Spokane Blues

Got the Spokane Blues

‘Cause all it does is rain

I suppose it could be worse,

‘Cause snow would be a pain (in the ****).

We started off Wednesday morning with high hopes that we would be in Seattle by the afternoon. ‘Twas not to be; we sit in a Ford dealership just outside Spokane because the truck developed a habit of shutting down and firing back up. At least we drove in to get it fixed instead of having to be towed.

We had an “extra” day programmed in, so no time should be lost getting to the ferry in Bellingham, but we may miss the new sculpture park in Seattle. And, I was looking forward to showing Donnie the Chinese iron castings in the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

They have incredible detail and thin-ness for the technology of the time and place.

It is somewhat ironic (if you’ll pardon the expression) that we have the arrogance to consider ourselves ferrous-temperature foundry-men, when it has been done with as good or better craftsmanship for many centuries now. It makes me wonder if those who preceded us had the same feelings. There is a certain commonality of experiences through the centuries when we compare what we produce. The Chinese foundry-men were making an object for veneration of a spiritual vein; I make things for contemplation that I suppose could be spiritual but outside of an organized dogma. Are the two comparable? Should they be compared? Has human endeavor progressed or are we just fooling ourselves? A certain humility and skepticism would seem to be appropriate.

Iron casting originated in eastern Europe some thousands of years ago, before recorded history, its not unreasonable that someone took that technology northward above the arctic circle before. At the same time, ferrous temperature foundry didn’t happen on the North American continent until European settlement, as far as we know. So we could be the first on this continent at least. We didn’t really set out to be in the Guinness Book of Records, but we could be.

It’s easy to fall into such speculation while waiting for parts and repairs under the grey skies of eastern Washington. I was really looking forward to seeing that sculpture park.

I hope your “cam shaft position sensor” is in the proper condition.

Butch