My great-grandfather Alexander M. Barbee was an entrepreneur, a terrapin farmer, and a collector of music boxes, many of which were custom made for him.
I have a couple in my home. My mother and aunt have many more of them.
Boxes, it seems, were fascinating to him as well.
The music of the box provided a creative outlet for him. He had an entire room in a Victorian House at Isle of Hope dedicated to these musical items, including the bed, a bird cage, pictures, hat racks, statues--you name it. They were containers for music of all kinds.
I just came across a blog article ("Weird Universe") about my great grandfather and his pet terrapin, Toby, on the internet. He was also written about by Joseph Mitchell for the New Yorker and his book, "Up in the Old Hotel." Rooms, homes, and hotels are kinds of boxes as well.
And perhaps for boxes as well as for emotional experiences, "the best way out is always through" (Robert Frost).
I have a couple in my home. My mother and aunt have many more of them.
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| This one plays a disk, "Rosemarie I love you, I'm always thinking of you." |
Boxes, it seems, were fascinating to him as well.
The music of the box provided a creative outlet for him. He had an entire room in a Victorian House at Isle of Hope dedicated to these musical items, including the bed, a bird cage, pictures, hat racks, statues--you name it. They were containers for music of all kinds.
I just came across a blog article ("Weird Universe") about my great grandfather and his pet terrapin, Toby, on the internet. He was also written about by Joseph Mitchell for the New Yorker and his book, "Up in the Old Hotel." Rooms, homes, and hotels are kinds of boxes as well.
And perhaps for boxes as well as for emotional experiences, "the best way out is always through" (Robert Frost).
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