I just returned from a trip to Loveland, Colorado to do finish work on the Home of the Innocents sculpture entitled "Metamorphosis". The blanket portion of the sculpture has a pattern of butterflies, front and back. The blanket could not be thick enough to pull a mold from both sides (it would end up weighing too much), so I had to go to the foundry and carve the individual butterflies into the back of the wax blanket.
Here are the waxes for the two sculptures at Art Castings of Colorado (great place, great people). I will
devote another post to just the foundry and some of what I saw there.
This is part of the "Metamorphosis" sculpture.
Sal, a wax technician at Art Castings, holds up the baby from "Acension" so I can be sure that everything looks right.
This is the blanket with all the butterflies that I carved directly into the wax. I had to make so many, many butterflies - I was seeing them in my sleep.
After I was done with the wax, I got to go up to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is only about 50 miles from Loveland.
This time of year, there are lots of babies. Here is a herd of elk with their calves.
This bull elk came right up next to the car, making it easy to get a good picture.
This is a variety of Orchid that is native to the region.
This was the highlight of the trip, being able to go across Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the United States. I'm on a path leading to the peak of Sundance mountain, which is over 12,400 feet above sea level. And yes, I got to the peak with a 360 degree view of the mountains, pretty cool.
As I was leaving, a thunderstorm came up and with it, a rainbow. A great ending to a great trip.
After we left the foundry on the first day, we decided to rent a car and drive up into Rocky Mountain National Park. We weren't even in the park yet, when we saw an Elk in the road.
The termperature in Aurora was in the 80s, in the park it was in the 60s, but as I progress up Trail Ridge Road and gain in elevation, I get into snow....
I pause to take photos of the snow in the pine trees.
I have gotten up above tree line here and the snow is pretty deep. Thought I'd take a photo with the car for scale...
I got as far up as Forest Canyon Overlook which is 11,716 high. This is the view down to the trees.
For me, this is just beautiful territory. There's just something about mountains.......
After the meeting was concluded I headed to the mountains, as I could hear them calling. My Journey took me north to Loveland and then west, my destination, Estes Park. I unfortunately took the first exit for Loveland (needed to take the second exit and take 34 into Estes Park)and so instead of a straight shot from Loveland to Estes Park, I met a series of Ts in which I had to make a decision, left or right. When the direction was either east or west the decision was fairly obvious, head towards the mountains. When the direction was north or south I was less certain, but figuring I was too far south, I chose North, and it somehow worked out. I would be hopelessly lost if I tried to find my way back that way. I was so happy when I finally saw the Estes Park mileage sign. Only 20 miles!
The twenty miles up to Estes Park winds through a canyon with a stream to one side.
This is one of the many photos I took on my way up to Estes Park. It seemed that around every turn, and there are lots of turns, there was some view that begged to be photographed. It made for a long, slow 20 miles. But as I was alone I didn't have to hear a lot of sighing from the other side of the car.
Don and I have stayed at the Discovery Lodge (formerly The Hobby Horse) when we have visited Estes Park in the past and I was hoping they would have a vacancy in one of the rooms that has a balcony - there are not many of these (only about 8). And yes! there's one available -only $50.00!
The view from my balcony. Out there, beyond that sign and the town of Estes Park is Rocky Mountain National Park. And I'm going there tomorrow morning! See ya in the next post....
