View source for Al Pandolfo



'''Born''': October 15, 1932

'''Died''': June 10, 1990

'''Married''': [[Nancy%20Pandolfo|Nancy Nelson Miner]]

'''Children''':

'''Alfonso J. Pandolfo''' worked at the [[Blue%20Line%20Sports%20Shop|Blue Line Sports Shop]]. 
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''Adirondack Daily Enterprise'', January 23, 1988

'''These Adirondacks'''

By [[Chuck%20Brumley|Chuck Brumley]]

'''Life on the creek'''

…Nancy and Al Pandolfo live year-round on the isolated side of the [[Lake%20Kiwassa|Kiwassa]] outlet. They call it the creek. They have the world by the tail the same way a soft-hearted lion tamer who loves and spoils his beasts holds his whip. Gently, with everybody pretty much getting to do what they want.

"We've had this camp about 25 years, sold our other properties, moved out here, everybody told us we were crazy, we should move to Florida. For a while we had this for sale, had a sign in the window. Somebody called, they wanted to buy it, they were serious, we said oh my, we don't want to sell it! I took the sign down," Nancy said. They did consider retiring to Florida about four years ago, and even tried it. "I was brought up on the ocean, both coasts, thought we'd like it," said Al. "I guess it's okay if you're old and don't have your health. You can only fish so much. Even here I got sick of fishing last summer — my gear'll never wear out!"

When Nancy ran [[the%20Shamrock|the Shamrock]] Bar in [[Gabriels|Gabriels]] she'd close for a few weeks at the end of the college school year.

"I needed a break. I'd tell everybody not to come see me, and go to camp. I'd forget I said it, and when they wouldn't come, I thought nobody liked me! I cried when somebody finally came out."

Al works full-time at Blue Line Sports. He calls boss Sam not just an employer, but a good friend.

On the creek they have 16 geese, 50 chickens, 6 turkeys, 40 pigeons — including pygmy pouters and giant runts — and 28 rabbits. They take them to shows and sell a few. Rarely does one find its way into their larder. "We've named them all, we don't like to eat our pets." said Al. Don't try sneaking up on the homestead. The geese will sound the alarm. From a distance it's a noise like a huge ungreased steam shovel. One goose of my previous acquaintance who is no longer there is Jonah. He was painfully infamous for that act named for geese. I don't know if he nailed a visiting preacher or an in-law, but he's history.

The livestock gets its aches and pains. While I was there a rooster was down. He was brought in by the woodstove. "I feel like I'm going to college with these chickens," Nancy said.

"You can tell we're classy people — we had an incubator in the bedroom," said Al. It's a beautiful piece of natural wood equipment, contrasting colors. I thought it was classy indeed.

, "Last summer we added on the kitchen and the solar skylights and the bathroom. On August 21 we got electricity. We'll never forget the date — we hugged and cried." Nancy said.

Before that they had a phone but no electricity. They cooked and partially heated with a woodstove. They continue to heat with wood, hauled across the ice. They see osprey, eagles, otters, hawks and owls. Their Red New Zealand rabbits crossbred with snowshoe hares. "They didn't turn white in the winter," Al said. A red fox pays regular visits. "He hasn't taken anything. I think he comes to play with our dog Chinook," Al said. "I'm not going to shoot him."

The Pandolfos are both trying to give up smoking. "We tried putting the cigarettes out in the barn. Every time you wanted one you had to go out, at maybe 20 below, then stand outside to smoke it. We're going to quit one of these days."

Ice up and ice out are the toughest times to get to their camp. Nancy, maybe Al, said, "We went by boat until the Friday before Christmas. We've got a pram we stuck downhill skiis on —"

"They've got fish scales — they're cross-country!" Al, maybe Nancy, said.

"Downhill! Last winter we sawed the ice with a chain saw, then got an old ice hand saw. You get wet with a chain saw, then it gets wet and stalls. When the Village lowers the water the center of the ice over the creek drops," Al said.

"We love it here. We stood in the middle of the creek on the ice in the moonlight for half an hour — it was so beautiful it didn't look real," Nancy said.

"But we'd be happy anyplace if we were together.

Crack! Was that the ice or a tree freezing, or just the world, happily snapped by the tail?