Deadliest Neighborhood.

Today's Detroit News included an article entitled "Detroit's Deadliest Neighborhood".  Guess where?  The same neighborhood where Mom grew up.  Check out the interactive map at http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20110902/SPECIAL01/110901003  Marie, I guess we were right when we were so scared that day we went to photograph the Troester house.  YIKES!!

Sprinkling

As I was ironing this morning, being extremely grateful for permanent press, I remembered mom. Remember the sprinkling pop bottle with water, before they had steam irons (or permanent press)?

It is my sad duty to report that the aluminum record shown here, entrusted to me by our Mother, and dutifully stored in a a fire-proof vault, turned out not to be a home recording after all. I sent the disc to CDC Productions in Orlando, FL., and they created an archival recording on CD of both sides. And additional recording was then made using noise suppression equipment to maximize the available sound.

In addition, I researched the disc manufacturer, and the recording technique to pinpoint the age of the disc.

An aluminum disc of this type, without an acetate coating, is the rarest of records used. The disc was manufactured by Mirror Record Corp. in New York. The recording equipment was most likely a Presto recording machine, which feature a turntable powered by electricity. A heave weight was positioned on the record to prevent slipping. The primary use of uncoated aluminum discs was to record programs or events on radio. They were used primarily between 1920 and 1935. I think Grandpa picked up the recorder when they were being discontinued in the the early 30s, from a radio station or one of many recording companies that recorded live radio. In addition, he probably bought a number of blank discs, and may have kept this one hoping he could re-record it; perhaps he made this recording, but I doubt it.

Both sides sound like they are the same male quartet, first and second tenors, baritone, and bass. Side one contains two spirituals, "Ezekiel saw the Wheel [Way Up In The Middle of the Air]" and "All God's Chillun Got Shoes [Gonna walk all over God's Heaven]" while side two contains one "white" gospel song, "Coming For Me, For Me."

The group sounds Caucasian, and white Barbershop music was at its zenith in the early 30s.

I know Dad and Uncle Dick both liked quartet music, but I just didn't get any feeling that the group included our relatives, or amateurs. There is no evidence that it was an impromptu performance, nor a concert; much more like a radio or recording studio.

I have uploaded the two sides as one "track" lasting about 6:10. If you would like to hear it , I'll send it to you.

I'll Tell You A Story ...

I just thought of something today about Dad that jogged my memory back to when I was very young. Do any of you remember this? We would ask Dad to "tell me a story", to which he would reply, "I'll tell you a story about Jack A Nory, and now my story's begun. I'll tell you another of Jack and his brother and now my story's done."

Actually, until today, I always thought Dad was saying, "I'll tell you a story about Jack and Orey ...." (Or would he say "John and Orey", I can't accurately recall) Then I did some looking around to find that he was actually reciting an old English nursery rhyme. According to Wikipedia, the rhyme was first recorded when published in The Top Book of All, for little Masters and Misses around 1760.

They only thing I remember other than Dad saying the rhyme was that I would always get frustrated because I wanted an exciting long story and Dad would chuckle as he finished it in less than 15 seconds. I can clearly remember him starting the rhyme and me immediately interrupting him with, "No, not that one! I mean a real story!" Then I thought of times several years back when I would respond with that same rhyme when my kids asked me to tell them a story, only to hear them complain back to me the same way I did to Dad!

Grandpa Waelde

I decided to hold up on my music saga series to talk a little more about Grandpa William Erwin Waelde. I hope to get as much feedback from the rest of you as possible, and then I am going to compile it into a piece to be included in the family tree.

I'm not sure which name he used most, William or Erwin. His first wife, my mother's mother, died before I was born. His second wife, Christine, was known to us as Grandma Chrissy, and she called him Erwin. That was a Germanic tradition, the first name being a family name, and the middle one the name you went by.

I've already mentioned that he built his own theramin electronic instrument, and played the musical saw. He also had a phonograph, the old non electric type that you cranked up, but this unit could also make records on aluminum disks. Because of the weight of the stylus in those days, a bamboo needle had to be used to preserve the sound in the grooves. I've heard that a modern light stylus with a diamond tip will not destroy the record, so I am going to get the record in my possesion digitalized.

