Proverbial Monkies

You may remember I had a tree die last year.  I vowed to honor that tree because it was my favorite on the property.  After much thought, I decided an old proverb would be suitable for the 110+ year old oak.  In spirit of my decision, I kept the outcome a secret from the neighbors.  I even told the carver not to say anything to them if they ask.  It was quite the talk of the street.

In the Chinese Zodiac, I'm the sign of the Monkey.  It's in my nature to be a little mischievous.

I left about 12 feet of tree left for carving.  Much of it had to be removed to create the sculpture.  You start to see the figures take shape.

Say hello to my monkey trio - Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru.  You'll notice there's a crack forming.  My thought was it should be on the other side and it would fit in better.  Nature doesn't always do what we want.  Monkey crack - there I said it!

I made the call to go ahead with the finishing and staining.  We'll revisit and see about fixing the crack once the tree has fully dried.  By the way, the dark coloring on the base came from nails in the trunk.

I'm loving it and so are the neighbors.  People stop on the road to look and take pictures.  The kids on the school bus get very excited when driving by.  I think I made the right choice.  The 10 foot tall naked woman might not have gone over as well.  Not to worry, I have other trees...