New-sy

Well, the first thing is trying out the 'new' Blogger.  Not thinking that I like it much, but like most other changes it will become routine after a while.

This week, or so, has been/will be birthday week.  Mom's came first this past Tuesday and A's will be this coming Tuesday.  As normal, and to avoid too much baking and eating out, we combined the two, celebrating on Thursday with a trip to Skip's (they had opened for the season on Wednesday).  We came home for presents and cake. Thursday was the only evening available in A's schedule.  She had an extra load of hours at work this week.  39 hours when she's supposed to be part time.  Her boss claims it was because of another clerk being on vacation.  Weird that everyone else only had between 15 - 20 hours though.

Our view from our car.  The parking lot was near capacity.

Our timing for Skip's was good, arriving before it got too busy.  As you might notice by the picture, by the time we were nearly ready to leave, the line was out the door.  I'll add that the line started inside, to the far right, about where it says Skip's.  Tradition dictates that we eat in the car.  The weather was beautiful.  In the mid 70's.

Which does bring today's weather to mind.  It's now in the mid 40's...and raining.  It's going to rain tomorrow, as well.  A real Nor'easter, they claim.  We do need the rain.  We're somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 - 8 inches shy of norm this year.  Beats getting a late season snow like upstate New York and western Pennsylvania (hi Norma!).  The bad weather has brought a halt to a search for a little girl missing from Long Beach since Thursday noon.  A tragic story that can be best read through the Gloucester newspaper.

It's been a bit over a week since I got a copy of the book that's new in my sidebar.  Mark Carlotto had written "The Dogtown Guide".  "The Island Woods" is his newest book.  Guess who got an acknowledgement?  Guess who also wrote a 'blurb' for the back cover?  Did you guess?  Did ya?  Yep, me!  And you can bet I got my copy autographed by Mark. Why my presence?  Well, through the historic society I was able to read the proof of the book.  When I emailed Mark with some comments (mostly praise), he asked if I would contribute the back cover blurb.  I had no idea that my comment about an additional D.T. Sq. boulder would earn me the acknowledgement.  I'm very pleased.

In other news...things are looking pretty favorable for a contract on a Mason & Hamlin reed organ rebuild for a Boston church.  Tomorrow I will be pricing out some movers for them and sending along the contract for the work.  Fingers crossed.

This morning, as I looked out my kitchen window, sipping the first of my coffee, I spotted this rather large bunny hopping down the front walk.  He (or she, I guess) sat at the end of the walk for a couple minutes looking around before hopping on into my mother's front garden.

Bart the bunny

Indoors, we started our vegetable seeds a few weeks ago.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and pumpkins. It's been about a 50/50 success rate and I've planted more seeds...just in case.  We've been carrying the tray of seedlings outdoors on sunny warm days and they do look better for it.  At worst, the garden will be mediocre.  At best, we will also have a second crop later in the summer. 

I'm still working on my web site.  I wrote the text and R is doing the editing.  I've accumulated a few more pictures and I've picked a template on a web hosting site.  As soon as a large, uninterrupted block of time is available I'll be getting it done.  Yay!

Today was the day to take artwork out of the Rockport Art Association Contributing Member's  Show.  R and I went down at noon to retrieve the painting and the photograph that I had exhibited.  No sale this year.  At least it keeps my name in circulation.

Haskins Hospital depicted on an early Rockport postcard

In a couple weeks, I'll be running a PowerPoint presentation on the former Leander M. Haskins Hospital of Rockport.  Another SBHS member will be doing the talking.  I'll be doing a bit of explaining about what remains of the property...now a town park.  Getting all the photos scanned and also exploring and taking current photos, not to mention a heck of a lot of research has kept me busy for weeks.  I am happy with the photos and hope that the entire presentation is a good one. It should be.

So, there you have it...I think.  Pretty much what has been going on around here recently.

More of Another Tech

I seem to be finding some innovative problem solving.

