...and I sincerely hope this finds you and yours healthy 'n' happy.
Now retired, I have been a fervent music lover (and gear head) since I was fourteen, when my Ma 'n' Pops gifted
me a Dual turntable for Christmas. Totally in awe of this mechanical marvel, my logical response (for a 14 year old)
was: "I can't tell where the speakers are"! Dad's response, grinning: "We'll take care of that next week." He was true to
his word and subsequently, an Eico integrated amp, and a pair of AR-4x speakers finalized the trio. Not bad for a fourteen
year old, eh? Dad definitely did his homework, and I make note of this, due to the fact that my folks owned a TV/Stereo console,
and maybe a couple dozen LPs. An audiophile he was not!
Fifty-three years later, my LP/CD collection numbers in the thousands, and plays on a bloody ton of gear.
A quick anecdote: Although my folks were wonderful, they were quite strict based on their religious beliefs of which I wanted nothing
to do with. So naturally, at the very mature age of 16, feeling very rebellious, and longing for the 60's lifestyle of that era's youth, I
had no option but to run away. This was last minute decision, and my window of opportunity was narrow, so I quickly threw my belongings
into a large tweed covered hardshell suitcase, and snuck out of my ground floor bedroom window. In hindsight, I must say that I should have
planned somewhat better, for the belongings that I packed were all of my record albums (no socks, no undies, no toothbrush, just 12" records)
My get away progress was a tad bit hampered by the weight of my tweed companion, and an exhausting two blocks later, I had to pit stop at a
friend's house. Long story short, his folks called my folks who didn't have a clue that I was truant, a one hour lecture (punishment enough), and
off to bed I shamefully went, records to be unloaded in the morning.
This long winded introduction is written to give you an idea as to where my head has always been since puberty, and I thank you for sticking it
out with me ‘till the very end - I am truly impressed.
