A Hot Day for the Engraver to Work

When I arrived, there was the engraver working hard in the 90° temp. He was covered from head to foot with a hood like thing over his head. The statue of Jesus had to be covered to protect it from flying debris. Here he is with his son. His son explained to me that he goes with his Dad to help and to keep people from going up behind him and scaring him...so that he might jump and make an error. He said that they do a lot of work in cemeteries and he could be startled in a quiet place like that. He is particularly busy right now with Memorial Day coming up.

A stencil was used in this process. It is made with a rubbery material. It was taped down and with a steady hand...he operates the cutter attached to a compressor. You need a steady hand for work like this...it's truly an art.

After everything is cleaned up....this process makes a lot of white sandy dust, the names are painted black. These pavers hold the names of our Priest's family. They are in the center of the floor.

This is how the pavers look when finished. People from our Church will be able to order them and have loved ones names engraved. My Mom and Dad and late husband were engraved in one section. Joe and I even put our beloved pets, Laddie and Maggie on a couple of pavers.

The benches were engraved too. One for Joe's Dad and one for his Grandma as you can see in the pictures below.




Well, it is finished. We both have learned so much from this undertaking.....from the stamping of the rocks to the engraving. Joe's meticulous attention has kept things on an even keel and his being there each day... helped to figure out ways to avoid mistakes. The gardens are starting to perk up...we found someone to water the grass...and now we look forward to the dedication. I hope that it will be a nice day.

Balisha