Today, as I was packing up a set of keys to be shipped back to 'Another Tech', I came across an interesting repair.  Why had I not noticed this while I was working on the new keytops?

Really?  You've got to be joking!

Obviously (hopefully) a field repair with nothing else(?) available?  I find this one hard to believe!  The key button, that raised area of the key, center frame, had split and had been glued back together with this bread wrapper clip-thingie glued on as a splint.

A bit better, not great, and it didn't work long-term

The above photo shows another key from the set with a somewhat more acceptable field repair.  You may notice, though, that this was a broken key and the repair did not hold.

Always carry some veneer.  It's stronger and looks eversomuchmore professional!

Awareness

I have a new one relative to a recent project.  A new awareness, that is.

Not for the website

I've been accumulating text and photographs to throw myself further into the business world with a website.  I had a vision of what the site would look like.  I drew it up on paper...an expanded plan noting my color choices and style.  It would be five pages, basic but classy.

Vision...
Would be...

So I looked at some DIY sites.  Not a thing close to what I want.
I contacted a local website designer and had sticker shock...

Until I contacted two other local designers and needed to be scraped off the floor.  Evidently designer number one was pretty reasonable.

Which brings me to the conclusion that I have beer taste on a tap water budget.

I should have known.  This is often the case with me.  I get the idea, even see it all in my head, only to eventually realize that it isn't out there.  Well, not within my means, at least.  Usually my idea, concept, want or need is not extravagant at all.  It's just that little bit too far removed from the norm that it must be specially created.

Creating a 'special' website, the one that is in my head, is beyond my personal capability to create.  And even though it's not something flashy or super high end, it's beyond my pocketbook.

I must re-evaluate.  I must now start with no preconceived idea.  I need to look at what DIY options are available to me and work within them.  So that's plan B.

As I mentioned, I have been taking some photographs for possible inclusion on my website.  This is not one that will be used, but for you piano technical types out there I'm putting it here.

From a prior technician (term used loosely)

This is soooooo wrong!  

Spring at the Top of New England

No One

Well, no one any more, that is.  Oh...that's the answer to who is buried in Rowe's tomb.

But there were some folks, probably with the name Rowe, buried there at one time!

I got to digging around the historical society's research room.  They have an entire loose-leaf binder containing an enlarged copy of the book, "Research in Rowe Search"!  And yes, there is a large section devoted to Major John Rowe AND several commentaries about THE tomb.

Within, quoted from "A County in Revolution" by R. N. Tagney:
"Bridge's regiment included John Rowe's company from Gloucester.  A detachment from Rowe's company carried off some of the entrenching tools.  When news came of the (British) landing, Putnam ordered the group, including Rowe, to the extreme end of the rail-fence on the left flank near the Mystic River, where they helped reinforce the rail-fence and construct a breast-work at the river bank with stones and dirt...the two division assault group moved forthwith...one toward the rail-fence under General Howe...the brave defenders witheld their fire until the red-clad troops had advanced well within the musket range.  Then they let loose a devastating volley, which shattered the line and caused the Redcoats to fall back in confusion."

Also, found in the binder is a copy of an article from The Salem Evening News, June 17, 1965, reading in part:
"He returned home, became a major in the militia, acquired his vast farm which included Pigeon Hill, and died in 1801.  His sword is on exhibit in the Old State House in Boston.  Years ago, an individual reports, youngsters were seen kicking bones down Rowe avenue(sic).  In a tomb, unmarked and its location known by few, Major Rowe was laid to rest.  Or was he?"

A map from "Research in Rowe Search"

Noted: "(The author later learned that John Rowe died 14 June 1801, at Ballston Spa, N.Y. and is buried there.  Other bodies in the tomb were removed to the parish cemetery.)"

Huh?  Other bodies?

And in a copy of a letter, included within the binder, written by Clara Swan, who lived on Pigeon Hill in 1965:
"I don't believe that  the bones the youngsters were kicking were from the tomb.  When the Granite Co. bought the land all the bodies in the tomb were moved to the Union Cemetery in Rockport..."

