The 100 Day Project #43

House of Guitars

Rochester, New York, 2012

The 100 Day Project, Day 43

There's a magical place here in Rochester — tucked inside a dodgy building near Lake Ontario, where musicians have made pilgrimages for decades to browse guitars, amps, and everything in between. Welcome to the House of Guitars.

Mike took me there on one of our first trips to Rochester together. He shared stories of roaming the aisles as a kid, ogling and fantasizing about the instruments lining every wall. Family lore has it that his very first guitar was purchased there.

In college at Penn State, his band, Absolut Fifth, played at frat parties, the big dance marathon fundraiser the college is known for, and an odd assortment of other gigs. And years later when I first laid eyes on my husband he was performing with a Brazilian Samba band, Batucaxé, in Tucson, Arizona. I went to every show and danced the entire night away. He still has, and plays, the blue electric guitar and precious cavaquinho that gave their songs so much personality.

We didn't actually meet that way, though — it wasn't until we matched on a dating app that we met. I knew immediately who he was. We met for coffee and have been inseparable ever since. This summer, we'll celebrate 15 years together.

Mike still gets giddy every time we visit the House of Guitars. Honestly, so do I — even though I don't play any instruments. Yet.

About the 100 Day Project: A global creative challenge where thousands of artists share a piece of their practice every single day for 100 days. I'm joining creatives around the world, and I'm excited to bring you along. Each day I'll be sharing one of my photos — some recent, some old, and some from my current project — along with the story behind it: where I was, who I was with, and why I love it.