Upcoming in Rockport

Please, if you are in the area, support this effort!  We will be attending the concert on July 14th.  I'm sorry that the images did not show on this posting of the flyer but you get the info!

ROCKPORT NAVY WEEKEND 2013

July 12^th – July 14^th

The US Naval Academy (USNA) Offshore Sail Training Squadron will sail to town in five NA-44 foot sailboats. Sailors from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME, the USS Constitution in Boston, MA and the Navy Band in Newport, RI have been invited to participate in the weekend events.

Midshipmen/Advisors and Sailor Hosting

The RocNavCom is looking for Rockport residents to host the 40 midshipmen and 10 advisors during their visit. The hosts will be responsible for room and board Friday, Saturday and Sunday, transportation to morning events. Due the lack of available lodging for visiting active duty sailors, the RocNavCom is looking for Rockport residents willing to host sailors in their homes. The sailors only need lodging; no meals or transportation is required. We are holding to the Navy standard of the buddy system; hosts must be able to accommodate at least two midshipmen or advisors.

Kickball

The US Navy and USNA will play kickball with Rockport children 6-16 years old on Saturday.  The children and sailors/midshipmen will be mixed together on the teams, no rivalries. The game will be held at Evans Field at 10:15 a.m. Lunch will be provided for the players after the game at 12:15 p.m. There is a limit of twenty (20) children playing.

Sailboat Tours

One of the USNA’s 44 foot sailboats will be open for free public tours on T-wharf from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Midshipmen will be on hand to answer questions.

Pancake Breakfast

Sunday morning there will be a benefit pancake breakfast at Brackett’s Oceanview          Restaurant from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Enjoy breakfast with visiting midshipmen and sailors while overlooking beautiful Sandy Bay! $5.00 donation at the door, the proceeds benefit the Rockport Navy Committee.

Navy Band Concert

The Navy Band Northeast’s Pops Ensemble will perform a free concert at the Rockport High School, 24 Jerden’s Lane at 1:30 p.m. Sunday July 14^th. Tickets will be available Saturday, June 29^th at the Rockport Police Station 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

  

Raffle

The RocNavCom will be holding a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are available from committee members. The drawing will be held during the USN/USNA vs. Rockport Police/Fire softball game at Evans Field on Saturday night July 13^th. Need not be present to win. The game starts at 6:30 pm. Public is welcome.

For more information go to: www.rocnavcom.org

A Family Story

This will only be one part of many parts of a family story that I probably will never finish telling.  It is the story of my Aunt Marion.  She was born in Pownal, VT and her parents were cotton mill workers.  Her birth certificate states that her father, my grandfather, Matt, was a spinner.  That was only one of many jobs that he held during his life.  Matt was born in Maine and my grandmother Margaret was born in England.  Marion was their oldest child, one of three, the next in line was Tom, and then finally my dad, Al.  As Marion got old enough, maybe 7 or 8 years old, she was in charge of her younger brothers while her mother and father went to the mill in North Adams, MA to work.  During that time the family lived in Greylock, MA, on Taft Street, in what the siblings remembered calling "the six colors".

Marion and her mother, Margaret

Here's a photo of Marion with her mother in about 1918.  Little did she know what a long life she would have, how many places she would live and all the unfortunate circumstances in she would smile and make the best she could from.

How Does Your Garden Grow?



The newly planted veggie garden complete with decoration.

All I can say is it better do well this year!  Last year we yielded, I think, a grand total of three tomatoes and one cucumber.  It just HAS to do better this year!  Planted are:  3 Beefsteak and 5 Big Boy tomato, 8 green pepper and 8 red pepper, and 6 cucumber plants.  Since we had the Linden tree cut down in the Fall, the garden will get a good deal more sunshine.We've added new soil, purchased stuff and the super black gold from the dump, errrrr, transfer station, where they compost and grind and process enormous piles of clippings and branches.  The first year we used the dump stuff, the veggie crop was spectacular.  Here's hoping.

One of many poppies seen on a recent walk to the beach.

Flowering plants and shrubs are showing off this year.  May the veggies take a hint!

Mom's azalea at the entrance to her side garden.



On The Beach

It seems to be periwinkle season!

The last two times that A and I have gone for a walk, we have headed for Front Beach.  Each time it has been low tide.  Lower today than the last time.  Each time we have collected an abundance of beach glass.  Eventually we will come up with something clever to do with it other than piling it in a couple Pyrex custard bowls.  Then I'll take a picture of our pretty glass.  In the meantime, you get a couple other pictures from our walk this afternoon.

Very foggy way out to sea.

