Brooklyn Bridge Park was another jewel we found on our journey to play 60 pianos in the 5 boroughs. We discovered several locations with a beautiful view of the water, the Manhattan skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. This particular spot was even more special because of the by stander who encouraged me to keep playing song after song, even though I had only intended to play one, then move on to the next piano. I also thought that the artist who painted this piano put a lot of time and care into their design. I wish I had gotten the name of the painter. Anyways, enjoy this clip of "Cold Cold Heart" (boogie-woogie style) and the lovely view caught on camera by Eddie.

In preparation for my family’s upcoming visit, I’ve been de-cluttering our cramped apartment to make room for three extra people for a week. This involved a great deal of sorting, vacuuming, and shoving random junk into the hot, hard-to-get-to attic. Along the way were many exclamations of, “Oh, there that is!” and, “I thought we lost that in the move.” Eddie re-discovered one of his Christmas gifts from 2 years ago - a do it yourself stepping stone creation kit. You poor cement into a hexagon-shaped mold and then craft a design using pieces of broken, colored glass. I bought him this in North Carolina when we had a house, yard, and garden, but we never got around to constructing the lawn ornament. Instead it was lost in the shuffle along with other back-shelf items when we moved to New Jersey. Today of all days, we decided to tackle the job and sat outside mixing and pouring cement. We brain stormed ideas of what the design should be, deciding between a generic pattern or something...

I've posted "Sparrow" before. It's one of my favorite songs that I've written. As I was touring pianos for Sing for Hope's Play Me, I'm Yours project in New York City, I soon found that after several dozen pianos, my performing repertoire of well-known songs was running low! I resorted to singing a few of my own and I'm glad I did. This location in Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens was so beautiful. Eddie did a great job capturing the surroundings as camera man. Hope you enjoy. "Sparrow" words and music by Elizabeth Grimes, Copyright 2009

Once in a very great while, the planets align, the stars shine brighter, the sun glows stronger, and all is perfectly right in the universe. Today, on this last day of our piano hunt to play 60 pianos, throughout five boroughs, in two weeks, I experienced about two and a half minutes of this extraordinary phenomenon. To me, it was the definition of a "magical moment" to the core. The Staten Island Zoo was one of our last stops on our piano journey. And of all the days and times to drive to this location, we chose Wednesday at exactly 2 pm, which coincidently is the exact day and time out of the entire week that admission is free at the zoo – Wednesday at 2 pm. Really! We walked through the zoo searching for the piano, smiling at the children who were delighted with every living creature that surrounded them, from horses, to goats, to llamas. Eventually we found the piano. When I sat down to play, I noticed tiny little creatures scattering across the floor of the outdoor pic...

Two hunters made their way through a jungle of stone, equipped with all the supplies needed to locate their target. They had been searching for days in the unbearable heat, with the sun relentlessly beating down and showing them no mercy. They rested, only briefly at a local watering hole, before continuing their pursuit. Soon the hunters came to the known territory of their hunted. Their senses suddenly heightened when they became aware of its nearby presence. They squinted hard into the distance searching for its shape and turned their heads, cupping their ears while straining to hear its call. “Sh! I hear it.” One hunter said. “Is that it?” He pointed to the horizon. The targets wore excellent camouflage and blended into their surroundings with ease. “No,” the other hunter replied. “That’s a dumpster,” she said. They stepped cautiously, knowing it could make itself known at any moment. The hunters were no stranger to this game. An amateur would think it was easy to find, given the...

I’ve heard of “middle child syndrome,” where the middle born child struggles with achievement issues, gaining attention, and even forming relationships due to their birth order. I’m not a psychologist, but I am certainly a middle child, and not just by birth. I’m from the Mid west . Financially, I’ve always been middle class. I never got outstanding grades, but never horrible ones either. I’ve never been gorgeous, or ugly. Too skinny, or too fat. Too tall, or too short. Too successful, or a total failure. Even my musical ability, in the world of professional musicians is average. I recently took the LSAT exam and received a score in the, yep, in the 50 th percentile. One of my favorite TV shows is “The Middle” for crying out loud. Sometimes I do get frustrated with this pattern however because I feel like I put an enormous amount of effort and care in these things, and yet still come out no better or worse than anyone else - like an ear of corn growing among the thousands in a Neb...

I haven't taken on many piano students. I taught 2 adorable children when I was in college, my Grandma (who now has a very respectable repertoire), and 1 student in Fayetteville. Teaching has never been my forte, because I think it's important to learn music theory, in which I am no expert. Nevertheless, I've recently taken on a new student. I've found that he is diligent and eager to learn. After only one lesson, he made his musical debut in none other than the Big Apple itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, my husband... http://www.youtube.com/user/elizabethGrimes83#p/u/0/jDRlDJ1vIhk