Merry Christmas All!
We hed all three of our kids home for Christmas, tree with my LGB track around it (as done since 1996), with presents placed between the track and tree. Got to demonstrate the train with our former babysitter's infant son and my daughter's boyfriend. With my daughter (oldest) moving into her apartment in a couple of weeks and my second oldest graduating from college in June, future Christmas celebrations will be considerably scaled down. OTOH, there will be more room for the track...
Weather has been sunny with a light breeze and high of almost 70.
Harrison, was that a harpsichord? You play the harpsichord? The music sounds great.
Lithonia Operator Harrison, was that a harpsichord? You play the harpsichord? The music sounds great.
I'd like to know what it is too! I'm not sure if it's a mandolin or a dulcimer. It's charming, whatever it is.
I'd say it is an Autoharp or plucked zither.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Not to get side tracked here but is there a difference between an autoharp and zither? My mother had an autoharp but she wasn't exactly Mother Maybelle Carter and she later gave it away.
54light15Not to get side tracked here but is there a difference between an autoharp and zither?
It's educational. I'd never given it much thought (I probably would if I played either), but it would be nice to know.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
As I understand the two instruments... the Zither is just a rigid frame with strings of variable length (and thickness) that are struck by a hammer (no! Not a claw hammer! A stick with a felt pad on the end!)... the Autoharp is similar but has fewer strings and has an over bridge with buttons that can be pressed to mute or alter the length of the strings. Usually the strings are strummed as a guitar or similar instrument would be. That bridge mechanism, by muting strings, can leave some strings untouched such that they will produce a chord with the main plucked strings, simplifying the ability to play melody and background chords.
I bet someone will come along with more knowledge of the musical instruments and straighten me out on this and I'll find out I am all wet.
To drag this back to the subject that the OP may have intended...
BAH HUMBUG! I TELL YA! BAH HUMBUG!
I have always felt that I should treat all of my kids exactly the same. When they went out on their own and took spouses, I included them all with the same feeling of equal treatment.
And when the grandkids came along, I treat them with the same equity.
But finding gifts for each of them can be quite difficult, especially with the constraints of equal value for each.
So, I try to come up with ONE gift that is the same for each of them. That way, they cannot feel that one was slighted because their gift was of lesser value than one of the others.
Each year, I have come up with just one item, obtained 13 of them, to give to every one of them on Christmas.
And each year I find out later that each and every one of them take my gift to the store to exchange for something else! NOT ONE of them keep the gift I give them! They NEVER "keep" the gift I give them! NEVER!
BAH! HUMBUG!
I tell you, it is almost enough to make me stop giving them money for Christmas!
Semper VaporoI have always felt that I should treat all of my kids exactly the same.
Humor aside, the wife of one of my co-workers while I was in USAF held a similar belief regarding their children, of which I believe there were three.
Unfortunately, she carried this to something of an extreme - she tried to ensure that each child's collection of gifts came to the same dollar amount. As you can guess, this is nearly impossible. But she tried, resulting in a lot of gifts.
Oooo... that won't work unless they all get the same number of gifts and similar sizes, too!
Sorry for the delay, the forum host or whatever wouldn't let me post. I would've run a D&H train around the tree but they're superdetailed and I don't want them to get damaged. The instrument I'm playing is a mandolin (good job Flintlock!). My friend is playing guitar in the background (we recorded seperately and I layered them).
By the way, I did some railfanning the last couple of days, so look for another video soon...
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
Semper Vaporo Oooo... that won't work unless they all get the same number of gifts and similar sizes, too!
Indeed. I gathered that she was so meticulous that if she got three identical items - say, three T-shirts and two of them were $3.99 but the one for the oldest kid was $4.29, she'd try to balance it out, even though it was simply three T-shirts.
That kitchen set was around $150 just for the lumber. I would have had to buy five video games like the one the grandson asked for to balance that out. But I don't do that.
HarrisonSorry for the delay, the forum host or whatever wouldn't let me post. I would've run a D&H train around the tree but they're superdetailed and I don't want them to get damaged. The instrument I'm playing is a mandolin (good job Flintlock!). My friend is playing guitar in the background (we recorded seperately and I layered them).
Oh, so that's why there's no D&H train under the tree! OK, we'll let it go this time!
I thought it was a mandolin, I thought the sound was familiar, I've listened to enough American folk music by this time to recognize the sound.
Hey, if you like old-timey historic music you'll love this! I can't get enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB4PE0NSkok
We really enjoyed The Polar Express!
Yes, the theme may be a bit predictable, but visually this movie is amazing. I could watch the whole thing again with no sound, and still thoroughly enjoy it. The film is extremely creative and unique. Sure, some of the train stuff is hokey, but what a trip! Really fun.
