Roadside Attactions

Somewhere between Burlington and Rutland, Vermont I snapped this wacky work of art. It's a concrete 'thing' hoisting a VW Beetle high above its head. Cindy, my driver, wasn't about to stop and ask questions (we were already late for an assignment) so I did a little searching on Google. Turns out that 'thing' is actually a 16-ton gorilla constructed as decoration for a car dealership by Florida Sculptor T.J. Neil.

Using granite stone and a bundles of rebar he shapes dinosaurs, dragons, manatees, dolphins, Brahman bulls and people, many to scale or bigger and weighing in at several tons. His works are found all over the country, including a Plesiosaurs at Alpine Lake Campground in Corinth, NY, very close to Albany. His clients are often commercial but not always, some homeowners just dare to be different with some creative whimsy.