Why I Haven't Been Writing Anything

This year Skip's opened on Mom's birthday

I've been busy with.........

1. work-as in tunings
2. Sandy Bay Historical stuff
3. work-as in keytops
4. getting the vegetable garden ready for planting
5. planting seeds to start indoors
6. watering those seeds and marveling that the cucumbers sprouted, the green peppers sprouted, the red peppers didn't
7. springtime raking
8. housework
9. cooking
10. birthday in April number one
11. birthday in April number two
12. birthday in April number three
13. finding and working with a SC attorney to settle my aunt's estate
14. working to take over as representative of my cousin's estate so that I can settle my aunt's estate
15. keeping up with social media even though, well, I'm not fond of it
16. more work
17. painting (as seen in the last post) and two more in my head but no time to start on them
18. switching the closet from winter to summer clothes
19. shopping to fill in the needs in summer clothes
20. reading, I'll update the sidebar soon
21. filling out applications for various estate settlement issues
22. time to visit with friends
23. walks with A
24. Skip's opened so...trips to Skip's
25. checking out some auctions with R
26. laundry...mustn't forget clean clothes
27. working at the Town Meeting
28. working the Senate primary election
29. oooh, NASCAR season is underway, so I'm watching the races
30. washing windows

Okay, that's enough for you to get the idea!

What to Call It?

I'm welcoming title suggestions for my most recent oil painting.

Jake the Thief

I had a bit of help with a job estimate on Saturday.

The job was to evaluate a used, well-known name, grand piano.  The customer had purchased it only a week before and was anxious to know if his money was well-spent.  (Why don't they ask before they spend it?)

Anyway, the estimate was a combination thing of checking the piano and also determining whether a climate control system should be installed.

The client could have spent twice the amount and still have gotten a very good deal.  He was happy to hear that.  It was determined that it would be best to wait and see on the climate control system and also decided that he would have it tuned during the first half of April.

Jake, my helper on this Saturday morning venture, was a Jack Russell Terrier (I think).  Actually, by Jake's behavior, I'm darn well certain that's the breed.  While Jake clamored for attention, I did a quick check on the tuning.  Supposedly the piano had not been tuned for over a year...and it had just been moved.  All things considered, it sounded remarkably good.

Except for two bass notes which I offered to touch up while I was there.

I opened my tuning kit and grabbed my tuning lever.  Jake watched, then settled down under the piano.  Other than a couple grrrrrrs Jake was quiet...and seemingly motionless.

I should have wondered.

Jake was a thief.  While my tuning kit was open on the floor, Jake stole my upright lid prop and settled in with his new 'bone'.

Mauled lid prop with the leather half chewed off and very soggy

It took some coaxing with real treats to get him to give up the mauled lid prop.  Leather and wood was evidently a good toy treat and the leather was great fun to chew on...and pull apart.

I'll remember Jake the Thief when I go back to tune.  My tool kit and my newly releathered lid prop will remain well out of reach!

Lunacy

The 'Snow Moon' last night

My goodness!  The email/web/Internet in my world is nuts right now.  I can't wait for some of it to sort out.

Well, I guess that I CAN wait...and I will.

It's like this:  I have a primary email account.  Currently that account handles personal emails, historic society emails, and two separate piano technician related groups.  There is a big shift happening with the piano groups.  The main group is being dissolved, yet the members don't want that to happen.  A replacement format has been instituted (group 2) that the vast majority of the main group don't like.  The talk is to abandon ship.  Sooooooo, that brings us to the web based piano groups.  I already belong to a group that discusses piano stuff.  It's open to anyone, so it is not very technician based.  Now I've subscribed to two alternate piano tech groups that are determined to replace the main group.  These are the folks from the main group who have abandoned the 'official' new format.  Both these two new groups are Google based and I receive them through Gmail.  I could change one of them over to my primary email if I choose, but the other is a Google+ format that sticks with Gmail.

So, that's two email address...each handling two piano groups, plus other stuff.

Still with me?

Good, because there's more!

There are my two Yahoo email accounts.  The one tied to this blog that also gets a lot of advertising because of using it when signing up for things like BFF Friendly's or Staples.  It also handles my Facebook notifications. The second Yahoo account is my business email.  Somehow the business email also ended up as the spot where I receive two other Yahoo group news digests.

Of course I also have an email through my website.  Thankfully that forwards through to my primary email account.

How many is that?  Ummm (counting off on fingers)...5.

And the non-email places where I write, kind of at my leisure...here at my blog, my personal Facebook page, my business Facebook page, and my website.

I'm tired.

2,4,6.......

