The Next Masterpiece Is Born in Loveland, Colorado

Today we received these five photos from Bobby Page in Colorado, a visual celebration of the many hours he and his wife and a team of almost 30 craftsmen and women have spent on the next in our series of silpis building Iraivan Temple. In this case, two silpis are moving a heavy granite stone with just two iron bars and their knowledge of gravity!

Here is Bobby's note...

"Aloha, Dear Swamis!

I enclose five photos of the nearly-completed new addition to the Monastery's bronze silpi memorial collection. I have sent them to Holly for her approval and have received her most kind response.

I plan to weld the fulcrum block to the two O'O bars unless you want it separate. The block has mounting nuts. The bronze stone has three mounting nuts welded near the far (touching the floor) side  and I plan to put a threaded rod ( pins) on each O'O bar with a receiver hole for each on the high side of stone that touches the bars.  I would guess it will be on temporary display and having a 200+ lb bronze stone at the angle of the O'O bars on possibly slick concrete. If unattached it may slip if someone sits on the stone ( especially children). The pins will secure it from slippage. 
 
What a great experience it was to put into place as only Kathy and myself put it into place for the first time, as all of our employees had gone home for the day. And to top it off I had my Ipod on random and as we finished and stepped back for a look Gurudeva's voice came on filling the room with a teaching. I immediately looked at the photo of Gurudeva on my bench you gave me when you visited and realized this is the soul who is responsible for this wonderful journey of a project we share and to hear his voice at this moment words can't describe. He was speaking of how the Gods watch us.

Here are five pix. The end of stone I left open to put mounting nuts inside as I didn't know where they would be best hidden. And the packing blanket in the stone is for sound deadening as its a big resonating chamber when grinding or hammering.

With much Love and respect to all...

Bobby"

Bobby Page poses with his welding mask behind Holly Young\

s sculpture.'

So much focus and energy in this one, and it speaks of the gravity of the building, the 4.5 million pounds of granite these men moved again and again with their simple tools.

Working together...

From above, one silpi leaning into the other as if trying to become a single entity working in concert.

The moment is captured, that weight defying gravity, the counterweight of the two silpis, the tiny place where oo bar meets stone. Imagine the pressure!

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