We enjoyed our brief time at home and the chance to see friends even for a short time. Back on the road, we will remain in one place for two weeks, a long time for our style of travel.
We are in Mendocino County and each going our own way. Jerry will explain what he is doing while I tell about my time here. My intent is to enjoy the wonderful scenery, write and read, tough job. This is our third time in the area, each time for Jerry to go to wood school. Our campground is in Fort Bragg, a former lumber town now tourist town and home to the College of the Redwoods (see Jerry).
This area, along the North Coast of California, is at least twenty degrees cooler than the central valley. The coastline is rugged with rocks sticking out and waves crashing on the shore. The beach is not for swimming but for savoring the magnificent views.
On my first walk about town, I was pleased to see that almost all the places I remembered from four years ago remain. They seem to have weathered the changes in the economy. Anxious to see the ruggedly beautiful Northern California coast, I walked along Glass Beach. Allegedly it was named for the shards of glass that fell off ships and tumbled ashore but, in truth, just an old dump now cleaned up. The beach is now a state park so no collecting is allowed (though it does seem to occur).
Jerry writes:
Today was the first day of a class I am taking at the College of the Redwoods School of Fine Woodworking. I have taken several classes here over the years and this one appears to be the best one yet. It is taught by Yeung Chan, who is from China (how did you guess) and likes to make his own tools in addition to doing artistry with wood. Our first project is to make a marking knife and a 3/8 inch chisel. I did the knife blade today and will work on the chisel tomorrow then start on the woodworking part of the project. Here is a picture of Yeung’s tool cabinet that he brought to show us what can be done.
Also, here is a photo of a miniature cabinet that he made just as a lark. Take a look at the dovetails on the drawer as compared with the quarter next to the leg.
He makes his own tools because no one makes what he wants to use. Just in case you need a small plane for a particular job, this one fits inside its own cabinet in the chest in the photo above.
Once we finish this part of the class, we will make a small table using Chinese jointery. Here is a picture of the table.
Yeung demonstrated it by standing one it. No big deal except that none of the joints are glued up or fastened in any way. The table can simply be taken apart and put away for storage or transport. Yeung is a true artist who left China when they would not let him go to engineering school because his family made their living as farmers. He came here with a high school education and no money. Some years later, his son just got his Ph.D. from MIT. Let those who complain about America name another country where that is possible.
Who is 'complaining about America not being a place where immigrants can thrive? Did Yeung enter legally or illegally? Did he apply for and acquire US citizenship? Are he and his kids fluent in English? I am willing to bet the answers are legally, yes and yes. Under those circumstances, there are probably several countries where he might have been able to duplicate his success. He is after all a very talented and obviously hard working individual. People like Yeung are obviously not the ones who give immigration a bad connotation.
ReplyDelete