Glad to see Tom and family back on the road. That’s how I found the Bonner’s through Tom’s Postcards which I read for about one year before the family changed course. I was so sad when he stopped writing Postcards but it’s all good. 👍
Enjoyed your tale of life on the ranch and how your are entertaining your Dad's extremely capable investment advisor, Tom Dyson & family. The pictures and description of the various ranch hands efforts to help ranch life move forward are very interesting.
No offense, Mariah, but I had to laugh at your being "Stuck in the mud!" I had a similar experience years ago, on the Garden Isle of Kauai being "Stuck in the sand!" We drove our 4x4 vehicle 5 miles beyond the end of the paved road to get to Polihale Beach on the western side of Kauai. That pristine beach is 14 miles of sand starting at the southern end of the Kalalau Trail that traverses the famed Na Pali Coast of Kauai.
Anyway, I managed to get stuck in the sand . . . it took 7 hours and $500 to the towing company to get them to come out and extricate me. There's a good photo of it here:
In the end Hertz acknowledged that the 4x4 was not operational, and so credited us for half of the rental, which covered the towing! In your case, there was no towing company . . . only friends and neighbors!!
Anyway . . . I clearly empathize with you and Adrien!!
a pinblock is manufactured by putting thin layers of wood together with glue, then pressed. A standard piano has 88 keys, but lots more strings, so they have to carefully drill all the holes in the pinblock and insert a slightly larger tuning pin, which has very thin threads so it can be turned incrementally. At the least you will most likely need new pins if you dont want to re make the pin block. If you do that, you might as well change the strings. I believe there are a couple of companies in the USA who still manufacture piano strings.
I don't know where that piano came from in France, but the humidity level in your valley is probably very low, so the wood dries out eventually, making the pins slip.
I love the photos of the valley there. I was born and raised in SE NM and have arid land in my bones. I plan on visiting Argentina this year or next. If you are still there maybe I could come see the ranch. I'll put some tuning tools in my bag. I am only a few years younger than your dad. I have put Argentina on my bucket list. Who knows....when the digital currencies are everywhere your valley may be just the place to hide from Big Brother. If you tell me what key you would sing "A Long and Winding Road" I will arrange a piano accompaniment, record it and send it to you!! No charge. No expectation. Just for fun.
Mariah, If I have offended you I am sorry and truly apologize. The phrase of "what to do with you" was meant more tongue in cheek than anything. Until and unless you share with us why you and Adrien are there at the ranch, there is ample opportunity to speculate. Such as: maybe you and your family were sitting around at the dinner table one evening and dad looked at you and said "what would you think about taking the plane to the ranch and staying there for awhile? We could use a family member down there to watch over the operations,, and you and Adrien are just hanging out here in the City, and you know you don't have to be in any location to have a career in singing now with the internet and all. Plus when you come back you can spoil your friends with tales of the outback, stuck trucks, calf balls and all."
Ive been playing piano since the age of 4. I also tune my Yamaha grand. That piano is NOT in tune. Most likely needs a new pin block and tuning pins.
Finding a pin block that fits that antique will be challenging. May have to custom build one to fit. Your daddio has plenty of money so no big deal, right?
I’d like to know if you being at the ranch is the solution of what to do with you. Career did not take off. I don’t know WHAT skills hubbie has if any other than to make you happy. No kids?
How old are the strings? They probably need to be replaced
Nobody "hurt" me. I was raised in a family business and understand how the dynamics can work. I have nothing against her being at the ranch. It could turn out to be a blessing. But I looked at her film/recording career and she could not sustain it.. I thought that maybe she wanted to be a fulltime mom, but she does not appear to have any children. She is, IMO, a "city girl", so why is she there? That's my only question, and as far as her husband goes, she is vain enough to have said virtually nothing about him in her posts, which I have read. What's he all about? Can we know some family history or is it VERBOTEN!!! What's wrong with a little disclosure. I AM SURE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WONDERING!! Just the only one to ask.
Glad to see Tom and family back on the road. That’s how I found the Bonner’s through Tom’s Postcards which I read for about one year before the family changed course. I was so sad when he stopped writing Postcards but it’s all good. 👍
Hi Robert,
Tom is actually still writing the Postcards which are published through Bonner Private Research.
Thanks for being a reader!
Love the photos of the sky after the rain! And the piano sounds great. Looking forward to your next post!
Thank you, Laura!
Sounds great to me and I appreciate and enjoy your updates.
Thank you !
Thank you, Roy!
