I couldn't agree with you more! I went to the Small Boat Shop Canoe and Kayak expo because I knew that Eric Schade was going to be there. I brought a friend along for the ride. When we got to the expo, we immediately went over to where Eric was building a stitch n glue on site. It was pretty exciting to actually see someone else stitching panels together. Eric was a wealth of information, and really boosted my confidence through his comments and recommendations during our discussion.

Meanwhile, my non-kayaking friend was staring strangely at this other person who was listening to Eric. As it turned out, that was Scotty from this board, and he was a long time friend of my friend, (who happens to be from NY, but is now living near me in CT, where the expo was). I thought it was great to meet both Eric and Scotty, and a real bonus that my friend could vouch that Scotty wasn't an ax murderer;)

It's amazing what a small world it is at times.

Larry

> As a novice builder, just finishing up my first S&G kayak, I just had the
> distinct pleasure of spending a day with Hank (a long-time contributor to
> this BBS) who is in the San Francisco area this week on business. With all
> due respect to the virtues of a virtual community, there's still nothing
> like an old fashoined face to face meeting.