"The End of an Era"

Holy crap...

I actually did hard labor today!

I moved four five hundred+ pound Kip 2710 plotters around Boeing today. Oooooo, my achin' back!

Speaking of Boeing...

It was a bittersweet day. Today was my dad's last day at Boeing. He started in January 1966 at Douglas Aircraft Company. McDonnell Aircraft merged with Douglas in 1967, then Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.

He decided that it was time to retire.

I saw a very unique thing happen today. I was out having the last smoke with my dad at Douglas Plaza. A very old friend, Mike, walked up to give his regards. Mike and my dad have known each other since my folks got married in 1965. Mike and his wife Margaret lived in the apartment blow my folks' apartment.

Mike is the one who got my dad the job at Douglas. Mike is also the only one who saw my dad on his first day, and his last day.

Mike has also known me since before I was born!

My dad took one last look at what's left of the plant, went to badge control, checked out, went to payroll, then went home... for the last time.

That place will never be the same. I, of course, will still see him all the time when I visit my folks... Still... I'm at Boeing all the damn time and always see him. We stop to chat and have a smoke. Maybe have lunch if we're both free.

Not anymore. My last emotional tie to that place is gone.

My dad has worked there for my entire life, plus one year.

I left there today after he went home. It seemed strangely quiet.

The following pictures were taken earlier this year. When my dad emailed these pictures to me, he said, "In the 38+ years I've been here, today was the best! The DC-2 has enough fuel to make it to Denver!"

Here is my dad with the Douglas Historical Society's DC-2: