Lapham Rising (2009)
“The clouds gloom over in the preliminary stages of a rampart, and the day takes on the bleak appeal of a mule, part solemn, part mule. It is a hue I am generally fond of, but now I consider how the inevitable rainstorm may affect the operation of the Da Vinci. Yet it must have rained in the fourth century B.C. too, don’t you think? And it’s a stolid machine, much more substantial, more structurally austere, than I had ever imagined. When I seek to admire it, it looks away as if to say: You made me, now lay off.
In truth, I had no idea how big and heavy the parts would be, not that the bulk would have deterred me. Sir Ralph’s plans, which saw the Da Vinci as a toy involving a Ping-Pong ball, gave specifications in inches. I, possessing a different and grander vision, transposed Sir Ralph’s measurements into feet, including the ballistic calculations, which were originally drawn up in meters. The three FedEx packages contained everything from the hinged catch and the winding roller to t...he massive plates, all ten to twelve times the recommended size.MoreLess
In truth, I had no idea how big and heavy the parts would be, not that the bulk would have deterred me. Sir Ralph’s plans, which saw the Da Vinci as a toy involving a Ping-Pong ball, gave specifications in inches. I, possessing a different and grander vision, transposed Sir Ralph’s measurements into feet, including the ballistic calculations, which were originally drawn up in meters. The three FedEx packages contained everything from the hinged catch and the winding roller to t...he massive plates, all ten to twelve times the recommended size.MoreLess
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