Don't think about it, just do it

Interesting Manatee County barn shows its years.

Great view from Charles Young's cherry picker

I spent a good part of Monday crawling through an old barn -- I can't tell you where right now -- and hoping I wouldn't fall through a floor.

 It was dirty, hot, and full of interesting old things, and my shirt was soaked through with sweat. I couldn't have been happier.

Less than an hour later, I stopped at the Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Creekwood to interview Charles Young, who was surely crazy, up in the air 40 feet trying to persuade folks to donate 1,000 backpacks for local school children. As soon as I walked up, Charles invited me to come on up.

Without thinking, I accepted and took a wobbly ride in the cherry picker basket straight up. Who's crazy now, I wondered, trying to keep my balance with a camera and notepad.

The way Charles put it, he was trying to get out of his comfort zone and do something that needed to be done for disadvantaged children. He succeeded.

For more, see Tuesday's Herald.

Charles Young seemed close to heaven as he collected backpacks for local students

Jim