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Published: April 11th 2013
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April 11th. another beautiful day in Virginia, if you like 90 degree's and sunshine. stayed at my great Aunt and Uncles last night on my step dad's side. Bill made his famous mac and cheese, a family recipe. i learned all about history in the family about how his grandmother was a hotel owner and used this recipe to serve to guests. thank you Bill and Rosemay for the stay. a lovely home here in arlington. I like the old door handles, the bathroom knobs to the toilets and things like this. all metal. Arlington where they live looks a little bit like White Plains New York. of course bill showed me his records. he has an amazing set up which is is always willing to show. the amplifier is a tube set up hand-made from a guy in Pittsburg, Jeff something or other. he has speakers that are quite amazing as well; also hand made, i believe, from Germany, maybe. he was telling me how the sound is funneled up and down the speaker and out requiring very little amps. in fact the amplifier is only 2 amps, or watts (usually systems are like 50 to 200 watts; this one is only 2! amazing sound and all the volume you need due to its sensistivity.) so he has preamps, and amps and two other boxes just for the record player, like a phono box and another box for something i can't remember. we listened to many records including something called Direct to Disc or Direct Disk where the recording goes straight to the "disc" without using a master tape. so it is analog and the closest to capturing the original sound, live. there is also a difference between 45 and 33 and 1/3 RPM's. Apparently the 45 has a better sound but more expensive. quite a nice set up. Tom Waits and his Swordfish trombones disc quite soundly. Miles Davis's Cookin, Taj Mahal, THe SOund of Noise ( a british group), Roxy (from the 80's). all this played in the basment of his home in a room with wooden panled walls and a crusty looking drywall attempt for the ceiling. there is round table that used to be a wire holder, you know the one: 2 round discs with a smaller middle to hold it all together. solid basement floor so nothing rattles. this is the way to listen to music according to Bill. very special. hmm...
going to my Aunt Suzy's today in Fredericksburg. maybe i will go downtown for a bit.
we'll... Martha is ever present. here pictures are around. Martha is my grandmother who is here in Spirit.
Tom Waits has a song called Martha. Beautiful song if you have not heard it.
Those were days of roses
poetry and proses
Martha all i had was you and all you had was me
there were no tomorrows
to pass away our sorrows
we'd save 'em for a rainy day
------- Waits-----
Here in the capital of Washington D.C. what would you believe it to be?
helpers of the world for good or evil
intentions of the leaders, good or evil?
good, evil, concepts.
jet planes flying over, drones taking over
pilots less, machines more
saving lives, and money
working the soil in the toil of ....
leaving toil
embracing sound
waves of sound
sound of smile
coming going
thoughts transpire
coming going
in a day in a moment, in a thought, action, word, deed, enveloping me
letting go
being, doing, seeing, emerging from distant past
emerging expanding
growing
choices unspoken
la di dah dah
Papa, the man
grandfather Tuttlebee
who says listen to the birds and bees
papa, the spirit, what does he say?
loveme love me love love
what do the Beatles say: All you need is love
enjoi.
p.s. the Italian Mama would be, you guessed it, Rosemary, my great Aunt, wife of Bill, daughter to Italians!!!
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