This site is about the McGrail farm at 19 Lyman Road Berlin Massachusetts.

Welcome to the Underwood Page at mcgrailfarm.com

Unkie and Joey Underwood
For a long time, we here at mcgrailfarm.com have wanted a page devoted to that wonderful couple who lived at the Farm from 1971 until after it was sold, at least until 1993. Well, folks, here it is. I am still searching the huge slide archive for photos of this wonderful couple, and will add one as soon as I find one.

Here's a memory of Unkie, courtesy of Dan McGrail:

Being a young kid during their residence there, I was able to develop a warm relationship with them. Often, for instance, when Unkie was mowing the grass(in the mid 70s) on his yellow International Harvester driver mower, he let me sit on his lap(I was, like 8) and drive the thing. I remember as if it were yesterday that once, when I was riding with him and we were mowing the curb grass on Lyman road (where the creek ran under the road) my foot couldnt reach the clutch to make the mower go. You see, the clutch pedal was merely a yellow painted steel bar, like a railroad tie, that was on an extrememly tight spring. Considerable force was needed by one's foot to keep the pedal depressed and the(to me, large and extremely noisy) mower idle. On his lap(he was very affectionate with me) he told me to reach my foot down and replace his foot holding the pedal down with my own. I remember looking down and seeing his foot. He had Saucony running shoes on with black socks, showing a bit of leg--sometimes he wqould wear slippers or even penny loafers--but never did I see him wear work boots. anyway, he kept telling me to let the clutch out gradually. I did not have the strength in my foot, and kept stalling the thing out each time. I got to steer though. It was thrilling to "drive" a real motorized vehicle, but I was still a little disappointed at my failure to smoothly release the clutch. I often think of that moment when I drive a stick today.

Usually, when doing yard work, Unkie would wear really ugly (by today's standards)and loud 70's-type wash-and-wear polyester shirts and Farah Sans-A-Belt slacks. One time he mowed while actually wearing white(!) slip-on, patent leather(though scuffed) shoes
But no work boots. His clothes didnt seem to fit him, and I think it was because he was really pretty muscular. He told me he was 56 once, sometime in the seventies.

Once, while I was hanging out in their little driveway where they parked their green AMC Matador(or was it an Ambassador--Jim?)[Ambassador, I think --Mr. Webmaster], Unkie was sitting down on an apple crate, fiddling with a door knob or some piece of machinery. It was a hot summer day, he was sweating, and had a couple of beers in him. He told me the following joke:

"What's black and white and red all over?"

"What?"

" A newspaper!, get it?" My first exposure to homophones. Another time, I was hanging around the small garage(with the horse stalls and the most yellowjackets). Gramp and Unkie were tinkering with a lawn mower, and I was tinkering with something else(an ancient tricycle, maybe) I got frustrated, and Gramp said with a smile, "Why dont you use your Yankee ingenuity?"

I struggled a bit more and said that I didnt have any yankee ingenuity. The two of them laughed.

Another time, in the library, with other guests assembled, Unkie and Joey came in for drinks to relax and socialize with Gram and Gramp. I dont know what started it, but Unkie talked about his service in WWII. I think he was a tank driver, and he told me about the "bogey wheels" on a tank that the Germans were always trying to shoot at with Panzerfaust rockets which were like bazookas. so that tanks had to carry extra treads to "change the tire". He also said that the tanks had four Chrysler car engines in them. At this time, Matt and I were really into playing guns and war, and whenever I could, I would read the old National Geographics in the attic that Gram and Gramp had saved from WWII that had ads for war bonds and such. this stimulated my interest in what Studs Terkel called "The Good War". One ad in the magazine had a cartoon with a gritty looking GI in front of a green tank with a white star on it. It was a Chevrolet ad with the familiar tag "Body by Fisher", except the word "Body" was crossed out and replaced with "Armament".

I listened with rapt attention to Unkie--he showed me the tattoo of an eagle on his forearm. On holidays, he usually wore his American Legion hat and marched in the July 4th parade with his uniform and M1 rifle. He was a great guy.
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