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Dennis Helfand Broadway and Film Piano Favorites


Saturday July 28, 2007

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From 1986 – 1997, my wife Judy and I, along with our two sons Aaron and Daniel, owned and operated a New Hampshire bed and breakfast inn, Cranmore Mountain Lodge, in the White Mountains. During the evenings, I would often play piano and over time, these “mini-concerts” became a regular inn “feature.” If I were not at the piano after dinner, the lobby Innkeeper buzzer would usually be pressed by 8 PM and I knew exactly what that meant.

The guests seemed to prefer the music of Broadway, the big shows, like Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Man of La Mancha, Cats, Fiddler on the Roof and others. Scores from popular films or background music such as Love Story, Unchained Melody, the Godfather (Speak Softly Love) and romantic ballads were always requested. Eventually I recorded a tape cassette and when CDs were introduced, I recorded and offered CD s for sale as well.

the helfand's
Daniel, Dennis, Judy and Aaron, circa 1992

The setting was a beautiful common room with fireplace and this wonderful baby grand piano. Over the years, this room became the favorite of our inn guests, typically folks who enjoyed experiencing New England at a traditional and historic bed and breakfast. It was a wonderful time, with guests singing, humming or simply relaxing in easy chairs and rockers, as the treasures of Broadway and film were being played for them. Occasionally, a guest would ask me to accompany them and they would perform. On rare occasion, the vocal range and star quality were magnificent. Unfortunately, more often than not, some soloist requests, (and the thumbs-down performance that followed ), occasioned fear of “early guest checkouts” in me. Fortunately, inn guests tend to be rather “forgiving” and just seem to giggle a lot. At Cranmore Mt. Lodge, music was part of the inn’s character. The common room made the travel experiences memorable for the guests.

The style and interpretation of the music was mine and “the common room” became my stage. I was its star soloist and performer. Why, come to think of it, I even owned the theatre. For the guests, sharing stories and experiences of their day, (with my music providing the background to give those tales “color and drama”), added something intangible to their trip. The inn became theirs. They were comfortable. They knew they were coming back. When the day of checkout arrived and they would say their goodbyes, they usually had a CD packed for themselves and a few others as gifts. The White Mountains National Forest area will always be known for its beauty, its foliage, and spectacular vistas. Tourism will always be its major industry. We were able to add another dimension to their trip.

I have long since sold the inn and with it, my wonderful baby grand. I miss that piano, the feel of the keys, the shiny black finish. I think back (ten years already) to those times at the keyboard, with my captive audience in attendance. All those people and yet, in a strange way, always feeling alone. I had found my place and life was truly wonderful. I have never had a piano lesson. I am self-taught. My CD, Dennis Inn Concert, the Sounds of Cranmore Mt. Lodge has never gone Silver, Gold or Platinum. It ain’t going to get any special recognition either or referenced on the Juilliard School web site. Yet, “somewhere out there” that CD is playing.

I am older now and many miles distant. It is nighttime in Newport Beach CA and as I sit in my home, I close my eyes and see the common room, the fireplace, the couples, the families. The piano is still shiny black and my fingers can feel the wonderful smoothness of the ivory. I am still their Innkeeper and they will be my special guests forever. The “Memory” feels good. Yes, the sounds of that time are alive and well… both for my inn guests ….and for me.

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 Get Mobi Enabled

Got Dot Mobi?

With the explosion in handheld mobile devices, your users are no longer just browsing your site from a computer, they are now also viewing your site through their mobile phones.

Convergence is happening folks, and we do not see that taking place on your TV set or computer at home, but on that trusty little device that everyone seems to be walking around with, the ubiquitous mobile phone.

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Want simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools for your organization without the usual hassle and cost?

Communicate…
Give your users Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Talk accounts that use your own domain, helping them to stay connected and work together more effectively.

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Docs & Spreadsheets lets users share files and collaborate in real-time. The Start Page is the first place your users will look to preview their inboxes and calendars, access your essential content, and search the web.

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And Webconsuls is there to help if you would like to make the move.

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The Premier Edition offers the best of Google Apps. If you’re looking to complement your existing IT infrastructure (account management system and/or Intranet), you can access extensibility APIs to integrate your entire organization with Google services.

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* $50/user account/year
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Just when you think you have Outlook all figured out, Along comes Outlook Express whose port settings are upside down from Outlook!

Tools > Accounts > Mail Tab > Select Your Gmail for your domain account > Properties

Your Outlook Express settings should match.

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Google Talk is Google’s instant communications service. Like Gmail, Google’s free webmail service, Google Talk uses Google’s innovative technologies to help people communicate more effectively and efficiently. This means Google Talk is fast, intuitive and fun to use.

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You can use the following information to configure POP with many mail clients. If you encounter difficulties, Click here for help.

Incoming Mail (POP3) Server – requires SSL: pop.gmail.com
Use SSL: Yes
Port: 995
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server – requires TLS: smtp.gmail.com (use authentication)
Use Authentication: Yes
Use STARTTLS: Yes (some clients call this SSL)
Port: 465 or 587
Account Name: your Webconsuls email address (username@webconsuls.com)
Email Address: your full Webconsuls email address (username@webconsuls.com)
Password: your Webconsuls password

You can even set this up and test Outlook prior to the email move if you have enabled POP thru the Webconsuls Start Page.
.

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At Webconsuls we know good technology when we use it. That is why we have moved our email to “Gmail for your domain”. Gmail for your domain is hosted by Google, so there’s no hardware or software for you to install or maintain. Each email address gets 2 gigabytes of storage, spam and virus filtering, with search tools that will help find information fast. Instant messaging from right inside the account so that it’s easy for everyone to work as a team.

There is even more cool new functionality!

A customizable start page, http://start.webconsuls.com/

A brandable mail page, http://mail.webconsuls.com/

A place to share documents across the desktop or across the globe, http://docs.webconsuls.com/

And a place to share and keep track of those important appointments, http://calendar.webconsuls.com/

Are you ready for Web 2.0?

We can help you get there. Click Here

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Messages that are easy to find, an inbox that organizes itself, great spam-fighting tools and built-in chat. Sound cool? Welcome to Gmail.

To get started, you may want to:

  • Learn about some of Gmail?s unique features on the Getting Started page.
  • Follow our Switching Guide to learn how to announce your new Gmail address, import your contacts, and forward your email from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, Hotmail, and others.
  • Set up your mobile phone to get super-fast access to Gmail.
  • Visit our Help Center to find specific answers to all your questions.

Users have often told us that the more they use Gmail, the more they discover its benefits. So go ahead and give it a try. We’ll keep working on making Gmail the best email service around, and we appreciate your joining us for the ride.

Thanks,

The Gmail Team