Enjoyed your tale of life on the ranch and how your are entertaining your Dad's extremely capable investment advisor, Tom Dyson & family. The pictures and description of the various ranch hands efforts to help ranch life move forward are very interesting.
Thanks for being a reader! Glad you are enjoying.
No offense, Mariah, but I had to laugh at your being "Stuck in the mud!" I had a similar experience years ago, on the Garden Isle of Kauai being "Stuck in the sand!" We drove our 4x4 vehicle 5 miles beyond the end of the paved road to get to Polihale Beach on the western side of Kauai. That pristine beach is 14 miles of sand starting at the southern end of the Kalalau Trail that traverses the famed Na Pali Coast of Kauai.
https://www.our-kauai.com/Around-Kauai/West-Shore/i-fJMk9wf/A and
https://www.our-kauai.com/Portfolio/Photo-Resource-Hawaii/PRH-Initial-Submission/i-bBLwrRM/A
and on a crowded day . . .
https://www.our-kauai.com/Bill-and-Terris-Kauai/Our-Kauai-2005/i-txLJbCQ
Anyway, I managed to get stuck in the sand . . . it took 7 hours and $500 to the towing company to get them to come out and extricate me. There's a good photo of it here:
https://www.our-kauai.com/Bill-and-Terris-Kauai/Our-Kauai-2005/i-rWJrBnk and
https://www.our-kauai.com/Bill-and-Terris-Kauai/Our-Kauai-2005/i-hrcRdj7
In the end Hertz acknowledged that the 4x4 was not operational, and so credited us for half of the rental, which covered the towing! In your case, there was no towing company . . . only friends and neighbors!!
Anyway . . . I clearly empathize with you and Adrien!!
a pinblock is manufactured by putting thin layers of wood together with glue, then pressed. A standard piano has 88 keys, but lots more strings, so they have to carefully drill all the holes in the pinblock and insert a slightly larger tuning pin, which has very thin threads so it can be turned incrementally. At the least you will most likely need new pins if you dont want to re make the pin block. If you do that, you might as well change the strings. I believe there are a couple of companies in the USA who still manufacture piano strings.
I don't know where that piano came from in France, but the humidity level in your valley is probably very low, so the wood dries out eventually, making the pins slip.
Hope that helps.
The original is in E flat
I love the photos of the valley there. I was born and raised in SE NM and have arid land in my bones. I plan on visiting Argentina this year or next. If you are still there maybe I could come see the ranch. I'll put some tuning tools in my bag. I am only a few years younger than your dad. I have put Argentina on my bucket list. Who knows....when the digital currencies are everywhere your valley may be just the place to hide from Big Brother. If you tell me what key you would sing "A Long and Winding Road" I will arrange a piano accompaniment, record it and send it to you!! No charge. No expectation. Just for fun.
Mariah, If I have offended you I am sorry and truly apologize. The phrase of "what to do with you" was meant more tongue in cheek than anything. Until and unless you share with us why you and Adrien are there at the ranch, there is ample opportunity to speculate. Such as: maybe you and your family were sitting around at the dinner table one evening and dad looked at you and said "what would you think about taking the plane to the ranch and staying there for awhile? We could use a family member down there to watch over the operations,, and you and Adrien are just hanging out here in the City, and you know you don't have to be in any location to have a career in singing now with the internet and all. Plus when you come back you can spoil your friends with tales of the outback, stuck trucks, calf balls and all."
Am I close?
Ive been playing piano since the age of 4. I also tune my Yamaha grand. That piano is NOT in tune. Most likely needs a new pin block and tuning pins.
Finding a pin block that fits that antique will be challenging. May have to custom build one to fit. Your daddio has plenty of money so no big deal, right?
I’d like to know if you being at the ranch is the solution of what to do with you. Career did not take off. I don’t know WHAT skills hubbie has if any other than to make you happy. No kids?
How old are the strings? They probably need to be replaced
What is wrong with you? Who hurt you?
Nobody "hurt" me. I was raised in a family business and understand how the dynamics can work. I have nothing against her being at the ranch. It could turn out to be a blessing. But I looked at her film/recording career and she could not sustain it.. I thought that maybe she wanted to be a fulltime mom, but she does not appear to have any children. She is, IMO, a "city girl", so why is she there? That's my only question, and as far as her husband goes, she is vain enough to have said virtually nothing about him in her posts, which I have read. What's he all about? Can we know some family history or is it VERBOTEN!!! What's wrong with a little disclosure. I AM SURE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WONDERING!! Just the only one to ask.
Nope, I think you're the only one wondering. what person chooses to share is their own business.
Obviously