Greatest Hits

People who listen to pianos for a living say they can hear the difference between a Steinway piano and every other kind. It comes from the exacting way the piano is made, each instrument built completely by hand, using methods and tools that have been around for more than 100 years. To me, that sound is my father…

It was two weeks until Christmas, and my holiday shopping was taking on a desperate tone. The joy of thinking of a loved one and picking out exactly the right gift had long since been overtaken by obligatory holiday box-checking. Hundreds of homemade caramels wrapped and packaged? Check. Gifts for distant family ordered? Check. Something — anything — for a girlfriend’s husband? …