Chapter 37: Flatiron

“Don’t get any on you if you go to Nashville
Don’t operate machinery if you’re on Benadryl
You got to have some faith if you in a lion’s den
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then

Club soda don’t always remove ketchup stains
Ain’t nothing you can take is gonna cure a migraine
Broken dreams is a premise in Of Mice & Men
And everybody turns a bad trick now & then

You’ve got to have some scars if you wanna be a poet
To get weeds out of a garden, you’ve got to hoe it
Possession with intent will get you five to ten
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then

Most gamblers know that they’ll never break even
There’s five stages to go through when you’re grieving
The sword is always bloodier than the pen
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then

You’ve got to have some scars if you wanna be a poet
To get weeds out of a garden, you’ve got to hoe it
Possession with intent will get you five to ten
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then

Dancing is promiscuous after midnight
It’s best to be content than to have to always be right
You can’t fix a broken heart with a bobby pin
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then

You’ve got to have some scars if you wanna be a poet
To get weeds out of a garden, you’ve got to hoe it
Possession with intent will get you five to ten
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then
And everybody turns a bad trick now and then,

Woo
Oh, yeah
Oh, oh, oh”

Bad Trick
by Ray Wylie Hubbard

Fr, Jul 31, 1970

Double-Header

Regular Season, Game 100, at Milwaukee Brewers. (Nite) We Won 7-3. Just another 62 Games left in the Regular Season.

Regular Season, Game 101, at Milwaukee Brewers. We Won 5-3.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young & Country Joe McDonald, Day 4 of 6 @ RCMH, 8pm.

Sat, Aug 1, 1970

Regular Season, Game 102, at Milwaukee Brewers. We Won 4-1.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young & Country Joe McDonald, Day 5 of 6 @ Radio City Music Hall, NYC, 8pm.

We had time, so Ali & I Flew to Seattle. With us were Barry, one of our Hotshot Pilots, Flying a NetJets Gulfstream 2. Barry’s Co-Pilot was Ed, one of our new NetJet Pilots.

In Seattle, we would transfer to a Cessna 185 Amphibious Plane. It was Based out of our new Jet Aviation FBO @ Boeing Field, BFI, which was just South of D/T Seattle. We were planning on checking out a few more of Ralf’s Dream Places.

1. Tanglewood Island, Fox Island, Tacoma, WA

2. Rosario Resort, Orcas Island, SJI, WA

3. Roche Harbor Marina, Airstrip & Resort, San Juan Island, SJI, WA

4. Knapp Island, Vancouver Island, BC

We also wanted to check out our Westin Hotels in Seattle & Vancouver.

Jet Aviation, had just Bought Out Galvin Flying Service, which had dominated the East Side of Boeing Field since 1930. We would continue doing that, as it would be a great “In” to Boeing, which was HQ across BFI, on its West Side.

Eventually, we wanted to have NetJets Partner with Boeing for BBJ, Big Boeing Jets, another Shared Ownership Program. Instead of a Beech King Air, LearJet, or Gulfstream, your Company bought a 4th, or 8th Share, in a Boeing Passenger Jet. In Ralf’s Time, BBJ stood for Boeing Business Jets, but I liked Big Boeing Jets better.

We were going to make BFI, one of our Major Repair Centers for Jet Aviation. We’d have them at TEB, PBI, MDW, BUR & BFI. That’s Teterboro A/P, NJ, NYC Area; Palm Beach A/P, Fl, Midway A/P, Chicago, IL; Burbank A/P, LA, CA; & Boeing Field, Seattle, WA.

Barry had Ali & I help Prep a new Cessna 185 on Amphib Floats, that had its Wheels Extended, as we were on a Ramp. Ali & I were rusty as Pilots, so this would be a great refresher for us.

We Took Off, heading South, passing Tacoma, then Descending past Fox Island, Landing in Hale Passage. We Taxied Up to the tip of a small Island, called Tanglewood Island, off Fox Island, WA. Tanglewood was 18 Acres big, & 1,800 Ft Long.

It had been a Boys Camp for years, called Camp Ta-Ha-Do-Wa. It operated from 1945, until 1968.

As Ralf, I had seen it Advertised For Sale, in the 1980’s. It had been abandoned since 1968.

