The Benicia/Port Costa paddle goes past some low lying shoals, where white pelicans were quietly hanging around. Until I startled them. (sorry)

Brickyard beaches.

Our Kim played for us. She is a retired professional organist - this is no small profession... there are these "stops" which temper the sound, and there are buttons, and levers, and there are 4 levels of keys, and there are 4 major, and many minor foot pedals. Think: "rub your belly, and pat your head"; times 8.

Teeny - tiny pipes. These measure about 4" tall, and about 1/4" diameter.

A whole language could be learned from reading these. I counted about 240 stops, 200 keys, 60 buttons, 80 levers, 52 foot pedals, and 4 major pedals. These are beautiful in their own right. Brass fittings, "ivory" faceplates, bronze trim, burled wood panels. It's all sensory overload.

"Swell to Great" Isn't that how you feel, looking at this?

St. James' smallest pipes.

Here is the full view of the "control panel" - two panels of stops, four levels of keys, each with it's own set of buttons, 5 major foot pedals and a crapload of minor foot pedals.

There they go.

Then, we travelled to the highlight of the day. The tour of the Schoenstein & Co. workhouse, where magnificent organs are crafted, the olde way.

The keyboards.

Watching. Penny Susan Kim Gorden

"pulling out all the stops" refers to pulling all these stops out, making the sound of the organ nearly deafening. The one labelled "flageolot" has me puzzled. Isn't that the word for beans? Does this insinuate that pulling this stop will produce a fart?

These are the stops on a house organ that is being prepared for a move to some very lucky client. The stops are of hand-blown glass, created 20 years ago. Guess what??? Fellow BASKer Tom Adams was the craftsman who created these. Amazing.

Some of the more complex pipes for St. James.

Then, one key got stuck, and we listened to a prolonged wail. Louie climbed up on the 2nd story array to jigger the recalcitrant pipe back into working order.

Larry & Larry

This organ is destined for St. James' Episcopal Church in New York City. It's been under construction for nearly 2 years, and now it's ready to dismantle, pack, ship, and commission in it's permanent home. It will take 4 months to set up, "voice" (tune), and tweak to exacting specs. The largest pipes are nearly 3 stories high. The tiny ones are about 3".

Penny Larry Susan Amazing to watch the physical agility required to play one of these instruments.

Kim's "organ shoes" - little maryjanes (every girl has memories of these) The wood work and craftsmanship is so special, so pretty, so perfect, that dedicated shoes are a must. (think: bowling shoes... sort of)

Only two of the four levels of keyboard/buttons.

I was surprised by the workings of the organ. Many punch-panels (think: telephone boards) and wires running about. I don't think this is traditional.

They're all looking at YOU!

Oein visited with his sister from Ireland, while Tom Adams visited and reminisced about his relationship with the factory while making the glass stops for the house organ.

We had timber piers, trains, brickyard beaches, and kayaks.

Pipes are made of tin and lead - the lead causes the mottled affect.

Medium sized pipes. As the organ played, you could stand in front of these pipes, and get these varying puffs of wind "breathing" on you. A sensory experience!

Kim - studying which stops are actually hooked up and ready to work.

A new language is discovered here. Tremulant became my new word of the day.

The main pipes for another organ getting ready for install. This one goes to the Julliard School of Music.

And among all the pipes are these tiny arrays of bells. This event attracted the geeks of the organ world. I saw women oooohing and aaaawing over this little display of bells, and discussing more multiple levels of technical characteristics than I can remember. Amazingly, there were many men here this day, and they watching in rapt attention as the organ was played; as if they were looking at a cherry '57 Chevy. I commented on this, because it just messed with all my male stereotypes. But, Kim's husband Louie explained that the attraction isn't so much to the music, but the amazing mechanics involved in making the music. Ah, that made sense to me.

Huge, wooden pipes - some 25' tall....