I have just a few comments of a comic nature and would like to congest
them into one note, to let you know that I am alive and responding well
after the surgery.

 [ "Congest"?  How 'bout "congeal"?   Or are you just suffering with
 [ a common cold?   ;-)   -- Robbie

1)  Robbie: My imprecations for your forthcoming trip this fall has
resulted in the town board installing electricity and phone service
through the Goodspeed Opera House, and also clearing the 1200 foot
runway at your possible future venue.  Potable water will be ready in
September.

 [ I wrote to Bill that I will be performing August 1-3 at the Traditional
 [ Jazz Festival in Moodus, Connecticut, nearby the old opera house.
 [ Bring potable beer!

2)  It is a rollicking pleasure to see my neighbor (who does not know
that she is my neighbor) mention the singing of a "beer" ballad to
"Estudiantina".  It happens that very few of you MMD-listers live near
her home town, and I am just down the river.

(You notice that I do not say "up the river" in the State of New York, as
that implies that something in your life has gone "awry", and you have
been sentenced to the prison at "Ossining", viz.  Sing-Sing in the early
movies.)

I would also mention that Nancy Fratti and I have never met, myself with
theatre organs, cylinders and now tons of lithographed turn-of-the-
century sheet music, and Nancy with her wonderful collection of music
boxes.  Ah!  We could make such beautiful music together ... but, as she
says, ... don't drink beer.

(Hi Nancy! -- And how did you get a phone number for juno.com when 40
miles down the river we could _not_ get one.??)

3)  Robbie would feel hurt if I did not bring up the correct name of the
Anheuser product: it is Busch (with a "c') and not without the "c".
This does not affect the intonation of the appropriate dirge for the
imbibers.

 [ Maybe switch to Coorsch beer?  ;)   -- Robbie

However it was mentioned that some Midwesterners or Westerners have never
heard of our local beer, Rheingold.  Well, I will speak of Nancy and for
myself, and tell them Midwesterners that we never sang about their
"Leinenkugel" either, and we will not feel hurt if there is no song about
good old blue and silver Leinenkugel.

4)  Just because you and Jody are the Web-Meisters in this edition of the
MMD (which usually arrives on the East Coast promptly at midnight when
the relief editor is on <grin>, I must accent the fact that Gambrinus,
the "mythical" Flemish king, is the founder of the makings of beer --
with or without song.

What happened was that when the Romans started going West toward England
and Ireland, the droppings and such from the Roman aqueducts were
collected by the soldiers of the Roman army under the command of
Gambrinus.  Stopping for some time in their quest for more land on
the northwest passage toward Ireland, the fluid in their canteens
naturally fermented.

Since Robbie was not there to name this liquid as would be expected, it
became simple Gambrinus Ale, which helped the conquest of Ireland and
Great Britain a great deal as the folks there dare not drink the water
from the river that was to become the Thames.

It should be noted that when Robbie does come East this fall, he will
have the opportunity to make up for the Thames river as it will flow
right past his venue for his work -- something like "Thames like Old
Tymes".  In the meantime if the Linux project gets going out on the west
coast, a hint would be that you mix up a Linuxkugel beer for the
subscribers on MMD.

 [ Will do.  It's an old Finnish recipe, I'm told...!  -- Robbie

5)  On the Dutch translation of the" Kistdraaiorgel" book, I do have a
personal female friend (of the family) from Amsterdam, who right at the
current moment is instructing in Dutch for the State University of New
York, and who, as a fellow organist, I know would be happy to translate
any passages or pages for those requesting help.  If not , either Robbie
or I would do it -- linguists that we are...

And lastly, with a warning --

6)  La Musee Edison du Phonographe in Quebec, at Ste Anne de Beaupre.
I am a frequent visitor to the "wilds" of La Belle Provence;  this is
where all my antique Atwater Kent radios go.  I advise you, in capital
letters:

**Do not visit that area a week before or after July 26 on any year,** and
**Do not rent a sleeping place of any time during the same period.**

This is the period of the Feast of St Anne of the Beautiful Meadows, and
the faithful (Roman Catholic) literally set the area awash, for fifteen
miles around, with their humanity and hope for miracles.

The Redemptorist Fathers (C.S.S.R.) administer a large basilica located
between Nancy and me, and movement in that area is just impossible unless
you are in a wheelchair.  Cars are out.

I do suggest that for a happy time, as there is no ferry from the other
side, that you find a spot to stay _north_ of the Musee Edison and
arrange locally for a transport back to the Ville de Ste Anne, telling
the cab driver to use the main "allee" and that you do _not_ wish to go
directly to the basilica, St Peter's Square in Rome,  that the appearance
of the Holy Father on the Balcony is mere child's play, when the sick and
the lame and their rolling chairs (chaises roulantes) really block the
entire area.

There is no crossing the Fleuve St Laurent (St. Lawrence River) except
by bridge from Quebec City, or Levis on the east side where nice
accommodations could be found.  If this boat is _not_ running, which is
sometimes the case, it is necessary to go almost 90 miles north to St.
Simeon at the mouth of the Saguenay and drive back a terrible road into
the Ville de Ste Anne de Beaupre. ... So, go in August.

Above all, lovers of the Edison, go in August...the American dollar is
worth about $1.37 Canadian right now.  It would be a nice move if someone
of us would offer to the family, who DO live upstairs, to translate into
American English, the pamphlet etc.  So let's go at it, Robbie.

Bill Ryan

 [ Ach, nein, Bill; I'm still learning German !  Why don't you talk
 [ seriously with the organist lady, about the project to translate the
 [ deVries book?  Steve Matta has contact with our MMD members in
 [ Holland, and perhaps all of you could sort out a worthwhile project.
 [ You really need 2 translators working together: a Dutchman and a
 [ Yankee!  ;-)   -- Robbie