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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Looking back on a sunny 787 day By Julie Muhlstein, Herald Columnist You readers know I'm not big on numbers. On Tuesday -- 7/8/08 -- some numbers were hard to ignore, even for me. The date took me back a year, to July 8, 2007. That summer Sunday played out like a dream come true, cleverly timed for 7/8/07. The world's eyes were on Snohomish County as the Boeing Co. rolled out its first fully assembled 787, the jet Boeing calls the Dreamliner. A triumphant day for this region, the unveiling was such a singular event that competitor Airbus SAS, in a letter to Boeing Chairman and CEO James McNerney, called it "Boeing's day -- a day to celebrate the 787." The shiny plane, the crowd at the Everett factory, the VIP's including broadcast veteran Tom Brokaw, it all added up to a big psychological boost signaling nothing but good times ahead. Remember? We all do, but doesn't it seem like ages ago? The Boeing Co. needs no reminder that 787 deadlines have slipped. On July 8, 2007, the Associated Press reported that the plane's commercial service was expected to begin by May of 2008. Last week, Herald Boeing reporter Michelle Dunlop wrote that the first delivery of the 787 isn't expected until the third quarter of 2009, nearly a year from now. While I don't have Boeing's headaches, we're all struggling these days. I don't know about you, but I'm running short on sunny optimism this summer. It's been crushed by alarming gas prices, rapidly rising food prices, and a growing fear that the future I planned -- college for kids and eventual retirement for me -- might be out of reach. With a two-minute commute and a four-cylinder engine (I'd leave my car at home if I didn't need it often for work), I am luckier than many drivers. Still, with the American Automobile Association listing Tuesday's average price for regular unleaded gas in the Everett-Bellevue-Seattle area as $4.38 per gallon, I look back with longing. On the day of the 787 rollout, AAA listed that same gas at $3.04. Nationally, it cost just $2.96 a year ago. I may be insulated from serious gas-price blues, but not from supermarket sticker shock. For the first time last weekend, I deviated from my standard weekly shopping list because of price. A 2-pound bag of so-called baby carrots, a snack for my boy's day-camp lunches, was more than $3.50. For about half that price, I bought whole carrots. This week, I've been cutting them into sticks, just like my mom used to do. In the same shopping trip, dog food was a shocker. I could save by buying huge bags, but I don't because they're so heavy. A medium bag of Iams Weight Control for my old Labrador retriever used to cost $8 to $9, and I have paid as much as $11. On my last shopping trip, it was $13. I can afford the dog food, the carrots, the gas, the higher tuition and everything else -- just barely, and for now. My heart truly goes out to families living on an economic edge. It's hard to believe it was only a year ago that we witnessed such a heady celebration. Wendy Becker was involved in planning community recognition for the Boeing 787 rollout last summer. Snohomish County's economic and cultural development officer, Becker was looking forward Tuesday to the start of the county's Music on the Plaza concert series. Today's concert with Ed Hartman & The Olympic Marimba Band starts at 11:30 a.m. at the amphitheater at Rockefeller Avenue and Wall Street in Everett. Free, fun and within walking distance for hundreds of downtown workers, an open-air concert is a fine distraction from worry. Comparing notes about gas prices and pinching pennies, Becker and I talked about staying close to home on the Fourth of July. We both happened to go to Everett's celebration at Legion Memorial Park. It was a great Fourth, seeing neighbors, hearing terrific music and watching fireworks. I thought about leaving town for the holiday, but didn't -- partly because of the high cost of driving. These days, Becker has been riding her bike to work from home in Everett's Eastmont area. Her change of habit helps her pocketbook and her health. "People have been complaining about the high price of gas, but until recently I did not make one conscious effort to change my lifestyle," she said. Her strategy for keeping costs down is to put the same $40 worth of gas as usual in her car, and simply drive less. "The same with my grocery spending, I spend the same amount but make do with less -- and try to enjoy it," she said. No question, life has changed in the year since that shiny new plane raised hopes so high. We're buying less. We're driving less. We're consuming less. Chin up. Those changes aren't all bad. Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

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