Aha!  Now all I need to do is make a trip down the road to Union Cemetery to find out who all those people were that were buried in Major John Rowe's Tomb!

Who's Buried In Rowe's Tomb?

Yesterday, R and I made the last-of-the-season woods walk.  Too many nasty, illness-bearing ticks are becoming active.  Our last walk was to locate Major John Rowe's tomb.  Major John Rowe was a Revolutionary War veteran and some of our local maps...Forest Fire Department and the Eben'r Pool map are just two...mark the location of Major John Rowe's tomb.

My red mark shows the designation "Major John Rowe's tomb"

So we set out on our quest at the top of Rowe Avenue.  Our last visit to this area did not yield the discovery of the tomb.  Last time we found the remnants of a large quarry building and that was fun to explore and photograph.

Old stone building

A shot from inside the building

This time we found the tomb.  Or, at least, something very tomb-like in the area designated as THE tomb on the maps.

Tomb-like structure built into the hillside

The tomb has been opened.  And graffiti-ed inside.

Large, rectangular vault built from quarried stones and cement

Now, there is a problem with this entire tomb thing.  I did a bit of research about Major John Rowe and that research confirms the information on file at Find-A-Grave.

Birth:    Aug. 8, 1737

Rockport

Essex County

Massachusetts, USA

Death:   Jun. 14, 1801

Ballston Spa

Saratoga County

New York, USA

Revolutionary War veteran. Commanded a company of militia at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Note: Memorial stone (in Union Cemetery, Rockport). Major Rowe is buried in Briggs Cemetery, Ballston Township, New York.

Indeed.  So, if the Major is buried in New York and there is a memorial plaque at Union Cemetery in Rockport...what's up with Major John Rowe's tomb?

Who was buried in Rowe's tomb?

Stated Again

You betcha!

In the mail today was a letter address to me from the state tax folks.  What now?

They chose to inform me that I had not paid enough in estimated taxes last year.  Yep, I know that.

They chose to inform me that they had calculated that I owed $10.88 in penalties and I would be receiving an assessment and a bill.  Um, wrong!

I already figured my penalty and included it on my tax form and in the check that I sent to them.

AHA!  A toll free number to call!

Mr. DOR says, "How can I help you?"

I say, "Today I received a letter stating that I owe a penalty.  I've already paid the penalty.  It was included in the check I sent.  That amount was added, per instructions, to the amount of tax that I owed.  My check was dated 3/8/12 and that is the date of payment on which I based my penalty."

Mr. DOR replies, "That does not show on your tax form."

I reply, "Yes, it does, it's on the bottom line where the form reads 'penalty'.  I then added that amount, as instructed, to the payment amount line."

Mr. DOR says, "Oh, I guess the machine didn't pick that up."

So I confirmed that I would owe nothing more.  Then I complained that they claimed my Mom hadn't filed her health care paperwork.  He said many would receive those letters...mistakenly.  So then I told him that my daughter's refund check had been sent to the wrong address.

Mr. DOR says, "You are having a time of it."

I wrote it all down, time, date, numbers, his name.........

(you can also see why I notsomuch love this state by going back a number of years to this post:
http://harmonyclubwaltz.blogspot.com/2007/03/wednesday-extremes-equal-exhaustion.html
Yep, notsomuch love)

It Seems Like Forever...

since I've written a post and it really hasn't been that long.  Maybe the weather is to blame for my confusion.  Last Thursday I sat in the sun on our deck in shorts and a tee shirt,  70°.  Saturday it snowed 4 inches!  Monday I was back on the deck in shorts and tank top.

R suffering through the harshness of Saturday morning

The pace of work has settled nicely.  Just enough keywork and plenty of tunings.  Just answered the phone to a tech wanting to come pick up the keys I did for him.  I really hate being called "hon" by someone who shouldn't be calling me hon.  Yuck.

