the handrail is done

 this is a shot of the base coat that I applied last week and let set for a couple of days.

 I went back on Sat the 12th and finished up the post and rails with two glazes, one a purplish brown color and the second a blue-green black, applied liberally and blotted off with rags to get the effect I was looking for. I offered to come back and gray it a bit to match the surrounding trees but my parents said they were happy with the look.

not sure yet if we are going to paint the rocks on the risers of the steps they look pretty good natural, and blend in quite well with the existing rocks.

Still Grinding

Here's a shot of the stump grinding sign still in progress. I am still experimenting on glaze colors to get a rich brown bark, but overall I am happy with how it is turning out. The signboard will probably get a few highlights and the lettering will get a contrasting color.