaupack area with just our family. We rented a cabin from the guy who delivered weekly produce and meats to our house in Germantown. Ed Kilpatrick. In 1968 we actually rented his cabin for a month. Dad was there for a week and then came up on weekends.

That summer of 1968 was the last time I ever stayed anywhere in the Poconos for a vacation. I was down the shore a lot the summer of 1969 after graduating from high school and then I was off to the Navy. Since then the only time I've been in the Poconos was driving through on my way back and forth between Buffalo and Philadelphia.