I've started on a project for myself.  With R's help, last June I purchased a Concert Roller Organ.  I have just completed recovering the bellows and will begin work on the valve mechanism.  The crankshaft/handle needs repair by a fussy machinist.  I'm currently searching out a fussy machinist.  I've been given one name and promised another contact that very well might end up being the same as the first.  We'll see when that name comes my way.

The tax people continue to infuriate me.  I added a comment on my last post about A's refund check being addressed incorrectly.  Today the state revenue folks have done it again.  My mom got a letter from them saying that her Form HC (health care form required by the state) was not complete or not received.  Ummmm, wrong.  Anyway, they will not send her refund until they are satisfied and if not satisfied have threatened all sorts of fines and penalties.  So, nothing to do but to fill the darn thing out AGAIN and mail it with the new form that they sent asking for a signature that their letter was received!  Now...I KNOW that the original form was sent to them.  I have a copy of it and the tear-out official form is no longer in the booklet.  I reread all the instructions...just to be sure that everything was filled out as it should be...as it has been for the past umpteen years...it's not difficult...name, SS#, date of birth, income from line whatever, and two places to fill in bubbles.  That's it.  My first copy shows it all done.  I used that to copy for the original.  All tax forms get triple checked before mailing. 

Yes, I'm irritated.

We've still been walking in the woods and we've found the last of the Babson Boulders.  We had miscounted and actually had to find three instead of two.  It made for a rather strenuous 2 hour walk. 

 We also found Babson boulder Number 28.  Evidently we are the first to have discovered it!

This documentation of the well hidden Boulder Number 28 is now on display at Maria's Pizza where many photographs of Babson Boulders are hanging on the walls.

This past Sunday we walked along the path of the former incline railway that ran from Pine Pit to Bianchini Quarry.  It was a relatively short one hour round trip.  This coming Sunday we will either walk across the island, from Goose Cove Reservoir to Squam Hill or take a walk past Little and Big Pits (quarries) to find an abandoned stone house and the grave of a long ago Rockport native.

The old incline railway used for transporting cut granite from the quarries downhill (gravity) to the pier.  Empty cars were then hauled back up by oxen or locomotive.

A corner of Pine Pit.  It's hard to tell granite from water!

Next week is already filled with keys and tunings, then two historic society meetings and delivering two pieces of art work to the Rockport Art Association.  And on and on and on...

The Red, White and Blueness of Penalties

It's that taxing time of year again and I've been spending a lot of 'free' time working through three sets of taxes.  State and Federal for 'A', mom, and myself.  Mom's and 'A's are pretty straight forward.  It's just a matter of reviewing any tax changes that came up and double checking my math.

Mine, on the other hand...
I got hit hard this year.  It's not that I make a whole heck of a lot.  Actually, in the greater scheme of incomes, mine is pathetically minuscule.  However, I made more last year than I had anticipated.  That means that I didn't pay enough in estimated taxes and will be paying a minor penalty atop the amount I owe.  The totals put a bit of a crimp in my bank balance.  At least I have some in there to pay with! (I did realize, part way through the year, that I'd be owing more than usual and saved aside as much I could in preparation.)

So, I lose a customer AND get hit for tax money all within about a week.  At least my income should drop this year, back to where it normally rests at the bottom, so next year my taxes will go down!

And while I do hate having to pay out from the meager bank balance, I hate even more the hassle of figuring out the dollar amount of the penalty.  The Feds aren't too bad about it....took only 5 minutes or less to discover that I only owed in-the-neighborhood of a $10 penalty.  The State is vicious.  It's bordering on cruel and unusual punishment to fill out the form!

It works like this: With four columns of due dates...(each line below will have 4 entries)

Line 13. Enter the date you paid the amount in Line 12 or the 15th day of the 4th month after the close of the taxable year, whichever is earlier.

