Earlier this month, my wife and I attended an outdoor auction of possessions of an artist who was moving to a smaller home. One of the auctioneer's farm wagons was mounded with piles of the artist's unsold oils, watercolors and sketches. About mid afternoon, a ring man hoisted a framed oil of a water hand pump popping up in the middle of a farm field of wheat-a pump similar to the one pictured in this blog. It was well done and rather autumnal, matching the sunny cool of our actual day.
The auctioneer vigorously chanted, seemingly at a thousand words a minute. But to my utter surprise, there was no bidding interest in the painting. Since then, I have been wondering why. Perhaps for the younger bidders pressing against the wagon, the painting had no significance for their reality. On the other hand, for the older bidders gawking over the younger ones, perhaps such nostalgia may not have been a positive memory. And perhaps for most bidders, who no doubt receive water from faucets, a hand pump--who cares?
However, in the water and wastewater industry, particularly, for litigation, a picture may well be worth a thousand words or even more. Whenever a client has asked me to assist with an issue involving its facilities, I always have made it a point to view and understand the plant and operations involved. Whether one is a lawyer, engineer, consultant or even an accountant, seeing the plant components involved in an issue can result in enhanced comprehension and development of solutions. Of course, early in my career, I learned never to wear a wool suit when visiting a wastewater treatment plant.
Oh yes, I did not bid on the hand pump painting either--because I already have a similar one hanging on my office wall!
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