According to the descendant of an early boarder with the Waeldes who returned to visit in 1947, he had built his own telvision set. He also built an electric rotary lawn mower (200' cord included) that, with a few more r.p.m., could have been a hovercraft!

I remember that Grandpa liked to eat his dessert first, so he wouldn't miss it, then he liked to scramble all of his other food together before eating it. He would say "It all goes in the same place anyway!"

My only other memory is hearing Granma Chrissy tell this story. Granpa was working on the car in the driveway behind the house. The car was a late 40's model sedan, probably very heavy, and the driveway was just dirt. He was working under the car, which was up on blocks. All you could see was his legs sticking out.

She couldn't remember if she heard something, or just sensed it, but when she looked out the kitchen window, and saw the driver's side of the car laying on Erwin's waist. She ran out the back door, and lifted the left side of the car high enough to allow him to scramble out.

W. E. Waelde wore thick glasses in his later years, which he would take off and clean while talking. He had a twinkle in his eye (as did the whole family) and loved story telling.

And that's the end of my chapter of the Wm Erwin Waelde story.

I promised Lou I would jot down some memories of my musical career. It all started before I was born. Every hour of practice Mom and Dad had practicing piano or violin caused their DNA to adapt over a 7-year cycle. Those changes were sent on to me, as well as the hundreds of such adaptations of the DNA of their ancestors. I know from my research that Mom's Uncle, The Rev. John Greenleaf Waelde was an accomplished violinist, as was one of his son's. The dozen or so ministers in our ancestry were at least connected to vocal music. Every year, research comes closer to making a connection between our ancestors and those of Jean Baptiste Calkin, a hymn composer with at least four melodies published in Methodist hymnals, most notably "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."
But my first "encounters of the third kind" were not Mom or Dad, but Grampa Waelde, I recall the Waelde clan gathered at his house on 18 Mile road. After dinner, with a little encouragement, he would either do a recording on the recording phonograph, or drag out one of his handmade instruments.
One was the musical saw, or "singing" saw, which was just a regular rip or crosscut hand saw with a quality tempered blade, and an old violin bow.
Holding the saw handle between his knees, and bending the other end of the saw, he stroke the upper edge of the saw (without teeth) with the violin bow, making a beautiful sound, whose tone could be raised or lowered by bending or relaxing the end of the saw.
His other instrument had a similar sound, and was just about as difficult to play. It was a homemade Theramin, the second electronic instrument ever invented (back about 1928). Tubes, and wires, and knobs, and a car aerial sticking up out of the mess. He hooks up a drycell battery, turns a couple of the knobs, and waves his hand toward the aerial. When his hand got within 3 feet of the the aerial, a sound emanated from the household radio, to which the device had been attached. As his hand grew closer, the pitch raised, and lowered as his hand retreated. He let me "play" it, but the results were dreadful.
And now that I have mentally revisited that day, I have a craving to buy one, not a cheap $88 one, but a $350 one with the additional wire loop for controlling volume. My female dog, Tessie, can't resist "singing" along with my harmonica; I can't imagine what she would do to me playing the "Star Trek" theme.
Next time: hooked on performing.

Chugalug, Chugalug

If anyone has Craig Bond's address or email, please send it to me; I'd like to send him a copy of this picture, taken with Lou in the wagon in about 1956.

Notice that this picture is before the garage and carport were built. Although the wagon is somewhat dilapidated in this picture, I remember when I first got it, painted red, with a black handle, white wheels, and "chrome" hubcaps.

I had a very bad compulsion to take every mechanical thing I had, disassemble it, lubricate everything, and put it back together. One time, while reassembling, I damage one of the tabs that held a hubcap on the wheel, causing it to flop, so I left it off. You'll notice that the front wheel facing you is still missing the hubcap. Originally it was the rear cap on the same side that was off. I was "pumping" the wagon, kneeling on my right leg, steering with my righ arm, holding the left frame of the body with my left hand, and propelling the wagon with my left foot. I was doing a good clip down the sidewalk, about in front of the Reisey's house, when my shoeless left ankle struck the axle and/or cotter pin (which held the wheel on). I tore a nasty gash in my ankle, went running home, splaying blood everywhere. I was conviced I would bleed out before I got home.

