In 1992, I got squished by a falling piano...just like in the funny pages.

Except, unlike the funnies, I wasn't able to peel myself up from the ground and instantly shake the whole thing off.

My home at the time, Xanadu II, a 50' wooden sailboat berthed in Gloucester, was hauled out for repairs, and sat in the boatyard, propped up on jack stands.

The vessel's rail was about twelve feet above the ground.

Following the accident, I could barely climb the ladder to get aboard, and the berth was only a little longer than my twisted carcass.

After attempting to sleep aboard for one night, it became clear that I would end up molded into ‘the amazing pretzel man’ if healing took place in the restricted confines of Xanadu II.

There was no insurance or backup plan to cover any of this.

Winter was approaching.

With no time for careful consideration, I packed my gear, went to Lynn, and imposed on my Aunt Ruby.

It was the natural choice.

From September through the following June, I lived 'down cella' at Ruby’s.

Within a few days I'd fashioned a custom oversized cot with heat, blankets, and plenty of cushioning for my impending hibernation.

The accident turned out to be a stroke of blind luck in more ways than one.

I lived through it, and Lynn was in the early stages of the Downtown Art and Internet Revival.

The Tapley Building was touted as the project’s focus.

I made contact with the Principals, and began spending my days at The Tapley, checking things out.

The Tapley Building was a classic, five story brick cube that somehow survived the infamous downtown inferno which claimed the entire surrounding area, leaving The Tapley to stand alone.

The building’s interior was every artist’s dream of the perfect loft, with views over The Harbor and down The Causeway to Boston through numerous big windows.

There was a lot of junk and the remnants of previous rehab efforts laying around, but it was basically an empty five story building with large flights of stairs at the front and back.

The front stairwell was very spacious and done with more style than the rear, but both were roomy...with wide, solid treads.

My guess is that I went up the front and down the back a couple of thousand times during those nine months of camping at Ruby’s. 

I’d take the bus Downtown, and exhaust myself climbing around inside The Tapley before returning to 'the cella' for several hours of therapeutic rest and relaxation.

The building's top floor was wide open, and instantly became my gym for that winter.

Add a bazillion sets of Canadian Floor Exercises to the stair climbing, toss in the  prospect of summer ‘Down The Beach’, and things were looking up.

A panoramic vista, featuring a view ‘Down The Beach’ glistened through the frozen sunshine, as I worked out while staring out the windows at the spectacular scene.

***

One of the promotions for Lynn at that time was a series of billboards announcing...

Using the old 'City of Sin' line as eye candy, these ads followed … with notable firsts.

City of...the first jet engine, etc.

As spring approached, my overall well being was remarkable.

Ya know...'in good condition, considering the condition I was in'.

Great!

One day the urge to add something positive to the Downtown mix overwhelmed me.

I had begun to include a walk 'Down The Beach' in my daily routine.

Looking up at The Tapley on the way back from Nahant gave me an idea.

Standing on the fifth floor, facing the windows from the inside, absorbing the warmth, holding an old bucket of paint and a brush that was gobbed in roofing tar, I painted on the inside of several windows, left handed and backwards...

It felt really good.

That sign...looking like a prop from "The Little Rascals put on a Show"...glistened from the top left corner of The Tapley for several years, beckoning to all who approached via The Lynnway...

Ironically, it was eventually replaced by a much larger and uglier sign in huge block letters saying PEST REMOVAL.

From beckoning anew to roach control. 

That’s Genuine Lynn Ahht, don’tcha think?

In an even more ironic circumstance, several years later, I was returning to Lynn on the early train from Gloucester the morning The Tapley Building finally did burn. 

It was obvious that there was a big fire in Lynn from Beverly Depot onwards. 

The stretch of track from Swampscott opens up enough to provide a view into Downtown.

From there I saw that The Tapley Building was fully involved.

Jumping off before the train came to a full stop, I hurried down the stairs to get a better look just as a large portion of the fifth floor, visible through the flaming window openings, crumbled downwards into The Tapley's smoldering bowels.

It’s all been Genuine Lynn Ahht since then.

Here’s my contribution to Lynn's Downtown Ahht and Internet Revival.

Give it an hour. 

Click around, just like channel surfing.

There are no ads or pop-ups.

If something interests you, check it out...if not, keep on clicking along.

Once you get into it, you'll come away with a different impression each time you visit.

Pretty soon, as if by magic, your point of view will brighten.

That can't be a bad thing, eh?

All thanks to Genuine Lynn Ahht.
 

like balancing on the edge of Occam's Razor

barefoot