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Mike, I know. My life before video cameras B.TW When you were up here di you notice the milk box on the front porch? no milk has been deliver since I bought the place in 1978 but the box still sits there as an object d art
Funny story in that apartment. I have a brother two years younger than me. We got stuck behind the oven/stove - actually inside/underneath the stove if you will. Crawled alongside the wall and crawled in/behind the stove. Then, yep - we couldn't get out - thought we were so cool we did. Mom had a conniption - didn't know what to do. Can't recall if Tom (brother) & I were crying or what; but, Mom called the fire department. They arrived, pulled the oven/stove from the wall (it was too heavy for Mom to move on her own - middle of the day) & we were "freed".
Norm - Great story! I automatically pictured in my mind (made up) an episode of I Love Lucy where little Ricky has a friend over to play and they get stuck behind the stove. Lucy goes into a tizzy because she can't get them out, and then gets Fred and Ethel involved, and eventually the Fire Department. Bet you boys had alot of "Splainin" to do!
Norm - Great story! I automatically pictured in my mind (made up) an episode of I Love Lucy where little Ricky has a friend over to play and they get stuck behind the stove. Lucy goes into a tizzy because she can't get them out, and then gets Fred and Ethel involved, and eventually the Fire Department. Bet you boys had alot of "Splainin" to do!
That's most likely how it went down. I only recall Mom (in later years) explaining to others (family/friends) how funny Dad thought it was when he got home from work that day. Vivian Vance & William Frawley - that was a series, eh?
Chicago (1956)
Mom dressed us up to show us off I believe. Me on left, Tom (brother) on right, can't recall the guy in the middle. Most likely at their favorite tavern (showing us off).
Chicago (1956)
Mom dressed us up to show us off I believe. Me on left, Tom (brother) on right, can't recall the guy in the middle. Most likely at their favorite tavern (showing us off).
Very dapper young lads! Hilarious that the picture is taken with the Schlitz sign as a backdrop!
You most likely recognize I took a lot of "-ology" courses in college(s). This talk regarding old milk boxes (and their obvious milk bottles) recalls a memory of mine when I took Ornithology (Birds of the World) w/ lab. Long story short, discussion(s) regarding the Great Titmouse and **** (Paridae) in general.
As we were talking about dogs, I decided to search for a pic of my closest childhood friend, my dog King. This may be the only picture I have of him. King was named after Sgt. Preston's sidekick in "Sgt. Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police". King was half purebred Alaskan Malamute and half purebred German Sheppard. He was 120-lbs. and strong as a horse. As you can see in the pic, he just loved the Michigan winters.
Mike, you said Maxx was the dog you judged all others by. King was that for me, and I don't think any other dog could ever measure up to him. Another day, another time, but very special!
Norm - Your picture of you boys all dressed up for your parents to show you off brought up another memory. I know you're a musician, so I thought you might appreciate this. I took piano lessons for 7-yrs, from when I was 7 until 14, when sports and girls became my primary priorities. I was pretty decent and my piano teacher's prize protégé. My parents would always rent a tuxedo for me whenever I was performing at a recital. I can still read music and sit down and play, but if a piece is very difficult I stumble and bumble about the keys until I figure out how it should sound. I've been thinking about buying a decent electric piano to start playing again as a hobby, especially because my kids and my wife have never heard me play. The pic was taken before one of my recitals, I think I was about 9 or 10 then.
Norm - Your picture of you boys all dressed up for your parents to show you off brought up another memory. I know you're a musician, so I thought you might appreciate this. I took piano lessons for 7-yrs, from when I was 7 until 14, when sports and girls became my primary priorities. I was pretty decent and my piano teacher's prize protégé. My parents would always rent a tuxedo for me whenever I was performing at a recital. I can still read music and sit down and play, but if a piece is very difficult I stumble and bumble about the keys until I figure out how it should sound. I've been thinking about buying a decent electric piano to start playing again as a hobby, especially because my kids and my wife have never heard me play. The pic was taken before one of my recitals, I think I was about 9 or 10 then.
Chris - Interesting. I took both squeeze box (accordion) and piano lessons during the same ages. My instructor had me playing many recitals, as well. Not many young men learned to read both bass & treble clef, let alone play them both at the same time.
I had just bought that cowboy hat the summer before as a souvenir from being in Colorado for an 8-week Geology Field Camp that was mandatory for Geology Majors. Albion College owned a ranch that served as our home base in the Rocky Mtn. front range near Jamestown, CO, which is about 20-miles N/NW of Boulder. Wow, what a great summer, more great memories!
Norm what are you standing in front of? Is that the door to shovel coal down to the furnace? Deliveries after hours? Quick place for the mob to stash a body on the run?
Chris you look like a regular Floyd Cramer. Or, Ralph.
Chris - Interesting. I took both squeeze box (accordion) and piano lessons during the same ages. My instructor had me playing many recitals, as well. Not many young men learned to read both bass & treble clef, let alone play them both at the same time.
That is interesting that we both played! What I didn't mention previously was that I really wanted to learn to play the guitar, but my parents insisted I learn to read music and play the piano first. By the time I had pretty much mastered the piano, my interests were on other things and I had no desire to focus on learning another instrument.
Norm what are you standing in front of? Is that the door to shovel coal down to the furnace? Deliveries after hours? Quick place for the mob to stash a body on the run?
