Show Bare Hands and An Idea Dinosaur Born f Steel and Mud 4 j 7 i ON 1 1 T K 1 t 1 L J JI I J 1 t 1 1 i I Yf i r S t A i I j f Ij J I II k f L i I rt t I f rr x i x If 41 if I r YiN 1 I 1 1 i mI au l itI GREEN PAINT Is stroked onto the concrete h hide ide of this Stegosaurs model lecam designer and builder of the foot 27 long steel framed exhibit Light m In from a clear plastic canopy covering the 0 open pen north northend end of ofa a temporary shed which housed the workman and his project Staff photos With steel reinforcing rod lath and imd masonry masonry cement cem nt applied with rubber gloves George of Vernal's Motel has built a dinosaur THE HUGE work is a life life- size replica of a Stegosaurus a low necked low necked walking behemoth with a spiked tail and a d shaped diamond plates standing on end along its spine I started with a picture and my imagination Mr explained as he daubed light green wall paint onto the mod els el's textured rough side THE MODEL stands feet high is 27 feet long and In its builders builder's estimate must weigh two or three tons The stegosaurus was enclosed in a heated temporary shed made of plywood and plastic keeping c out snow and bitter cold Mr explains that he is planning a number of such models each one life siz ed and as realistic as possible All will stand on a one and one one- One half acre tract of ground south of and immediately behind the motel on n the west edge of Ver nal THE DINOSAUR was was start start start- started ed in the open just before Thanksgiving I took four broken car wheels and set them down where I 1 thought his feet should be Then I took steel sted rods and a welder to start the framework using a picture for fora a guide I 1 had to turn every thing around is ia my mind be- be because be cause the dinosaur In the pic- pic picture pie ture was facing the wrong way I forgot to change the b bend nd in his front legs and the they were bending backwards until I 1 remembered to turn them around Mr 11 explain explain- explained ed A big problem arises for tile the model builder from the fact that no one seems to agree on on all details of the extinct beasts I 1 HAD three pictures of this species Mr explain explain- explained ed and each one showed Ste with different feet I didn't know if he was ed cd to toI I ha have ve any toes best I We finally solved the pro pro- problem blem down at the Fieldhouse when Ernest show show- showed ed me skeleton remains that had toes Wrinkles bends and warts have all been modeled Into the concrete replica by bare hands protected in rubber gloves a ap- ap applying I plying the wet building mater mater- material ial in a one one- oneto to inch five thick layer over spaced closely steel lath WHILE ON top of him and I nearly fell off once I sometimes squeezed the mud too hard and it would fall l I II I iii fi y 1 a M r 1 r R RM I i Sh kA t gin tr n t N Nu u r rI I i tJ l y k I tL 54 Lf FOUR SPIKES stand straight upward from the long curving tail on the model serving to frame their builder Hes a musical animal Mr said tapping the spikes and anda a row of plates extending along the exhibits exhibit's tail and back Each one when struck pro pro- produced a soft musical pitch Steel rods and metal lath under one to five Inches of mas- mas masonry onry cement vibrate Inside the concrete skin through On the bottom If J I didn't squeeze hard enough it would fall off the builder corn com About six weeks actual working time were needed to bring the dinosaur to the paintbrush paint paintbrush brush and an investment which Mr estimates at sixto six sixto to eight hundred dollars for materials EXPLAINING that he is do ing his dinosaur modeling mostly for the fun of it the motel operator motioned to the temporary shelter and said hed he'd keep building until out of oC room Realistic landscaping using replicas of vegetation from the dinosaur period would be added with natural shrubs and ferns where possible Stone slabs would bear inscriptions explaining the dinosaurs by the models I think that within a week or so Ill I'll be moving the shed off this model and will start on the next one Hell He'll be a tops lops |