A Tribute to Mrs. Naugton

Hey Dave,

Your Mom was on my mind recently and I had a dream about her. I don't recall the details of the dream but I spent the next morning thinking about her and the special things that only your Mom could do.

Like skillfully putting her eye makeup on while driving us to school (it was raining that day, otherwise we would be walking).

She would wake up at four in the morning doing her chores. Just like the old U.S. Army commercial that said soldiers get more work done by six o'clock, than most people do at that time in the morning.

One time we were at Stone Harbor on the beach and I was scooping out a girl in a healthy set of lungs on her and your Mom looked at my eyes were fixed on this fine girl. All of a sudden I was startled out of my trance when I heard your mother say "Donald did I just see you checking that girl out! ". I could not say no. So I just looked at her and smiled.

One time we were in your basement and someone was being colorful with their language. They often used the "F" word. Your Mom was upstairs and yelled down "I cannot believe what I'm hearing, who ever is saying that stop immediately".

Who would forget the many family relatives of yours that lost limbs, got their heads bashed in, etc. because they were running around the pool or acting silly while on the pool's diving board. She never mentioned that your relatives died, but they were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Everybody that knew her, knows that she had a heart of gold. She was a "Giver" always. Here's a memorable quote: “Steve, would you like an apple? … What about an orange?”

Your mother was so important to us while she was alive and just as much in spirit now. I can speak on behalf of the entire Hope Street Gang that we love you Mrs. Naugton and will never forget you.

Does anybody have comments worthy of sharing? Plus does anybody have a picture that we can post?

Here's Dave's comment:

Hi Don ,

Thank you for this. My sister Lorie was visiting this past weekend and we spent a lot of time talking about Hope St, our gang, and of course our Mom and Dad.

On the colorful language sometimes used in the basement and backyard.....my Mom once said to me that she was overhearing some very bad language coming from the basketball court in our back yard. She had to look out the window to see who it was coming from.......it was me of course. Another proud moment for my Mom as I used the f word as a noun, verb and adjective in the same sentence. Very similar to the speech I gave as I destroyed my Phil Niekro Strat-O-Matic card and threw him into the pool.

Not only could my Mom apply make-up while driving her car, in later years she learned to eat lunch out of a small picnic basket she keep with her whenever she drove anywhere. Tuna fish on toast with a Coke was her favorite. I often wonder what she would have done if cell phones where available while she among NJ motorists.

After Mom and Dad moved to south Jersey and were well into their "golden years", Mom would often speak about how much she loved living on Hope St. She loved the neighborhood and she loved the fact that all the guys felt comfortable enough to make her home part of their daily routine. She loved feeding us, talking with us and knowing that we were welcome. Obviously my Mom thrived on chaos and dysfunction. Mostly she loved my "colorful" play by play during our b-ball games in front of the garage.

Some of you might remember my Mom's mother, Nana Tanis. If my Mom was out running errands, my Nana would often be left in charge of the house. Who could forget her frequent calls into the basement.............."David............you alright ?" This would be repeated every 15 minutes until my Mom returned. All the while, we were only watching the most recent installment of " Rob and Lynn in Ocean City" produced and directed by Mr Hannings

Thanks for remembering my Mom, she certainly loved us all very much.

Dave

Here's Ed's comment:

I'd like to add my condolences and fond remembrances. She was a very patient and very kind person to not only put up with us, but to embrace us the way she did.

Unfortunately, I don't recall much specifically in terms of quotes and anecdotes, as I have trouble remembering where I live these days. But I do remember the Anglia...

I drove down Hope St. not too long ago. You would scarcely recognize it. And the center of town: there's nothing left there from our days. Drapkin's, Sealfon's, Woolworth, BR, Irving's, Agels... all gone, replacedby faceless corporate entities.

However, the church is still there at the corner of Hope St., windows just waiting to be broken, and furniture and food inside all waiting to bestolen and transported to the clubhouse.
Good times!
E

Birth Announcement

Well, you can call me Papa Don.

My son Matthew and Kim had a baby boy on March 8th.

Peyton Anthony Taylor

Baby and Kim are doing just fine.

Ram John Holder online!

Just wanted to let the community know that one of our favorite clubhouse classic albums, 'Black London Blues' by Ram John Holder will be posted online in its entirety this Friday 3/9/07! The link is:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/365_days_project/index.html
and look for the March 9 entry.

For those of you who haven't heard the great sounds of 'The Ram' since1973 or so ("My baby... dun walked out on meeeeeeee"; "Hey fellas, man, I think I'm freaking out"), here's your chance. Obviously, it ain't available on CD, and ain't gonna be anytime soon! I know The Ram was a particular favorite of Rene's.

And yes, I am responsible for getting this auspicious task done! Whatother numbskull would waste his time on this?

Maybe the 4 Bassoons will be next, who knows...

E

New Year Taylor Reunion

Grandma Ruth, my older sister, Kate & her hubby, Ken flew into Memphis from Colorado to celebrate the New Year. It was an excellent visit.



