Temple Benches Installed

Be sure to check my new ebay listing item #290278931605 of the huge stone hand at Yew Dell Gardens!

Wednesday, November 19, I installed the 3 carved limestone benches that I've been working on for the last month. Meg was with me and she took all the pictures on this posting.



I used a Ryder 24 foot flat bed to deliver the pieces from the studio in Stephensport to the Temple on the east end of Louisville.

We stopped by Hager Funeral Home / Monument Company in Brandenburg and had Alvin Banks follow us up to the site. Alvin is operating their truck-mounted crane. This is the same outfit that helped me install my sculpture in Lafayette, Indiana in the previous month.

We used the monument truck to ferry each bench from the Ryder flat bed to the pads where they would be set. Dr. Wolf had already made arrangements for the site preparation.

We all have on our winter coats, because it was unseasonably cold - about 35 degrees.
(This photo was taken by Bert Wolf.)

We separated the tops from the bases, so that it was safer to handle. I'm setting the first base in this photo.

We set the 800 pound bases on boards, so that we could get the straps out. Well, then we had to get the boards out from under the bases. It was good to use a monument guy for this move. He's using a special pry bar with rollers on it, to safely set the piece. One of the tricks of the trade.

Next, we set the top onto the base.

This is the finished Fire Bench installed at the site. It's my favorite of the three.

Second Base! Dr. Wolf and his wife Bert were there for the entire installation.

Alvin and I are installing the top of the Water Bench. I'm trying to guide the top down onto the two stainless-steel pins that are in the top of the base. It's pretty tricky to hit two holes at the same time.

This tree will shade the Air Bench in the summer. But at this point, the branches are just something else that needs watching.

I put the top of the Air Bench on backwards, in the first try. Anything worth doing, is worth re-doing.

This is the finished Air Bench in its new home. This piece has holes through all four corners. There is four separate textures used in this piece: polished, bushed, fork chisel and rock pitch.

This is all three pieces installed. The Temple will be undergoing landscaping renovations soon. These three pieces will be integrated into the new landscaping design and moved into their final positions sometime in the near future. I'm very happy with the way that these benches came out. It was a fun project.