What to do with the swampland?

[MinnesotaEric]

My brother hatched an idea that we should put a plesiosaur out in our swampland next to the road. I thought this a good idea. So while I brought home my tractor and cut a path down to the floating bog of a swamp for access, my brother chased off to the plasma table and created a half-size art study. Upon assembly of the art study, it was realized we needed to add more vertebrae and detail to the head and teeth for the full-size version. As I type my brother is cutting the full-size version out of a pair of 4x8' 5/16" plate stock. We estimate that the full-size plesiosaur will weigh around 800 pounds and since none of us know how deep our floating bog swamp is, we're going to pound in a pair of 10' 3x6" square tubing to support the plesiosaur in two places as soon as our swamp freezes over within the next four or five weeks. Right now I think the original wooden cutout model my brother cribbed off of has the front flippers flipped forward so the model would sit flat on a shelf rather than tipping forward. Since this will be supported on a pole or poles, we can have ours be correct.

 

[Rockbadchild]

the loch ness monster!! thats some quality work right there nice job ... part of me think it's cool the other part think you guys have too much time in your hands lol

 

[Rustyiron]

I like it!

 

[Jstpssng]

It isn't everyone who can say they have a dinosaur living in their swamp!!!!

 

[oldnslo]

That is one big Minnesota skeeter

Depending on your bog 10 foot poles may not support that weight come summer.

 

[California]

Wow and I thought our community was weird!

sebastopol yard art - Google Search

 

[MinnesotaEric]

It isn't everyone who can say they have a dinosaur living in their swamp!!!!

Yeah, but it isn't always fun and games.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Art is happening.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Although the Swamp Animals is an ongoing project, I threw together a quick preview.

 

[Everhard]

Be fun if you could work with that half size one and toss it in the bog as well, looking up to it's big mommy... lol.
Looks like a fun project, nice work!

E.

 

[California]

Looking good!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Be fun if you could work with that half size one and toss it in the bog as well, looking up to it's big mommy... lol.
Looks like a fun project, nice work!

E.

If we do anything further, it'll be next year as winter is just starting to hit us as I type, and so I'm happy the welding got done last Sunday. If all goes according to plan this week, I'll do my annual slash burn this Friday, and get my tractor back to the Tinkerage to rig it for winter, and then as soon as the swamp freezes up, we'll get to move the plesiosaur in. After thinking about it, I'm lobbying to just set the plesiosaur on top of the floating bog since the bog is down three feet and if it rises back to where it has been for 30 years, our sculpture will be half underwater if we staked it in or the stakes would be pulled out three feet.

 

[Captain Dirty]

. . . I'm lobbying to just set the plesiosaur on top of the floating bog since the bog is down three feet and if it rises back to where it has been for 30 years, our sculpture will be half underwater if we staked it in or the stakes would be pulled out three feet.

Just thinking out loud. An empty 55 gal. drum has a little more than 400 lbs. of buoyancy; an empty 30 gal. just a bit more than 200 lbs. Could you fashion some hoops to encircle the drums and attach to the plesiosaur so it would just float in the bog without the drums being seen. As the drums would inevitably leak, the attitude of the beast would change, perhaps noticeably enough to confound an observer.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Just thinking out loud. An empty 55 gal. drum has a little more than 400 lbs. of buoyancy; an empty 30 gal. just a bit more than 200 lbs. Could you fashion some hoops to encircle the drums and attach to the plesiosaur so it would just float in the bog without the drums being seen. As the drums would inevitably leak, the attitude of the beast would change, perhaps noticeably enough to confound an observer.

We could, but your thinking is far more advanced than the humble ambition of my brother suggesting, "You know taking care of your dog and walking him down the driveway has led me to think we need a plesiosaur out in our swamp."

Laughing at the idea of people passing by thinking, "What the...," as they spotted a plesiosaur sculpture out in our swamp, I exclaimed to my brother, "You design and cut the metal and I'll go get the tractor!"

 

[jaxs]

Forge ahead,the memories will still be around a long time after the beast surrenders to the bog. My brother hatched ideas for spur of the moment action that took us and our wives on adventures I wouldn't trade for gold now that all my adventures are only in my mind.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

My brother and I got the swamp monster staged out in swamp. If we get a snowless winter, I'm going to get it moved deeper into our floating bog. Also, now I want to make another one, maybe just a 12' neck poking up. #art

Anyway, we had fun.

 

[big bubba]

OP: you must have duck in your wetland area. have you considered prepping & sowing a millet seedbed to attract the wildlife as a backdrop to your creature. might make it seem more authentic.
good work btw

 

[EddieWalker]

This has to be one of the best things that I've seen in a long time!!!! I really like how the head moves around in the video!!!! It will catch your eye and make you wonder what you're seeing. Congrats to you and your brother for being so creative.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

This has to be one of the best things that I've seen in a long time!!!! I really like how the head moves around in the video!!!! It will catch your eye and make you wonder what you're seeing. Congrats to you and your brother for being so creative.

Completely brother's idea, I was just an enabler. I have other swampland and have been considering making my own version of Ozymandias (the Greek name for Ramesses II) right at the edge of the cattails where people could motor their boats up and look at it right off of my unbuildable island.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

OP: you must have duck in your wetland area. have you considered prepping & sowing a millet seedbed to attract the wildlife as a backdrop to your creature. might make it seem more authentic.
good work btw

This bog has only hatched frogs (like biblically where the entire yard is nothing but frogs), beaver, turtles and once I saw a bull frog leap (turns out we are at the extreme northern edge of their habitat but I've never seen one since), but never ducks.