Thursday, March 10, 2011
Uncle Frank...I too remember the endless summers of our youth and the fabulous cookouts we had at Saratoga. You and my father would get the grills ready and make the most delicious hotdogs & hamburgers I ever tasted, not sure if it was the ambiance of the park or you guys were the best cooks ever. While I didn't like the onions as a child, everytime I smell onions grilling now, it brings me back to our wonderfully delicious Saratoga picnics the the fun we had right into the late hours of the day when the skeeters would start biting. All of our cars were like a caravan heading home down Rt 9 to the Northway.
But, it was Saratoga Race Track that I remember you loving so much. We took little Katie Maluso there one early August morning to watch the horses train and have breakfast watching the sun rise. The track was breathtaking in the early morning sunlight. Katie loved seeing the horses.
One of my most fun memories was going to Saratoga Race Track with you, Auntie Eileen, Mom, and Uncle Jack one day when Uncle Jack had box seats. It was there that we met "Big Rhonda". Uncle Jack, Auntie Eileen, and Mom were up walking around and it was just you and I in the seats midway through the afternoon. We both were quietly studing the next race without talking to each other. We had lost the past few races and were licking our wounds deciding to take a break from betting. The horses were lining up at the gate and the last horse was a huge one named "Big Rhonda". Both of us remarked that we had been really looking at Big Rhonda on the race list, thinking that was a great name for a horse and gee...maybe we whould place a bet on her. But soon after, the race began, so we were too late. Big Rhonda started out slow and we remarked... good thing we didn't bet on her, but half way thru the race she found her legs and started passing all the others. Big Rhonda blew past every horse and won! She had a huge payout being she was not favored at all. Uncle Frank and I just looked at each other and said "Why didn't we bet on Big Rhonda?!" The winnings would have paid for the wonderful dinner we had after, and then some. Every since when we mentioned Saratoga Race Track, Uncle Frank and I would look at each other and say..."Remember Big Rhonda?!" and we would laugh.
In your own"quiet" way you helped to guide my Mom and us kids and offer advice after my father and Uncle Jack passed on. You never interfered, but made us feel that we had your back up if needed and that you were happy to be of help. I thank you for this.
You were a bit stubborn when it came to your health sometimes, and being a nurse, I wanted to make sure you were able to get pain relief to your back and knee. I was so happy you made and kept your appointments with the ortho doctor and found some much needed relief to make you as comfortable as possible.
We will miss you, Uncle Frank, but we are comforted knowing you are at peace and with those you love who have passed on before you. We will keep an eye on Auntie Eileen for you. Paul, Katie, Nicholas, and I will keep you and your family in our prayers.
And, if I ever get back up to Saratoga Race Track, I will be looking to you for tips from above...
Love,
Colleen XO
