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Wednesday, October 24. 2018

While making my rounds today, watched a master backhoe operator using that shovel as easily and delicately as his own hand. Just wonderful grace and expertise. Later, watched a squirrel burying a nut with his hands, digging and then replacing the soil and patting it down.

Posted by The Barrister in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 16:42 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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While making my rounds today, watched a master backhoe operator using that shovel as easily and delicately as his own hand. Just wonderful grace and expertise.

That reminds me of seeing a tool pusher on a well in Guatemala operating the brake to disassemble some of the drilling apparatus for repair work. He had a very fine touch in manipulating thousands of pounds of metal.

Another example of excellent command of a machine came from the driver of a moving van. He gave me a ride from Florida to NYC, provided that I help him move material out of the van. No problem. We found ourselves at a house in rural Pennsylvania with a narrow driveway up a hill. He backed that van bit by bit up the hill. I was impressed.

A cousin of mine is an artist, though she spends more time on her framing shop. A friend who is a backhoe operator told her she had what it takes to be a backhoe operator. Both artists and backhoe operators have better than average hand-eye coordination.

#1 Gringo on 2018-10-24 17:23 (Reply)

Ahhh, the fine art of moving large amounts of soil. It is an art form.

#2 faculty wife on 2018-10-24 18:19 (Reply)

My father was an artist with equipment. I think the most elegant choreography I've seen is him in the cab of a knuckle boom loader. It was also fun to watch him perform with a bulldozer. While not as immediately awesome, the artistry when he was in the sawyer's cage and cutting a log into its most useful pieces was awe-inspiring. It wasn't just eye-hand coordination, it was eye-hands/feet coordination informed by imagination of what that log might contain.

#3 Donna B. on 2018-10-24 20:46 (Reply)

And I watched a dog take a dump.
Such grace.

#4 Jake on 2018-10-24 21:49 (Reply)

AND, you are an A#S!

#4.1 faculty wife on 2018-10-24 22:52 (Reply)

My reaction, also.

#4.1.1 Gringo on 2018-10-24 22:54 (Reply)

A child could do this kind of thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHbE3w4GWCs

#5 Fred Z on 2018-10-25 11:30 (Reply)

I'm missing the connection here. I like watching squirrels burying their food, especially the patting down, too; but is there a connection with deft backhoe operators?

#6 Bob in Stafford on 2018-10-25 15:13 (Reply)

Watch a "good" bricklayer use his trowel.

#7 sennacherib on 2018-10-28 19:39 (Reply)

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Wednesday, October 24. 2018

Hands