[Paddlewise] Sad day for a fellow boat builder

Hi,

I just got home from running some errands, and there was a phone
message waiting for me. Two dear friends of mine (husband and wife,
both in their '70s, living on social security and a small retirement
pension), lost their home to a fire today. They weren't home at the
time, so at least they're okay, and now they're staying in a local
hotel for the moment.

Though they owned their home (fully paid for), they didn't have much
in the way of material things--except for the several small cedar
strip boats my friend had built (a couple canoes, three kayaks, a
rowing shell, and a beautiful Cosine Wherry). All lost to the fire. He
also lost his lifelong collection of woodworking tools.

Building/fixing small wooden boats is his passion, and it's how he has
kept himself young; both in the building and the paddling/rowing of
his boats. His large garage was a beautiful woodworking shop, where he
could even cut and shape his own cedar strips, etc.

I haven't been able to speak with him yet (just missed him at the
hotel he's staying at), so I don't know what their home insurance
situation is. All I know is that I want to help in any way I can to
get them back on their feet. Since simplifying my own life several
years ago, I don't have much to give either, but I'll do whatever I
can. I know that even if he can build another house (I sure hope he
has decent insurance!), he'll go absolutely nuts if he can't get back
to his boat building as well, as this really was his dream of
retirement that he was living so happily until this sad moment.

I'm trying to think of a way that I can set up a website through which
woodworking tools could be donated, but I have no experience with
either website building or donation gathering of this sort. If anyone
here has ideas that I might be able to work with, please do let me
know; either here on the list or via private email.

Thanks!

-- 
Melissa
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