Line 14. Number of days from the due date of installment to the date shown in Line 13.

Line 15. Number of days in Line 14 after 4/15/11 and before 7/1/11.

Line 16. Number of days in Line 14 after 6/30/11 and before 10/1/11.

Line 17. Number of days in Line 14 after 9/30/11 and before 1/1/12.

Line 18. Number of days in Line 14 after 12/31/11 and before 4/16/12.

Line 19. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 15/365) X 5%.

Line 20. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 16/365) X 5%.

Line 21. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 17/365) X 4%.

Line 22. Underpayment in Line 12 X (number of days in Line 18/365) X 4%.

Line 23. Penalty.  Add the amounts shown in lines 19 through 22. (16 figures)  Enter this amount on Form 1, line 47......

Yep, all that to find out I owed a $9 penalty.

Time to take the rest of the day off.

Cat Lovers in Dogtown - Trip Six

The advantage of having no snow this winter is that we've been able to do a lot of woods exploring.  The generally freezing, or below, temperatures have kept the nasty bugs (ticks) population to a non-existent level...another good thing.

Our path from Summit Ave to Raccoon Ledges

So we've been making numerous treks woods-ward.  Recently we've explored the ways in to Dogtown from the Rockport side.  From the top of Squam Road and from the top of Summit Avenue we've become familiar with the terrain...on and off path!

The little boardwalk to get to the Ledges ( in background)

Raccoon Ledges  The picture doesn't do justice to the size of this pile of boulders.  Think 2 - 3 story office complex!

I've even managed to take 'A' to see some of the Babson Boulders and, yesterday, to take my Mom to see the same.

It's been interesting to venture into unknown-to-us territory for "R' and me and we've found some interesting sites (and things) along the way.  Mostly it's just relaxing and pretty. 

An old foundation and fireplace northeast of Goose Cove Reservoir

We've decided that we have three major woods adventures to complete before Spring thaw.  One will be to capture our last two Babson Boulders.  We know where they are, we just haven't gotten back that way.  Then we want to walk across the island from Rockport to Gloucester using the paths of Dogtown.  And finally, hoping that we do not get lost in the maze of paths, we'd like to walk from Rockport, near Whale's Jaw, northwestward in to the Norton Memorial Forest.

The reddish bog water

In other news....work is still good, even with the loss of one client.  Every year he tried to work special pricing...as in "I shouldn't have to pay that much for the work".  This year he decided to take his business elsewhere.  So be it.  Some things I can't change and if he hadn't done it this week, he wouldn't have been around much longer as I'm thinking there will be a price increase in the Fall.  Not sure yet.  It won't be much if I do it, but that would have just thrown him over the edge!  Today a box of keys arrived.  No name, no instructions, no payment!  I've sent an email out to clients in the area of the city it was shipped from inquiring as to the sender.  I guess I can take the rest of the day off.

Not really.  I've got a reed organ repair to finish.

A Not So Dogtown Trip

I'm sort of posting this as a companion to Scribb's post today.  Instead of trekking over the snow covered irregular terrain (read: you can't really guess where those rocks will be underfoot) of Dogtown, 'R' and I headed around Goose Cove Reservoir on the service road.  The service road was covered with about 5 inches of new snow trodden in some areas by dogs and owners.  As 'R' commented when we were about 3/4 around the 4 mile route, "It's like hiking 4 miles of sand dunes."  Uh huh.

The section where Commons Road got submerged.

When the Goose Cove Reservoir was formed by the building of 4 earthen dams, a section of Commons Road in Dogtown was submerged. So...it was nearly a Sunday hike in Dogtown.  I suppose it took us just over an hour to complete the loop around the reservoir.  It was chilly out but the exercise soon kept us warm.  There were some pretty views along the way.  Some spots were almost comfy warm in the sunshine and others a startling windswept cold. 

Today was plenty of hiking after a yesterday of snow shoveling.

In the Post

So this guy was using up extra stamps?

