1 How I Learned to Play Music by Ear. Our Family Home From Age 3 to 10. And, One of Many of Our Mother’s Original Poems. Song: Lean on Me.

I LOVED HOW THE SOUNDS OF MY PULL-ALONG XYLOPHONE MADE MY MOTHER SURPRISED, AND SMILE SO HAPPILY WHEN I PULLED IT ALONG WITH THE MALLET ATTACHED BY A PLASTIC STRING. WHEN IT ROLLED, ALL OF THE CHIMES SOUNDED, AND BECAUSE THIS SEEMED SO HILARIOUS TO HER, I OFTEN PULLED IT AROUND THE HOUSE GLEEFULLY. MUCH TO MY DISMAY ONE DAY, SOMEHOW, BOTH THE PULL STRING, AND THE CLICKER MECHANISM BROKE, AND THE ONLY WAY TO CONTINUE HEARING THE CHIMES ON MY XYLOPHONE WAS TO STRIKE THEM, MYSELF, WITH THE MALLET. BEFORE LONG, I REALIZED THAT THE CHIMES ON THAT XYLOPHONE MATCHED THE SAME TONES, EXACTLY, AS THE WHITE NOTES ON OUR PIANO. AND, WHILE HEARING THE SONGS ON OUR RECORD PLAYER FROM THE ALBUM “SOUND OF MUSIC”, I COULD HEAR WHAT THE RIGHT MATCHING SOUNDS WERE AS I PLAYED ALONG ON THE XYLOPHONE,OR ON THE PIANO WITH THE RECORD. THUS, I REALIZED, MYSELF, HOW EASY IT WAS TO PLAY THOSE SIMPLE MELODIES BOTH ON THE XYLOPHONE, OR ON JUST THE WHITE NOTES AT FIRST, ON OUR PIANO. THAT WAS HOW I LEARNED HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO, AND THE XYLOPHONE ON MY OWN, BY EAR.

I LEARNED HOW TO USE A CAMERA STARTING AT AN EARLY AGE, TOO.

MY PHOTOS HELPED ME BOTH REMEMBER, AND EXPLAIN, MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, AND WHY. ABOVE SHOWS ME WITH MY FIRST SINGLE REFLEX 35MM CAMERA.

OUR BACKYARD HILL WAS WHERE MY BIG BROTHER AND I RODE OUR SLEDS IN WINTERS, AND WHERE I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT SKIING. SADLY, ONE AFTER ANOTHER INJURY HAPPENED, LIKE WHEN MY BIG BROTHER WHACKED ME IN MY FOREHEAD WITH A GOLF CLUB DRIVER WHICH RESULTED IN GIVING ME AN IMMEDIATE SEVERE SLURRED SPEECH PROBLEM, WHICH ALONG WITH OTHER PROBLEMS, LASTED LONG INTO BOTH OF OUR ADULT LIVES.

MY PHOTOS SHOW MY BACK YARD WHERE A NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY CAUGHT UP TO ME, AND TACKLED ME. HE HAD STOPPED ME AS I WALKED PAST HIS HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR STREET. I WAS VERY SCARED BECAUSE HE SNUCK UP FROM BEHIND ME AND HELD A HUGE KNIFE TO MY THROAT. HE TOLD ME THAT IF I MOVED, HE WOULD CUT ME. THEN, HE USED HIS KNIFE TO SMEAR FRESH DOG DOO UP AND DOWN MY BARE LEGS WHICH HE HAD CARRIED OUT FROM HIS HOUSE WHICH HE HAD IN A BIG BROWN PAPER BAG. HE FINISHED SMEARING BOTH OF MY LEGS, AND WHEN HE SAID, “JUST LIKE SPREADING FROSTING ON A CAKE”, I BROKE AWAY RUNNING. BUT, HE RAN AFTER ME WHICH MADE ME EVEN MORE TERRIFIED. I RAN UP “HIS” STREET (WHICH WAS ACTUALLY NAMED AFTER HIM), TO MY HOUSE. UNFORTUNATELY, MY FRONT DOOR WAS LOCKED. SO, WITH HIM STILL ON MY HEELS, I RAN AROUND OUR HOUSE, AND UP OUR BACKYARD HILL TO WHERE HE CAUGHT UP TO ME. HE TACKLED ME, AND PINNED MY ARMS TO THE GROUND WITH HIS KNEES. THEN, HOLDING MY HAND STILL, HE CUT MY INDEX FINGER WITH HIS BOWIE KNIFE, FOLLOWED BY HIM CUTTING HIS OWN FINGER. HE PRESSED OUR TWO BLEEDING FINGERS TOGETHER, AND MADE ME SWEAR THAT I WOULDN’T TELL ANYONE WHAT HE KNEW I HAD SEEN HIM DOING JUST RECENTLY TO OTHER LITTLE CHILDREN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD’S WOODS.

