Grampa's finest and favorite shirt.

I'm so very hard on work clothes Janis has taken to buying them at a thrift store. When I get them full of paint and cement it is no big deal. There are lots more where they came from.

Last week Phoebe (my six year old grand daughter) was helping me in my studio, She noticed my 'new' blue work shirt and thought it rather plain. She asked me if she could decorate it as a present for me. I of course said YES! She fetched a good supply of my felt markers and proceeded to draw the VERY BEST drawing she had ever done, by her own admission. It kept her busy for quite some time. She did the drawing while I sat in my chair trying my best to do some work of my own.

As she worked she kept up a steady monologue, as six year olds are apt to do, describing in detail what she was drawing, the habits of dinosaurs and anything else that came to mind. She was proud of her drawing and so was I. She asked me if I was going to wear it to work the next day. I explained that it was in fact dirty, for I had already been wearing it all day. But I assured her grandma would wash it carefully and I would wear it the first possible chance I could.

Last night after I had showered and changed I saw Phoebe. I told her I had on my favorite shirt and would wear it to work the next day. She beamed proudly and admired her work once more. It had not faded in the wash. I promised to show everyone at work just how beautiful my shirt was. She gave me a big hug and danced out the door. I did too, wearing my colorful shirt of course. 

Sure enough, I was the envy of everyone who saw it.

-grampa dan

Matching the picture in my head

Many weeks ago I talked with the owners of our latest project. I listened carefully to what they said, trying to ascertain what they liked and wanted in their new place. I also watched as they toured some of my projects and studio, taking note of what caught their eye. Then we toured their project, still in two by fours and vey much in construction. My job was to come up with a vision, a design to fulfill their needs and wants. In the process I hoped to satisfy my need to be creative. The designs, drawn in less than a week hit the bullseye. They were artistic conceptions, drawn quickly, with the limited knowledge of the site and what was to come.

Then construction began and these somewhat fuzzy ideas began to come to life. The realities of pipes, chimneys, wiring, physical limitations of space and a host of other concerns quickly came to light. There was lots of give and take, meetings with the contractor, trades and owners to sort out priorities, options and other things. Colors needed to be matched to floor samples and existing wall and trim colors in the old pub. We keyed up with the electrician to place specific lighting. Budgets always come into play as some options, while beautiful, are not necessarily a practical choice or viable option. Then there are the late coming ideas, that can add to the features or sometimes change things dramatically. The challenge is to stay aimed in the same general direction as the original vision through it all and hopefully make it even better!

Everything is constantly questioned and adjusted as we go with the final result not known for certain until the final brush strokes of paint are applied. Today, the bulk of the fireplace project was completed, save for some small touchups and the fox in the hole in the tree on the left. It awaits final approval from the owners of course.

Everyone who came in today was blown away by the striking colors. The fireplace had suddenly come alive!

And yes, it does match and in fact exceeds the original vision that lived in my head.

-grampa dan

Moving a polar bear - the easy way.

Moving a polar bear is always tricky - especially when they are full grown. Just where to you hook them up to lift them?

The answer is that it has to be planned from the very start. We built this particular nine foot long polar bear a few years ago. A lifting attachment point was built into his back. Of the many, many pieces we built through the years we had to drop one and this was it. In my haste to get it on our trailer the first time I didn't properly hook up the lifting chain. He fell from about three feet. All four of his legs were broken. The good news is he was easily repaired and I delivered the sign a few days late looking like nothing had ever happened. 

This time around the owner wanted to make sure everything went off without a hitch. So did I. The bear was moving about three blocks. He hired a crane truck with a low bed as he was very tall. I got the call to hook him up and see it went smoothly. I brought a shiny new eyebolt to thread into the attachment. I was taking no chances this time for I had learned my lesson. Thee threads on the attachment pint were pretty rusty and corroded but with a little coaxing I managed to screw in a chaser die to clean things out. Then came the fresh new eyebolt. 

The crane operator was smooth and experienced. There was no showing off. He inched it over to the truck, keeping it low to the ground - just in case. Then he lifted it onto the lowbed and we cinched it down for the short ride. 

 Anytime we move one of our creations it is an instant parade. The bear stopped traffic and brought everyone to the store windows as we passed.

The move went off without a hitch. At the new site I climbed back up on the bear, unhooked the chain and then unscrewed the eye bolt once more. The bear was in his new home without a scratch!

The address on the ice burg is now incorrect so I'll be building a new small ice burg that has 'calved' off the front. It will bear the new street number. The owner has promised some fancy landscaping around the base.         

He looks happy in his new home.

-grampa dan