The TV Room. I’m not sure you could call the time we spent in the Peck’s TV room “parties.” We certainly watched a lot of TV but I remember it as much more. It might have had something to do with the size of the room. Maybe 12 feet long and 5 feet across. Just enough room for two or three over- stuffed chairs, a couch and about a dozen foot stools. And it was almost always packed.

This was Charlotte’s domain. She kept her knitting and crafts in this room and never complained when her quiet time was invaded. And while many of us would never have spent the evening sitting around talking with our own parents, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to have Chester and Charlotte there.

The TV Room is where we started many of our evenings…and ended them. It seemed there was always someone in this room. To someone that wasn’t there, reading this, I’m sure the reaction is, “Okay. You sat around in the den talking. What’s the big deal?” I can only hope some of the others who were there can help me explain why these times seem special, even 30 years later. I’ll think about this some more. What I’d really like to do is include some of Charlotte’s recollections here.

Poker. Even at these tender years we knew that a poker game was nothing without a cold beer. To address this need, RP constructed a secret compartment in his closet. For some of us, this was probably the first hint of RP’s creative genius.

Behind a couple of wall boards were hand-crafted shelves, exactly the height and width of Bud Tall Boys. He even filed the nails off. It would take more than a casual search to uncover this trove. Room for no more than five or six. Did they drink them warm? Did they have a cooler? Beside the point. I think the secret compartment may still be there.

Technically, this period pre-dated The Basement Diaries years but it’s so in keeping with the spirit I’ve included it here.–sm