We enjoyed good food, Ken made us a hearty breakfast everyday using my new griddle I got for Christmas.






We even made a Rachael Ray (my hero) breakfast frittata. Yummy!

We played card & board games almost non-stop, except when we were eating, ha, ha. Nicole taught Grandma, Kate & Ken how to play Chinese Mah Jong, shown on right. We played Nicole's new game Balderdash. Beware, that one requires creative thinking, that's why Nicole loves it so much. Other games played were Mexican Train Dominos & Phase 10.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas & a safe New Year!

What's new in you neck of the woods?

Happy Halloween

Halloween Greetings,

This year, I plan on scaring our Trick or Treaters out of their GOURDS!

My Dad hung cow bones from a rope on our porch one year at 104 Hope St and he played following on a tape recorder (in a scary voice):

"These are the bones from the trick or treaters of last year!"

Happy Halloween to our family & friends!

Hope Street Photos

I tried to arrange these by date, but that would require me actually knowing what I'am doing with this blogging thing. So anyway, here are some photos my sister Lorie sent me.


Ed, Steve and Raul in the Naughton's den, Feb 73. Are those suede Adias Steve is sporting ?












Dave, Don and Mr N. in Stone Harbor, NJ, Aug 73. Don and I about to head to the beach in search of chicks. Who could rest our muscle-bound bodies and those cool Madras print shorts
















That's Don alright, with a very cool cruiser. This photo was taken near the end of the Naughton's driveway. Across the street is where my Grandmother Norma would reside several years later. In the garage behind her house you'd find the infamous Anglea. A few of us cut our driving teeth in that car. Greg almost killed a few of us in it on the way to south Jersey one night. Fortunately, none of Rene's Eddie Palmieri records were damaged...screw you Rene.







Dave and Ed, Sept 65. Our bikes were cool but nowhere near as cool as Don's. Don't Ed's legs look good in those shorts. I know.....nice head Dave
















Cub Scout get together in 196???. Across the top row you'll note Mr. N (fourth from the left, Mr Alstrom (sixth from the left) and Mr Taylor (first from the right) , their respective sons are just in front of them. Don of course went on to be an Eagle Scout, Dave and Ed were thrown out for... oh forget it, this is a family-friendly blog.





Don and Dave at the Naughton's one Christmas morning around 1964 or so. Yeah, that's the back of my fat head alright.



I've got another box of old photos in my attic I haven't gone through yet. Hop I come up with more to share.

Hope you enjoy what I've found so far. Special thanks to my sister Lorie.

Dave

Hope Street version of Little Rascals

peugeot racing team , aka, ed, don and dave atop one of france's finest


I've got more but will have to post later

A Blast from the Past

Here are a few photos going way back. Please comment...

Dave's birthday party, he's the one in uniform, with Ed, Karen (cousin), and Don. I'm going to ask Dave to submit a comment to let us know who the other two are.

Do you remember Dave's Civil War wallpaper. Nice head Dave. Why do Ed and Don look like they just woke up?

Do you all remember the revolving gate at the Duck Pond? The one in the middle had it easy.

A Mini-Reunion or Real Men Wear Crocs

Back in mid-August, Dave and I had a mini-reunion. We had been planning it for a while. I've noticed that each time I meet with Dave, it's as if we were never apart. I often introduce Dave as my childhood friend that I've known since we were four years old. Dave is very funny. I had to take breaks during the weekend to give my stomach a rest from all the laughing. The weekend was full of surprises.

The Navy decided to allow my son Matthew (23 years old) to visit me. He will be going out to sea on his nuclear submarine in 3 weeks and won't be back until April of next year. I don't know what shape I will be in at that time so his visit was a great thing for us. We actually got the Red Cross involved because the Navy was being a pain. He arrived with his new girl friend, Kim. At the same time Dave arrived from New Jersey. We were expecting Dave for a month now, but the news on Matthew was a surprise.

My wife, Hing, knew about the visitors. What she didn't know was I planned a surprise B-day party for her at a Chinese restaurant, the Asian Palace, for dinner Sunday night. 25 people attended. What a wonder wonderful party. Hing certainly was surprised. And the food was excellent as usual. My kids did a great job of keeping it a secret. Did I mention Hing is Chinese? Here's a picture of my bride.


A million thanks to Dave for visiting and getting reacquainted with my family. I am certainly glad you came to visit.

A note from Don: This web site is a 'members only' site. You must be invited to update or comment.

What's a Blog?

For all you newbies, here's short definition:

'A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order.'

Feel free to use this blog to post family news or as a personal online diary (if you dare!). Humor is best!

A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. As a minimum, we should place our most recent family photo for all to see.

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Welcome!

Welcome friends and family. The purpose of this site is to allow members to post photos and stories about the life and times (both past and current) of the greatest neighborhood of kids growing up in New Jersey from the early 1960's to 1970's. Fondly referred to by Mrs. Naughton as the 'Hope Street Gang'.