Find something you love

And do it forever…

~~Anon.

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning. Mt. Rainier is like a distant vision of adventure, challenge and alpine serenity. But we weren’t taking in that view. No, we, my daughter, her husband, Mariam, me and Elias were looking with admiration at the project. It sat, begging for a photo, on Erin’s kitchen table. Even Arlo the cat sat on a ledge and stared with feline admiration at the final, completed model of Leonardo da Vinci’s Ornithopter. I do believe that if Leo himself were there in the room, he would have nodded his artistic head in agreement.

It was done!

For those of you who read my previous post, you can testify to the challenges we faced in completing this unique design.

I jotted a few notes on the activity:

~Total time was approximately six days or eighteen hours.

~1 tube of Elmer’s Glue.

~1 toothpick.

~5 single sheets of toilet paper.

~2 bent paperclips.

~5 cups of Starbucks Cold Brew

And this didn’t include what came in the kit box.

Personal Comments: I’m glad we did it. It was a bonding experiences that went far beyond that of a grandfather and grandson. I wish to thank Bob for his architectural expertise and advise. Erin for taking the right photo at the right time. Mariam for threading tiny string into even tinier holes. Elias for finding the right piece for me when all the pieces looked exactly alike. Arlo for not jumping up on the table and knocking the kit to one side to get a cuddle from me (like he did when I was trying to read an interesting article in The Economist).

However, one question remains: Would I do it again?

Well, yes and no. Yes, if the kit contained six pieces and more glue. And no, not another kit that says 6+ years of age.

I just turned seventy-six. I’m beyond the age limit now.

[Elias poses proudly with the completed model. Photo is mine.]

I was planning on jumping off Erin’s roof just to see if Leonardo had really known what he was doing.

But everyone held me back.