During our trip to the Florida Days meeting in Sanibel, Fla., Jim and I had an opportunity to explore the area and see some of the attractions of Southwest Florida.

The area is very different from Altamont in almost every way. The weather is warmer year round which means that with the humidity you have to take precautions to keep mold out of your home. The flowers, trees, and shrubs are more fragile and although we wanted to bring some home with us, we knew that they would not last in the cold of the northeast. Shopping in the market was interesting because many of the fruits and vegetables we eat in Altamont are raised in Florida and are plentiful during what we consider off-season.

Some of our friends found the wildlife not only different but also at times annoying. It seemed strange to see signs on the roadside warning that for the next five miles there may be a panther crossing. We also saw signs for gopher tortoise crossing and bobcat crossing. We did not see any of those animals crossing, but we did see some black hogs and alligators along the road. Any ornithologist would love the large variety of nesting and migrating birds throughout the state.

The hotel that hosted our Florida Days meetings had a rack filled with information and flyers about local attractions. We looked through several activities and attractions that sounded interesting, but settled on one about the Collier County museums.

The history of Southwest Florida is so different from Altamont’s history that we knew we would have to take some time to visit this museum.

One of the more interesting displays was about Florida cracker architecture. This is a style of wood frame home used widely in the 19th Century in Florida and is still popular with some developers. Florida cracker homes are characterized by metal roofs, raised floors, large porch areas (often wrapping around the entire home), and straight central hallways from the front to the back of the home (sometimes called dog run hallways).

You have probably seen examples of a cracker box house in photographs or movies of poor families, primarily in the South. The siding was usually rough-cut logs, which are cut the same thickness with the bark still on the log, feed bags were used as curtains and sometimes there was just a door opening.

Anyone who has gone to the Stempel Lumber Mill in East Berne has seen piles of these rough-cut planks waiting for someone to redo their game room or side a summer cottage. Cracker box is also one of the unflattering names given postwar tract houses because of their thin, flimsy look.

In 1944 Congress passed a law that has become known as the G. I. Bill. Its official name is The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. It was a law that provided a range of benefits for returning World War II veterans. These benefits included low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business, cash payments of tuition and living expenses to attend university, high school or vocational education, as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It was available to every veteran who had been on active duty during the war years for at least 90 days and had not been dishonorably discharged; combat was not required.

By 1956, roughly 2.2 million veterans had used the G.I. Bill education benefits in order to attend colleges or universities, and an additional 5.6 million used these benefits for some kind of training program. The G. I. Bill had an enormous economic impact on our country.

The low cost mortgages changed life styles and allowed returning veterans to start their own lives in a new location. We still see some of the G. I. homes near SUNY in Albany.

Obviously, some returning veterans used the G. I. Bill to buy their new homes and get a college degree.

Many people today have turned to different styles of manufactured homes in order to keep startup costs low. There are more restrictions put on doublewide mobile homes as well as the single wide homes. These homes can be a good value as long as you are sure they have been manufactured for the area of the country in which you live. One of the biggest factors to look for is the insulation. A mobile home built for the South might not have much insulation and could be very cold during the winter.

With new building techniques, a manufactured home could be delivered to your lot, placed on your foundation, and when completed could look just like any other home in your neighborhood. Just as you would thoroughly check out a contractor, you would want to check out a company that builds a manufactured home.

We did see a trend in Florida that we probably would not see here any time soon. Many of the homes that were built on canals or on waterfronts could have been purchased for $15,000 to $25,000 40 years ago. Today, those homes are being resold for around $1.5 million.  Needless to say they were not the cracker box houses we described earlier, but the new owners are tearing them down and building multi million homes on the same location.

When you travel, be sure to visit local sites, museums, and libraries. Not only will you learn something new, you will have a lot of fun comparing where you are with Altamont. You will also be amazed at how much our village has contributed to history and what a great village we have.

PSAT

 The Guilderland High School reminds students that the PSAT will be given at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. The registration forms that have been distributed to the students must be returned with the $30 fee no later than tomorrow, Oct. 10 to the counseling center.

The school has announced that this test date is the only opportunity for juniors to take the PSAT and to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program.  PSAT scores prior to the junior year are not eligible for the National Merit Scholarship program.

Oktoberfest

The members of Cyrene Temple No. 18, Daughters of the Nile, held their second annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 27. It has been reported that the dinner of sauerbraten and Wiener schnitzel with German chocolate cake for dessert was a big hit.

There were several drawings and a silent auction that made the event interesting. Miriam Kleinberger was the winner of the afghan made by Cyrene member, Dorothy Malmborg.

Past Supreme Queen Eleanor Green from Springfield, Mass., was in attendance along with several members from Ahlem Temple. Tim Grogan presented Queen Sandy Hussey with a check in the amount of $200,  a donation from Oriental Shrine for the Daughters of the Nile  Foundation.

Members of Cyrene Temple No. 18, who meet in Latham, are already planning and working toward  their third October Fest that will be held in the fall of 2015.

Save the date

Mark your calendar for Nov. 1. Again, the members of Noah Lodge will offer the general public the opportunity to enjoy their annual roast beef dinner. Stay tuned for additional information.

Anniversaries

 Happy-anniversary wishes are extended to:

— Natalie Michaels and Eileen Margaret celebrating their special day on Oct. 11t;

— Heidi and Paul Levin on Oct. 12;

— Tammy and Ray Weiler on Oct. 13 and

— Marian and Bud Munroe on Oct. 14. 

Birthdays

Happy-birthday wishes are extended to:

— Jessica Adams, Stephanie Ciupek, Kaylee Munroe, and Cristen Rose (Spiak) Lear on Oct.10;

— Ben Crupe, Audra Kilinski, Dan Neet, and Grant Roberts on Oct. 11;

— Josephine Cox, Richie Kronsberg, and Jeff Timer on Oct. 12;

— Vera Brady, Elizabeth Caruso, Shannon Dowen, and Darlene Stanton on Oct. 13;  

— L.J. Brock, Andy Krauss, Sandra Radzewicz, Matthew Schuhle, and Kyle Weiler on Oct. 15; and

— Christian Marie Delfs Bracken, Louise Adams, Thelma Crounse, Janell Stevens, and Henry Stuart on Oct. 16.