The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
The Knabe Square Grand Piano
While still in Warrenton, we “adopted” an unplayable Knabe Square Grand piano, with massive carved legs. The owners didn’t want the piano and it was going to be burned up, so we took a look and decided that it should not be burned and we rescued it, because Dave saw its possibilities. (Dave has always been the one to decide in favor of complicated projects, all through our married life, and these projects have turned out very well. This one did, too.)
Much later, around 1996 in Union, Dave converted it into a fine, unique library and dining table. It’s very heavy. For several years, after he removed everything down to its base leaving a rough-top table, we just threw tablecloths over it and tried not to seat guests at the bumpy and splintery places. The original piano was all fit together with long bolts or screws going through several large holes through its entire thickness, and you can still see the holes if you look up under the table.
He used kiln-dried walnut boards from a local sawmill and made a most beautiful top for it. I’m proud of that table….I’m sure Dave is, too. It seats 10 people comfortably, plus highchairs at the corners, and it’s great for family dinners.
And the intricately designed, beautiful music rack for this once-upon-a-time-it-was-a-piano is installed as a decoration above the swinging kitchen door in the front hall.
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee (1931 – 2024) built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
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