I am embarrassed to admit this but I am not as hip as I used to be.  In fact, I may be ‘out of it’ as so many of my friends have alluded previously.  This is hard to accept but I think it is true.  First off – before the rumours fly – I do know (of course) what an I-phone and a Blackberry are.  Honest.  I have no idea how they work, what they do or why I would want one but all that was clearly illustrated for me during my recent week of work.  Seems I can’t function in the city without one.

This truism first manifested when I picked up my old friend, Larry McFarland, to go see the old building I was involved with.  Like most guys, I drove out to the unfamiliar area of Queensborough confident that I could find the site.  After all, it was 80000 square feet on ten acres.  Not easily missed.  I was just going to ‘feel’ my way there, you know, like guys do.  Larry looked at me like I was insane and, utilizing his I-phone, instructed my driving right to the front door.  Hell, with Google, we didn’t even really have to go in.

But we did.  The building is amazing.  Built by Boeing in 1943 to repair airplanes, it has some considerable history.  But is no longer useful in any other way.

Boeing built the structure using old, first growth Fir beams.  Some of them huge!  There is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1 – 2 million board feet of clear-grain, non-heartwood, rock-hard, perfect Fir in the trusses.  Of course, like most things, it costs almost as much as the wood is worth to dismantle the structure and salvage it.  But there may be a way to end up on the plus-side of the ledger after the dust and rubble have been cleared.  And that is what I was asked to figure out.

As most of you know, I am not much good at anything in particular.  My main assets are my friends and, of course, Sally.  So, I worked them.  Called ém all.  Told them stories, bought some lunches, dished out hugs willy-nilly and pumped them for their knowledge.   They were great!  Everyone I called helped out and, after a week, I had some idea what I was going to do.  

Get me a Blackberry for starters!

We’ll take the building down and go from there.  I’ll likely have to come back to the city for a bit but I am hoping to minimize that.  I loved seeing people but just didn’t warm to the traffic and the rules and the stresses…….you know?   Still, I will come back.  I am not so sure that I can drag Sal back with me, tho.  She did her token ‘shopping’ thing and had had enough of restaurant food for the year. 

She likes it on Read.