Moving Heavy Things on a Hot Day

July 21, 2017 I asked Dereck Sheroan from JBB Inc. of Hardinsburg, KY to bring their 23 ton crane out to move some heavy stones and sculptures.

 We started the morning with my sculpture "Ecliptic".
Meg caught 67 seconds of this on video and I posted it on Youtube
https://youtu.be/Q0rc963Yhws

 It was loaded up onto the back of the crane truck and moved out into the sculpture garden.

 We set it on top of a cubic meter block of Spanish Dendritic Marble.  It was a PERFECT fit.  The cube complements the large sphere in the composition.  I'm real happy with this combination.
Here's 46 seconds of this...
https://youtu.be/THgeOvnKWrU

 Next, we moved the 8' tall "Harmony" sculpture out into the sculpture garden.

 The main purpose for calling the crane out was to move a 4,000 lb. piece in order to finish my functional sculpture "Daydreamer".  I had made (what will be) the bottom flat so that it could be set upright while I had the crane.  Like a chess game, you have to think a couple moves ahead.
...and here's 29 seconds of this part...
https://youtu.be/IN1_hevDpbQ

 I had also drilled and split a 7,000 lb. piece from another 10,000 lb. block of Indiana Limestone.  This will be another functional Sculpture entitled "Magic Carpet Bench".  I moved it to an area that remains shaded by the building until about 1 p.m.

The last thing to do before lunch was to get an accurate weight for a functional sculpture entitled "Get Moving".  This is the back view.  When this picture was taken the heat index was 102 degrees.
Here's 80 seconds of this - (you can tell that I've had just about enough...)
https://youtu.be/ewIzeCeJRIg
After lunch, when we unloaded the 2 pieces of Meg's on the back of the truck, the heat index was 116 degrees - we called it a day at that point.  I saw a heat index of 121 degrees on the weather channel a couple hours later - but, by that time, I was sitting in front of an air conditioner.

The Calm Before the Storm

I know that August will be hectic, so I'm enjoying the "Summer Routine" while it lasts. 

 

 This is the progress on my Daydreamer Bench - it's in the home stretch.  I've been starting work by 8:00 a.m. to beat the heat and work on the piece while it's still in the shade of the building.

 This is the other side.  I've got to hire a crane to move the 4,000 lb. waste block so that I can carve behind the head.

The first fawn of the year is making a regular appearance with the rest of the herd.  I'm sure there'll be more coming out of hiding in the next few days.

"Daydreamer" Functional Sculpture

I'm continuing detail work on the Buffalo commission.  But, it's fast coming to completion and I'm "living with it" to make sure what it might need - if anything... .

 Meanwhile, I've began a new project - to give the old project some time for perspective.  This new project is called "Daydreamer" and it shows someone floating on a cushion of clouds.

 It fit perfect into the first 6 feet of this 10' block of Indiana Limestone.  I split off the 4 extra feet for another project.

 This is the progress after a couple weeks...

 ... and a view of the other side.

 On a personal note, I went to a Rock and Mineral Show in Bedford, IN last weekend.  This piece of Halite from Searles Lake, CA is my favorite acquisition.

The new specimens for my rock collection (such as this Wavellite from Maudlin Mt. in Arkansas) are cool....

but, depending on who you ask, the box they came in is even cooler.