This story...
This story begins when we were visiting my Mom in Ohio for Thanksgiving. I was helping her clean out an old storage chest and we found my Father’s old guitar strap. He bought this in the mid-1960’s, it's literally older than I am.
Mom asked me if I wanted it and, almost instantaneously, so many memories came flooding back of sitting on the floor watching my Dad play his electric and acoustic guitars. He taught me to play at a very young age and I use the word play loosely. It's been decades since I've picked one up though.
Needless to say, I ended up taking the strap home. Well, one thing led to another and during Cyber Monday an ad for a Fender DC-60 acoustic came across my newsfeed (damn you Google). This is the result. I have a lot of work ahead of me and may the Good Lord help all those who are within earshot.
What a beautiful instrument this is in person. My Mom told me my Dad always wanted a Fender so I'll play this in honor of him. It's all tuned and ready to play.
Christmas Market
Last night my wife, son, and I visited the Christmas market at Landmark Center in St. Paul.
The gorgeous, fully restored, nineteenth-century courthouse was filled with Christmas cheer and local craft vendors.
To think this building was just weeks away from demolition in the 1970’s before citizens stepped in to save it at the very last minute from the wrecking ball.
It made for a great evening and our Christmas shopping is nearly done.
TFS (Turkey Fatigue Syndrome)
I’ve had more than my fill of turkey for the year. We finally finished all of the Thanksgiving leftovers and have frozen what we can’t eat. Thankfully we can move on with our lives now. : )
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
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Let’s Keep In Touch
I will head to this and I assure you that I will live by these lines.
There are certain things that might not have a face of value at that particular time when you bought them. But over time, when you instill emotions and develop a relationship, in time, becomes precious. That's more than like a family member when you recount it in 2022.
Thank you, Eric. I wish you an advanced Merry Christmas to your family. May this occasion be merrier than ever.
Thank you @milaan! As you age you tend to hold onto things that remind you of past memories more and more. I wish you and your family Happy Holidays as well!
I currently do not know whether this is true or not, but some people say that playing the guitar is similar to riding a bicycle. You cannot forget it.
It's definitely coming back but I used to just play fret notes and never learned chords so I'm concentrating on that now.
That's pretty awesome! I love the look of the guitar. I have one I haven't gotten around to learning to play as well. I know what you mean about those in ear shot. I used to practice mine when my wife would go to one of her cardio drumming classes. She doesn't do those any more so I don't practice anymore!
Thanks! What kind do you have? I've found a lot of instructional videos on YouTube that have been super helpful. I'm learning chords now. We have a guy who lives in our building that takes his guitar down to his car to practice. He must have the same issue as us. Lol.
I was never able to get my fingers right for cords. It's not like my fingers are fat or anything either. They are actually quite skinny, so I don't understand why I can't get them to sit right without obstructing other strings. I think the brand of my guitar is an Alvarez. It is all black.
That guitar looks beautiful. I, in turn, am honoring my dad by using his laptop ;<)
Today, I received a package from The Netherlands, sent by my mom. It contained - among other things - an ukulele, that I bought two months ago, in The Netherlands.
I used to play acoustic guitar, half a life time ago and perhaps 10 times since, in the last two decades, but an ukulele is a different kind of beastie and this time I'm committed to actually get good at it.
It's a fun challenge for sure :>)
Thank you! I've heard the ukulele is more difficult to learn than the guitar! It's always a good thing to learn a new skill. Best of luck with learning to play it!
I love stories of folks picking up instruments they used to play. May you have many many hours of enjoyment playing your guitar. Very cool strap!
Thanks! We had a musical household thanks to my Dad. I played piano, violin, clarinet, and guitar when I was younger. There's something very soothing about playing a musical instrument. It has to be good for your brain too.
Hello, what a good friend, the truth is to keep it as if it were your whole life, they are things that just by seeing it take you back to your time and surely every time you can see your father playing that guitar like a king, I'm sure that From wherever you are, you will be guided and cared for, greetings from Argentina, thanks for sharing your publication on behalf of this server, my blog @theshot2414, I'm following you, greetings.-
One of the few musical instruments I love is guitar. There was a time I was learning those instrument and trust me I gave up at a time
Maybe you'll pick it up again? There are SO many free resources to teach you to play now online.
May I ask you, What would you do with that? Just for memory or you would make use of it in some form or the other.
That towering Christmas tree is looking damn beautiful, the festive vibes may be arousing you a lot with happy hormones. Have a Great Day.
It's a guitar strap. Thanks! I hope you have a good day as well.
Having antiques that have a lot of history is certainly very pleasant. Really beautiful guitars. Have a nice day, Eric.
Thank you Eliana! I hope you're having a good week so far.
I googled it and found out a list of of this series in a few e-commerce sites, whose cost is roughly around 200 USD.
