For The Love Of Kinderhook
Monday’s travels in New York State brought me through the
tiny hamlet of Kinderhook. Kinderhook is probably the first small town I fell
in love with because of its name alone. I think it’s because “Kinder” is part
of the name, which in German means “children”, as in kindergarten, which is literally
“Children’s Garden.” Kinderhook, also a German name, translates to English as, “Children’s
corner.” That’s a lot of youth, this “kinder” stuff, a good time in the human experience
for sure.
So I like Kinderhook quite a bit. I’ve only been up and down
the main drag on route 9. Lacking verse in architecture, I can’t say if it’s
filled with neat Victorian homes or spectacular Susanian homes. The center of
town is a block or two long, tiny indeed with only one traffic light. But if
you look at all the cool things that call the eye, you might miss a turn or
accidentally blow through a red light. There are lots of neat old pads on both
ends of town- that’s how I can say it safely, best. Wise old stunning brick homes
and some grand stone huts too, I would like to have one as a spare one day.
Kinderhook seems like a place where magic could happen. I
don’t say that only because of its name. I’ve been through there enough times to
get that feeling. It’s peaceful to me. One could hang out next to a big old
antique window in one of those old houses, put up the feet near a crackling
fire and just watch the snow fall as one thinks (and possibly sips slowly on a
hardcore adult beverage suitable to the occasion.) Just stare out the glass at
millions of snowflakes dancing their way to the ground and think things
together into a story that could be told, a fairytale perhaps.
Maybe one could
spin a story about a boy and a girl, an in-depth account of their life together
with all the struggles and accomplishments, smiles and sorrows. Sure, that kind
of tale has been told a million times, all over the world, since folks started
writing. But it would be deliciously different in Kinderhook. It just would be.
I mean come on, this is Kinderhook man. Let it take you back to when you were
just two feet tall with the imagination of a giant. Misbehave a little and get
sent to sit in the “Child’s Corner” and watch magic come to life or life turn
to magic. The choice is yours to make, the possibilities are endless and these things I
can say with certainty because I’ve been through Kinderhook and I like it.
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