The Baby Comes Home

May 12 was a day I've been waiting for since 1981 when I moved out of my parents' house to live on my own. Since then, I've never had room in my various apartments or houses to have a piano, and I had to wait until I visited my parents to get to play a real piano.  At some point in the late 80s or early 90s, I bought an electric keyboard, which certainly served a purpose, but it still wasn't a "real" piano.  My Baby Grand has been living in the home of a very generous foster family since August 2010.  It had a prominent place in their living room.   They took very good care of it for me, and their son took lessons on it and played it regularly.  This foster care situation really worked out well for everyone involved, and I much preferred having the baby in a loving home where it was played and appreciated rather than having it in storage all this time.

We had the piano moved by Integrity Movers - moving pianos is one of their specialties.  They are the company that moved the piano down here from Milan 2 years ago, and they did a great job that time, so I hired them again.  They really seem to know what they're doing.  I have no problem giving them a great recommendation and here is a commercial for them.

Before they moved the piano from Milan, I had no idea how baby grands were moved.  It turns out that the legs and pedals come off and the piano gets moved on its long side.  So, here are some photos of the process of moving it in and unpacking it:

1.  It was resting on a carpeted board and then that was on a 4-wheeled cart.  The whole package was lowered down on a lift, and then wheeled up the driveway and into the house.  

2.  The legs and pedals had each been wrapped individually in their own blankets.  The head guy informed me that the 2 front legs were on backwards when they disassembled it.  I told him that their guys had moved it before, and he seemed surprised by that.  

3.  Once they have the piano where it is going to go, they start unwrapping it.  They take it off the 4-wheeled cart, but leave it on the carpeted board until they get the first 2 legs on.  The legs have no bolts in them.  They have grooves on the end that fit into opposing grooves in the underside of the body, and then they are held in place by a rotating wedge hammered into place by a wooden mallet.  

4.  Once they have the right front leg and the back leg on, they stand it up, and 2 guys hold it while the 3rd guy crawls underneath to put the 3rd leg on.  There has to be a lot of trust with this one!!!

5.  After the 3rd leg is secured, the shrink-wrap is removed, and then the pedal assembly is attached.  We also had them set it far enough away from the walls that we could walk around it (for cleaning and hanging pictures, etc...), and they set it on glass coasters as well.   So here is the final resting place for the Baby in its rightful home:

I must admit, I got very choked up when I sat down at it for the first time.  Knowing how important this piano was to the members of my family for almost 100 years, I feel very honored to be the keeper of it now. 

At some point in going through the papers in my parents house, I came across the paper work for the original purchase in 1913, and I hope to find that, frame it, and put it up by the piano.  

I'm a little rusty... ok, a lot rusty, but I am going to practice every day and try to make up for lost time!!!

Thanks for reading!  Stay tuned for more house-adventures in the weeks ahead!!!