There is obviously something very essential, honorable and beautiful about labor, as the worker is the engine of any enterprise. Our society flourishes and prospers from the efforts of many. They may work in the service industry, hospitality, teachers, nurses, taking care of the home, musicians, artists, craftsman, farmers or in manufacturing. They may work in your favorite restaurant or at the market where you buy groceries. My photo blog is in appreciation of these people and what they do.

I remember the chatter and morning activity at this market in Ubud, Bali. They grew it on the land and then brought it to market to sell.

One of the very hardest workers in my world is my wife Marla. She definitely inherited her father’s work ethic. She is a 24/7 person whether working in her business or at home. I remember once going to a Bronco game and watched her working with a pile of paperwork. I said, “What are you doing?” She said “I have have work to do and I have to make good use of my time!”I am in constant awe of her!

Enterprise takes so many forms. This woman sells feather dusters from her bicycle in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

This was a terribly steamy and hot factory outside of Kerobokan, Bali which sold petrified wood products. I was amazed at workers lifting petrified wood weighing hundreds of pounds. The craftsperson behind me is working on a dining table made from pieces of polished petrified wood.

Even after 23 visits to Bali I am still in awe of the artistic craftsmanship found in many villages. This is a decorative panel being carved in Mas, Bali.

These three industrious women are dear to my heart. My Mom worked full time when my father had a heart attack. She worked on her feet in a drugstore for 24 years. Lisa on the left is high level financial recruiter, and Stacy in the middle, an amazing entrepreneur, is close to launching an incredible lifestyle interactive website. They are Moms and amazing workers!

I love this proud smile of a worker sanding a teak root table in Mas, Bali.

Marla’s Mother, Joline, was without a doubt, the most difficult & unique boss I ever had! She was totally driven, smart, and often wrote her own rulebook for business. I learned about the decorative fabric business from her.

An expert rug weaver in Jaipur, India. Many members of the family take turns weaving.

Have you ever watched behind the scenes in a restaurant? I once was a dishwasher during a summer vacation and saw first hand how difficult the job of a chef is! This is at my favorite breakfast spot in Maui, “808 Grindz Cafe.”

A marketplace in a small village outside of Tanggayuda, Bali.

Work is well…work, and people must do what they must do to help their families, but this is crazy!

A woman tends a small meat market in Bago, Myanmar.

This is an image of my uncle who owned a service station in Lafayette, California. I marveled how he could fix almost anything! One of my early jobs was pumping gas at his gas station.

Marla talks to workers at one of our teak suppliers in Bali. They were great craftsmen!

An entrepreneurial seamstress set up shop in the open at a market in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. Notice his sewing machine is foot powered.

A man works on his pedicab by the Mekong river in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Craftswomen share a laugh while working on Monkey Wood furniture in the Hang Dong area outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

I love the earnestness of the chefs and waiters at a restaurant near Hangzhou, China. One of our textile suppliers took us there for lunch, and we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Furniture makers in Rabat, Morocco.

Our past buying trips were often exhausting, hot and humid affairs. Marla never once complained about being tired and wanting to go back to the hotel for a swim! She improvised her own AC by pouring bottles of water over her head! She always said, “Let’s visit one more place.”

A traveling barber inside a Hutong in Beijing, China, shows the mirror to a client.

An artist puts finishing touches on a “Ogoh ogoh” sculpture in preparation for the Balinese New Year.

The smiling face of a fruit carver in Nusa Dua, Bali.

I used this image in a blog years ago, but I wanted to show it again! It epitomizes labor and cooperation. Young wood carvers lift an amazingly heavy teak log into the factory for repurposing at a wood carving factory in Mas, Bali.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.