Memories of Nana Droddy
My memories of Nana are limited. I was barely eight when she died in December 1982.
I'm pretty sure that most of the memories I have occurred after I was 4 or 5 years old. When I was five, we lived in her cabin on States Road in Stony Creek. I'm pretty sure she came to visit us a few times while we were there.
My memories of the cabin are of watching her mix drinks (martinis, I think). I think she and Ed, her boyfriend, had drinks every night. I'm not sure if this was a tradition that she and Ed started together, but I do know that Nana and grandfather had a bar in their basement in Shrewsbury and that they liked to entertain friends there. Anyway, I remember her mixing the drinks and I especially remember the smell of the green olives that went in them. My parents have the icebox that she used as a counter for mixing them; she had the hinges on the top door changed so that the door opened downward instead of sideways, making a great little table.
I also remember being at Nana's cabin and eating triscuits with her. Every time I buy triscuits, I think of her. I spent the night at her cabin a few times. Once we went on a walk together. I'm betting we walked a couple miles; I remember being tired, but having a good time just being with her.
Once, after a sleepover, she took me to church. We went to the Methodist church in Stony Creek. I was feeling pretty and I tried to show her my skirt or something, and I remember that she was horrified that I still had my pjs (they might have been long johns) on under my skirt. We were crossing the road to go into the church, be we turned right back around and I ducked behind the car to take those off. I think she had a thing about looking proper.
Another memory is canoeing the Hudson River with she and Ed. We drove toward Warrensburg and stopped in Thurman near Sittin' Bull Ranch where there was a put-in spot for canoes. I bet we didn't go much farther than 6 miles or so, but it was fun. She definitely enjoyed being outside.
Nana must've belonged to the National Wildlife Foundation, because she bought Conor and I a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. She bought me a stuffed Ranger Rick (the raccoon) and she bought Conor a stuffed bear. I don't remember his name, but he was also a Ranger Rick magazine character. Another time she brought me a pretty pink vest. I guess it's safe to say she brought gifts to us pretty often.
At one point, Nana was my pen pal. We wrote back and forth, and she also sent me math problems to do.
I remember when she died; it was just after Christmas. We'd gone to stay at her home and I knew that she was really sick, but I don't think I understood the seriousness of her situation. Dad and I had visited her once before she died, making a quick trip to New Jersey, but in December our whole family went and stayed. I loved being in her home and felt like it was a great vacation. (There was TV!) I also loved to attic bedroom that I slept in. I have the feeling it was pretty much the same as it had been fifteen or twenty years before that, when dad and Drew shared it. After she died, we went back to Shrewsbury to clean out her house. Drew and Suzanne were there, along with my mom and dad. I know I was impressed with some of Nana's stuff! She seemed to have a million pairs of clogs, and they all fit me! I was really excited to have so many colorful, fun pairs of shoes. She also had lots of shells around her house, on plates and in bowls. They were everywhere. She loved going to the beach. I know Drew was a good swimmer and I think their family belonged to a beach club or swim club or something like that. Nana was always really dark from being at the beach. She and Ed and Uncle Pete and Aunt Darty all were at our house once and Aunt Darty kind of scolded her for being so dark. Aunt Darty and her sisters didn't seem to like dark skin, which was weird to me, since they had dark skin...I think it was seen as a bad thing in Louisiana when they were young. They didn't want look anything like the black people around them. I think they were raised to believe that whites were better than blacks and they seemed to feel that it was okay to perpetuate that belief. In any case, i don't know how Nana felt about that , but she loved the beach and her friends at the beach.
When she died, we inherited a lot of her stuff--mainly furniture, but we also ended up with a dark tomato-orange pinto station wagon. It was probably so ugly that Drew and Suzanne didn't want it! . We drove that car till it literally died on the side of the road one day.
When I was home this summer, I found a Droddy family journal that must've stayed at the cabin. All of the entries were written in Stony Creek, most by Nana, but one or two by grandfather and at least one by Uncle Drew. My dad wrote several and friends who visited them even made entries. Most of the entries were pretty mundane. They talked about how long the trip to Stony Creek took each time and detailed trips to the grocery store, etc. Lots of the entries mentioned snowmobiling. Nana seemed to snowmobile a lot. I was really surprised that there weren't more entries about grandfather's illness or his death. I did find one, written by Nana at the end of December 1970. It basically said, "It's been a sad year for David, Drew, and I. Losing Bill was hard, but we must press on and try to be happy."
I feel like I was fortunate to know Nana and spend some time with her, but I also feel like I really missed out by not knowing my dad's parents well. I've definitely felt their absence and have wished I knew my grandfather--but I've also felt his presence at many times. I look forward to the reunion we'll have with them one day!
