In this day and age, some tasks are still performed by hand and by skilled craftspeople. Luthiers needs several years of training and practice before they are allowed to produce a Gibson. It is a joy to see and adds to the craving for the product. We captured this shot at the Gibson facility (no, it is not a factory) in Memphis. It is an amazing experience to watch the luthiers work, and this lady is seen though some steel construction in the hall (gave her a natural frame!), her task was to polish the guitar – which she did with so much concentration, skill, and above all; love. Irresistible! After you have seen the amount of skill and work needed to create a Gibson, it turns into something more than a guitar.
![<strong><center>What have these eyes seen…?<br>
After hiking in the Himalayas we return to a tiny village in Nepal, and there he was; on the bus. Looking at us. With these old, wise eyes. Not a smile, just looking; and his eyes made us think; who are we – that travel far and wide to hike, just for the joy of it. And who are you, old one, how have lived your years in this beautiful mountains that we seek?
And we remembered Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s endearing words;
A man’s age is something impressive, it sums up his life: maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, grieves and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories. [~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944, translated from French by Norah Purcell]](https://photos.smugmug.com/People/Portrait/i-Chfj5TW/0/23d7093d/Ti/Nepal%20Man%20on%20the%20bus-Ti.jpg)
