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Jim and his family moved to Binghamton, New York for the start of
4th grade. Webb changed churches... There he excelled in playing;
throwing eggs and snowballs at cop cars, stealing tomatoes from
neighborhood gardens and learning how to ski at Greek Peak. He
always wanted to be a ski racer but now says he's happy exploring
the steeps of the Pacific Northwest's Cascade Mountains. While in
Binghamton the family bought land in the Adirondack Mountains of
Upstate New York. There they built a small and modest cabin on Long
Lake as the family spent many summers there. Before entering the 7th
grade the family again moved. This was a devastating southern move
for Jim, all the way to Miami, FL. He was heartbroken to be taken
away from his favorite love, the ski slopes. Even after the move to
Miami, the family always traveled to the Adirondacks to their place
each summer. Eventually Jim would end up moving there full time
renovating their small family cabin and working for a local lumber
yard whom manufactured pre-fabricated homes. Jim soon was managing
their roof truss shop and wall panel shop. That's where he met
Scott, one of the owners 4 boys. Jim and Scott hit it off... like
two peas in a pod and were a real duo. Scott's father owned and flew seaplanes and it wasn't long
before Scott and Jim were buzzing all over the Adirondacks in
Chiefs, Champs and Cessna's. A new love of planes and flight took
over Jim. He eventually mortgaged one of his historic homes in Long
Lake to buy a Citabria Floatplane and built time.
Scott lived in Seattle at this time and worked for Kenmore Air as
well as Lake Union Air. He would come back each fall with stories of
the west which Jim has always loved, and some of the most fantastic
flying stories working the west coast in de Havilland Beavers. Jim
eventually had enough float time to go out and work for Clyde
Carlson whom owns Northwest Seaplanes. Jim is now their chief pilot
currently having logged over 8000 hours flying to remote fishing
camps and lodges in British Columbia. Jim still has time to
build exquisite rustic furniture,
sheep
wagons,
websites, Kitty Cots,
fly,
run a flying
business,
build his
own airport in Maine, ski, fish and pretty much what he wants
and likes to do. Life is good even in tough times he says. That's
where the real you comes out. The tougher it is the better he likes
it. Jim builds each Kitty
Cot by hand in his small woodworking shop. He started by sewing the
fabric himself but now sends that out to a neat small manufacturer
in Seattle,
Commercial Fabrics Products.
You can see more of Jim on
Jim's Facebook Page.
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