Here in 1970, it was going for Back Taxes, so we snatched it up. We would have a blast there. Kids could Roam it at will, being Safe on an 18 Acre Private Island. There was a sandy Beach, surrounding the Lighthouse. There a Dock at the North Tip of the Island, where the Lighthouse was located. Another Dock was on the Southside, with only a short Boat Ride to Fox Island, where Tanglewood had a Sister Dock, allowing Supplies & Personal to be Ferried across from. There was 5 Acre Lot on Fox Island for Tanglewood’s use. Parking, Storage, etc.

We met our new Caretakers, a nice older Couple, both just hoping to Fish their remaining days away, & we were more than happy to help them do that. They Lived in the non-functioning Lighthouse, dating from 1946.

After hanging out awhile, we Flew back to BFI. On the way down to Tanglewood, I had Flown Right Seat, with Barry in the Left. Ali Flew Right Seat for our Trip back to Seattle. I enjoyed the Flight back, in the Backseat, as I was purely a Passenger at that point, so I could look around better, not having my Head on a Swivel all the time, as when Flying.

At BFI, we Taxied up to one of 6 old WW2 Quonset Hut Style Hangers that Galvin owned. We would slowly tear them down, 1 at a time, replacing them with new more efficient ones.

The Westin Hotel-Seattle, sent their Van to fetch us for the night. Actually, it wasn’t named a Westin yet, that wouldn’t happen until 1981. When 1st Opened, Jun 29, 1969, it only had the 40 Floor, South Tower, & it was called the Washington Plaza Hotel. It had been built as a Partnership between Westin Hotels & Alcoa. Was it built out of Aluminum?

It had 715 Rooms, & had 360 Degree Views, as it was built in a round shape. Seattle glittered all around us.

We Officially renamed it the Seattle Westin that night. Ali & I enjoyed the Presidential Suite for the night, which took up the entire 40th Floor. Ooh la la, what views, both inside, as well as out the Windows.

Sun, Aug 2, 1970

Regular Season, Game 103, at Milwaukee Brewers. We Lost 5-9.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young & Country Joe McDonald, Day 6 of 6 @ Radio City Music Hall, NYC, 8pm. (Live at Radio City, Broadcast Live, CBS-TV, 9-11pm)

Barry, Ali & I, Flew our C-185 Amphib, from BFI, NW to Orcas Island, one of the San Juan Islands, between Seattle & Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.

About half way up Orcas Island’s East Sound, was a cool old Estate, called Rosario. It was to our Right, or East, as we were Flying North. It had been built in 1909, by a Seattle Shipbuilder, Robert Moran.

In 1905, Moran was told by a Doctor, that he had 1 Year to Live. He Sold all his Holdings, & bought a huge part of Orcas Island. His old Shipbuilding Company, would become Todd Shipbuilding Company, in Seattle, but also around the World too. Instead of Dying, Moran lived another 38 years, Dying in 1943.

When Moran tried to GIVE 2,700 Acres of his Land to the State for a Park, they turned him down, thinking of the upkeep costs. Moran had to then donate a large chunk of cash with the deal, to help defray the costs, before the State agreed. Sounds like London or LA to me. His donation would eventually become the Moran State Park.

Moran built his Mansion like a Boat, with huge Girders & Bolts, as well as many other homages to Moran’s love of all things Boating.

Moran Sold Rosario in 1938, & it had gone through a number of Owners between then & 1970. It currently was Owned by a nice young couple, who were trying to make a go of it, as a Bed & Breakfast. We offered them a Partnership, with them keeping 50%, as well as running the B&B. They jumped at our offer, as we found out they were about to give up, but now, with our deep pockets, their Renovation Projects could really get started.

We would own 50%, providing all funds from now on. We didn’t care if Rosario made a profit, because we were saving Rosario from Assholes & Development, putting it in one of our Perpetual Trusts. We were beginning to refer to these Trusts as our Trust Fund Babies.

I also wanted my friends to use Rosario, having priority over outsiders. We would build some small Guest Lodges, but in the Woods, surrounding Rosario, as well as hugging the Hillside, above the Sound. Any new Lodges would have the same look as Rosario though, as if they had been there for 50 years.

