I’ve taken out my yardstick and tape measure to explore the concept of big. Size is just like aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents: relatives matter. Sizes are relative too.
Something local to compare size with is the Laframboise Group Ltd.’s building. It’s that smart-looking building on the south side of County Road 2, between Cornwall and Long Sault, measuring 500’ long x 65’ tall x 85’ wide. My step ladder wasn’t long enough to measure its height, and I had too many other things to do to determine its other dimensions.
Using data provided by a very obliging Bob, a Laframboise employee, I calculated its area to be 32,500 square feet (enough for a whole bunch of pickle ball courts). Adding the height component, I calculated its volume to be 2,762,500 cubic feet (almost sufficient to provide air space for a helicopter at the biennial Farnborough or Paris Air Shows).
A typical bungalow is 50’ x 24’, providing 1,200 sq. ft. That’s adequate for a typical Canadian family of mom, dad, 1.75 children, one dog and two cats.
A Boeing 747 is 232’ long x 63’ tall x 211’ span. It could land on Cornwall Regional Airport’s 3,510’ x 100’ asphalt runway. However, the ‘Jumbo Jet’ would then become a permanent fixture at the airport, as it would be mired in the grass beyond the end of the rutted runway. Besides, the lift-off point would be somewhere near Long Sault.
My first car was a 1962 VW Beetle: 13’ 5” x 5’ tall x 5’ 5” tall. The Laframboise building could store a line of 35 Beetles parked end-to-end along its length.
The current trend in RVs (‘motor homes’) is ‘Go big – or stay home!’ If the slide-outs on both sides, and the Cadillac Escalade SUV being towed behind are included, their length and width would just about rival those of a Boeing 747. Their height (when air-conditioner, solar panels and Thule roof-top cargo pods are included) prevents them from using Montreal’s Bonaventure tunnel and Cornwall Square’s covered parking facilities.
By now, you must realize that size does matter. Only when size is compared with some familiar standard, what you encounter can impress – or disappoint. Be like a carpenter: measure twice, carefully.
