: :... ignoring hundreds of "can I help you's"...

: Take an afternoon off. Drive over. Spend a few hours pawing through
: the whitewood 2x4s, looking for vertical grain, not warped, and
: small knots. Keep the pile neat, too... unlike most of the other
: customers who paw through it. If the pile is a mess, straighten
: it while you search. When asked if you need some help, mutter
: something about carving a Greenland kayak paddle, and you're on
: a mission to find the perfect wood. Straight, vertical grain,
: some knots. Be passionate in your explanations. They'll move on
: quickly.

: Given enough time, the entire staff will know you as the benevolent
: crazy guy who whittles a boat out of wood, and they'll just
: glance out of the corner of their eye at you when you pass by
: with nary a word.

: Don't ask me how I know.

LOLOLOLOL....great mental picture :)

Bill H.