THE WESTPORT WHALE

Happy New Year from the W.W.

2012-01-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

A Roadside Attraction is a feature along the side of the road.

I have new Inspirations in my life and the Whale will be completely cemented in this Summer. Look for me in the Book Roadside America very soon!

(this incredible photograph was taken by my amazing friend Holly Moskowitz)

Rent the Blacksmith Shop... Save the Whale!

2011-10-21T22:33:00.001-07:00

The Westport Whale is for rent!

Click here for details

2011-09-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 3 year anniversary Westport Whale!

"No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big." Anonymous

Whale Watching

2011-07-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

"Fiction was invented the day Jonas came home and told his wife he was 3 days late because he had been swallowed by a whale." - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Today I saw 64 Humbacks, 16 Blues and 1 Gray whale with the San Francisco Oceanic Society. One acrobatic humpback breached, lobtailed and flipper slapped over and over for 15 minutes. Demonstrated everything I had ever read. One of the greatest experiences in my life!

Westport is the BEST Port!

2011-04-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Even though you can't physically see a tree growing, doesn't mean it's not. Right?

Same with the World spinning?
So next time the masses are huddled at your feet, pining about dreams they claim are not coming true, you might remind them of this....

Everyday you get closer.

My long time gal pal Anne Maree has made these fantastic hand made cards!

Buy them here: Grizlee Adams

Promotion by the Ocean....

2011-02-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

LOOK .... what washed up on the beach today!!!!

People know you for what you've done...

...not for what you plan to do.

- unknown -

Many thanks to those who continue to motivate me in pursuing the Dream.

Continuing Education.

2010-10-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

And the man with a Dream toils til dusk. Dreams do come true my friends, if we only wish hard enough!

Don't wait for someone else to make your life Terrific...well because....That's your job!

I've had to work hard for everything I've ever really wanted my whole life. Nothing has come easy. But in the end it is all worth it for I have touched the hearts of others.

A Whale needs Water to live!

2010-09-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.

Booker T. Washington

A Bump in the Road...

2010-08-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

A bad day for the Whale.....

While making a little art studio behind the whale the building was red tagged. Then the county representative tagged the whale too. Five hours later after pictures, drawings and a short interview and the building permit department I was back in business! The Westport Whale is still Alive and Well!

Making New Connections...

2010-06-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

I demolish my bridges behind me - then there is no choice but forward.

-Firdtjorf Nansen

-----

I liked this quote although I have not intention of blowing up this bridge.

but....

Sometimes in order to accomplish your dreams you need to make sure you cant turn around and run back. Be Fearless and enjoy the daily Challenges. Keep Going and Create the Magic this World is Missing!

Strength added to bridge.

5 inches of cement mix added.

Me mixin up some Crete while singing...

"I'll Tumble for Ya"

In about a week I will take off the form and walk the Plank!

Bridge over troubled water

2010-06-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

Build Bridges instead of Walls and you will have Lots of Friends

-unknown-

After a few cuts with a circular saw and a whole bunch of screws the framework for the Path less Followed is created. Trying to stay on track for the big pour coming soon....

Where the Sidewalk ends....

2010-04-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Its Good to have Dreams.

Dreams get you through the hard times.

16,000 pounds of cement mix and the pathway to the sculpture is complete.

oh my aching back!

Pour Pour Me!“

2010-03-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

"The happiest moments my heart knows are those in which it is pouring forth its affections to a few esteemed characters"

Thomas Jefferson

Eight beers and 5000 lbs of cement mix later a small part of the sidewalk leading to the sculpture is complete.

Sidewalk framed and formed

2010-02-11T10:31:00.001-08:00

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt"

-Sylvia Plath-

Anyone who has ever attempted to create a huge project knows from time to time you may experience the fear of not being able to finish a project. That fear is there sometimes for me but I have never lost sight of the goal.

The entire sculpture has been poured over Rose Quartz. This stone has emotionally healing powers and all visitors will recieve this gift as they walk to the sculpture!

Sidewalk started

2009-12-16T18:48:00.001-08:00

There are always two choices or two paths to take. One is Easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.

-unknown-

Started working on the sidewalk leading to the whale....!

