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Throwback Thursday – At Your Service

When I was a kid, I loved the poems of Robert Service. They told stories of the Yukon gold rush in a musical cadence that included lots of alliteration and rhymes. Service didn’t bother with subtleties in his most famous works. You knew what you were getting with The Cremation of Sam McGee, The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill and hundreds of others. He also wrote six novels, two autobiographies and even acted in the 1942 film, The Spoilers, with Marlene Dietrich. Visiting his restored cabin in Dawson City, Yukon – a preserved historical site – is on my bucket list. 

Old Tyme Radio

Derek had the shell of an old radio. We have a couple of intact ones upstairs but this one was in no shape for a prominent display area. It was missing chunks of veneer, the speaker cloth – not to mention a speaker – and a piece of one corner of the footing was broken off in a jagged mess.  …

Old Time Tune

I’ve always wanted one or two wax cylinders.  They’re what music was recorded on before records and I’m sure that in their day, people thought they were the be all and end all of audio technology.  …

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Derek has had an old wall telephone for many years.  It hasn’t been ruined by someone trying to refinish it.  In fact, it still has the original company sticker on the side and a plate inside that says it was manufactured in 1933.   All of the components are original and in good shape although we haven’t put them to the test. …