Chat earlier today - whistle spending

[IDAwHOa]

I am hoping to turn Joey into a whistler and fluter long before she becomes a teen. (Wish me luck!)

Yeah, you will need it. Our third, who is 10 going on 11, is reaching that transition point right now.

Em, you know the point where no matter what you do they screw their face up at you like you are from another planet?

The point where the kids at school put enought pressure on him that, even though he really likes mom to walk to school with him, he has asked her not to.

Even though he protests, he still lets me hug, kiss and tickle him. I can tell the protests are not totally real though. In public though, he is starting to resent this sort of interaction, ESPECIALLY when a peer is about.

I am hoping that is as far as it goes.

He still likes to listen to the variety of music that we do, but I can see it coming where that may change. He does not seem interested in learning how to play either.

He is starting to get the adolescent walk. Oh, nothing drastic, just different. I noticed it the other day at the Bay Area even. More confident, more forthright, more direct.


DANG! He is growing up.


Also, regarding the price paid for a whistle.

I can think of 10,000 things that would be much less desireable to purchace with that money than a quality instrument that will bring us decades of enjoyment. Heck, people spend that much on a dinner that will just get flushed down the toilet the next day.
Then there is the bottomless pit that is television. Don't even get me started on other things.

I know, some people can spend 3-15 dollars on whistles and be totally happy with them. We just have not found whistles in that range to be desirable to us yet. So we spend what we have to to get the qualities we desire. Not breakfast in bed required for that pleasure. :roll:

[Jetboy]

I seem to recall a C&F er selling a collection of whistles that included a 14 carat gold Copeland for $1,800. Now that is just silly!

[Bloomfield]

Hehehe. Careful what you say and where, Jetboy.

[emmline]

I seem to recall a C&F er selling a collection of whistles that included a 14 carat gold Copeland for $1,800. Now that is just silly!

I guess it depends on how you feel about gold. It's not meaningful to me...but, as we know, there are those here who don't see the point in anything more pricy than a Walton. It's all relative.

[JessieK]

I special ordered tubing to have Copeland Woodwinds make a gold whistle for a friend of mine who loved gold and had been very generous with me. There was a minimum order for the tubing, since it was specially made, and to cover the minimum, I would have had enough for a whistle and a half, so I went ahead and had two made, trading my Copeland whistle pendant design and a whole bunch of pieces for the labor. The receiver LOVED the gift, and I sold the other one, which paid for what I had spent on both, including jewelry expenses. Not bad, eh?

[FJohnSharp]

My kids hate the whistle. Hate.

I ahve found that, with my kids at least, the best way to get them want to do something is to be completely uninterested in it. I tried to get daughter to play a band instrument, she picked violin.

[chas]

What's reasonable to pay for a whistle depends on the person buying it. I don't think I'm any better a person because I like handmade whistles. On the other hand, I don't think people should pass judgement on me because I have been known to pay more than $300 for a whistle. I've bought paintings, and I can't get a sound out of them.

I think of a handmade whistle as not only a thing on which to make music, although they all serve me very well in that capacity. A Thin Weasel, for example, is also a work of art -- Glenn's stamp is on it at every step, from the showcasing of the grain of the wood to the final voicing. It's as though there's a little bit of his personality in his whistles. Jessie's gold whistles are/were unique. A Serpent village smithy has Bill Whedon written all over it.

I work hard and only have two vices. I kind of like my hard-earned dollars going to a whistle/flute artisan.

[JessieK]

I prefer non-corrrosive metals, though, like silver, because I hate the smell of brass or copper, or even tin. "Nickel Silver" has no silver and is actually a white brass. It corrodes less than the others, though. Silver is my favorite metal. It tarnishes, but it doesn't smell badly. I love wood.

[Martin Milner]

I tried to get daughter to play a band instrument, she picked violin.

What a remarkably beautiful, intelligent and talented daughter you must have, John. Pray, is she available for courting?

[jkrazy52]

I'm sorry, Jessie - I didn't mean to start anything by mentioning the gold whistle -- I thought it was nifty, and figured it to be one of a kind. IMHO whatever anyone chooses to spend is a personal choice and relative to their situation. So far, $200 is my most expensive whistle and the family thought I was nuts for that. This could be a reflection on my playing ... But, what I spend in whistles is less than my brothers spend in cigarettes -- so I think I'll just keep my "vice", it's healthier.

~Judy

[Paul]

I thought it was nifty, and figured it to be one of a kind. ~Judy

So did I.

[JessieK]

I thought it was nifty, and figured it to be one of a kind. ~Judy

So did I.

Good!

[IDAwHOa]

I wanna see, could you post a link please?

[JessieK]

There wasn't a picture. Imagine a polished brass Copeland that looks slightly more red.