Lighted whale

2009-12-14T17:10:00.001-08:00

The Holiday is not just the Tinsel and Lights and Outward Show. The Secret lies in an Inner Glow. It's lighting a Fire inside the Heart. Good will and Joy a vital part. It's higher thought and a greater plan. It's glorious Dream in the Soul of Man.

-Wilfred A. Peterson-

Happy Holiday's from the Westport Whale!

Welding Complete!

2009-10-28T17:23:00.001-07:00

To be of benefit, Goodness must be Constant, forever building, it must have strength!

- Captain Nemo -A Welded beauty!

The Dollar Dance!

2009-10-11T06:11:00.001-07:00

You may see me only as a drunken, vice ridden gnome whose friends are just pimps and girls from the brothels. But I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being.

-Toulouse-Lautrec (Moulin Rouge)-

Some Incredible Friends from Chicago help Fund a Dream!

Skeleton in my (Closet) Front Yard!

2009-10-07T08:06:00.001-07:00

The freedom to fail is vital if you're going to succeed. Most Successful people fail from time to time, and it is a measure of their strength that failure merely propels them into some new attempt at Success!

-Michael Korda-

Welding continues..... Remember last year when I took a light weight concrete sculpture class? Well...I monogramed Westport in Mirrors on the Dwarf Sperm Whale and put it out on Hwy 1 while we sculpted.

Above you will find me Modeling a T-shirt designed by one of my Bitchin Friends! "Me vs Me" was created by the brilliant mind of Scott Rench. His ceramics are Sexy. Glazed in Passion. Fired with Honesty. His work can be found around the globe! He is a Genius and Super Cool!

I had some Unfounded Anxiety that I wouldn't accomplish this next step...??? Whatever! A few times the rebar had to be cut and re-welded. But no big deal...The frame is so close to completion. Its nearly 34 feet long and 10 feet high is some spots.

Stick & Stones Cant Break These Bones!

2009-10-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Swerve Me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with Iron Rails, whereon my Soul is Grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents' bed, unerringly I rush!

- Captain Ahab -

Tom and I worked from sunrise to sunset!

Right now I want to weld myself a new spine! I hurt all over! Why couldn't I sculpt in Yarn or do Pencil Drawings?

...to be continued

Finding my Muse!

2009-09-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

“If your Actions Inspire others to Dream more, Learn more, Do more and Become more, you are a Leader.”
John Quincy Adams

A Painting "found" me that exactly depicts the Whale I've been envisioning for my Sculpture.

This Peaceful Specimen titled "The Devil Whale" by Jen Lobo will serve as Motivation while the Skeleton of a Historically Ferocious Sperm Whale is welded together.

Playin in the Mud!

2009-09-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

"I think there is something, more important than believing: ...It's Action! The World is full of Dreamers, but there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take Concrete steps to actualize their Vision!"

- W. Clement Stone-

---

An Army of Trowels get ready for the Battle! Scooter is the Concrete Genius!

His Creative Mind is a Machine Gun firing out a magazine of Ideas.

He has dedicated many hours to this project including orchestrating 3 cement trucks & a cement pump into my yard!

He gets all the recognition for the implementation.

He is one of the coolest guys I've ever met.

There was a light mist in the air which made it perfect for the Pour! An Incredible bunch of Mud Monkies mucked our way around the Moat. From left to right its "Scooter", Bart, Lincoln, ME, "Sizer", "Bubba" and the pump guy Richard.

So for now I guess Westport has a Skate Park! Stop by and bring your Board! Underneath my dreamlit eyes I am in disbelief from the progress fueled by so many incredible people in my life ! Its too cool to be true!

The Garden of Your Dreams!

2009-09-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

When we recognize that a better word for Fundraising is "Friend Raising," we open limitless doors to creativity in support of our causes.

- Sue Vineyard -

There are so many people who Sparkle in Jingletown - A part of Oakland that is very dear to my heart.

An absolute Diamond named Saundra Warren lives in her Enchanted Garden hidden beneath a Ceramic Forest of Leaves.

A Magical place where Hummingbirds play, Fountains produce Song and Nature blossoms between the metal and concrete neighborhood.

Saundra is my newest Seedling who will be Sprouting some New Inspiration around the Westport Whale!

She will be offering handmade whale tiles with your Personal Inscription on it! These tiles will then be mosaic'd into the sidewalk leading up to the Sculpture!

