An Old Painted Lady....

standing tall and in such good shape after a century plus.
Captain Flavels house emits grandeur and workmanship beyond what I have seen for a long time. It is being preserved and restored through the Historical Society in Astoria.
The Flavel family took three years to build it, the Captain himself watched his ships come into and go out of the harbor from atop the "widows peak." It has 14 foot ceilings and is ever present of such amazing woodwork and pine floors that are original and in ever amazing shape. As we wondered through it, I thought of childhood laughter, he had two daughter's, servant's and his wife must have felt living in such an amazing home. The Captain died of respiratory problems after only enjoying his house for 7 short years. His wife remained there the rest of her life, ever present of his wish for their family to be warmed and cared for with it wrapped around them. It has been passed down through generations, escaped demolition for a parking lot, housed Red Cross offices and many business offices. But yet stands tall today...towered in respect of workmanship that has long been graduated into technologies. It whisper's the work of creative hands through its 12 foot Douglass Pine doors...it's inlaid designed floors and its 5 foot wide stair cases. There is surely no other word from my point of view than "appreciation." Of the jobs it created while being built, of the beauty it gave the city and of a man that created a warm and loving home for his family. How wonderful that all of us that have had the privilege of it's beautiful honed floors under our feet and the mere acknowledgment of its survival throughout so many, many years....has had the pleasure to see it towering over the town of Astoria in rememberance of years gone by. Captain Flavel, I thank you. The pleasure was indeed....mine.