"Give them a tune they can hummmmm..."

[libertango]

So. Yesterday. Busy.

Here's the headline: For the first time in almost two decades, I have something resembling a full-size keyboard. Specifically, the Yamaha DGX-202.

I got it off craig's list for $175. A reasonable price -- buying something new and comparable would've been twice that. Let alone something more "professional," like my Roland D-50 of song and story, that I bought new for $1500 (in 1987) and sold used for $1000 after a layoff.

While the Yamaha was decently priced, it was also up in Mount Vernon. So the owner, Amy, and myself swapped email all week, and akirlu, Sarah, and I went on a road trip.

Amy turns out to mostly be a harpist, and lived just to the north of Skagit Valley College, where her husband is an administrator. Seeing the three harps, I told her about the NY Times article recent that judged cars on the ability to lug a harp around. She told us Harp Column has an annual "harpmobile" issue. Amy's also of Swedish heritage, so Ulrika and she chatted about that for a while. All in all, a very pleasant craig's list transaction.

We then went into Mt. Vernon's "downtown" for some Trumpeter stout and lunch at the Skagit River Brewery. Trumpeter is only seasonal, and they must be late in the run, because it was available on tap, but I couldn't get any bottles to take home (which I did on our way back from Vancouver on Thanksgiving).

We stopped in at Scott's Bookstore, which we've noticed many times from the freeway and have been curious about. It shares an old brick building with the Calico Cupboard Cafe, and they were both very appealing -- reminiscent of Village Books in Fairhaven.

On the way home, we checked out the outlets at the Tulalip Casino cluster, and I got some shoes from Bass for my first new shoes in about two years.

We then stopped briefly at home, and then went to Tina and Bruce's so Ulrika could play mahjongg. I mostly just hung out with my notebook, but I liked being with folks.

Comments

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

A music machine that you can operate with your very own hands! Congratulations. It's amazing what a difference it can make to have the means of making one's own music (yes, yes, I know we all carry around a totally portable musical instrument in our throats, and yours is an extremely good instrument, but singing and playing are different related musical experiences, she said in that parenthetical saying something we all know already way we find so annoying in fiction).