Semper, my New Year's wish for you, and other singles on this Forum, is that all your future holiday meals, for all the holidays important for you, you are or have company.
I had the best Thanksgiving I've had since moving tho Jerusalem, Israel, July 1996. My New York Congregation and all my USA friends and family observe Thanksgiving, so it was always a festive occasion for me before the move. But not in Israel. But this past Thanksgiving, an American-Israeli family had me as their guest for festive brunch. I'm a vegitarian and did not eat the available turkey, but we sang "We Gather Together" and "The Gift to be Simple," my adding a properly rhymed and tune-fitting Hebrew Translation for the latter.
I'm glad to hear you had a great Thanksgiving David! I hope your Hannukah was just as good!
Flintlock- I used to go every Sunday to a bar in Toronto where that exact kind of music was played. The people who played it were from Cape Breton, N.S but they didn't have a dulcimer. Great stuff!
54light15 Flintlock- I used to go every Sunday to a bar in Toronto where that exact kind of music was played. The people who played it were from Cape Breton, N.S but they didn't have a dulcimer. Great stuff!
They say if you listen carefully to those old Scottish and Irish tunes you can hear the roots of American "Bluegrass," and it's true.
Here's some youngsters doing their bit to keep those old tunes alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy_st0el6yU
Not far from me (although I confess I've never made the trip - maybe when this thing is over I will) is the NY State Old Tyme Fiddlers Association and North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame and Museum.
Not many have heard of it's location, either - Osceola, NY - on Tug Hill.
Apparently some have, though, as I've heard that the likes of Charlie Daniels visited there.
An agricultural museum very near me hosts an annual gathering of fiddlers and folk musicians.
Some years ago I was on crews that were called to a house for various reported issues. The patient, who did have medical issues but rarely actually needed to go to the hospital, one time insisted on playing some fiddle for us before we left. He was pretty good!
Repclying to Flintlock's question, my Hannukah was marred by the Conoravirus restrictions, so I only was able to visit two familes and deliver presenrs instead of the usual five, but this was compensated by the Yeshiva giving me the privilage of lighting the Yeshiva's Menorah all eight evenings, and I bought the oil and wicks.
Except for Sabbth evening, since Fri. night I slept at the Yeshiva, I also lit two Minorot at my apartment before going to bed, one with oil at the window, and my late Aunt Leah's stainless-steel one on the mantel will wax candles.
And the Yeshiva had a geat festive meal in our largest available room, allowing about 29 if ua olders to atttend, spaced, with the youngsters home wiith families.
The Jerusalem Municipality gave out free Christmas trees to all Chrisitian residents that went to the depot to receive one. I believe this has been annual.
Even with the restrictions it sounds like you did just fine David!
You stay safe and healthy over there, OK?
Oops. Duplicated
DaveK: Glad to see you well. Became worried when your posts did not come. Stay away from the -19 epecially the new variant B.1.1.1
Delivered the second part of grandson's Christmas gift today - the Turing Tumble. It may look like a game, but it's really a serious programming tool.
Got to see granddaughter's finish kitchen. Her mom did a great job on it.
Harrison Sorry for the delay, the forum host or whatever wouldn't let me post. I would've run a D&H train around the tree but they're superdetailed and I don't want them to get damaged. The instrument I'm playing is a mandolin (good job Flintlock!). My friend is playing guitar in the background (we recorded seperately and I layered them). By the way, I did some railfanning the last couple of days, so look for another video soon...
Thanks for the music and thanks for the model-train watching.
The locomotive -- manufacturer and prototype?
If GM "killed the electric car", what am I doing standing next to an EV-1, a half a block from the WSOR tracks?
Flintlock, I thoroughly agree with you about the origins of Bluegrass music. The first settlers of what became Canada and the U.S. brought their music with them. The music of Newfoundland and Cape Breton evolved somewhat differently from the music of Appalachia but they both came from the same places in the British Isles. Here's an example where the melody sounds almost medieval.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmkamSRdtFU
Interesting, that song sounds like a variation of "The Whistling Gypsy" but without the happy ending.
Paul Milenkovic Harrison Sorry for the delay, the forum host or whatever wouldn't let me post. I would've run a D&H train around the tree but they're superdetailed and I don't want them to get damaged. The instrument I'm playing is a mandolin (good job Flintlock!). My friend is playing guitar in the background (we recorded seperately and I layered them). By the way, I did some railfanning the last couple of days, so look for another video soon... Thanks for the music and thanks for the model-train watching. The locomotive -- manufacturer and prototype?
The locomotive is a Walthers TrainLine GP9M (the ones geared towards beginners, without lots of breakable details). I recieved it as a gift about 5 years ago, and getting knocked over and dropped onto the basement floor hasn't done a thing to it.
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