Remembering our Friend Paul on September 11
Like teak, victims of 9/11 will live on, hard to blunt their memories.
Teak weathers well. Baked and watered in Asian tropical forests, more than 100 feet high, the hardwood can repel droves of burrowing insects. Cutting or shaping the wood can blunt metal tools. Teak has been popular for the decks of ships, where it resists sea and salt. Park benches are also a good use for the resilient wood. In northern climates like New England, the wood can withstand temperatures in wide arcs between heat and cold, pelting snow and rain, and the assaults of ice and wind. Some teak benches have been around for a century. The bench in the Beth El Temple Center playground on Concord Avenue is made of teak. It usually spends winters under snow and ice piled onto it by plows clearing the parking lot and walkways. By spring, …
