Phone conversation with my father:
Me: How long have you played the accordion?
Him: The accordion? Why are you asking that?
Me: I'm going to put a photo on my blog of you playing the accordion.
Him: What?
Him: Where did you get a photo of me playing the accordion?
Me: On Easter.
Him: When I was in the bedroom playing?
Me: Yeah, didn't you notice me taking a photo?
Him: No, I don't remember that at all.
Me: I was standing right next to you.
Him: I guess I must have been concentrating on the music.
Me: You played accordion in the mountains. In the 50s. Right?
Him: You know, I never really considered myself a real accordion player.
Me: But you played it all the time.
Him: Well, everyone doubled. All the musicians did.
Him: I played trumpet and accordion.
Me: And sometimes you did singles on the accordion.
Him: Yeah, you don't need electricity or anything for an accordion. You can just stand in a corner and play.
Him: The accordion gave me another option.
Me: When did you start playing?
Him: Oh, I was a kid. It was the first instrument I played.
Him: But I really wanted to play the trumpet.
Him: So in seventh grade I started on trumpet.
Me: I can remember you playing the accordion when I was a kid.
Him: Yeah, but I don't play it as often now.
Him: It's too heavy.
Him: I was just showing your brother.
Me: Well, I took a photo, but I am going to put it in black and white because your pants and shirt clash.
Him: What are you going to call me?
Him: The Old Accordion Player?
Him: You always make up names for everyone, right?
Me: Well, I was just going to say you were my father.
Me: I didn't think you needed a pseudonym.
Him: I like the pseudonyms. Will-of-a-Wisp. That kind of thing.
Me: Will-of-a-Wisp? How does that make sense?
Me (incredulously) : You want me to call you Will-of-a-Wisp?
Me: That doesn't fit you at all.
Him: I meant YourYoungestSon.
Me: Oh. You mean With-a-Why.
Him: I like the names you use.
Me: Okay, I'll call you the Old Accordion Player.
23 comments:
I think I'm going to leave this post up in my browser all day, for the big smile it gives me just thinking about it. Your dad is adorable.
Of course, the question begging to be asked is exactly what color were his shirt and pants?
This sounds very much like a conversation I might have with my own father!
I love my old man.
Just want to say that I read and love this blog. I find it -- your style and your tone and your choice of topics -- extremely warm and calming. Thank you.
Such a lovely way to honor your father. And that's a great photo too. Just saw the canoe post below. We have a red canoe as well, and I long to get it out.
I miss my father all the time. I love this post. Thank you.
I have an accordion that looks just like that. My Grandmother left it for me. I don't know how to play it. Wish I did.
Jodie
I love that conversation. And so few people play the accordian theses days, it's pretty cool to see someone play.
Oh, now I have something to picture whenever you mention that your parents have looked at my photoblog! Although, maybe they're not looking very much right now...Tell them I'll be back in July!
I love this.
(And I miss my dad, too.)
I love this post! The photo, the conversation, they are so sweet and funny.
Thank you for yet another beautiful and touching post. And from one accordion player to another, I want to tip my virtual hat to your dad.
I started playing about five years ago, and it's completely changed my life for the better. Once I saw the movie "Amelie", that was it; I had to get one. :)
I couldn't leave a picture as a comment, but here's one:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/toddbayles/ashst-1.jpg
Girl: Oh, the green pants and purplish striped shirt did kind of match, but then with the floral bedspread, the whole photo was too busy.
Todd: Thanks for the photo!
Love the photo.
Oh, I love the photo and your conversation with the old accordion player :)
Love the photo and the conversation. You always do such a wonderful job of capturing the beauty around you to show us.
I've been thinking a lot about my dad lately. This made me smile. The conversation sounded a lot like the kind we would have had.
Cool dad.
Does he still play the trumpet? Or do we not even want to go down that road with the Old Accordion Player?
-smile-
Nowadays, he mostly plays saxophone or clarinet.
Your dad is adorable. :)
After I read this post last night I had a dream that I painted a picture of your dad in the purplish shirt, as I imagined him. I was excited, in the dream, because I thought, Oh, I can post the painting to jo(e)'s blog or put it up on mine. I was also excited because I had discovered I could paint. :). When I woke up I was actually crestfallen to realize there was no painting. But I offer you the dream instead.
I found your blog when I was looking for pictures of accordion players. It's beautiful!
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