We are restoring the remnants of a 1921 chimney and fireplace here in Los Angeles, near Larchmont.

The process is opposite of virtual — real bricks and mortar, hard-working skilled craftsmen and their hard-earned labor. We are looking at one of the most ancient workings of man — building a chimney to contain fire; restoring a hearth to its rightful place as the heart of a home.

No short-cuts, no plastic, no Blackberrys, and no one Twitters. It is the skilled labor of the human being inhabiting body and mind.

(Photo: Bill Linsman)