Emily and the girls went home Sunday morning after church. Before they left, we gathered outside for a family photo.
Back row: Craig, me, Lisa, Curt, Ian (as tall as me now), Vanessa, and Emily. Middle row: Lukas, Kate, Mila (taller than Julie who is two years older), Julie. Front: Susie (take a closer look at her.)
I hadn't realized that she'd brought Poppy with her to church! Absolutely a girl after my own heart and I am delighted that she loves her new horse so much.
The player piano always gets a workout when we have family in, and this visit was no exception. There are certain rolls that get a lot of play (Star Wars, Mary Poppins) but Red Wing is gaining in popularity.
It's Lisa's favorite player piano roll and she is the person you can hear whistling in the background. (At the end you can hear Curt's dismay as I make a play in our card game - he thought I'd sabotaged myself. But I knew what I was doing and ended the game well if you catch my drift. LOL)
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins. The words are scrolling so fast that the kids are struggling to keep up!
But not everyone plays the player piano by using the rolls.
Julie is becoming an accomplished pianist, and she sat down and played this song (and others) by memory. She's been studying the piano for seven years and loves to play. Her Grammy loves to hear her play.
That mostly wraps up Camp Tecumseh, 2026. We will do it all again in 2027 and I can hardly wait!
And since it's hot and very summery outside, how about beginning with a horsey (and wintery) song.
Sleigh Ride on an O-roll Ochestrion! (Video from Bruce Newman/DuoArtOrgan.)
I said I would post a little about how my player piano works.
The video will show part of what goes on inside. (A second video that I made will not upload for some reason. I'll keep trying.)
These are the piano rolls that are played most often so I keep them at the side of the player piano.
I have more in the dining room next to the good piano, and then a stash in my laundry room - out of the blue, Bruce sent them to me last summer, saying he'd found them and thought I'd like them. (He was right, but there is definitely no more room at the inn for any more piano rolls now!)
I like to put the rolls out on top of the piano as decor.
When last having the player piano tuned (a beast to do according to the piano technician),
I snapped a photo of its interior. You can see part of the cast iron that makes up the inner workings.
Since it's the Fourth of July, let's hear my favorite piano roll one more time - The Stars and Stripes Forever.
I'm off to go eat some Texas Sheet Cake and play some bocce. Wish me luck and enjoy your holiday!
Wait, speaking of eating cake, would you like to have my recipe? Here ya go!
Texas Sheet Cake
Cake
Mix together 2 c. sugar and 2 c. flour in a mixing bowl.
Into a saucepan, put 1 c. butter, 1 c. water, and 3-4 heaping Ts of cocoa. Bring to a boil, and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Add 2 eggs and beat until blended.
In measuring cup, mix 1/2 c. milk, 1 T. vinegar, and 1 t. soda. Pour into mixing bowl along with 1 T. vanilla and beat. Pour into greased sheet cake pan and place in oven. Bake 25 - 30 minutes at 375. Remove and set aside.
Icing
Into the saucepan put 1/2 c. butter, 1/3 c. milk, and 3-4 heaping Ts of cocoa. Bring to a boil and pour over 1 lb. powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and pour over cake right away.
To honor the Fourth of July, I am going to play a few patriotic songs on the piano for you. I rarely play any more, so please forgive any "errors" I might make.
A little background...
We have two pianos, much loved reminders of the time when all six of our kids (and I) were taking piano lessons and we needed more than one piano so that everyone could get their daily practicing in. We actually had three pianos back then - one in the living room, one in the family room, and one in the dining room.
The "good piano" is now in our dining room - Craig bought it just after Lisa was born, taking a friend who was a professional musician with him to choose it. That was a very good idea - this piano has a beautiful sound.
Our second piano (and everyone's favorite) is in the living room. It has been dated to 1910 so it is an antique. A friend of ours, Bruce Newman, restored it. Long story short, he learned his craft at a school in Champaign, Illinois (where we were living at the time) that taught the repair of mechanical music-producing machines, and our piano was his student project.
I'd say he passed with flying colors - that was at least 30 years ago and the piano still plays beautifully despite its age. I love both pianos, but not gonna lie, this one is my favorite and the one I am going to play for you.
(Interesting side note: the interior of this piano is cast iron. It is heavy. It took seven men to move it into our home.)
Anyway! Back to the "concert." I hope you enjoy it and don't mind that I chat at you as I play. Feel free to sing along!
Our first number? My favorite patriotic song, John Phillip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever! (3:57)
Isn't that a fabulous song? And isn't it amazing that I can play without using my hands on the keys?