The box of keys that arrived last Thursday

Thievery

I haven't written a whiny, complaining post in some time.  So what better time to air something that has been spending far too much time bouncing around in my head.

That something is the blatant theft of images.  Yep, from the minor we-all-forget-to-give-credit-where-credit-is-due to the claiming of others photos as ones own.  This has been happening a lot on one I'm not mentioning by name site.  If it's not a photo you have taken then don't post it as your own!  Now there are a couple of folks out there that I run into who have their logo on images but do credit the original source.  I don't understand it, but well, at least they give appropriate credit.

The rest of 'em, the habitual offenders........not only do they anger me, they lose my respect.

A Warm Saturday Afternoon

A place with possibilities

Just some shots from our walk on Rocky Neck.

Needing work at Gloucester Marine Railways

Sign along the way

An enormous swan at the beach

Obsessed? Me?

Why would anyone think that?
Just because.........................

Got one for 'R' and one for myself.  Only wish is that they weren't orange.  The purchase was made at the Dogtown Book Shop where I also bought an old book from Tuner's Supply on organs and player pianos.  (see, I think about things other than Dogtown) The Dogtown Book Shop on Main Street in Gloucester is wonderful! 
 

And Then There Was More

I'm guessing that I spent about 8 months of part-time research before I felt that I had found everything there was to find out about the Manning Organ Company.  So, I wrote a lot of material to edit down for a submission to a trade magazine (still not completely written) and amid that managed to put together a PowerPoint presentation for the Sandy Bay Historical Society.  Now, 2 months later, here it is...another photograph shows up!

The former Manning Organ Factory after the fire (SBHS)

I really wish I had this for my SBHS talk.  I'm definitely including it in the magazine article.

Cat Lovers in Dogtown - Trip Five

We started the New Year with our continued exploration of the center of the island.  No surprise, huh?

Entering via Dogtown Road repeated our second adventure In, in some respects, but allowed us to spend more time actually looking around instead of worrying about keeping track of our course in order to not get lost.  We found many new things along the now familiar route.

A very large cellar hole along Dogtown Road

One such find was a rather large and excavated cellar hole.  I'm not sure why there are so many bricks present.  Maybe part of a chimney?  Maybe leftover from the days of filling in the holes?  Anyway, it's hard to believe that we missed this one last time!

The pasture where James Merry kept his bull

We continued on along Dogtown Road until we came to a path approximately opposite (to the right of) cellar hole 18.  Using my wonderful Christmas gift from 'R', "The Dogtown Guide" (see sidebar for a pic), we had learned that this path would lead us to the site were James Merry tried to teach himself bull fighting.  Yep, in late 1800 Mr. Merry desired to become a matador.  He failed.

Inscription "First Attacked"

Jas. Merry died  Sept. 18 1892

He was gored to death by his bull.

We then retraced our steps back to Dogtown Road to where it intersected with the Moraine Trail.

Marking the start of the Moraine Trail

We followed the trail, finding a couple more Babson Boulders until we reached Col. Pearce's Pasture.  There we turned around.

Col. Pearce's Pasture

Never Try Never Win

Prosperity Follows Service

On the way back to Dogtown Square we found Col. Pearce's cellar hole.  Another large home!

Col. Pearce had a cellar in his barn, too! (not shown)

Heading back west on Dogtown Road we veered to the right, between cellar holes 17 and 18, to see what the Adams Pine Trail was like and to find out where it connected to Commons Road on the northern edge of Dogtown.

A stone circle marks an otherwise confusing section of the Adam's Pine Trail

Not too interesting a route...we did find the junction...and a very pretty brook.

The brook near the intersection of the APT and Commons Road

We concluded our fifth trip In, retracing our steps back on the trail to Dogtown Road and then home.  On this trip we felt a familiarity with the central Dogtown area, being able to find and name many sites and trails, and also finding new stuff.  Next time our trip In will once again take us to unknown areas.  Should be fun.