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Bob Judd writes:

Hi folks,

I have been extremely busy since Don Camp, which was a summer camp of sorts I have not enjoyed as much since I was about 12 years old. Except then I just had a lot a fun and a little bit of learning, this was different. Lots of learning and tons of fun. I will swamp Austin with a post about all that later. For now I would like to address the subject of integrity, which was an implied if unstated part of everything we did at Don Camp.

Back to the real world and the stuff we have to live with or find a comfortable way to address in our daily lives.

Before I left for Virginia, I sent the two attached photos to an insurance adjuster, advising that this broken leg certainly appeared to be an old repair (the most loose use of the word) and asking her what she would like me to do about it. I quoted a price to properly repair and restore the leg to some degree of functionality and reasonably good appearance.

I have been repairing and restoring furniture for more years than I care to mention but the adjusters reply I found when I finally got home after visiting my daughter and grandchildren et al in Baltimore marks a new low. In so many words, she advised me that the agent wants me to repair the leg back the way it was originally fixed and how much would I charge to do that. This really brought me down from the high of Virginia and Maryland and left me facing a real moral quandary. After thinking about it for about 10 seconds, I offered to do the repair for 1/3 of my original quote. Except I will fix it as it should be and will make up the difference on all the additional items requiring repairs. I have witnessed too many driver “fixes” over the years to turn a blind eye to such hack repairs. I recently had to fix a high gloss black lacquer piano that had a corner broken completely off. The black magic marker did little to hide all but the most cursory inspection.

A brief reminder ot you music lovers to add Pandora.com to your computers, smart phones, etc. Your own personal radio station awaits you. Photos to follow under separate cover.

Yours Truly,

Robert Judd, Proprietor
Judd Refinishing
Dedham, MA





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