Carving the Grizzly and Ely SOLD!

This is the left side of the bear. I have been removing stone from the rear leg of the mother bear. Under the mother's foot you can see (if you really use your imagination) where the cub clinging to it's mothers leg will be.

A great deal of stone needs to come off around the bears back legs. The block is also too long and needs to be cut down. At the bottom of the stone, on the right, is a quarry dog hole, which will need to be cut out. These holes (there are two for every block) are made for quarry dogs, metal tong-like devices which are used to lift stone out of the hole. Cutting out the hole was awkward as the bear curves under and I needed take out just enough to get rid of the hole. I kept thinking I was done, but the hole was packed with gravel. It just went on and on. I finally got it, though.

I am using an angle-grinder with a diamond wheel to make cuts into the stone. I make a series of cuts (you can see these cuts under the wheel of the grinder) and then break them off with a hammer. Sometimes, I cut the sections off with the grinder by cutting across at a right angle.
I use a hammer to break off cuts of stone.

A little piece of stone (lower right) got in my eye while carving. I thought that I'd share this with you.

Great news! Ely sold at Yew Dell Gardens!

These are blackberries. I never realized that they had these coverings. I searched for what these coverings might be called, but had no luck. They look cool, though, like Sundew plants.