Although the bulk of our work at Desert Crucible was casting bronze sculpture for other artists, we did experiment with potential saleable products of our own. At one point we were developing distinctive cabinet hardware with a Tohono O’odham motif. We had completed fewer than a dozen designs when we decided to photograph and advertise them in a local arts publication to see if we could generate any interest.
Tom and I were working together in the foundry one Saturday afternoon when a non-assuming, attractive young woman and her male companion came in. She was from out of town, had seen our ad, and was there to see the hardware. Actually I think she was there to first assure herself of the quality of the work, and having accomplished that to encourage us to expand the line by adding an Apache motif.
She was one of those “down home” types of people who are pleasant to be around. We gave her a tour of the foundry and just chatted with her about a number of things. At some point the conversation got around to music. We discussed a number of bands and musical artists and our various preferences. She asked if we were into country, and neither of us was.
When she left, Tom and I looked at each other and agreed that her visit had kind of made our day. It’s unfortunately not that often that you get to interact with people that are just …. nice.
Months later, I was listening to the radio when a song I particularly like came on and I turned up the volume. I realized that I knew the song and knew the artist’s voice, but I did not know the name of the artist. Her voice was familiar, not just from this song but from somewhere else as well. I googled the song “Help me make it through the night.”
A number of artists had recorded the song, but the rendition I liked was by Sammi Smith. And there she was on the album cover. Sammi, I regret that we did not recognize you when you visited Desert Crucible. All I can say now is that you added a couple of new fans to your fan base.
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