Lawrence County Gem and Mineral Show

The weather has continued to be unseasonably cool, and our work has proceeded at a brisk pace.

 This is a side-by-side comparison of the change in 2 weeks with my 6' high 7,500 lb. stone sculpture "Ecliptic".

 Meg and I took Friday off to go to the Gem and Mineral Show in Bedford, IN.  There are quite a few Amish in that region, so you have to drive carefully.  (Actually, we bought vegetables from an Amish fellow on the way home).

 The show had moved this year from Bloomington to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds.  It's now in an air-conditioned building - a vast improvement from my perspective.

 I bought several specimens for my collection, including these delicate blue needle crystals of Cyanotrichite (a copper mineral).

 Usually, I buy rocks that weigh several tons when I go to Bedford (at least I saved on crane fees).

 Our real find was Sue's Thai Kitchen, just south of the Salem, IN courthouse.

 Meg had green curry, but I tried something different: Larb.  It's heavily spiced beef over rice, including lots of fresh mint and cilantro plus sides of fresh cabbage, cucumber and broccoli.  The real secret is the stuff in the small jars.  The vinaigrette sauce adds incredible flavor, but be careful with her home-grown dried pepper blend (the heat just keeps on coming!)  Be sure to try the Thai Tea.

 After eating, we checked out the classic cars that had gathered around the courthouse.

 It gave us an excuse to get a close look at the ornately carved stone façade of the courthouse.  From the courthouse steps, we had a good view of this complex war memorial.  The pyramid-shaped kiosk explained the symbolism in this installation.  (Now...someone explain the symbolism behind the pyramid-shaped sign...)

A "Walt Disney moment" looking out the dining room window: a possum, a rabbit, a mother raccoon and 2 of her babies, a doe and a yearling buck in velvet.

Berea Bench Installation and Indian Fort Exploration

Friday, I was scheduled to deliver and install a bench that had been sold from the garden shop at Yew Dell Gardens to a couple who lived in Berea.

 The bench was chosen as a memorial for the wife's mother - to be sited in their private garden.  I was honored that they chose my work for this purpose.

 This is a top view of the bench that is titled "Pathways" and is carved from Indiana Limestone.  It has stippled textures on the 'pathways' which are in complement to the polished outer forms.

 After the installation, we went to the Indian Fort Amphitheatre which is the location of an annual art fair. (I was a participating artist in 1990 - seems like another life-time ago....)  A trail leads up from the Amphitheatre to "Indian Fort".  I'm sure that the Hopewell culture used the site (as the sign suggests), but that's only a small part of the story behind this place...I was drawn to this location because of a recent obsession with hilltop fortifications that have (or had) dry-laid stone walls.  Indians in this region didn't use dry-laid stone construction techniques.  So, who else lived up here?

 It's a beautiful wooded area to explore.  I love this image that Meg took of this Puffball nestled in Lichen and ferns.

 After a steep, uphill trek, you'll come to this breath-taking vista.

 You have to watch your step up there.

 We found that we could climb down one of those crevasses.  Meg took off her sandals, and trusted in her bare feet for the climb down.

 Some of the sandstone cliffs have these pure, white quartz pebbles imbedded throughout.

 There are also weird, eroded shapes to be found.

 It's easy to let your imagination run wild...

 We'd heard that there were "tunnels" as part of the fortification's features.  (we didn't find anything manmade, though)

 We eventually made our way around the base of the cliff to a big rock shelter that has a natural chimney in the ceiling.

There's lots to check out - I totally recommend a day trip to Indian Fort in Berea.  I know that I'll be back...

Return To The Ecliptic

Temperatures have taken an unexpected and pleasant turn from heat indexes of 103 and 106 to highs in the 70's and low 80's.  This is not typical for Kentucky in late July...but, I'm not complaining.

 This is the image that I last posted of the pre-form for the left arm of Meg's "Discovery" commission.

 She took it over and made GREAT progress during this cool weather.

 That pretty much "opened the door" for me to return to my own work.

 Earlier in the year, (when we had a crane out for Meg's commission) I'd stood up the block for my sculpture "Ecliptic".  I haven't worked on this piece since December.

 I went at it with a vengeance!

 This is an alternate view of the piece before I resumed work...

...and here you can see that I'm using a plywood template to create the largest sphere in the sculpture.  Temperatures are forecast to stay moderate and comfortable - we both plan to make the most of it!

Arms Race

Meg and I have been working on her "Discovery" commission at a furious pace

 This is how the right arm looked in the last image that I've posted.

 Meg switched over from working on the head to form up the hand.

 This is the back side....

 ...and this is the view of the progress on the hand (as seen from above).

 The left arm still looked like a quarry block, so I switched over to it when Meg took over the right arm.

 It's July...and hot!  We hung sun tarps to give us some shade.

 This was the view of the front of the left arm before I started...

 ...and this is the preform, as it looks today, waiting for Meg to carve the hand.  (at least, I knocked the grass back...)

 Sweat Angel.  With heat indexes hitting 103 to 106 all week, I'd go inside and let the cool concrete pull the heat out of my body. ( Yes, I know...that's just plain gross).

...and speaking of Sweet Angels...when I do the books (at least once a month), the first thing that I like to do is gather and arrange the receipts in order....

Maquoketa Caves State Park

By now, you might have seen a pattern...I like to go exploring when I visit new places.  As I traveled north up state highway 61 to Dubuque, I caught a glimpse of a sign that said "Maquoketa Caves State Park"; I had to check it out.

 After getting a talk about White Nose Syndrome, a map and permit from a park employee, I headed across the road from the parking lot and down these stairs.

 There are basically 2 trail loops: one is off to the left through this natural arch.

 The other trail loop is through this cave.

 They have electric lights and a concrete walk, so that you're not walking through Raccoon Creek.

 This is called "Dance Hall Cave", and they used to hold dances here.  I guess it was the place to be on a hot summer day.

 There are paths and walkways going in a number of directions.

 It's hard to make a choice where to start.

 My choice led me next to Rainy Day Cave.

 ...and the path leads ever on ...

 ...and on.

 Balancing Rock.

 ...and back through Dance Hall Cave to go check out the other loop.  (I'm leaving out pictures of several caves like Shin Bone and Barbell.  I'll leave plenty for you to discover for yourself someday.)

Naturally, this area was used extensively by Indians; Twin Arches Cave would be my choice to live in.  What a magical place for kids to grow up in - caves, creeks and rocks to climb everywhere!

 This group of teenagers have flashlights and hardhats for crawling into some of the caves, like Dug Out Cave here.  I didn't bring a flashlight and old clothes, but I had plenty to see without going to that extra effort.

This is the view from inside Wide Mouth Cave.  The map lists 16 separate caves spread through a beautiful and lush landscape. Maquoketa Caves State Park was a great experience - I definitely recommend the side trip on your way to Dubuque.