HERE'S HOW THINGS LOOKED ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON
NOW IT'S YUENGLING TIME
FINIS
IT IS DONE !
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But Don't Take My Word For It
Here Is The Opening Of The Afterword For The Manuscript To
"THE KNAPPS LIVED HERE"
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AFTER-WORD:
This Is My Story ....This Is My Song.... Blessed Assurance written by Fanny Crosby and Phoebe Knapp
On Friday Afternoon August 22, 2008 I realized as I was writing Chapter 40 of my manuscript, that not only was it going to end this day, but that it was ending on the same month that it really started in earnest in 2001. As that thought started to hit me, I doubled checked with my perpetual calendar,and the realization got even stronger ,,,, the facts were bordering on the supernatural. This was in no way planned, yet here I was finishing the manuscript on same afternoon seven years ago that I touched down at Islip airport on Long Island to begin my research of the Knapp story (Chpt 6) With that driving me on, I started playing the soundtrack to the Grass Harp which is on my I Tunes and finished the last few pages. I then emailed a handful of family, friends and Knappsters , some who have been with me since the gitgo, to tell them..... IT’S FINALLY FINISHED! Then sat in shock for a few minutes surrounded by piles of files, books, photos, old magazines and stacks of CDs with more files on them that seemed to get totally out of hand these last few weeks as I worked towards a self imposed deadline of Labor Day 2008. Then I had myself a Yuengling Black & Tan beer (America’s oldest brewer since 1828 and related by marriage to the Knapps) while sitting in the chair, surrounded by framed photos of my central cast of characters and listening to Randy Travis warble Blessed Assurance. Dear old friend Larry Schulz suggested via e mail Friday afternoon that I have two Yuenglings! I might of had I not a house to put in order as Anne was due home from work in about 90 minutes! Plus Claire was coming to visit that evening ___no not that Claire ---Claire Orologas, Anne’s sister. Today as I write this, it is very early Sunday morning , of that very same weekend seven years ago that I was first poking around in Mastic Beach talking to folks like Mrs. Schulz, who told me stories of being a little girl in the 1930’s sitting on the deck of Knapp’s boat, and of her father being invited to go out on the town drinking with Dodi Knapp, which she added her Dad was extremely proud of. It was also the first time I ever heard the name Dodi Knapp and wondered which Knapp was that? As my wife Anne would say many times over these last 8 years.... ”It’s just too much.” When I first pressed her for an explanation, she just said “You and the Knapps and what you find out...it totally overwhelms me ....it’s just too much.” ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
you can read the rest in the book which I am hoping will be available by early 2009