When the children were small, they would visit Grandma's house. Grandma lived in an large two story home on Phillipe Parkway in Safety Harbor. The house had poured cement steps, and there lived on those stone steps a large stone rabbit. He resided just to the south of the Monkey Puzzle tree for many years. But one time when we came home to visit, the rabbit was missing. It would have taken at least two good sized men to be able to move that rabbit.
Fast forward 25 years, this spring a friend challenged me to take a stone sculpting class that the local Y was offering. So we both signed up. The teacher, Sue Brovosky, had lots alabaster, marble, dendritic, and virginia soap stone available. I chose a piece of virginia soap stone.
I had another friend tell me that the stone must tell you what lies inside. Another said, you may carve what you want. I had wanted to carve a rabbit, perhaps a small rabbit, to replace my lost friend. But it was obvious when I picked up the stone that there was a rabbit waiting to be revealed. In the first two hours, others could see the rabbit, waiting patiently. The stone weighed 9.5 pounds and was too small to use a chisel and hammer on, but it has 12 hours of files to date. And each time I spend time with him, he looks more and more like a rabbit.
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