My Rocky Mountain Audio Fest demo model Hagerman Trumpet phono stage and the matching mc step up arrived. The Klimo Merlino tube line stage is in the house. The brand new Walker Ultimate motor drive controller is all ordered and paid for. BTW the Walker Audio web site shows the gold face Ultra model. Nyet on that now as gold is no longer standard for the Ultra model. I had to pay extra for them to polish a piece of brass for me so it would match my phono stage and step up. Still the price was very good saving me almost $900 on the list price. All of this was ordered before my Dad went into rehab to get stronger so I can bring him home like I promised him. I was pumped to finally get my vinyl set up to the level where I wanted it. Last week my Dad went into the hospital due to a severe case of shingles. He had complications with severe neurological symptoms. I almost lost him in the first two days in the hospital. Had I not called the ambulance at 3:30 AM when his legs started to give out he would have died in his bed. Now he is fighting in a rehab center trying to get his legs strong enough so I can bring him back home. This definitely took the sparkle out of my long anticipated turntable and stereo upgrades. These last nine days have made me realize while all these material "things" while nifty are not important in the least compared to my Dad's health. I hope all of you are having more fun than I am right now spinning your records. I hope to bring him home to the 6 foot tall horn speakers I bought him four years ago so he could hear female vocalists voices again. He lost most of his hearing in WW2. His love for music came back when he started listening to these amazing horn speakers with the 31" x 31" biradial horns on top. John

I hope your father is doing better, I also geared up my Parents system a few years back and threw away the fisher junk they had, they actually listen to their vinyl again after so many years and now know how to download cd's onto the computer and make compilations, they listen to at least twice as much music as before.

My Father was present at the first two hydrogen tests in the South pacific and we kid him about glowing in the dark but I know what you mean about putting things aside when your parents are sick, all the little things pale in comparison to something that is irreplaceable.

I hope your Father hears the horns soon.
Mark S

Sorry to hear about your Dad's illness. I lost mine a few years ago and it was completely unexpected. Tends to rearrange your life in a hurry.

It sounds like he'll be home soon and then you can enjoy music together! Certainly the company will make the sound even sweeter.