(+) Select your whale shape: Sperm, Gray, Fun or Plaque. In the special instruction to Seller add what you want inscribed on your tile ... then hit the Donate Button in Pay Pal

Donate $20 to be a part of The Roadside Attraction Forever!

Sharp Objects For Sale!

2009-09-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of Giving!

- Frank Rosso -

Anne Maree and I made buttons to sell

$1 for a very Important Cause!

Collect and Trade them All!

Iron Man!

2009-09-11T19:17:00.001-07:00

"Character is like the foundation of a house - it is below the surface."

- R.C. Samsel -

Lots of rebar= Lots of Support!

Cliff added "bender board" around the top to make Waves!

Its gonna be totally sexy!"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole Strength and Soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."

- Albert Einstein - a really smart guy -

Seems like Yesterday!

2009-09-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu,

Happy Birrrrthday Dear Queequeg,

Happy Birrrrthday to Youuuu!

One year ago I embarked on this adventure!

I can't tell you where I'm going

I'm not sure of where I've been

But I know I must keep travelin' til my road comes to an end

I'm out here on my journey

Tryin to make the most of it

I'm a puzzle I must figure out where all my pieces fit

---

song lyrics of Travelin Thru

---

Dolly Parton

(picture above - Whale Rock, 10 mile beach, Fort Bragg, CA)

Get Stoned in Westport!

2009-09-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

-Henry David Thoreau-

More shoveling. More gravel. More shoveling.

More gravel. More shoveling.

No more gravel...!

A herd of Whales have been feeding in my backyard for 2 days!

Now...the entire base is complete!

...and then the whales left?

Shaping my Future!

2009-09-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Accept the things to which fate binds you,

and love the people with whom fate brings you together,

but do so with all your heart.

- Marcus Aurelius -

--- Please welcome Westports' newest artist... Cliff "Scooter" Fisher

An amazing Cement Sculptor who decided he wanted to live in this spectacular little town on the coast.

At the same time, this so called "reclusive artist" (Carlos Amigos) decides to put all of his free time into this amazing project!

In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen.

-William S Burroughs-

A hard days work of shaping and layering the moat with gravel. Marie catered the event with her usual Smorgasbord of Stories. Applause from the ocean came as Whales surfaced to spray and cheer us on!

Free my Willy!

2009-08-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

How is it, that with so many brilliant beings on this planet, so few recognize that when one's life encounters turbulence, choppy waters, or setbacks, it's always a sign that things are about to get wildly better than they've ever been before?

Whales seem to surface in the strangest places!

Their appearance seems almost purposeful which keeps me swimming against the current, enjoying the rough seas, flying thru the Devil's Triangle , riding the rocky roads and leaping over the barbed wire fences of life!

***

Graffiti Whale spotted on Atlantic near Buena Vista in Alameda...ironically just steps from the Marina where I live

Set in Stone....(or Tile!)

2009-08-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

Living the life of your dreams is a lot like sailing.

You pick your destination, hoist up your sail, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and let the wind do all the hard work.

In other words, imagine the end result, do what little you can, make minor adjustments while the journey is underway, and let it blow your mind

The first of many tiles....

Keep Cheering me on!

This is gonna be a Snap!

How Deep is Your LOVE!

2009-07-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

---

Either Woe or Well Being

I have a constant craving to be engulfed by life

This morning (on the coast) the weather is mild, overcast

I am suffering (from some incident)

As usual I am looking for anything to distract me

A Roadside Distraction Attraction

I have outlined my future in red

---

I am waiting for an arrival, a return, a promised sign.

This can be futile, or immensely pathetic.

As a man who waits for his chronically late lover at night.

(along the coast)

I am waiting for no more than this Dream to become reality.

Everything is solemn.
I have no sense of proportions.
As you can tell by the size of my Moat!

Sometimes you have to go DEEP below the Surface to truly see things.

It can be a scary...

It can be the Most Magical Adventure!

Apologies and Gratitude to Roland Barthes for fragmenting the fragments of A Lovers Discourse

Queequeg is Born!

2009-07-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

"How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts' honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg—a cosy, loving pair."
- Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Wow....my romantic heart!

Today the Westport Whale got his name.

Queequeg!

Pour Pour Carlos!

