Friday, October 30, 2009

Meet Rex

I've always wanted my very own gargoyle. My alma mater, the University of Chicago, was positively crawling with them. And besides, what yard couldn't use a good concrete grotesque?

After looking on and off for the right one (and the right price!) I got not just one, but two for my birthday!

My parents happened to drive past a place in Indiana that sells unfinished concrete yard art. In August, we road tripped there with high expectations. And came home with a pair of grotesques.

Since they're unfinished, the prices were much more reasonable. The work itself was pretty easy. I just needed to sand them down a bit, fill in the seams with a bit of concrete (the woman running the store? No, that's not the right word – yard? Truckstop? - even gave me a dixie cup full of the powder to mix up), sand again, and then apply a sealant. The biggest time suck was waiting for the sealant to dry.

And now I've got a gargoyle, at last.

The place also had an awesome fountain with a real (live?) gargoyle, perched on a little tower, spouting water. But really, where would I put it?

Maybe once I get around to rebuillding the garage and enlarging the backyard, I can create a little area in the backyard.

But yes, I am now one of those people with yard art.

Don named the smaller, sadder looking one "Pokey." He reminds me of Gollum.