welding vows

do you promise to wear gloves, hold the tools at a 45 degree angle and keep the face mask down?

i do.

today i had my first welding lesson from a man who has been perfecting his craft literally as long as i've been alive. he is a very kind and patient teacher, showing basic technique and then letting me play on my own at his worktable. once you get used to sparks flying at close range, it's really quite fun. and, like most things, much harder than it looks.

i made what one might officially call a "thing-a-ma-jig"; crooked pieces of metal scraps with three hooks on the bottom. it looks vaguely like something that would come from a bad sci-fi movie involving robots and the end of the world. but it reminds me that life is all about ever-learning by trying new things.

my friend says that it takes at least 2 years to earn a license and that i should be patient with myself after only 20 minutes. if you were to take a tour of portland, you would find his work on balconies, fountains and fences. i didn't just learn to weld today, i learned to appreciate master craftsmanship.

what metal man has joined together, let no one separate!