Road trip today to meet a great hearth.com member...

Just wanted to shout out a big thanks to member: defiant

After driving to Conn. today and proceeding to what seemed like the most distant land in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forests of oak tree's...I came to a long private drive which lead me into the most majestic picturesque setting of huge rolling green lawns and wide winding ocean rivers that converged to a beautiful home reminiscent of a Georgian plantation estate.

after being greeted by a friendly down to earth man called joe (Defiant) he proceeded to open up garage doors and shed doors to unveil what could only be described as the Smithsonian Museum of wood/coal stoves! I hardly had time to take in the overwhelming spectacle of stoves lined up like huge life size chess boards before he grabbed a couple sets of leather gloves (from their custom place in his inhumanly organized castle) and started loading my lil' truck chocker block full with stoves!

Just when i thought i was dreaming his beautiful wife came out to greet me and snapped a couple photos and his friend came by to drag him away on some adventure so i started heading back thru the miles of turning dirt roads and hills to civilization again... very happy i found one of my fathers first stoves ever made by his company from a man kind enough to give it to me.

Yes folks.... the world is a brighter place for me today and i wanted to share it!

Every once and a while Defiant does something right...

Nice story.

Agreed... Good Man Defiant.......

He has posted some pics of his place. With the rivers in the background. Sounds like a beautiful place..

Hey Doug, What stoves did your Father Manufacture? Any Pics..

It's always nice to hear stories of Hearth.com members meeting in person and helping each other out.
I had the honor of meeting a bunch of fine folks from "Hearth" last year at the Woodstock open house. Good times....

Thanks for sharing Doug.

Ha...I always wondered why Defiant had so many stoves in his sig...

This may not be right but here are photos of Doug and I ( I am looking forward to the comments, and yes was headed to the gym, beer is not helping my figure). Doug it was great to meet you and I feel honored that you have a piece of family history.

Yea that Defiants got it made in the shade (im sure all well earned with hard work)... his background as a marine biologist probably played a large part in him choosing that property with the river and ive never seen so much oak in my life which is probably why he loves stoves so much! nothing but crapper pine in south east Ma. which is why Im a coal guy at heart.

I posted a photo archive of sorts about my dads company since a few people requested it here http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/history-photo-archive-of-crane-stoves.86300/.... enjoy!

Truly a gem of a post. Those are stout looking coal burners. I perused the other link of all the family photos. Thanks for sharing.

Most folks here at hearth.com seem to be pretty decent people . . . even those folks who insist on splitting their wood vertically. . . . or maybe I should say especially those folks who insist on splitting their wood vertically.

Very Nice gesture Defiant!

Cheers

Cool tale! I used to live right up the river in east Haddam, and also in Westbrook. Lovely place.

Now that I think about it my Dad...Yeah that's it...was the original designer off the Harman XXV! I will be in on Saturday to pick up my free stove!

Double "Like"...

hahaha, ok im rolling on the floor laughing at that one (he checked my ID to make sure i was indeed Doug Crane Jr. if it makes you feel any better LOL).... but i like your post because it gave me a good healthy laugh (i bet defiant's laugh his ass off too when he wakes up)...

I should also say that even though it might appear that my family was wealthy (they were when i was growing up), we lost everything including our house and my dad left everything behind and never looked back (i cant even imagine what my dad was going through at that time i was 18 years old, the toll on him is probably why he passed away so young) needless to say my family really had zero history or even a stove back then as we moved to some tiny apartment in the city of Brockton from a Mansion in Duxbury! (only one photo album that my aunt had made about the company when she had worked their) it was the only item that my dad walked out with under his arm as he left his building and never turned back....

what defiant did was kind & real.