Most of you know that I hate winter.  Yep, snow is pretty and all if only it didn't make for work shoveling, nasty driving, mud when it thaws, wet socks when someone tracks it in to the house and cold temps. 

Even worse is snow when it is windy.

Overnight and today we are predicted to have 4 - 6 inches of the white stuff.  Not bad until you add wind gusts over 35 mph.  So...once again we have drifting snow.  A pain to shovel.  Nothing in all the wrong places and too much where you don't want it.  You no sooner move it and it's back where you don't want it again.

Phase one has been completed.  You'd never notice it by looking out the window.  Phase two will be at noon.  'A' has to be at work at 3 p.m.  Hopefully the storm will be over by then.

Blizzard Finale

This video was posted on Youtube by BearskinNeck.net.  Although somewhat redundant, it gives an idea of the day after the blizzard.

Blizzard - The Day After

Since we have dug out, since being on the roads is allowed once again, since, well, since sometimes you just have to go out and have a look...

Sweats?  No sweat at 18°

Frosted starfish

The Tavern (the Pewter Shop)

Plastered with ice.  Buildings along North Road sustained damaged on their water sides.

At the corner of North Road...debris at bottom are rocks...and shingles from a neighboring building

Just a little digging to do!

The Latest Pics

The garden shed...waiting for Spring

 Done shoveling for the morning.

My back drive totally drifted in

 Waaay too much snow and drifting!  It doesn't really show in the pictures.

Looking out the sliding doors to the deck with 5 foot drift (what deck?)

  Drifts are up to four feet.  Good spots are bare!  Evacuations are underway along the low lying coastal areas and there is the rumor that a house on Salt Island Road in Gloucester is in danger of heading out to sea.

Second Post - Starting the Worst

Looking across the front yard

 It is nasty out there.  I've been out twice kinda shoveling.  First time I did everything.  My drive, my mom's and our three walks. 

Mr. Cat in hibernation

This last time, with horizontal snow at somewhere above 35 mph, I did around the cars and just my porch and the front walk.  That's it for tonight.  I expect to wake up to something between one and two feet and drifts.  My back drive will take days to clear, it is totally drifted in.

Mr. Cat's view of my truck

Minimum of twelve more hours to go and just starting the worst part.

First Post of THE Blizzard

This is mostly for those of you who do not 'do' Facebook.  Where I have posted the weather map from The Weather Channel.

Here we go!

We are going to have a blizzard here in the northeast.  It started snowing about an hour ago and will continue until sometime late Saturday afternoon.  The governor of Massachusetts has requested that all vehicles other than emergency and DPW etc. be off the roads after noon today.  No driving folks.  Guess that means I have a very good excuse not to drive A to work today.  She's supposed to be there 2:30 - 6:30.  By 7 p.m. they are expecting widespread white-out conditions.  She'll call in to say she will not be there today!  Thankfully she has tomorrow as a day off.  She worked extra hours yesterday as the store was swamped with shoppers.  As of 8 last night there was no bottled water, no milk, about 10 (or less) loaves of bread, and very little in the prepared foods aisle.  The produce shelves were near bare.

Noting other spots...our bank is closing at 2 p.m. today and will not be open tomorrow.  The dump will be closed tomorrow and open on Monday instead.  All schools are closed today.  There is NO on-street parking through tomorrow night.  Most events have been postponed.  In less than an hour, most everything will be shut down!

High tide is expected to be a problem.

I have no tunings scheduled for today.  I do have to sets of keys in the shop and I've been working on them so that they are past the 'need power' to finish stage.  At least one set will be able to be shipped on Monday no matter what...well, as long as the shipping place has power!  The other set hasn't been prepaid so I'm not so concerned about the time frame.  They know I will not return ship unless they are paid up.

We are prepared for the storm.  Plenty of food and water in case we are snowed in for weeks (grin).  Four shovels.  Both vehicles are parked in the front so that there will be less shoveling to get out.  The other shoveling can happen after the main driveway.  A and I went out this morning and checked on our 94 y/o friend AK who just got home from the hospital yesterday and we stopped at the pharmacy for a few things for my mom.  Other than shoveling periodically, we are housebound for the duration.

Of course I'll take some pictures and post here (as long as I have power!).

We're under that mess somewhere!

Here's a satellite view at about noon!  Looks like a decent day in Dunedin, FL.
Update:  The Governor of Massachusetts has officially BANNED vehicles on the roads after 4 p.m. today.  Emergency crews, etc. only.  The roads will be closed.

Piano Tuning and Repair

I am making reference to my new website.  As part of promoting search engine hits on the site and thus upping my ranking I am writing...

