HOME WORK

It is always a marvel, the variety and volume of materials that make a house.

Tons of cement, lumber, nails, pipe, wire, shingles, Sheetrock and joint compound are transformed into separate skeletal forms by workers from a dozen trades and crafts.

Only gradually, and after countless adjustments, cuts and taps, do the pieces begin to come together, a slow-motion marathon ballet choreographed by a blueprint.

Inevitably the dance stops in mid-stride as carpenters, drywallers, electricians and a host of other specialists strain to synchronize their movements. It is rough work that, like football, does not look graceful from ground level.

But then it is done and another marvel emerges: a house.

In a world of transient fancies, this will last. This is permanent. This will outlive the people who built it and the people who buy it.

This stands for something--the skill of those who labored to make it real.