At least a month of Leela working daily on cutting and staining all the spokes for this 3 dimensional wheel past quickly. First working from a 12 foot ladder the each piece of lumber was measured then taken down to be cut then retrofitted and then usually down again for an adjustment. 162 pieces were involved in this process. Rather than complain, all Leela could feel was some sadness, knowing that we were getting closer to the end of construction of the temple and this blessed opportunity.
After the first 3 rows were done, we rented a 16 foot step ladder and worked from it. Dale installed a fan in the dome behind the skylight cover. Later he hooked all the various lights to a power strip and the fan to a remote control.
Originally, the lumber was just stained to match the rest of the ceiling paneling - however with the spokes up - it was too busy. Twisting backwards while holding onto the ladder, the lumber was nailed into place - with insulation behind it.
Because it looked too busy, Leela decided to paint the dome. The narrower spokes were removed and the larger ones taped off. First a coat of sand colored paint was applied. This was too boring. Then Leela added some red toner to that and dry brushed a blush on the surface.
Walking back to her home, she came across some wild turkey feathers and decided to dip them into the left over paint on the floor and then gently wisp them across the dome as if birds were brushing the dome with their wings. This was too bright, so then some more dry brushing with the blush. The rental of the ladder was like a bleeder so the push was on to get this done in one week. This process along with some other built in imperfections gave the dome life.
Removing this size ladder without doing damage was another challenge. Garotica (Gary Carlson), Perry, Cathy Steenson and Dale to the rescue.
The dome at night was a total surprise. With the back lighting from the colored lights it has a whole different look than during the day.
This is a must see to appreciate it fully experience.
For more information on the dome click here to go to the Interior dome section of this website.