2009-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Starting something is the best way to finish something.And just doing a teeny, tiny something, today, anything, from wherever you are, is the best way to start something!

Day one of pouring I just used these 13 bags of old cement mix to form a base. It had been given to my by Dack and had been sitting in my garage for 2 years! Here is some of the action, shot on location by cinematographer JT (age 11)!

This will be the Best Whale Ever!
I have No Doubt.
It will because all my Dreams Come True.

Can you believe I own a cement mixer????
Me neither!

Tom Cohen came up and helped me spread the cement into the base!

My Heart cant contain the Excitement!

a Big Hole

2009-06-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

The Chinese say, "The best time to plant a tree was always 20 years ago. The second best time is always today." Funny how planting trees and taking action on the life of your dreams are the same that way.

The start of a Moat! It was a day of backbreaking work. The kind of physical labor that forces you to forget your troubles. The kind of project that reminds you want is most important in life. For me that is pursuing a dream. And touching someone elses life.

Not to mention I'm gonna be Famous!!!!

I hope my dreams dont fail me and it just becomes a Big Black Hole!

Digging a Dream!

2009-06-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Whats that expression???

The journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step?

One of those days were I woke up angry and disgusted with my situation in life.

So to let out some of my frustration I just started digging.

I really dont have much of a plan.

I figure it will all make sense the farther I dig into the Earth.

Just hope I figure it all out before I hit China...!

Let the Fun Begin!

2009-04-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

The time has come!

I'm ready to break ground!

Ok...Not really.

I have anxiety and high expectations about this project.

I am going to change the tiny oceanside town of Westport forever!

and what if I cant complete the roadside attraction of my dreams.

I'm sure to get into some trouble.

But...

I've learned that the ache of unfulfilled dreams is the worst pain of all.

So I'm calling out to all my friends to give me words of encouragement along the way.

I hope you will join me in my next adventure.

These are my cheerleaders...

My number 1 gal pal Polly , coffee , Heather, Kate, Paul, Tom, Annie, Sarah and Jason

Lightweight Cement Sculpture!

2009-03-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Continuing on my Journey....

I took a class learning how to make large cement sculptures very light.

Not sure how this will affect the roadside attraction...

But at this time thinking more about

Polymer Additive, Fiberglass mesh tape, Cure time(keeping cement moist during the curing process) and using a Slurry as glue to paste cement onto the Fiberglass.

Welding Again?

2008-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Welding Class to start (again) on January 28th

for 5 weeks. I am so fucking excited to sign up for another class that will probably get cancelled!

Welding Postponed til January

2008-10-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

Welding Class postponed until January due to insufficient number of Students!

But...the Westport Whale will contine to Live is Spirit until then!

Wisconsin Concrete Park

2008-10-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Art of Fred Smith who inspired me to make my deer sculptures in a similar way.

Wisconsin Concrete Park
Phillips, WI

I drove with my best friend Kate Jordan to Wisconsin to gain valuable information on cement sculpture.

This outdoor museum is comprised of 237 embellished concrete sculptures and other objects built by the retired lumberjack, Fred Smith.

These owls were among my most favorite sculptures!

Although Fred's art was not always understood or accepted, he believed his work would endure as something larger than his life, and continued to work in spite of harsh criticism.

Although a few local people were genuinely positive about his endeavor, the general consensus in the area was that 'Mr Smith was crazy'. Many considered the site an eyesore and hoped it would be destroyed. These opinions did nothing to deter Smith.

More photos on flicker
link coming soon!

Another Roadside Attraction

2008-10-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

A book filled with inspiration...

Researching other Roadside Attractions...

I'm reading...

Another Roadside Attraction

Tom Robbins

Welding Class

2008-09-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

I signed up for welding class to make the whales structure

Class begins Oct 28th

The Westport Whale

2008-09-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's true, the early bird gets the worm.

So does the late bird and the bird in-between. Because by design, there are always more than enough worms.

In fact, the only bird that doesn't get a worm, is the bird that doesn't go out to get one.

Oh, to be alive!

Today is the day I begin my adventure with Cement Sculpture.

It has been my dream to create a Roadside Attraction

and put the town I love on the map.

Here is the 1st picture.

This is the location for the Westport Whale

soon to never look like this again.

My goal is to complete the Westport Whale before the summer of 2010!