Bear on a Truck

We knew we needed a bear.  The real ones occasionally wander by, but we wanted one that would stay with us.  There are tons of bear options here in the mountains.  There are several chainsaw carvers, resin bears, concrete bears and wooden bears.  We didn't know what kind of bear we wanted but were sure we would know it when we saw it.  A new neighbor a couple of blocks away had several beautiful bears.  We asked where they got them.  They gave us the name of the carver.

Last spring we visited the carver near Cashiers.  We stopped and looked at the artist's work and chatted with him about what we wanted.  He assured us that he could make one for us.  In August the carver called to say the bear was carved and drying at his home.  Then he would treat the wood and stain it.

Two weeks ago the carver called to tell us the bear was ready.  He delivered it to our house on a huge truck.

The bear on a truck

We did not get the bear from nearby Uncle Buck (here).  We wanted a brown black bear and wanted a bit more detail in the carving.  So where did our bear come from?

The Bear's Den, of course.

The bear is sitting on a stump.  Both the bear and the stump were carved from a single, very large log.  The heavy piece was moved from the truck to our yard.  And we love him.

I think he likes our yard.

We are pleased with our new bear, visible from several rooms in the house.  He was never intended to look real, but we didn't want a "Disney" bear either.  Isn't it great to commission something and get exactly what you wanted?  We definitely have an eclectic art collection in our yards.  But beauty is still in the eye of the beholder and we think all of our tacky stuff is beautiful.