The Peck family vacation home on the Magathy River

By Elaine Schultz and Shelly Ruben

The Magathy, by Elaine

What happy times... The family together built the house, especially May, Willie and Howard. They would go every weekend until it was finished. It had a long living room where all the kids would sleep on cots. There were four bedrooms. Lubah and Howard, Sylvia and May, Bess and Julius, and Willie and Julia would stay in them since they stayed all summer. The rest of the aunts and uncles would come down on weekends or Sunday's. I remember Aunt Bessie's car. The older kids would all pile in, and we would go to Glen Bernie to the movies. They made steam crabs in the evening, and then the adults would go skinny dipping, and we would watch them from the window. Shelly built a boat and we all had lots of fun. I only have happy memories of the Magathy.

Postscript, by Shelly

At the young age of nine, I was forced into slavery!

Lubah, Sylvia, and Bess when Zel, Rose, or Julie were not around forced me, against my will, to learn how to play Mahjong and be their fourth. If I refused, I would not be fed nor allowed to go swimming or to the movies. To this day I still consider myself a Mahjong professional. It didn't pay to be the oldest!