My Boston Accordion

A smile lit her lined face as I commented, "That's a nice case you have there", to the woman across from me on the Boston subway.  Actually, it wasn't a "nice" case but it was a "good" case.  The pressed cardboard sides had faded to a greyish blue.  The polished brass frame and hardware had acquired a patina of corrosion and rust that no quick rub would set to right.  The leather handle was shiny and warn from years of hand contact. 
"It's not actually a suitcase.  Lift it." 
"Wow, that's heavy," I said as I wondered how this sprite of a senior carried such a heavy case. 
"That's my Boston accordion.  I keep it here at my daughter's place for when I come to visit.  I also have a Philadelphia accordion that I keep at my home.  That way I don't have to carry one between Philly and Boston when I'm up here visiting.  I'm just coming back from Portland, ME where I went to play." 
"Do you give concerts?", I asked. 
"Oh no, I was just up to visit a friend who likes the accordion as well.  We spent the last two days just playing whatever we wanted all day."
"If you do that on a regular basis then it's a good thing you have two accordions."
"I looked at buying a concertina, you know what I mean?  It looks like a small accordion.  I keep thinking that I'll need something lighter if I'm going to be playing when I'm ninety."
I was having a hard time even imagining how this seventy something woman who weighed no more than a hundred pounds could throw an accordion around, let alone whether or not she'd be able to do so when she was ninety.
"Where can you get a concertina?", I asked.
"Oh they make them in Camden, New Jersey, right across the river from Philly.  That's also where I get the service work done on my Philly accordion.  That one cost me $300 so I want to look after it.  This one was only $50 fifteen years ago but I still love its sound.  Well, this is my stop.  It was good to talk to you."
Hmm, all the sudden my pack seems much lighter. 
I'm catching the train to Georgia today and will take my first steps on the trail on Tuesday morning, so my next post will be my first actual trail report.