Saturday, April 02, 2005
The Next Big Thing
Well, I finally got a Saturday with a good tide and no rain. Three months I've waited.
Arrived on the beach around 0730. Form full by about 0930. Finshed carving at around 1600, and finished the clean-up at around 1700. The sculpture was interesting because I have been trying for years to get this internal-bridge kind of idea working, and it finally came out. Not perfectly. One problem is that a complex sculpture like this takes a lot of time. I could have worked on it for another five hours, easily, but had neither daylight nor energy.
Energy... I was light on lunch. Peanuts and oranges. Then a couple watched for a time, and as they walked away the man asked if I'd like for him to bring me a sandwich. What do you think I said? A few hours later he came back with a grocery bag of stuff: some homemade Russian delicacies, onions, cheese, bread, boiled eggs and a bottle of water. That man saved the day. I thanked him profusely and tore into the food.
Another highlight of the day was the little girl who asked great questions. Couldn't have been more than 5 years old, serious in demeanor, asking me about the sculpture. Better questions and a much better listener than most adults. Just before they left, as I was doing the clean-up, she asked about my tools.
"What does this one do? Which tool do you use to carve the holes? Which do you use to make that?" And she pointed.
"I use this one to start small holes. Kind of like this." I picked up the little loop tool and carved a curve in the sculpture's base.
"Now that's part of the sculpture."
I told you she was sharp. "Yes."
"Did you want it like that?"
"No, but..."
"Well, it fits."
"You're right."
They walked off. Rich and I looked at each other.
"She's going to be a handful for someone someday. If she isn't already," Rich said.
"You got that right"
I wanted to watch the sunset, but was too tired. Staggered home, had a hot dinner and then a hot shower. The next day I could hardly move. It was a good day.
Arrived on the beach around 0730. Form full by about 0930. Finshed carving at around 1600, and finished the clean-up at around 1700. The sculpture was interesting because I have been trying for years to get this internal-bridge kind of idea working, and it finally came out. Not perfectly. One problem is that a complex sculpture like this takes a lot of time. I could have worked on it for another five hours, easily, but had neither daylight nor energy.
Energy... I was light on lunch. Peanuts and oranges. Then a couple watched for a time, and as they walked away the man asked if I'd like for him to bring me a sandwich. What do you think I said? A few hours later he came back with a grocery bag of stuff: some homemade Russian delicacies, onions, cheese, bread, boiled eggs and a bottle of water. That man saved the day. I thanked him profusely and tore into the food.
Another highlight of the day was the little girl who asked great questions. Couldn't have been more than 5 years old, serious in demeanor, asking me about the sculpture. Better questions and a much better listener than most adults. Just before they left, as I was doing the clean-up, she asked about my tools.
"What does this one do? Which tool do you use to carve the holes? Which do you use to make that?" And she pointed.
"I use this one to start small holes. Kind of like this." I picked up the little loop tool and carved a curve in the sculpture's base.
"Now that's part of the sculpture."
I told you she was sharp. "Yes."
"Did you want it like that?"
"No, but..."
"Well, it fits."
"You're right."
They walked off. Rich and I looked at each other.
"She's going to be a handful for someone someday. If she isn't already," Rich said.
"You got that right"
I wanted to watch the sunset, but was too tired. Staggered home, had a hot dinner and then a hot shower. The next day I could hardly move. It was a good day.
# posted by Larry @ 11:39 
