I went with Paul Desomma to drop off some lapidary wheels for resurfacing in Oakland. We drove in on Highway 17 and like most urban areas now you can not see into the neighborhoods due to the high walls and fences. Our exit deposited us in a very industrial and gritty part of town. I am not sure what I expected the machine shop to be like but it was awesome (in the Webster's version of the word). Five ton cranes, presses that looked like they could bend 4 inch steel, and amazing water jet cutters. It kind of felt like I slipped into a Coen brothers' movie, sparks flew as motors whirled and pictures of topless women hung at work stations.
We left the machine shop and Paul wished to make another stop at a stone yard for sculptors. Robert Black and his wife Rose are the proprietors, Robert's sculptures in various stages of completion were everywhere. The place is nestled in all this urban industrialness and yet it is as calm and serene as a zen garden. It was a wonderfully inspiring visit, seriously what artist can claim to have never had the desire to carve stone.
