The absolute best way to socialize after working hours (no, it really wasn’t the Dew Drop Inn) was to get together with musician and music-oriented friends to listen and maybe create some live sounds. Here, Tucson musician Lynne (you met her earlier) drives us in her Audi (as ID’d by Jamesa!) to meet up in guitarist and my staff member Ron’s cabin.
This was a very special venue, by the way, as Ron had rented over the winter a summer vacation cabin outside of Pinetop from a university music professor from Phoenix named Fred Sharp. So, of course, the owner had signage with musical notes at the front gate proclaiming the property as that of … F Sharp. Once inside, the spacious and highly comfortable cabin was chock full of photos and paintings of cats, framed vintage musical scores and images of composers, and … antique instruments. One of these instruments was not locked away, and we were given permission to use it (responsibly). It was a small foot-powered early 1800s German organ! We immediately conjured up fantasies about how such an organ could have been used in era of Beethoven — the dates just about match. So we have Lynne, Ron, Jill, Penni and me taking turns at the keyboard, and occasionally attempting an organ-guitar ensemble mix. I regret that I didn’t return later with a flash unit to overcome the interior darkness to bring out the details in that incredible organ (which actually looked better than it sounded).
