I just remembered the thing that had the greatest impact on me as an installer. I went to school at UC Riverside and got myself a summer job in the Physics Department disassembling and salvaging parts from equipment that had been bought at surplus.

In a nutshell, I saw how this great nation poured ingenuity and thought into equipment that could make the difference between lives saved and lives lost on the battlefield.

I saw weatherized product, a thick layer of waterproof... lacquer? over everything. I saw a device 18" wide that was built in three sections, hinged so they folded down to about six inches of width. This stuff was laced with silk thread, with a half knot every 3/8" or so, but EXACTLY spaced.

Every installation I do owes something to that equipment, and every installation is but a poor imitation of it. I appreciate the situations where the price is not an issue, because then things can be done incredibly well. I also am proud of you guys and the wonderful photos you sometimes show of your work, work to be truly proud of.

It's said that there are artworks inside walls of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. These paintings and such were done on open walls that the construction workers knew would be covered up as the church was built. That didn't matter: this beauty and perfection was just fine, even if only the eyes of God could see it. It's good to think of our work behind the scenes that way, too.