sorry I missed those posts while I was typing.

CapriUni...I've gotten so used to people here in my neighborhood NOT knowing what an Autoharp or a Dulcimer is, I'm pleasantly surprised when I meet someone who DOES know...bg (Besides apes, can't a wolf or a dog make the "oo" sound??)

MMario.....if this feels like a "roller-coaster ride" reading it.....no wonder I get out of breath and exhausted trying to keep up with living it!!;o)

The music store I mentioned is a VERY well-known, reputable store in Cambridge, Mass. I had called ahead to let them know what I was bringing in....but the first instrument we started taking out of the bag, dropped a piece of charred wood on the counter and some ashes on the floor...and they smelled AWFUL. As upset as I was at the time, in hindsight...I think looking at them was better done outside, in the fresh air. BUT, the owner could have been a LOT more tactful in "banishing" me and the instruments from inside the store. One of the "salesmen" heard the owner's "tone of voice" and came outside with me immediately....and spent well over an hour looking at the instruments and talking with me.