By Juan C. Ayllon Traditionally in America, when you retire, you downsize your home, simplify, slow down, maybe take a part-time job, settle into a hobby like golf, and indulge in nostalgia. In keeping with the script, having recently retired as an educator in Illinois, I recently sold our home and together with Belle, moved into a smaller one. That said, I still have a lot left in the tank and have set a goal of working another 10 years full-time, but otherwise, I am pretty much on track with the norm. As part of our move, we agreed to finish our basement, where my listening and A/V room will be located, and last night, I met with Ron, the first of several contractors to discuss our plans.
Now, Ron is in charge of running a large high school district's HVAC department, and as we walked through my unfinished basement, he started talking about a skilled carpenter who works with him and is interested in putting up the drywall. "His name is Tim, and coincidentally, he builds custom drums that have unique sound characteristics," Ron says. Wait. "Is that Tim Fischer?" I ask. Turns out, he is. For years, Tim Fischer served as a talented, longtime drummer at the mega church, Willow Creek Community Church, that I attended on and off from the 1970s through the 90s. Knowing other musicians who played there, I was aware that you needed seriously good chops to start on their main worship stage. But as good as a drummer as he was, he was an even better carpenter. Running around the same circles as a single man, I'd first seen samples of his work in his first house back in the 80s. fast forward to several years ago, I ran into him at a mutual friend's barbecue party. I knew that he worked at a school district, however, that's when I discovered that he was building custom drum kits (you can view his site HERE). Imagine that. Now, I have even more confidence that our basement project will turn out well, but with Tim, in addition to having a very skilled craftsman at my disposal, I have a drummer with vast experience playing in residential basements, drum cages and music halls. Perhaps I can enlist some of his expertise in helping create a listening space with greater sonic integrity. Maybe, maybe not. But either way, it will be wonderful knowing that an old friend and real musician will pour some of his heart and soul into constructing my new listening and A/V space. That's priceless.
2 Comments
Dan Starr
8/21/2021 07:31:16 am
Juan, congratulations on your retirement! It’s a great place to be, and like me, you have a great partner sharing this next chapter with you.
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Juan C Ayllon
8/21/2021 08:14:04 am
Hi Dan,
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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