Contest

I just submitted entries to this contest, for a chance to win a free "Melissa and Doug" doll house for AC. Maybe we can all move into this house!

Dj Coco!

We gave AC her Big-Little Portable Phono today. She was so excited!

She has a stack of 45s to play. Mostly soul and funk jams that Dad got for cheap. Her favorites turned out to be Jackson 5, "Dancing Machine," Lionel Richie, "All Night Long," Gap Band, "Oops! (Upside Your Head)" (see video, above), and the B-side to Chic's "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," which happens to be a smooth-jazzy little instrumental called "Sao Paulo." She mostly played "Dancing Machine" and kept cranking up the volume as loud as possible.

I put it away because it was musty (note the air purifier) but she kept saying, "you want to play your own music." By the end of the day she was a real pro. She would put on records (that's "Dancing Machine" on the platter) and then read her books.

One more from the zoo.

Pictures from Mimi

Mimi bird.Guess which little birdy has the PhD (trick question)?
Si-guy up high.

The Saga Continues

Got the Big-Little Portable Phono last week. It comes in the mail. There's a needle still on it, an Astatic N76, but it's worn down and doesn't work. I have to admit that I have a bad feeling because I'm not getting any noise when I rub my fingerprint over the needle like I used to when I was a kid. I don't think the speaker works. Anyway, I order a replacement needle, a Pfanstiehl 166-D7. Just got it today. It came in the little package with the see-through triangle, just like I remembered as a kid, going to Laurel Lakes shopping center to buy them from Needle In A Haystack. After putting AC to bed I tried it. The sounds of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" crackled from the needle, but nothing from the speaker. Figure I can break it open and solder, but that's too much time and stress if I can't get it to work. So this one will be returned as I wait for another to show up, same price, from another online seller. No bidding this time, just a flat $10 plus shipping. The description on this one says it works, so we'll see. More soon ...

A perfect day for the zoo.

Visit with Mimi, Simon & Aunt Wendy

Alice had fun sharing her toys with Simon.
Simon was on the move.
Can't wait to see you all again soon!