Mike - Most likely either deliveries &/or coal shoot. The deliveries were most likely any time of day I suspect. It wouldn't surprise me to think Capone tossed some meat through there.
That is interesting that we both played! What I didn't mention previously was that I really wanted to learn to play the guitar, but my parents insisted I learn to read music and play the piano first. By the time I had pretty much mastered the piano, my interests were on other things and I had no desire to focus on learning another instrument.
My accordion/piano instructor also became my 1st guitar instructor. He was an old geezer (older than Jim). He taught me the fundamentals/basics & I went on to train myself on guitar. I did take a couple years of advance piano lessons when I lived in the Ozark Mountains from a guy who was heading to Juilliard for school but never got there because his wife began labor while driving and they headed back to Arkansas - never to depart.
I never really liked (appreciated) classical music but that was his bag - classical pianist. My greatest piece of accomplishment was this one. I love it to this day.
For anyone who might possess a craving interest in that piece (above) - Prelude In C# Minor. It has an interesting story:
Sometimes it's hard to believe that Rachmaninoff was only 18 when he composed this piece. For those that don't know the story behind it: it is said that Rachmaninoff had a dream where he was at a funeral, and in the distance was a coffin. At 1:24 begins walking towards it, faster and faster. At 2:09 he opens it and... finds himself inside.
The other thing which is "really" really cool about the post I made is to notice how the guy playing (Rosseau) has replicated a "piano roll" in the video he created - that's really awesome. Additionally, that's an LED piano with LED lights. I think he went to Yale School Of Music - on par w/ Juilliard.
This talk/discussion about lessons/pianos, etc. reminds me of a guy I used to love watching on television. At a young age I thought he was brilliant & funny. He was popular during the time I was taking keyboard lessons & learning to read music. Funny old geezer he was, indeed.
A wonderful story (if you care to read it) on how he managed to get out of Copenhagen, Denmark prior to WWII.
The other thing which is "really" really cool about the post I made is to notice how the guy playing (Rosseau) has replicated a "piano roll" in the video he created - that's really awesome. Additionally, that's an LED piano with LED lights. I think he went to Yale School Of Music - on par w/ Juilliard.
Norm - That's a beautiful piece! Like you, I didn't have much appreciation for classical music during the time when I was taking lessons. I think you were a much more accomplished pianist than I was. When I got to around 11 or 12 I asked my parents to let me switch to a different teacher that would let me play modern pieces, and threatened I was done if they didn't. I found a new teacher that would suggest various piano arrangements from late 60's and early 70's Rock Classics, which was much more fun. Alas, even with that, other priorities won out as I moved into my mid-teens.
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; November 30th, 2022 at 01:52 PM.
Chris - Don't be so certain I was a much more accomplished pianist. It took me 6 months to learn Prelude In C# Minor. The guy I took lessons from was awesome. You put up any classical piece in front of him and he'd just bang it away. Amazing the gift some people have.
Chris - Don't be so certain I was a much more accomplished pianist. It took me 6 months to learn Prelude In C# Minor. The guy I took lessons from was awesome. You put up any classical piece in front of him and he'd just bang it away. Amazing the gift some people have.
Yes, I know exactly what you're saying about some people having a gift for it. I had to work at it and practice, practice, practice, just like studying for schoolwork.
Hey guys,
Wow, I sure enjoyed all the discussions today! All you guys are just great to shoot the $hit with, and I love seeing all your old pics!
Got some great news today. The contractor that built our deck was able to locate the required number of decking boards needed to repair the damage done by the contractor that replaced our roof and gutters. The decking guy is gonna charge a premium for acquiring the decking boards and disassembling/reassembling the deck, but I've got the roofing contractor to agree to what the decking contractor is charging to do the repair and deduct it from my remaining balance on the roofing. WooHoo, there was no way in hell that I thought we were going to find the discontinued deck boards at this late date, and find a settlement that was amenable to all!
Have to go get my 2nd vaccine in the Shingles vaccine regimen on Thursday morning. I had a mild case of Shingles once and it was not fun, so I definitely do not want a severe one. Vaccines usually do not affect me at all, but when I got my initial dose during my annual physical back in September my arm was very sore for several days. Might have just been the way she stuck me that day, guess I'll see?
Gonna be a Three Dog Night tonight, I'll have to throw several more cubic feet of natural gas in the fireplace. I think it's supposed to get down into the teens.
Hope everyone had a great day and has a relaxing evening!
Turned out to be a nice day. It was close to 70 when I got out of work but it's cooling off quick tonight.
I am not a musical person. I fantasize about knowing how to play the guitar, or the piano, but I just don't have it in me to learn. When I was ~10 years old, my parents sprung for drum lessons. Of all things. I learned some rudimentary things but could never string anything together. I just wasn't interested. I kept at it a couple years because my parents said I needed to be interested. Changed teachers a couple times, and finally ended when we got hooked up with a hipster who missed the lesson most of the time. I was glad.
I love all music, classical, opera, country, bubble gum [ maybe not rap],but I flunked recorder and could never begin to read sheet music I envy those that have the talent. I just don't One of the things I've learn in life is /people are wired differently. Some mechanical, some not, some musical, some not
November 30th, 2022, 08:34 AM
