Awake: 6:20am Temp 45 sleep 6+52 light rain overnight @
Indiana, PA.
Today we travel, but 1st its pack our suitcases, organize our hanging
clothes & miscellaneous other bags. I get the luggage cart from
downstairs; make 2 trips to the Suzuki before checking out with Patty &
saying our goodbyes to her & the 2 room cleaners. Our 18 day stay at this
Super 8 Motel & its location worked great for us; having the Wal-Mart
nearby & Martin’s grocery store along the way to the Foote mansion made
our nearly daily trips most convenient. We may do this again next yr.
After a quick stop @ Martin’s for milk, we leave the town of Indiana @
about 9:40am driving eastbound on Route 422 to Ebensburg; Route 22 to
Altoona; I-99 to Bedford; I-76 to Harrisburg; then Lady Garmin took us on
a number of country roads too numerous to mention & we magically arrived @
Gary & Grace’s place in Kemmelsville, PA @ 3:30pm.
As soon as we drove in, Gary opened the door of his workshop & greeted us
with an invitation: “If you’re not tired of traveling, how would you like
to see the almost completed sculpture of the Madonna @ the Charles Parks
working Studio & Gallery in Wilmington, Delaware 40 min away?” “Lets go”
we tell him. “We have to hurry, because they close @ 5:00pm” he says. Then
he calls his wife, Grace, and tells her to call the studio to let them
know we are on our way.
This Madonna will be the 3rd one constructed since 1982. Made entirely of
stainless steel strips, it will stand about 34 feet tall, not including
the 5 ft concrete pedestal & weigh around 8800 lbs when finished. We meet
Grace @ the studio, talk with the secretary of the Gallery & walk
downstairs to the working studio. Here we see only the magnificent head of
the Madonna; so huge with penetrating eyes. I take pictures. Right now,
the Madonna is in 3 sections with the other 2 sections @ Bruce Industrial,
Gary & Grace’s place of business.
Next, in 2 vehicles, we meet @ the Bruce Industrial building; they open
doors, turn on lights & we view the mid section of the Madonna being
stabilized by the overhead crane in this large building. Gary directs
Grace in running the crane to reposition this section so I can get better
photo shots; more pictures & some with Kathy & Grace standing next to the
large hands and torso illustrating their enormous size.
Just around the corner is the 3rd section & base of this Madonna. Soon,
all 3 sections will be welded together here in this shop; then the Madonna
will be fitted into a cradle, moved to its final resting place on the
grounds of Holy Spirit Catholic Church here in New Castle, DE & be
dedicated as “Our Lady Queen of Peace.” She will stand on a hill
overlooking the Delaware Memorial Bridge and Rt 295. The final welding of
three sections & moving the sculpture will be done by Bruce Industrial.
Gary & Grace’s company makes little profit from this as they are dedicated
to giving a number of institutions helping hands.
Then its dinner time @ the Lone Star Steak House in New Castle, DE. Where
we have wine with our meals; Kathy & I share an 8 oz filet steak, baked
potato & salad.
Back @ the Grace & Gary estate & workshop, they show us their latest
investment called a 1988 Georgie Boy Motorhome. Sometime this yr, they
will drive their GBM cross country and, along with others tour Mexico incl
having the GBM loaded on a flatcar train to tour Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
Gary & a few of their very talented workers are slowly checking the GBM’s
systems & updating the machine for the trip. Then K & I retire to their
Newell for the night.
Lights out: 11:33pm
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