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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Instead of lacing them together, how about hook and eye
connections and an overlap with Velcro holders? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I like the idea of reengineering the top to make it work better.
Are there any in our group that do that kind of engineering?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Caelin<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
elfsea-bounces@lists.ansteorra.org [mailto:elfsea-bounces@lists.ansteorra.org] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Armand Dragonetti<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 14, 2008 20:08 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> elfsea@lists.ansteorra.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Elfsea] Big Blue<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>After speaking with Ameline, who has facilitated some of the past
repairs, she seems to feel what we have may still be salvageable. Past attempts
to reinforce the seams have done so, but the process of stitching in
the reinforcement, in and of itself, weakens the integrity of the
surrounding material...so, the seam holds, but the area immediately adjacent to
the repair tends to rip out next. It seems to me that rather than trying to
patch little isolated areas, we could adhere a heavy duty liner (of sorts) to
the four "corners" where the bulk of the stress gets concentrated.
Not just the seams and grommets, but a much larger panel. Another possibility
might be to construct a custom support frame for the high stress areas. Say a
pole or strut that connects an outer center pole, down to the top of a regular
wall-side pole (at the four corner points). Or perhaps even something a more
substantial, but with the goal of allowing the top to be thrown over it
all, with little or no tension on the top itself. (sort of like a cover
for a cooler)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>Ameline also brought up the fact that most really large tents,
(circus tents and the like) are sectional, with the sections in effect getting
laced together. (I think Ramone had a BFT like that). Sliced into three
sections, the top would be easier to handle (though it might be more tedious
getting it all together) If done with care, we could end up with a versatile
pavilion that could be scaled down to use subsets of the pieces, like taking
out a leaf in a table.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>Not sure how practical any of that might be, but ....hey....at
least I'm not afraid of sounding like an idiot. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>-=A=- (The A is for anonymous)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";
color:black'> Betsy Marshall</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'>I feel
compelled to point out that the poles, ropes and stakes are all great- most of
the walls are still in excellent condition- (maybe a few nibble holes hither
and yon?) so what we really need is just a new top; in white or white and yellow
would still go with the baronial color scheme, and I wonder if might it be
possible to incorporate the “porch roof” section into a new top?
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head.. Pyro.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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style='color:black'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center>
</span></div>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Greetings!</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Well to
get the ball rolling, these are the first things that popped into my pea
brain....I'm not advocating anything in particular though.</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>1. What
did we originally pay for it (approximately) and how much (approximately) have
we spent repairing it so far? Roughly speaking, how many times have we used it?
</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>With
those questions answered, what has it cost us per use? Have we gotten our
money's worth, and if not, is it reasonable to think we ever will?
Especially if we continue to need repairs after each use?</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>(I
suggest also considering the less tangible costs of dealing with Big Blue, it
takes time from "someone's" schedule to either do minor repairs or
transport it to a place that can do them, the hassle of setup/teardown, loading
and unloading, etc. some of which will exist with any pavilion, but the size
sometimes makes it onerous if there are too few folks to help.)</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>2. What
are the benefits that might justify the "costs"? It may be
a source of pride for some, as it is fairly impressive looking. Does it help
attract prospects and other folks at demos and events? Does it help us appear
more credible at say "Highland Games" than a series of small
pavilions would?</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>3. With
cost per use established, we have a benchmark to compare the cost/benefit or
return-on-investment of any proposed replacement.</span><span style='color:
black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>4. If we
choose to retire it, what will replace it? And what is our budget for such?
Does it "need" to be replaced?</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>5. If
retired, could we make use of it for other purposes? (ie, cut up into banners,
signage, mundanity covers for use by the populace, maybe use the walls to
mask/hide parking areas at events, etc.)</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>6. Would
it be more cost effective to simply try and sell it "as-is"?</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I'm sure
there are lots of ways to approach this, but that's all I've got time for at
the moment. I'm very pleased to see the leadership in addressing the situation.
EVERYONE should be able to contribute to some degree and be part of this
process. NOW is the time to help out by speaking up.</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Just my
initial thoughts.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>-=Armand=-</span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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