Debra Legg Piano Service provides professional piano tuning and repairs to Rockport, Essex, Gloucester, Manchester, Hamilton, Wenham, Beverly, Salem, Peabody, Danvers and Rowley, MA.  Debra Legg also services player pianos and reed organs.  Visit her website at:

www.debraleggpiano.com  

Some of you might even post a link to the site on your blog!

As time permits I will be adding a photo gallery page as well as some images on the other pages.

A Big Project...

still in the works.

You might notice a new link - at the top of my Links list in the sidebar.

This has been a major undertaking with a very steep learning curve!  I started at 9 a.m. and it's now 2:48 p.m.  I've only taken a 45 minute break for lunch.  I'm done for today.

There is still much more that I want to do with the site and over the next few days I hope to add more...including pictures, and change the contact page with a contact form that uses my site email.  It'll all get done.

Just not now.  Not after a grueling 4+ hours.

Up for Air

Ivory keys stained by mouse urine - yuck

Regluing all the loose ivories using special clamps

 Yeah, it has been busy around here.  Mostly work, work, work.  Which is a good thing.  R and I have been to Maine to service a player piano.  Then I went to Wakefield the following week to repair another player piano.  I've had a lot of ivory key repair work in the shop.  I love the finickiness of regluing, bleaching, and other key repairs but three of them at the same time takes up a lot of bench space!  I put some pictures here and you can see more on my FB page.  Just look for Debra Legg Piano Service on FB.

Same set of ivories - much prettier after bleaching!

Anyway, I'm finally down to one set of keys still working their way through the process, so I'm a bit more relaxed.  Today, R and I went to the Cape Ann Museum.  Every January they have free admission for Cape Ann residents.  We spent about 90 minutes taking in a whole bunch of neat stuff.  I wanted R to see the Ralph Coburn exhibit, so we started with that.  Then we worked our way down from the third floor checking out all the rest of the neat stuff there.

So yes, I'm still alive and have resurfaced!  And.....



the staircase is still clear!

Resolution

This year I have decided to make a New Year's Resolution.  This is not something I normally impose upon myself.  I figure that starting a new year and actually making it to the end of that year relatively intact is enough to hope for, never mind trying to set a specific goal for the year.  So, this new year shall start with a clean staircase.  Yep, I will try to keep it that way all year.  No using between the rungs as a convenient filing system.  Everything will find a place to belong without cluttering up the staircase.  It will look a lot nicer and it will force me to keep only what really needs keeping.  In the past (and I have no photo evidence - too ugly and embarrassing), coupons, keys, an odd photo or two, a saved newspaper clipping, gloves in winter, reminders for renewals, papers to hang on to to give to someone else who might be interested in what ever the subject happened to be, business cards and more......accumulated between the rungs.  NO MORE!  I have a desk upstairs (although it mostly is storage for things that have no place to be stored rather than a desk where I sit).  I have file cabinets in the workshop.  I have a filing box near my computer.  I have a mail holder thingie (with key hooks) on the workshop door that is home to my calendar and bills to be paid.  The calendar even has a storage pocket for each month where I keep stamps...and small stuff.  I have bookcases and, in the workshop, storage shelves.  And the best thing yet...I have a trash receptacle nearby!

Done

Another one?  Really?

Tuned the last of the pre-Christmas piano tunings this morning.  The last one was supposed to be the same piano but tuned last of the day on Friday.  That is until the church decided they didn't want to roll the extra piano into the sanctuary until after Sunday's service.  The tuning got moved to today.  The permanent sanctuary piano turned out to be the last tuning on Friday.

Got that?

Merry Christmas to everyone out there still reading!

Ho, ho, ho 'tis the season.

Cleaning Up for the New Year

Since I have today off (YAY) and I had the weekend off (YAY), I decided it would be a good time to sort and clean.  You know...all that stuff that just gets shoved into any available spot, just temporarily until you have time to clean.

Ahhh, 80° and humid - to be there now...

I found this postcard in a pile of stuff that I had intended to scan someday.  The scene is Palm Passage, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI.  In December 1980 and January 1981 we spent a month on St. Thomas.  We often ate lunch at the outdoor cafe in Palm Passage.

The autographs on the back of the postcard

This card was never sent and was used for autographs.  Many evenings, while staying at Point Pleasant, we would walk around the cove to Coki Point and listen to a group of young locals playing steel drums.  They were the high school band.  We'd buy ice teas and find a bench under some palms and listen for a half hour or so.  I think they enjoyed the appreciative audience as most of the tourists would just walk on by.  They got a kick out of being asked for their autographs. I wonder what these 'kids' are up to these days?  Wow, they would be around 47, 48 years old!