I don't remember who drove me to Doc Proud's office, while I clutched a kitchen towel to my ankle. That was the first of five such trips for stitches in my childhood. Guess I should have been a hockey player. Anyway, when I got brave enough to climb back in the Radio Flyer, I first switched the hub cab to the back wheel, and that's the way it stayed.

Jesus in the Garden

Painted by our Grandpa Waelde sometime prior to 1935, "Jesus in the Garden" hangs in the chapel at the First United Methodist Church in Flat Rock. I remember dad restoring it in the early 70's. I also remember that it had hung in Uncle Dix's church in Deckerville prior to that. (When he and Aunt Ev moved to Florida, the painting went to mom) What I never knew before, was that prior to Deckerville, the painting hung above the altar at East Grand Boulevard Methodist Church. I didn't realize this until I was looking at a picture from the 1936 Memorial Directory from East Grand and found this picture. Excuse the quality of the scan. I never remember hearing that the picture had hung in East Grand sanctuary. I also don't know what year the church was closed. There is also a picture of the sanctuary today. Sad....

The Eye Cup

How many remember using this handy device when we were young? Just the other day I had to use it and thought of how I used to get this out of the "medicine cabinet". Usually, the eye problem was nothing real serious, maybe a piece of dirt, a hair, or something innocuous. I always thought it was kind of an archaic thing to use. But it almost always got the job done. I don't know how old this is, but it seems like it was there as long ago as I can remember.

I remember this and other "tools" we had in the medicine cabinet: clippers, nail files, lash curlers, and the very cool dentist's mirror. Those implements of health and beauty used to sit in some kind of glass cup. But what was the dentist's mirror all about anyway? Were we about to embark on home dentistry to save money? (remember Dad had a Dremmel tool, so we were already well on our way!)

Cereal prizes

As depressing as it is to see old traditions die, it is equally invigorating to find and oldie being renewed.
In an effort to help my heart and lower cholesterol, I've been eating Cheerios almost daily. I opened a new box recently, and found, to my joy, a Hot Wheels pull and release racer!!! Not only that, but there are many different ones (collect all six!) and you get to put the car decorations on yourself! This brought back memories of baking soda submarines, cap-gun cap bombs (thanks to Lou for reminding me), Rice Krispie Snap, Crackle, and Pop rings (with levers inside to make the rubber faces make "faces"), balsa wood airplanes, and, strangest of all, Confederate dollar bill reproductions in different denominations. This, of course, doesn't count the myriad of glorious artifacts that you could accumulate by collecting box tops and mailing them in! Maybe you can remember more.
One trivia...I just learned on the History Channel, that the Navy deepsea submarine which replaced the hugh bathyscape, and was instrumental in retrieving the lost nuclear missile off the coast of Spain, was built in a General Mills factory, the plant where they designed, tested, and built all of their machinery for processing cereal! Maybe it operates on baking soda. . .

Late 50's Fashion

Seeing the picture from 1958 from Mr. Hughes, I couldn't help but admire how fashion conscious the Calkins family was; Marie in her poodle skirt (I guess they weren't called that at the time), Mom in her toreador pants/pedal pushers, Dad in his classic nerd outfit, and me in my Flat Rock Cool. Seeing that stupid hat reminded me of this picture of me with my mirrored shades on, brandishing a hunting knife. I was playing a "hood" along with the young lady from Dundee, for a Morality Play we were doing at the Methodis Church Camp at Lake Louise, 1958 or 1959. I was slightly more convincing as a "tough" kid. I didn't tell you her name because she may still be living somewhere, and the embarassment of seeing this picture might be too much to bear.

More pictures from Uncle Dave

Thom, Marie and Dad

Pictures from Kirk Hughes (Uncle Dave's son)

These pictures were taken in summer of 1947 (judging by Marie's age) and

were all taken on the same day. Cool shirt, dad.