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Carpetbagger Joey
Small
Cotton chenille brocade coat and tab.
Vintage French yellow and silver metallic belt, loops and trim.
Bakelite buckle.
Bakelite, Celluloid and Vintage Plastic buttons. |
An
imaginative mix of old-fashioned grandeur and colorful art – I am referring to
the image of the Carpetbagger JoeysCoat, not of me playing “dress-up”. There is, however, a distinct similarity
between the refined quality and good taste of Dana’s design and the magnificent
vintage gown I was allowed to play in as a child.
The
gown was but one of many belonging to my dear piano teacher, Miss White – a remarkable
woman who embraced me as her own. A graduate of Julliard, Miss White lived
directly across from my family home.
When she moved to the neighborhood she purchased three adjoining plots
of land - The center, for her architectural masterpiece in which she lived with
her Cairn and Rat Terriers, Happy and Gay; the lot to the south for her pool and gardens; the
lot to the north for the kids in the neighborhood, complete with a baseball
diamond and Badminton net.
Born
in 1926, Miss White was thirty years my senior, yet we played together like
two kids as we walked the dogs, rode horses, swam, gardened, played hide and
seek, and my favorite, dress up. There
were more serious moments as well. She
introduced me to National Public Radio, read to me in French, taught me “proper
manners” and to genuinely appreciate the fine things life has to offer. When she practiced
the piano, I would lay on my back beneath the massive Steinway with eyes closed, listening to every note. Once she had
completed her personal work-out for the day, I would hop up onto the bench of a
second Grand facing her. We would play classical duets, stopping only
long enough to make certain I corrected my mistakes.
The
last time I saw Miss White I was expecting my youngest son. That was more than thirty-five years
ago. I wrote her a letter in 1999 to
express to her the important role she played in my life. I was delighted when I received her reply in which she described in detail her many adventures. The letter
was typewritten with her familiar signature at the bottom. It was the last letter I would receive.
Miss
White taught me so much more than merely to play the piano. I am thankful for the lessons learned, and
most of all, for her extraordinary friendship.
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