(to S. Kennedy)
from Kindersley, Sask.
Sept 19th, 1963

Dear Stuart:

I am a real piker for not having answered your last letter. Had planned to go to Calgary this summer but that fell through; then too, I thought maybe you might have taken advantage of your standing invitation to visit us. This summer seems to have been exceptionally busy, and the organ was very seldom touched. But these are, I know, only excuses, and ones you would not accept from a student !!!

I think the real reason was, I was kind of ashamed that I didn't get more work done last winter. We worked on the house until Christmas, and after that I worked on the organ. I did a lot of work but didn't get much finished:

(1) I electrified and made off-note soundboards for the bottom 12 notes of the Great Open 8', and the bottom 24 notes of the 16' Principal on the Great, which formerly stood on the casework. But didn't get them installed.

(2) Made and wired the 24-note relay necessary for the above, but didn't get it installed.

(3) Big job: made and wired the switchboard for the combination actions, hundreds and hundreds of joints soldered, and wires run in a small space. But didn't get it installed before spring came (it came early).

(4) Got out the Great Trumpet 8', washed the pipes, cleaned the shallots and tongues, replaced damaged parts etc. I did get this installed, and although it was not playing when the organ was taken down, is playing now and has never given the slightest trouble. (I never heard of a light pressure trumpet on a Blanchard cared-for organ that was not shut off years ago.) In fact, I never heard one, period.

(5) Finished most of the console case; sent the old rusty swell pedals to Calgary and got 'em re-plated, but not installed.

(6) Cleaned a bunch of reeds, washed boots, shallots and tongues, using brass polish on the latter 2 items, polishing away the decades of grime, a slow tedious job, painstaking, too, because one slip, and a tongue ruined would be bad business. Plus a few other odd jobs. Managed to get the kids to hold keys long enough to get the Great tuned. For some time after I wondered how come the 4' flute would get way out of tune, the pipe metal tuning lids would be flattened down. I couldn't understand who would be risking his neck climbing up on the chest to do this, the girs claimed innocence. Then one day I found the cat up there, she climbed on to the trumpet rack support, and then used the flute pipe tops as a stairway to get down. Hazards of a haus orgel!

When in the midst of the harvest rush - 15 hrs a day 7 days a week, and hot and dusty, received word that an amateur organbuilder friend from Victoria (whom I had not seen since I visited him in 1943) was coming for a vist. Consternation! Because nothing - no, nothing, interferes with harvest. Went to Alsask to meet the Calgary bus on Monday night at 11:30 (90 mile round trip). Then it rained, and no harvesting since! So we had a very pleasant visit. As an old reed organ fixer-upper, he thoroughly enjoyed the article on the lowly 'armonium - as did I. he wanted badly to see the Knox Church Organ, but mixed up his connections in Calgary so that he only had an hour there on his return trip.

We had a visit from an English organist (Frank Godley) formerly of Moose Jaw (whose 4-man Casavant was rebuilt into a small 5-manual HN&B) now living in Ontario. I had to laugh at what he had to say about the new Casavants: "don't like 'em at all, the batty things spit and scream at one so!" I'd like to hear one, to see if what he says is true.

Certainly this has been a busy summer, but I never got done half of what I had planned. However, we did get a permanent water supply in the house (formerly supplied by cistern which used to go dry at the most inopportune times, such as on New Year's Eve, or when someone was visiting.) But its sure nice to have all the water one needs, and not to have to be stingy with it. So next year we should have a good garden (not that we didn't have more than we could eat - and weed, this year.)

Anyway, when you do come, I hope to have more organ. I am looking forward to a visit from you with keenest expectation, one does get lonesome for a fellow organ buff! So remember, any time convenient to you is the same for us.

With best regards, and keep up the articles!

Yours sincerely,

Stuart    
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