Escape Home by Charles Paterson

Author:Charles Paterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780983254089
Publisher: DoppelHouse Press
Published: 2016-12-25T05:00:00+00:00

At Fort Ord basic training, 1954.

If this seems strange, one must imagine what Aspen was like in those days. My father concentrated his life on the light-hearted spirit that flowed through the place. In one letter he wrote about a dinner party at his good friend Mary Lib’s house followed by charades with a newly founded society, the “Red Underwear Society.”

The story of this society must be told in his own words. “The proponents were Mary Lib, Mrs. von Fumetti, and Mrs. Snobble. At first I was very reluctant to appear, but Mrs. Snobble talked so much, that finally I conceded. The red undershirt and the famous trousers with the design in the back that you bought at [Aspen’s] Thrift Shop were just the right thing to wear at this party. I arrived at Mary Lib’s house and there were: Mr. and Mrs. Snobble, Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher Shaw, the Craigs, Mr. and Mrs. von Fumetti, Arlette [Lawyer], Langen (the nudist), a girl who lives with Mary Lib named Carmen, a man I do not know his name but apparently from ski school, and Mrs. Seibert. The dinner was excellent and a punch served. Everybody was really in underwear. The first prize was awarded to Mrs. Shaw. She got a wonderfully wrapped package with fancy ribbons on it and in it was a pair of completely torn under trousers, which she put on right away.”

He wrote that photos were taken, unfortunately none of which I have. “It really was a funny evening. Loey Rinquist was there to take shots with her camera. I was photographed with the Shaws, but only from behind, with the wonderful design of your trousers. So you know that can only happen in Aspen or on Montmartre in Paris. Anyway they plan the next meeting at our house, with a special initiation of all the members through the proponents of the Arlberg skiing method. Also a parade is planned in red underwear down the mountain.”

The Arlberg ski technique was developed and taught by Hannes Schneider at St. Anton, Austria (no relation to us as far as we know, even though, interestingly, his son was named Herbert and wife Doris, same names as my brother-in-law and sister). It was originally brought to Aspen by Friedl Pfeifer, Schneider’s protégé and then the director of Aspen’s Ski School. The technique started with the snowplow emphasizing safety and control and progressed through the stem turns to parallel skiing. Schneider was jailed by the Nazis shortly after the annexation of Austria by Germany but was “sprung” in 1939 by a North Conway native, Harvey Gibson, who built Mt. Cranmore ski area and hired Hannes to run his ski school.

Another funny note from my father caught my attention about a concert at the Aspen public school. He wrote the concert was “very good,” but it seems he was being generous about the orchestra. “The band played in their new Alpine uniforms (they cost $1800). Anne Hollenbeck was very good as usual, and Sigrid [Braun Stapleton] accompanied the chorus very well on the piano.

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