MY BEST FRIEND AND I HAD BEEN PLAYING IN THE WOODS WHEN WE CLIMBED UP ON A HUGE FALLEN TREE, AND HAPPENED TO BE CLOSE ENOUGH, AND HIGH ENOUGH, TO SEE, EXACTLY, WHAT THIS NEIGHBOR WAS DOING TO OTHER CHILDREN. THANKFULLY, WE WERE A SAFE ENOUGH DISTANCE AWAY FROM HIM, THEN, SO THAT WHEN HE SAW US LOOKING, AND CAME AFTER US, WE HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO CLIMB DOWN, AND RUN AWAY IN EACH OF OUR OWN DIRECTIONS BACK HOME. UNFORTUNATELY, HE SOON STOPPED ME ON “HIS” STREET BY SNEAKING UP TO ME FROM BEHIND, AND PUTTING HIS BOWIE KNIFE TO MY THROAT. I SURVIVED, BUT AM STILL LEFT WONDERING… IS THIS THE WAY THAT IT WAS IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, TOO?

I KEPT ALL OF MY PHOTOS FOR DECADES, BUT I NOTICED THAT SOME OF THEM HAD MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED UPON OUR FATHER’S DEATH. I NOTICED THAT SEVERAL OTHER THINGS ALSO STARTED DISAPPEARING AFTER OUR FATHER’S DEATH,AND DURING THE TIME OF MY SIBLINGS’ VISITS TO NAPLES. BESIDES SOME OF MY PHOTOS, OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE DEED, MY IMPORTANT MEDICAL RECORDS, BOTH PARENTS’ SIGNATURE STAMPS, AND ALL OF THE COMPOSITION BOOKS WITH THE RECORDS WHICH OUR MOTHER HAD DUTIFULLY KEPT OF ALL OF MY 11 (ELEVEN) YEARS OF WORKING FULL TIME HOURS AT OUR PARENTS’ HOUSE. AND, 100% OF THE BALANCE OF MY ACCOUNTS I HAD WORKED YEARS FOR EARNING DISAPPEARED, OF WHICH HAD ACCRUED. THEY WERE MY CO-OWNED ACCOUNTS (JWROS) WITH MY FATHER WHICH I HAD WORKED FOR TEN YEARS EARNING, AND WHAT I HAD WORKED FOR EARNING WITH MY MOTHER (TOTALING 26 YEARS OF ME WORKING TOWARD OWNING FOR MY RETIREMENT). THAT STORY IS ON PAGE 46, ON. I RECAPTURED A MISSING PHOTO OF MY INJURIES SUSTAINED FROM MY BROTHER, ONLY BECAUSE I WAS ALSO ON ONE OF OUR 16MM HOME MOVIES FILMS.

BEFORE OUR MOTHER DIED, SHE SUGGESTED THAT I WRITE A BOOK ABOUT ALL THAT HAPPENED TO ME. THUS, THESE 50 PAGES OF STORIES. THANKS TO THE HELP OF APPLE, AND GO-DADDY, I HAVE THE DOMAIN DOUGDOVER.COM, BRANDYWINESKI.COM, ENTERTAINMENTNOW.US (ALL ONE WORD), AND JUST FOR HEARING CONTINUOUS SONGS, YOU CAN GOOGLE DOUG DOVER SOUND CLOUD, OR CHECK OUT MY 30 VIDEOS OF MY MUSICAL PERFORMANCES WHICH YOU CAN ENJOY VIEWING 100% FREE ON THE VIDEOS AT DOUGDOVER.COM.

