Quality Control

Last year Martin installed new cabinets in the cabin at Lake Pillsbury.  He spent all weekend making sure they were perfect: leveling each one off, realigning the countertops and securing everything into place. Not quite sure how to contribute, my parents and I sat across the room drinking beers and providing the overall supervision of his work.  Call it quality control.  We helped inform Martin when things looked off center or uneven and provided general commentary on his carpentry skills.  Between the heat of the summer, heavy lifting and lack of any real help, I am sure he was fully amused.  And in hindsight, I shouldn´t be too upset about his quality control of my paintingskills in San Francisco.

This past weekend, Martin once again found himself under the scrutiny of Gimbel family “supervision.”  In an effort to reconstruct our outdoor kitchen at the Lake (after a tree took out our previous one), my dad had built two 2 x 5 counters that would be tiled and used as prep and serving stations.  With little tiling experience, my dad asked Martin to help.  The request involved my dad doing the work with Martin there to provide his expertise.  In reality, Martin expertly tiled the two countertops, with my dad (and entire Gimbel family) providing the support.  My parents and I once again stood around watching and commenting while Martin did everything. …I really have found one of the most talented and patient men in the world!