Seedling to be installed in Robert T. Webb Sculpture Garden

The weather has been abysmal for weeks now.  Spring is late in coming this year...and snow is expected tonight.

 The greatest news is the impending acquisition of the monumental Georgia Pink Marble sculpture "Seedling" to be installed in the Robert T. Webb sculpture garden in  Dalton, Georgia.

I'm also happy to announce that the "River Boat Bench" will be featured in the "Art on the River" Temporary Public Art show in Dubuque, Iowa.

The small limestone sculpture "Thank You" was acquired while in the ReVision art show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Recently, a crane lifted the sculpture-in-progress "Ecliptic" upright.

I wanted to make "Honorable Mention" of some recent purchases.  This is a 10 guage 100 foot extension cord by Yellow Jacket (bought from Amazon.com).  While it's an expensive investment, it supplies adequate amperage to large tools, like grinders and drills.  So many tools in the past have armatures burned up from using regular 100 foot extension cords (which are usually made with the lighter 14 guage wire).

I am VERY happy with the Howard Leight "Sync" headphones and the Sansa "SanDisk" Mp3 player (also from Amazon).  The headphones block out the sound of the tools, and the music gets me into 'the zone' quicker, and keeps me working longer.  I drilled a small hole in an Altoids box, fit the cord through it and filled the hole with a small amount of silicone to keep the dust away from the player.  The altoids box fits in my pocket, I slide the cord up through my shirt and plug it back into the headphones.

I end this week's post with the comparison of the "Medicine Wheel" earthworks in Kentucky (across the river from Portsmouth, OH) with the diagram on Quantum Atom Theory.  I'm not suggesting that there is any connection; it's just for your entertainment.  No one knows the purpose of the earthworks - it wasn't used for burials, fortification or habitation.  Yet, it was certainly intended to be viewed from high above, like our modern 'crop circles'.

Raven Rock

While in Portsmouth, Ohio recently, I was told about a cool place called Raven Rock.

Take 53 west of town and look for this sign directly across the road from Riverside Park.  You'll notice a white church on the right (north) side - same side of the road with the trail.  There's also a school just past the park on the south side of the road.

After a steep climb, I saw what I thought was the rock that "looked like a Raven with swept back wings".

When I got on top of that, I could see further up the ridge.  Behind those branches is the actual Raven Rock - way up there on top of the hill.

 
When you finally make the steep climb, you are about 500 feet above the Ohio River.  These are the bridges into Portsmouth which is upstream from the rock.
 
This is a small natural arch to the right of the rock.
 
In the foreground of this picture, you can see a sign that explains how the indians used this vantage point to scout out settlers coming down the river.  They would send out raiding parties from the Scioto River.  It's quite a view and worth the effort.

Murals of Portsmouth, Ohio

I recently had the chance to see the murals in Portsmouth, Ohio. They are painted along the flood walls down by the Ohio River. They are about 20 feet high and a half mile long...and quite impressive!
 

Starting at the up-river end, they show scenes from the first human inhabitants, up through time to the modern age. I was instantly knocked off-center by this rendition that shows a complex earthworks that leads across the Ohio River to a concentric circular earthworks on the Kentucky side.

This overview shows the complex. My inquiries uncovered the fact that most of this incredible site no longer exists. Only one of the smaller horseshoe-shaped mounds is intact in a Portsmouth park. The concentric mounds in Kentucky have been all but completely obliterated by years of plowing over the top of them. This should be a world heritage site; it needs to be reconstructed and saved for future generations.

The rest of the murals were also educational.

 

They showed every aspect of the area.

 

It gave a glimpse into the city's past.

 

It showed the importance of early industries.

 

I'm only showing a tiny portion.

 

There is more to Portsmouth and the area than meets the eye.

If you get a chance, check out the murals. I definitely recommend it.