Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum WE ARE MOVING

No, not the forums, Kathy and I.

(Although I am having the forums upgraded. They are working on them on a test server so we know everything is right before switching on the upgraded version).

We are moving from Florida to Maine, leaving this Friday morning (Feb.1). I know, odd timing with the crazy weather and the snow/cold up north. The timing wasn't our choice, the move is.

Because of the move I will have very limited access to the Internet until we get settled and find a way to get it into the house (likely satellite as cable doesn't run in rural areas like this).

We have a fair amount of work to do on the house, but we're very excited about it, because when we're done we will be able to host piano forums parties!

I'll check in when I can, and hope to be back on the air permanently in a couple of weeks.

Happy Transport!

Well, Maine is nice. I used to go there quite a bit. I have not forgotten that the State Bird of Maine is the blackfly. You can get t-shirts stating this. Their biomass far exceeds that of any other species, even the moose.

On the other hand, I like Florida also. You are in for quite a change in texture... and you may be able to personally advise those people who write to ask if a piano can survive in a room with a wood stove. A lot of people seem to want to know the answer to this. I forget, if Maine dwellers think three-and-a-half cords or five cords of wood will get you through the winter.

Pianos were invented when wood fireplaces were the last word in HVAC, but I am doubtful all the same.

I might move, myself, if I weren't so averse to it. To think, I used to do it professionally. And to think, those mighty vows I made on the last occasion, to possess nothing more than a laptop and a card table for future moves... all broken.

Hi Jeff,

We plan to use the wood stove in the living room very sparingly.

There is another wood stove downstairs in the family room we might use.
But the place also has oil heat, and I intend to watch the humidity/dryness closely.

Best wishes for the easiest move possible for you and Kathy and all your stuff, especially the piano!

Not sure about the State Bird but I DO have two beautiful Maine Coons cats that are just spectacular and I am told they are the official cat of Maine! I am a brand new member to P.W. and also an "old" beginner-at least I ahve a good keyboard to work with. Best of luck on your move.

PS: I live in Ft.Lauderdale....tough time of year to make the move north!

Best of luck with the move Frank!

James
x

Good luck! My wife attended Bowdoin College in Maine. Nice place.

Welcome to Maine! I'm in Old Orchard Beach.

Dear Frank,

May you and Kathy and all your possessions arrive safely in Maine unscathed, and in perfect condition. Whenever I think of Maine, I think of Stephen King. How about this ...a middle-aged couple leave their Florida digs with their old piano and cross over the Maine border as 20 year-olds with a new Bosendorfer! Think he could do something with that!

Best Wishes
Craig Sanders

We want pictures!

I love Maine ! I wish my So. Ca., thinned out blood would agree with the winters though. I'd love to get out of this zoo and re-locate somewhere that is less densely populated.

Best of luck with your move Frank. Hope you have a good mover for your new Estonia.

Yes, pictures and wishing nothing but the best for you guys.

Have a good and safe trip and have a good move!

Thanks for the kind words everyone, we appreciate them.

We would have preferred better timing for the move, but it's how it all worked out.

The address:

352 Moulton Hill Road
Parsonsfield, ME 04047

You asked for pictures, these would be the "before"...

Here is the listing, you can see it needs work, but we already know what we want to do, and in fact have
lined up the contractors and are going for an FHA 203K loan that includes the repairs/renovations.
http://www.trulia.com/property/3003144811-352-Moulton-Hill-Rd-Parsonsfield-ME-04047

Unfortunately the current condition is the pictures with no carpeting and in need of work (the house had been rented out and the tenants moved out without saying anything. The oil ran out, pipes froze and burst).

We can't wait until the renovations are completed, and my piano comes home.
Looking forward to hosting piano forums parties, reconnecting with old friends in the Northeast, and meeting new ones.

Back to packing the U-Haul now, we leave for Maine tomorrow morning (Friday, Feb. 1).

All the Best,

Frank & Kathy

Best wishes, Frank! Looks like the house has lots of potential.

Good luck with your move Frank. Excited to have you back in New England! I love the photos of the house! You'll fit right in in the state of Maine!

Paul

WOW! The time has finally come that we get you both back here in NE! I know the area well since my family's NH summer place is oh so very close and I grew up there during my teen years.

You will love it there. So beautiful, peaceful, and a step back in time.

We'll be up there when you name the party time! Maybe even before just to visit/help out.

I am so happy for you both!

A completely off topic hint for Frank.. and maybe other house owners..

If you ever intend to do better for your heating system:

check if you can use an earth lance with a salt-water mixture - for the purpose to "extract" the heat from down in the earth. If the soil under your home is supporting to extract heat there (this is not in every area possible..), so this would be the ever most economic way to heat a house.

A friend of mine uses such a system on the hills above the river Mosel in Germany near the border to Luxembourg. It costs him in deeply cold winters around 30-40 euro ct per night to have the whole big stone house (nearly 2.000 sq ft) heatened.

Such a system is a little bit costy related to investitions, and it needs experience with the drilling comp.. The heating boiler costs nearly same like an oil or gas system, additional costs are for the lance and the drilling into depths of 250 to 300 ft. This invest had cost him +8.000 euro i.e. around 11k USD. This had paid off for him after three to four years (...OK maybe because german heating energy costs might be a lot higher than in the U.S. ..).

The big industry normally doesn't like alternative systems because such a system sets the users free of oil or gas charges which will most probably increase in the next years steadily. The usage of oil or gas will keep the people dependent from the resp. pricing policy..

If I have the need to replace my gas heating system - I will install a heat exchance lance system. To heat a house then only costs some cents for electricity per night to drive the pumps. The heat down in earth is free for everybody.

Hmmmn,
So we can call for help when we get the POD delivered? :-)

Hi Frank,

Since I'm an IT nerd for my day job, why don't you use a smartphone with WiFi hotspot capability until you get satellite to your new home? It's certainly slower than cable broadband and you'd have to check the provider's range and bandwidth (can be pretty spotty in rural areas) but it might do in a pinch.

Congratulations and best of luck with the move! Looks like a beautiful home and I think I can guess where your Estonia will be placed.

You can PM me or email me directly if you have more questions.