Bronze Monument Arrives in Saint John New Brunswick - A 3,000 Mile Journey from Kalispell Montana

Here's the monument which was cast at the foundry where I work - Kalispell Art Casting - being unloaded in Saint John New Brunswick. The artists Darren Byers (in the striped sweater) and Fred Harrison (in the brown leather jacket) who created this Homage To Workers are there awaiting it's arrival. They gave their final approval at the foundry then drove home from Kalispell to New Brunswick a few days before the monument shipped out. All of us at Kalispell Art Casting are very proud to have been a part of this endeavour.

The monument will be stored until the spring then transported to a park in Saint John for the Official Unveiling in April.

This is what the monument looked like a few short weeks ago when our crew was finishing off the metal work. The artists who created this piece in clay are Darren Byers and Fred Harrison from New Brunswick, Canada. Darren contacted us about 18 months ago looking for a bid and explained that they had entered a competition as the nearby City of Saint John wanted to erect a monument as a homage to workers. At this point they were just one of numerous contestants. Then he emailed and mentioned that they were in the top 5.....then a couple of weeks later they were in the top 3 and then - They had won .....Yippee.....I am happy to say that they chose our foundry over many others. We had never worked with them before but what a pleasure it was to work with these 2 Creative Spirits.

After some final adjustments it's time to load the piece (actually we shipped it in 4 separate pieces) onto the flat bed truck. We always hire the local Harmon Crane Company to move the large bronze statues from our dock onto the truck - as they do a great job.

Jon Olson and Jack Muir - the owners of Kalispell Art Casting - supervise the monument's departure. Jack & Jon have owned and operated the foundry for 31 years! Their combination of knowlege & experience is awesome.

This is the tricky part..... trying to manouevre a 3500 lb moving object is not for the faint of heart.

The monument is finally loaded and packed.

Now for the long haul to New Brunswick. Farewell. I will miss seeing this monument but it's wonderful to know that it's already home - safe and sound.

I'm Crackers about The Farm Chicks Christmas Book

Christmas Dinner just wouldn't be Christmas Dinner if there were no Christmas Crackers. Growing up in Scotland we always had these novelties.

They dress up the table and they're really fun - they're pulled apart and make a "snap" sound then out spill the contents - usually a tissue paper crown (which is worn through the meal), a trinket and a silly joke. I highly recommend them.

When I first moved here in the 1980s my sister would have to send them to me as they were hard to find here - but not anymore. I'm pleased to say that they are available at CostCo now - they just featured them in their November magazine - and over the years I've bought them on the internet and at Target. There are some cool hand made crackers on etsy

Fabulous Farm Chick Serena is hosting a Virtual Book Signing Party on Friday - Pop over to her site and see her latest book The Farm Chicks Christmas Book - It's full of Holiday recipes and super ideas for Christmas - it's on my Santa list - and would make a great gift for girlfriends and sisters . If you buy it on Friday she'll sign your copy. Serena's a lovely lady who organizes a great antiques show every June in Spokane. We had a space there in 2009 and really enjoyed the show - lots of enthusiastic customers and friendly fellow dealers. We would have loved to have returned this year but the dates coincided with our trip to the UK...........hopefully we'll make it to her Farm Chicks Antiques Show in 2011 - It's a really fun time - very creative and inspiring - just like Serena and her Christmas Book.