I'm pretty sure that most of the memories I have occurred after I was 4 or 5 years old. When I was five, we lived in her cabin on States Road in Stony Creek. I'm pretty sure she came to visit us a few times while we were there.
My memories of the cabin are of watching her mix drinks (martinis, I think). I think she and Ed, her boyfriend, had drinks every night. I'm not sure if this was a tradition that she and Ed started together, but I do know that Nana and grandfather had a bar in their basement in Shrewsbury and that they liked to entertain friends there. Anyway, I remember her mixing the drinks and I especially remember the smell of the green olives that went in them. My parents have the icebox that she used as a counter for mixing them; she had the hinges on the top door changed so that the door opened downward instead of sideways, making a great little table.
I also remember being at Nana's cabin and eating triscuits with her. Every time I buy triscuits, I think of her. I spent the night at her cabin a few times. Once we went on a walk together. I'm betting we walked a couple miles; I remember being tired, but having a good time just being with her.
Once, after a sleepover, she took me to church. We went to the Methodist church in Stony Creek. I was feeling pretty and I tried to show her my skirt or something, and I remember that she was horrified that I still had my pjs (they might have been long johns) on under my skirt. We were crossing the road to go into the church, be we turned right back around and I ducked behind the car to take those off. I think she had a thing about looking proper.
Another memory is canoeing the Hudson River with she and Ed. We drove toward Warrensburg and stopped in Thurman near Sittin' Bull Ranch where there was a put-in spot for canoes. I bet we didn't go much farther than 6 miles or so, but it was fun. She definitely enjoyed being outside.
Nana must've belonged to the National Wildlife Foundation, because she bought Conor and I a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. She bought me a stuffed Ranger Rick (the raccoon) and she bought Conor a stuffed bear. I don't remember his name, but he was also a Ranger Rick magazine character. Another time she brought me a pretty pink vest. I guess it's safe to say she brought gifts to us pretty often.
At one point, Nana was my pen pal. We wrote back and forth, and she also sent me math problems to do.
I remember when she died; it was just after Christmas. We'd gone to stay at her home and I knew that she was really sick, but I don't think I understood the seriousness of her situation. Dad and I had visited her once before she died, making a quick trip to New Jersey, but in December our whole family went and stayed. I loved being in her home and felt like it was a great vacation. (There was TV!) I also loved to attic bedroom that I slept in. I have the feeling it was pretty much the same as it had been fifteen or twenty years before that, when dad and Drew shared it. After she died, we went back to Shrewsbury to clean out her house. Drew and Suzanne were there, along with my mom and dad. I know I was impressed with some of Nana's stuff! She seemed to have a million pairs of clogs, and they all fit me! I was really excited to have so many colorful, fun pairs of shoes. She also had lots of shells around her house, on plates and in bowls. They were everywhere. She loved going to the beach. I know Drew was a good swimmer and I think their family belonged to a beach club or swim club or something like that. Nana was always really dark from being at the beach. She and Ed and Uncle Pete and Aunt Darty all were at our house once and Aunt Darty kind of scolded her for being so dark. Aunt Darty and her sisters didn't seem to like dark skin, which was weird to me, since they had dark skin...I think it was seen as a bad thing in Louisiana when they were young. They didn't want look anything like the black people around them. I think they were raised to believe that whites were better than blacks and they seemed to feel that it was okay to perpetuate that belief. In any case, i don't know how Nana felt about that , but she loved the beach and her friends at the beach.
When she died, we inherited a lot of her stuff--mainly furniture, but we also ended up with a dark tomato-orange pinto station wagon. It was probably so ugly that Drew and Suzanne didn't want it! . We drove that car till it literally died on the side of the road one day.
When I was home this summer, I found a Droddy family journal that must've stayed at the cabin. All of the entries were written in Stony Creek, most by Nana, but one or two by grandfather and at least one by Uncle Drew. My dad wrote several and friends who visited them even made entries. Most of the entries were pretty mundane. They talked about how long the trip to Stony Creek took each time and detailed trips to the grocery store, etc. Lots of the entries mentioned snowmobiling. Nana seemed to snowmobile a lot. I was really surprised that there weren't more entries about grandfather's illness or his death. I did find one, written by Nana at the end of December 1970. It basically said, "It's been a sad year for David, Drew, and I. Losing Bill was hard, but we must press on and try to be happy."
I feel like I was fortunate to know Nana and spend some time with her, but I also feel like I really missed out by not knowing my dad's parents well. I've definitely felt their absence and have wished I knew my grandfather--but I've also felt his presence at many times. I look forward to the reunion we'll have with them one day!
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