Tomas Randolph, 33yo, our Host, Played the Built-In, Pipe Organ, in the Music Room, which was 2 Floors High, surrounded by the Pipes, behind beautiful Woodwork. His wife, Tildy, 32yo strummed along on her old Gibson Acoustic. It would be great to get to know them, as they would Live at Rosario for their remaining years.

Moran loved Pipe Organs, paying a small fortune to have one installed at Rosario, way back in 1909, & it was a Pipe Organ that was big enough for a Church. It had a sublime Sound though. As Ralf, I had heard a Concert Performed at Rosario, which they did every night at 8pm. We, of course, would continue the 8pm Concerts.

Tomas really loved Heavy Organ, aka Bach, & regaled us with his expertise for hours that night. My Nite-Time Doozies helped all of us stay in the Groove.

Moran eventually Owned 7,500 Acres of Orcas Island. In 1921, he Donated 2,700 Acres of it to the State, as Moran State Park.

In 1970, there was still a sizable bit of the Hillside Rosario still Owned, so we had plenty of room to expand, w/o changing the looks of the Main House, as that would be protected by the Trust.

Mon, Aug 3, 1970

Travel Day

My 1-Year Anniversary as Pug!

Ali & her brother, Michael; & her Parents, Roger & Katy, would give me a nice Dinner, once we were together again, back in NYC. We would keep it low key, as the Lang’s were still the only ones who knew my Secret.

That morning, Barry, Ali & I, Flew West to the far side of San Juan Island. We had just taken Control of the Roche Harbor Resort, Airstrip & Marina. It had 377 Slips, for Boats up to 150 Ft Long. It’s Airstrip had just been Paved, being 3,593’ Long. It used to be a Farm Field. We Landed via the Airstrip, instead of getting wet. We would be able to land our King Air’s there, as well as some small Jets.

We had Signed another 50/50 Partnership with the Family that had Controlled Roche Harbor. They had Owned it since 1956, along with the 4,000 Acres surrounding it. They gladly let us pay all Costs from then on, just concentrating on keeping Roche Harbor Running & Looking great.

They were the Reuben J. Tarte family, staying involved with Roche Harbor, until 1988. It was another Win-Win for everyone involved.

We spent the night in the Hotel de Haro. We enjoyed sitting out on the Balcony, watching the Fireflies flash on & off. The Summers in the NW are to Die for, & being in the San Juans, was the most serene of all.

Tue, Aug 4, 1970

Regular Season, Game 104, at Cleveland Indians. (Nite) We Lost 1-6.

Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck & Earl Hines, Day 1 of 6 @ Radio City Music Hall, NYC, 8pm.

Barry, Ali & I continued our journey West, Island Hopping. Today we Crossed into Canada, as it was just West of Roche Harbor.

We Landed in the Water, off of the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, Saanich Peninsula, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. We Cleared Customs, then Flew the 1 Mile across Swartz Bay, to Knapp Island, Gulf Islands, BC, Canada. The San Juan Islands, in Washington State, were part of the same Island Chain, as BC, Canada’s Gulf Islands. The Boundary Line is a Jagged one, part of the “Pig War” Agreement, between America & Britain, as Canada was still a British Colony at the Time.

I’d seen Knapp Island for Sale as Ralf, loving it from the start. Now as Pug, I was overjoyed, as we had just bought Knapp from the couple who had owned it for 36 years. We agreed to let them remain as Caretakers, Living out their Days in Paradise.

They were Mabel, 68yo & James Harvey, 73yo, a really sweet old pair. They had lived on Knapp full time, commuting by Boat to a Slip at the Canoe Cove Marina, near the Ferry Terminal. They kept a Pickup & Car at Canoe Cove. James, Owned the local Hardware Store in Town, & Mabel had been a Kindergarten Teacher.

Knapp Island, 5 Acres, was really 2 Islands, connected at Low Tide by a sandy strip of Causeway. The North 1/2 of the Island was left in it’s natural Wooded state. The Development was all in the South. The beautiful old Farmhouse, was built with 2 Wings off it, facing Swartz Bay perfectly, & it’s constant movement of Ferryboats going to & from Vancouver, BC. Swartz Bay was the main Ferry Terminal for Vehicles from Vancouver. Victoria, BC was at the South tip of Vancouver Island.