Camera problems

I haven't posted this picture yet...thought you might like to see it. It's Bob and Joe, bringing Jesus to our house. You can see the snow on the ground. The work on this started in Sept. so many long months of detail and hard work have gone into this project... all through the winter. It was first a vision in Joe's head and he took it from there. The statue has had a long trip...from Italy to Byron and our garage... we're just waiting for the time that Joe will be able to take the it to it's new home. Click on the picture...to make it bigger.

I'm having some computer problems. My camera program will not download the pictures that I take. Something is corrupted in my computer and I am having to wait for Joe to take a look at it. So, no pictures for a bit...until this problem is resolved. I can tell you, however, how things are progressing at the Grotto. I was there a couple of days ago and they were beginning to work on the niche, where the statue will go. It is curved at the top and has a mesh material to hold the concrete. They were having a dickens of a time making that concrete hold. They finally had to resort to doing it by handfuls. One of the workers was on the top of the wall, while the other handed him handfuls of concrete. Then Chris was there with a trowel trying to make it stay. Picture this....putting concrete on upside down and trying to make it stay. It kept plopping down and he had to do it over and over again. Finally they would get some to hold and then had to wait till it dried, somewhat, before adding more. It finally was finished and Joe came home and worried about it all night. He was still concerned in the morning, when he went over to the site. Chris assured him that it would hold and they went on to put another coating on...this time with the color blue. That night, we drove over and saw the niche that was the color of the sky...just waiting for the statue. Yesterday, Joe was enlisted to do some of the physical work. The trim around the niche, made from Indiana sandstone, and the keystone were put in place. This is heavy work...and tedious. He came home late and rested for a bit. He told me that (I don't think he will mind my telling this) he almost cried, when they finished yesterday. This was the part that he had worried about so much, and when they were done...it was such a relief that it was successful. He was filled with emotion. We went out for dinner and drove by the Grotto. The ground around it had been spread with black dirt and we could visualize it being finished. Hope the weather holds, so that they can work the rest of the week. Hopefully, I will have pictures soon. This is the best part and I want to show you all how it looks. Grrrr!
Balisha