This past weekend, while on a drive in Mennonite Country in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, I was reminded of the virtues of unique, hand-crafted solid wood furniture, destined to be heirlooms for the next hundreds of years. Abram (who declined to be photographed, as is the tradition of Mennonites) showed us around his busy shop, talked about his wood suppliers, where the wood scraps go to, even showed some salvaged church pews that needed repairs to find a new home. He exuded pride in his work, a sense of humility in how fortunate he is to be able to do what he does. A cursory, close look at the furniture revealed extremely close tolerances, accurate and precise, clinical almost. He reminds me of the early founders of the tool-and-die industry in Ontario, who invariably hail from Germany.
Recycled church pews, over a hundred years old, judging from the blacksmith-forged nails.
Not since the first year I started blogging (mid-2009) did I have a month with only 1 blog post. Last month (April) there just hasn't been a subject/idea/rant worth mentioning. May 3rd.
No comments:
Post a Comment