UGLYNAILS.

'l'ctCi floor panels.

So hide -vour nails and build rvith L-P Inner-Seal Lap Siding frrim Louisiana-P:rcific. Or things could get pretty ugly.

Fhr nrore inl-ornnt iorr, specifications, and sanrplcs, call us toda1.at 1-1i12-1J97-88lJll in the East, 1-8(X)-,133-8.110 in the \Vest or 1-8(X)-3,15-0irir9 in California.

WAYN E GARDNER executive vice president

f O UOST of us, the closest we wanr I to come to camping out is staying in a hotel without room service. Spending the night in a tent is not something we want to cope with, let alone spend extended periods of time living in one.

But look at the flexibility that living in a tent offers. If the camp site selected proves to be too windy, we can move to another site. If the water is inadequate or non-existent, we can move on. lf the hunting or fishing is bad, we can move on. By the same token if the site selected has a beautiful vista, we can remain until the weather changes. Or we can stay until we tire of the vista and then move to a new location. A nomadic life, perhaps, but it can still have purpose, il we want lt to.

Yet today anyone who chooses to live his life in a tent might be looked upon as

"marching to the beat of a different drum" lrom the rest of the world. A lot of other similes could be applied, "not playing with a full deck of cards," "the elevator not going to the top floor," "the lights are on but no one's home."We could go on and on.

No. in today's world, permanence is the norm, the accepted way. And anyone who's different is really strange or so we think.

Unfortunately, too many of us apply that philosophy to ourselves and to our businesses. We achieve a degree of permanence and we just can't change. If we did, people might think we were crazy or at least strange and nobody wants anyone to think he is strange.

But do we have to be crazy to be different? Do we have to be crazy to want to "live in a tent, be a little nomadic?"

It's quite possible to want to move forward, be someone who ventures into new areas, new business arenas, does business in a different manner, and still not be crazy.

In no way am I as a representative of the lumber industry suggesting that we should promote living in tents. What I am suggesting is that we all need to be a little adventuresome, exploratory, different. nomadic. whatever it takes to make business move ahead. Let's not adopt an attitude ofhaving our thoughts and our feet set in concrete. Let's think of our ideas not as being set in concrete and immobile, but as "living in tents," ready to break camp and move forward to a new and better position.

The world is waiting to reward new ideas. Let's position ourselves to be on the forefront. Try it. You might find "living in a tent" is really great and profitable.

Try reading The Merchant Magazine. Read Do It Yourself Retailing. Attend your association meetings to talk with competitors. Shop other merchants in your area, or out ofyour area, and look to your association meetings. All of these can be very profitable for ideas.

LASC has the Second Growth meeting, Sept. l3 at the Industry Hills Sheraton, and a Management Conference, Nov. 10-12 at the Marquis, palm Springs. Pick up your "tent" and try our new campsites.