It has a premium finish a truly American product. What else should I know about it? I would love to hear from you as you are a guitarist.
This is considered an entry level to intermediate guitar. Not one that you'd consider owning if you played gigs professionally. That's okay with me though.
Very interesting story. When I see pictures of guitars like the ones you show, of course I really remember my guitar, the feeling I was still in college Because at that time I bought a guitar and I wanted to learn how to play guitar with beautiful songs.
That's awesome that you can play!
Most of all I liked the tree, it is impressive.
The tree was magnificent! It was about 30ft tall.
That guitar is really pretty and i only can imagine all the memories you have from it with your dad
Thank you. We tended to get out the musical instruments in the winter when there was nothing else to do. In the summertime we were always outside having fun.
I love when communities come together to restore old buildings.
It's a sign that libertarian's can work together - without being forced.
I especially like it when they repurposed the old building into something that everyone can enjoy.
Good luck remembering your chords and progressions.
I like that too. You literally couldn't build one like this anymore. The detail inside of it is mind-blowing! Thank you, I'm two days into my lessons and it's coming back! : )
There are few better skills to have than an instrument, especially a guitar in my humble opinion! When I was a kid I played violin, unfortunately when we moved from Long Island to upstate there wasn't an orchestra and I was too young to get pushy about private lessons... One day I will have some time on my hands to give it another go:)
Good luck on your musical endeavor my friend, look forward to hearing your progress!❤️
Hello my friend! Playing a musical instrument is SO valuable, especially for children. I played the violin, piano, guitar, and clarinet growing up but stuck with the clarinet the longest. Playing the guitar is such an inviting activity to retreat into. I always feel better after I play, except for these callouses that I'm still in the process of building. Lol. Thank you! I'm a long ways from performing. Maybe sometime in 2023 I'll be up to the task. : )
How wonderful, Eric! I sometimes believe that we are not the ones who get the objects, but they are the ones who get us. Leprechauns make us find things for a reason, yours was to play that guitar. Play it as if your dad could hear you!!!! My father died 5 years ago and last year I found some tapes with his voice (casett) that he himself had recorded. It was wonderful to hear him again! We kept those cassettes as if they were a treasure. hahaha. Although this year has not been so good for my family, we have many things to be thankful for and December is a nice month to give thanks, to share and most especially, to get together. I read your post and nostalgia for my dad has crept into my chest. May that piece of music reach all the way to heaven, my friend. I hug you and take care.
I think you're right! One of the first things my Mom gave me after my Dad passed was his guitar pick and I've kept that in my wallet for two years. A few weeks ago she gave me the guitar strap and that was the catalyst that pushed me to buy the guitar. I think Dad wanted me to start playing again.
What a wonderful gift for you to find those tapes with your Dad's voice on them. I have a few videos with my Dad speaking but that's all we have. Thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog! Take care of yourself and enjoy your week!
I used to play back in the day. I still owned all of my electrics and acoustics, but I knew I would be crushed if I picked one up again after all these years. I hate to admit I was right lol. The amount one can forget over time is brutal. Yet I am happy I decided to start playing again. My callouses are forming nicely now, so it wont be as harsh to play soon enough.
Oh man, building those callouses back up is a brutal process. The ends of my fingers are going numb now so I know callouses aren't far behind. : )
You are lucky to have such a dad, and you did a good job my friend. I think this guitar should be handed down to the next generations.
I definitely was lucky to have him for a Father. Thanks!
Hi I read your whole story you can find your father 1960s old guitar. I know you and your mother memories with it and I saw picture of Christmas Market. It's looks very beautiful and peaceful. Everyone excited for Christmas and 19s building filled with beautiful red flowers it's looks gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Dear @ericvancewalton,
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Thank you!
Supported!
Thank you for your support, really appreciate it!
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LOL, TFS that's a good one, I love the meme :):)
What a wonderful tribute to your Dad, I'm sure it won't sound so bad! Although I'll be too far away to hear hahaha...
Seriously though, I know you'll master this so am hoping that you'll share a special piece with us one of these very fine days Eric.
The Christmas market looks stunning!
Happy strumming xxx
The New Yorker has some great ones! That's definitely how we felt with leftovers.
Thank you my friend! I'm starting to build my callouses up and the chords are getting easier. There are SO many resources now on YouTube to learn for free.
Christmas Markets are catching on like wildfire here. This one at the Landmark Center is, by far, the best.
Thanks again, I hope you are all well and heading into a wonderful Holiday season.
YouTube is such an amazing tool for learning just about anything under the sun! I'm glad you're making progress, sure your wife and Amstel are too ;);)
Thank you! I, honestly, don't know where I'd be without YouTube. I've learned so much from their videos. The chords are coming along nicely! : )
I'll bet you emailed or WhatsApped someone about the strap then :D
Google...
Although they may have done something positive with their eavesdropping here. Posts of you playing, please! :)