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Well they wouldn't let me stay retired for very long...I got a call to repaint this state park sign I made 30 years ago...it was my 5th sign ever and after 30 years it still remains the largest I ever built...it was fun to reminisce back to those early days of sign making ...the figure is 12' tall and the state of Tn. is 23' long...originally the entire sign was constructed of clear heart vertical grain redwood...over the years I remade the David Crockett signature with HDU...later storm damage required that the circle behind the figure be remade...this time construction grade redwood was used as the park would not go for the cost of the original grade of redwood...the rest of the sign still remains clear heart vertical grain redwood...there is no telling what those materials would cost today...it was in remarkable condition other than the expected cracks and splits...but nothing major...the new paint job really made it pop...it actually looks better today than it did 30 years ago...my painting skills and color selections have improved over the years.
Sign trivia...several years back all the state parks in Tennessee replaced their entrance signs with identical 4'x6' generic signs...that is except for one...that one would be David Crockett State Park.
Also the new park superintendent wants me to design a landscape scheme for the sign...I originally designed the sign for a low 2' evergreen planting that would run under the entire length of the sign...that way the base of the figure would rest in the foliage...however the old superintendent never landscaped...for 30 years now the Crockett figure has floated 2' off the ground...finally after all these years with the added landscaping I'll get to see the sign as I originally intended it to look.
Since being retired I've been spending more and more time playing around with landscapes...some times I'll throw one up on the board...here's my latest imaginary scene.
This is a close up of the detail in the figure with an earlier paint scheme from years ago...lots and lots of hand cutting stencil...note the difference between the vertical grain clear heart redwood in the figure and the flat grain redwood in the background circle when sandblasted
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The sign is awesome... That painting blows me away. Outstanding!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Exatly what Joey said. When you're good,,,,,,,
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Dale...I have been told that back in the early days of our country if you could read and write you often showed off your erudite abilities with a flamboyant signature...think about the Declaration of Independence...many of those signatures were quit embellished many with elaborate under scorings much like that of Crockett
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That's true Rusty, but I'm wondering if it might possibly also have been rendered after he had entered his congressional career? One might have the tendency to be somewhat more formal, under those surroundings.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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Yes Dale he might have developed that signature after he entered politics...that would be the same time he learned to become a professional liar.
quote:he might have developed that signature after he entered politics...that would be the same time he learned to become a professional liar.
A sad but very true comment Rusty!!!!
We have those same learning experiences occurring here in Canada.
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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Dave...interestingly my house...where I lived for 40 years... was only about a long par 5 from that entrance sign...too bad we didn't connect up back then...we could have put you up Southern Style...since I retired we moved from that house to a small cabin way back in the woods about 20 miles from there...but if ever you're in the area again let me know...we'll still put you up if you can find us.
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