Today, it was finally time to begin sculpting the Avallena's hull. The bottom portion of the hull is upside down at the moment which makes it easier to sculpt. About two thirds of the planks were finished today. Tomorrow, the remainder of the "planks" will be troweled into place and then carved with a realistic woodgrain. It is very exciting to see this signature piece of the North Star suite come to life!
Many of the sculptures in the North Star's garden are rather large to say the least. Two of the largest are the elephant on the wall and the sleeping giant. It is going to be a magical garden!
There is definitely an elephant in the Imagination Corporation's shop of late - and it is larger than life! We are currently sculpting the 'cut stone' elephant head for the corner of the retaining wall for the Hazelnut Inn. To get a sense of scale, the head measures just over 12' tall. We had to build this JUMBO (pardon the pun) feature laying down in order to fit it out of the shop door when we are done. It will stay horizontal until it is lifted into place on the property next door in a few weeks. The Hazelnut Inn is definitely going to be hard to miss when you drive by!
We lugged the model outside last week (it is heavy!) and Becke snapped a few pictures. Here is a shot showing the inn as seen from the south east corner of the parking lot. As you can see, the Copper Crown suite features prominently from this side. A perfect getaway for any would be royal couple.
As we patiently wait for final official permissions to proceed with the construction of Hazelnut Inn we are hard at work around the edges of the project. The septic field is now installed and the final grading of the backyard is complete. Just before quitting time today we began the planting of the seed for the 8,000 square foot backyard lawn. Very soon this area will be a lush green lawn. This will be the private area of Peter & Hailey’s residence. The picture below is taken from my studio’s windows where I will be able to watch my grandchildren play as I work. It is going to be wonderful having all my family so close!
The Legend...
Temperance Longbottom was a formidable woman!
According to local folklore, she was raised by her father, John Middling. Little is know of her mother, barring a story that she had disappeared into thin air leaving only an old shoe behind. By all accounts a happy child, Temperance showed an exceptional aptitude for both horticulture and cryptozoology. The North Star's garden still provides ample evidence of these twin passions.
Upon reaching her majority, Ms. Longbottom took her mother's maiden name and set off to make her fortune. Tales abound of her explorations and adventures. Eventually she became captain of a privateer ship, the Avellana. After a particularly daring adventure chasing down a small fleet of bloodthirsty pirates, Temperance found herself in possession of a rather large collection of relics from the far corners of the earth. Apparently, Temperance claimed that much of this collection was magical in nature — though she claimed not to be able to use any of it herself. She was determined to return these curiosities to their proper homes and set out on a series of fantastical voyages to do just that. There are even tales of an ill-fated visit to the lost city of Atlantis! No one knows what happened to Temperance, or exactly how the stern of the Avellana became lodged in the side of her house — according to one story it literally flew (as if by magic) into the North Star's tower! However, the North Star and its grounds are littered with ancient statues and arcane paraphernalia — remnants of her collection.
Many long years later, our family acquired Temperance's ramshackle house and (after substantial renovations) opened it up as a guest house for travellers and passers-by.
The Truth...
The North Star Suite will be our first room to open for bookings and we can hardly wait!
