Winbeam

A memoir of life in rural West Brook Valley (upper Passaic County, NJ) prior to the construction of the Wanaque Reservoir in the 1920s. Contains descriptions of farmsteads, old roads, mountain trails, birdcalls, woodland animals, and summer life in a cabin with a view across the valley to Winbeam Mountain. Filled with short sketches that move easily from one topic to another -- from fishing with a young boy called Junior to being lost in the woods to eating a supper of bread and milk on the doorstep to her cabin. Mentions many old families and placenames, some lost in time except to those who still wander the mountains near Stonetown. A good read for someone who knows the area or has an interest in folkways. Contains 15 Vernon Royle photographs of places mentioned throughout the book.