AMONG MY CHILDHOOD ACCIDENTS WERE RECEIVING 4 STITCHES OVER EACH EYE WHEN MY BROTHER COWARDLY RAN AWAY FROM BEING ON MY SIDE IN A DIRT-BOMB FIGHT. HE JOINED THE OTHER SIDE WHICH MADE IT ME AGAINST EVERYONE ELSE, BUT INSTEAD OF MY BROTHER THROWING THE REQUIRED HARDENED DIRT, HE THREW AN ACTUAL ROCK WHICH HIT ME JUST ABOVE MY EYE. IT WAS A “SLIDER” ROCK, WHICH IS THE KIND OF ROCK THAT YOU CAN THROW TO MAKE IT SKIP ON WATER. YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTO, THE WHITE PART OF MY SKIN ABOVE MY EYE. IT SHOWS WHERE MY OTHER FOUR STITCHES ABOVE MY OTHER EYE HADN’T HEALED YET. THEN AMONG EVERYTHING ELSE, HE EVEN STEALS MY CHILDHOOD PHOTOS. MY OTHER RECENT INJURY WAS WHERE HE WHACKED ME OVER MY OTHER EYE WITH A GOLF CLUB FOUR WOOD DRIVER WHICH CAUSED MY LONG LASTING SLURRED SPEECH PROBLEM. WHILE MY BROTHER EXCELLED IN ACADEMIA, I WAS STILL LEARNING HOW TO SPEAK CORRECTLY ALL OVER AGAIN WHILE GOING, STEADILY, TO THERAPY SESSIONS IN WHITE PLAINS NY. WHILE MY BROTHER EXCELLED IN ACADEMIA, I WAS STILL LEARNING HOW TO SPEAK CORRECTLY ALL OVER AGAIN IN THERAPY SESSIONS, AND BY USING OUR PHONETICS CHART AT HOME. (ALSO SHOWN IN THE PHOTOS BELOW ARE OUR FRONT, AND REAR YARDS.) DESPITE MY INJURIES, I WAS VERY LUCKY, AND VERY THANKFUL FOR A WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD, AND A DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION, PLUS CERTIFICATIONS IN TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE FOR BROADCAST STUDIO OPERATIONS.

POEM BY OUR MOTHER DOROTHY DOVER (b. 9/16/1921 – d. 5/3/2003):

Today we sold our little home.

We lived there 8 full years.

It saw us thru some crucial times.

Saw all our hopes and fears.

We say it saw – well, could it see? –

If it had eyes – that cannot be!

If that were so, and it could see,

It must have heard – so it had ears.

Oh no! but most agree

It did have personality!

It had a feeling all its own.

Individually stood alone.

The more we think about our place,

The more sure we become –

The smile upon its front-door face –

Its charm, and beauty, and its grace

The way it joined in all our fun –

It had a soul like everyone.

We can remember at times

it was sad

But only if someone there was mad.

We can remember at times it would

sing

Its windows would shine – its laughter

ring.

It was almost as tho’ our home could

talk.

Today we had to say farewell –

To our home we loved so well.

As we pulled away about to depart –

It said “I’ll live always – within your heart.”

OUR FATHER GOT THE IDEA TO BUILD HIS SKI AREA FROM TWO WW2 BUDDIES IN THE 10TH MOUNTAIN INFANTRY DIVISION. THEY BUILT VAIL, CO. AND HE BUILT BRANDYWINE SKI AREA/DOVER LAKE PARK IN CLEVELAND, OHIO (STORY STARTING ON PAGE 18). TO GO TO PAGE 18 TYPE THE NUMBER 18 IN THE SEARCH POSTS BOX BELOW (OR ENTER ANY PAGE NUMBER 1 THROUGH 50 IN ORDER TO GO DIRECTLY TO THAT PAGE AND STORY).