Next up , our national anthem, Star Spangled Banner (3:36)
Now, a Civil War era song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic written by abolitionist Julia Ward Howe in opposition to slavery. (3:51)
And last but not least, a family favorite, one that is sung any time we cross the border into Indiana. Back Home Again in Indiana. (3:14)
(You will get to hear my family sing this song very soon. Stay 'tooned!)
That concludes the Fourth of July Concert. I hope you enjoyed it.
A little more about the man who restored our player piano...
After finishing restoring our piano as his student project, Bruce then married and moved to the west coast. He is now one of the world's premier restorers and repairers of mechanical instruments such as player pianos, pipe organs, and orchestrions. We feel lucky to have a piece of his work in our home.
Ever heard of an "orchestrian"? Here is a video of one that Bruce worked on that is playing Frostythe Snowman.
He has the outer case off because he was working on it and so that you can see all the elements as they work together to produce the music.
There is a fascinating variety of videos on his YouTube site that can be found here (DuoArtOrgan.) He has also restored calliopes, Wurlitzers, Fotoplayers, and more. Click on "Videos" and then scroll down. Jaw dropping.
Another time I'll show you just how a player piano works.
Our family gathering is still going strong. Today will be a quieter day - Church, naps, and dinner at Curt and Vanessa's home with games before and afterward.
My heart is feeling a little tender at having had so much of my family here and I thought I'd post a few things that have especially made me smile.
A meme from Facebook that summed up well how I've been feeling.
Discovering that someone had made a clover necklace for our Great Blue Heron statue in the stepping stone garden. (Yeesh! I need to weed!)
A "bug house" made of "things from nature" to protect any insect who needs a haven. (Made on my brand new patio table from clods of dirt which is now mud because it rained. Oh well, I will hose it down later; no harm done!
A model horse left on the bathroom counter. (That's not mine - someone brought that from home.)
Grins and giggles as we play some four legged player piano! That's Julie, Lukie, Kate, and Susie. (Susie is wearing a bubble wrap skirt that she made from the bubble wrap that came with my new Vintage Club Rustler.)
Off to get some breakfast and prepare for Church. I'm teaching Sunday School and need to review my lesson, too. Have a good day, all!
Yesterday I decided to do a walk-through of the new barn. I rarely go in there, but when Tim travels, I like to check on things and make sure all is well. Usually everything is just as expected, but this time when I stepped into the lounge, I had a surprise.
A piano! And not just any piano, but an antique player piano!
When I texted Tim my daily report on the horses and grounds, I asked him about it. Typical Tim, he said that buying it had "improved my musical talent by 100%" but he also texted that it didn't sound right when he played it. I offered to take a look at it and see if I could help - it could be that the roll bar had shifted or something else that would be a quick fix on a player piano.
Tim was surprised that I knew anything about them - he'd forgotten that we have an antique player piano, too.
Mine is in our living room where it is a favorite activity for pony pals and cowpokes. I also use it to display seasonal decor in the form of models from my collection. That's Sugar Maple on it right now, and in a few days I will put Cryptic, Ichabod, Nevermore, or Crane out.
Last week we had a family birthday party and Cowpoke Ian played the Happy Birthday roll while Lukie and Mila (dressed as Wonder Woman; she can't wait for Halloween) danced.
Our favorite rolls are stored in this rack that a friend made us but I have more, some of which are damaged or falling apart from age.
When your legs are too short to pump the pedals and play, sometimes a cousin will come to your rescue! Here Horse Buddy Trinity helps Pony Pal Mila.
A look inside my player piano. It plays by blowing air through the holes in the paper of the roll.
This is what the inside of my non player piano looks like for comparison. (We have two pianos, but we used to have three. When my kids were all home and taking lessons, we couldn't get everyone's practice in around their sports, school, and church activities. Having three pianos - one in the living room, one in the dining room, and one in the family room - made the house a bit crowded and loud, but our kids got their practicing in and can now play well as adults.)
A player piano can be played like a regular piano - no pumping necessary.
Here is a video I made of The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah last Easter and sent to my family. Notice how the words of the song scroll by as the roll plays? That's so that you can sing along. And we do a lot of singalongs as a family, especially at Christmas time. (It took me a while to master reading from the bottom up!)
Fast forward to 0:58 and you will see that the keys actually depress as they play. This is accomplished in a player piano by pressing foot pedals. It's good exercise, and it is actually how I rehabbed my hip when I had it replaced.
It sure was a surprise to find that player piano in the barn lounge, but I am looking forward to playing it later today. There is a tub of rolls that came with it, and there are some I don't have - I can't wait to hear what they sound like.
