The weather has been mild here in the San Francisco Bay Area and so I’ve been spending a lot of time rolling big rocks around what had been a hillside covered with a particularly hideous ground cover. These rocks weigh between fifty and sixty pounds so … I’m kind of an idiot, aren’t I?
One of my first sculptures and not a natural stone!
When my back gives out, I work on the re-writes of my second book now titled The Sloppy American. I think it’s done. Or more to the point, if I keep working on it I will done. Spent and completely mad. Over fifty years have passed since I went on the adventure that spawned the book. Europe was such a different place back then. WWII was still so fresh in so many people’s minds which I, of course, didn’t understand. Love was going to save the world and the Nazis had been driven underground and would never rise again. Ha!
I’m going to try to digitize the story which requires figuring out how to use a new software program. Ha! I’d be better off rolling rocks around the garden.
Saying nothing in particular 
I use Microsoft One Note as my Optical Character Recognition software, which works good for a few paragraphs, but you might want something else to capture the text of a whole book.
I’m thinking more along the line of a youtube thingie – featuring the popular songs, foods and movies of that time – particularly in Europe.
I like that sculpture. The guy looks like he’s about to say words of wisdom.
As I remember the model was a young guy who was fairly new to modeling and a bit nervous! That was one of my mother’s favorites of my sculptures – not sure why.
Rolling boulders around is a work out. Love the head. Will there be greenery around him or is that a forever bare patch?
I hope so – I’m also trying to get rid of the ground cover that was there – very tenacious stuff. I’m hoping we get more rain – once the hill is dry that stuff is harder to get out than rolling the rocks around. Also we’re still in the frost season – so I can’t really plant.
Well that’s two huge projects…moving rocks and the book…. Both very satisfying though.
That sculpture is brilliant have you done more…referring to it as an earlier one suggests you have . Such a lovely face.
take care my lovely . 💜💜💜
Obviously at my age I can’t be rolling rocks around for too long and so I’m trying to balance the two activities.
very sensible after last year’s injuries… There is brave and daft glad you are sensible 💜💜
I meant to say love that passport photo so groovy 💜💜
That was a long time ago back when I was a natural blonde! My recent pp picture would scare the hair off a bear.
Thats true if us all these days 💜💜😊
I love reading your blog and stories, so please continue, but lifting rocks, isnt that used as a punishment in prisons, etc?
Thanks – I’ve never been in prison but here in CA they work on the wildfires. I think I’d rather move stones.
I love the sculpture, it’s lovely! You have a gift for sure. I hope you will have before and after pictures of your rock garden.
Thanks! That head weighs close to fifty pounds and they are even heavier when the clay is wet! So my wrists are no longer up to the challenge of sculpting.
How cool that you’ve finished not one, but two books! Love the photo, too. Europe – and travel – have changed a lot even in the past 30 years that I’ve been doing it.
They really have – I had to keep in mind as I was editing just how different things were. I was in France when DeGaulle died and the country virtually shut down! No phone service, very few trains, etc. The pp picture was taken just after I had to take several shots (you used to have to travel with an immunization records) and I was feeling whoozey. I hate shots!
Hi JT, I’m nuts for rocks. When we bought our home 32 years ago, there was only one rock on the property, a scraggly cube 15″ x15″ x 12″. I scouted construction sites for hefty and unique specimens, love the water-marked ones, and have erected 9 cairns and created many small rock environs. A crew excavating our road a while back uncovered 4 boulders which for a case of beer (crew was on a town contract) got placed on my property and now are quiet sentinels guarding the perennials and shrubs.
My ‘rock of ages’ is a rockery built by a father and son 1860-80 that measures 120’L x 60’W X 10′ H and has boulders weighing up to 3 tons. I am the warden for the site called Turtle Mound (a.k.a. Follansbee rockery). The duo used only a capstan and inclined plane to build it, and the structure served as a major attraction to their nursery business.
The rockery was built on top of an Algonquin turtle effigy. The site was excavated in 1951 and a burial including a javelin was found in the NW grotto. (There are 2 grottos, 2 alcoves, and a 15′ long tunnel built into the structure.) Follansbee had an extensive collection of Native American ancient artifacts indicating use of the site going back some 2000 years.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world, Bila
PS: I was with Duke in El Salvador with the Peace Corps.
Duke sent me pictures of the rockery and it is work of art. I’m just hoping for a little interest in what is a fairly drab hill. I have been pulling a lot of interesting rocks out of the hill (which is clay soil – very dense and like concrete when dry. I believe the rocks are metamorphic so all sorts of interesting patterns) The guys who built that retaining wall were always leaving piles of the “smooth rock” for me although they probably thought I was quite mad.
Grave errores can be rectified. It’s a ghostly mystery you must solve from the deep end. Duke
Maybe with the help of a few deep sea diving ghosts?
I’d be better off rolling rocks around the garden.
I know this feeling. Good luck with your techie story-making project. I admire your gumption. 🫡
Compliments on the sculpture, though I do recommend to be careful of your back…
Great picture.
And yes ‘Love was going to save the world and Hitler would never resurrect.
You are a Rock’n’Roll writer and artist Jan.
I mean that a respectful way, from any viewpoint.
Be well!
It’s raining now so my poor old back is getting a break! I would love to sculpt in marble but my right hand is shot.
That’s unfortunate. You are obviously loaded with talent!
That applies to other things you do, too.
The artist is born…because the world is not perfect.
I’m actually running out of rocks … so I have to go get some more!