Unfortunately we needed to remove a beautiful old Fir tree on our Queens Bay beach property as it had been slowly dying. The tree was almost 100 years old so when we contracted Caleb Patterson of AAA Treeworks of Nelson to remove it last year I mentioned that I wanted to leave the stump approximately 20 feet tall. Patterson asked if we were planning on carving something, and I said yes we planned on a nice big standing grizzly bear.
Well it so happened that Patterson had recently tried some chainsaw carving and offered to give it try. We thought it would be fitting to give the man who cut the tree down a chance to give it a new life. Patterson worked on the carving off and on in his spare time through this past year, covering it up with a tarp to protect it from the weather and as it so happened, building the local kayakers and boaters curiosity as to what this 20 foot stump was going result in.
Needless to say the result was fantastic. Patterson produced a beautiful piece of art that has so much character that one expects it to come to life at any moment! We are very proud of our Kodiak grizzly bear that stands regally watching over the lake. Hats off to Caleb for his artistic creativity!
Mark Rutherglen
Queens Bay