Who doesn't enjoy a Sunday outing in the park? Especially when there's the chance you will see a lot of friends.

Unfortunately, there is only one statue in this entire park.

The lines really stretch on, and those at the top sometimes forget that others are waiting.

"Aunt Edna said to tell you hi."

"Weren't you here last Sunday? I never forget a face."

"Are we related? You look so familiar ..."

"Did you see the expression on that woman's face? I don't understand why people take things so personally."

"Guess who I hovered over today?"

"Well, I told you to go before we left the nest. You're just going to have to hold it."

"Hey, hurry it up, up there! You don't own this place, you know!

"Look at this line! Can you believe they have only one statue in a park this big?"

"Well, I've seen it when the line didn't move at all. Some birds just have no consideration."

"I think this new app may make it easier to find more public statuary."

"Hey, a car just pulled in!"

"Look, there's a woman with an open purse!"

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NOTES:

I had one truly memorable experience with bird poop. In 1989 we made the second leg of our Someday Trip, traveling all the way from Maine down the eastern coast of the United States. Unfortunately, there was a heat wave that summer and everywhere we stopped it was miserably hot - hotter than El Paso! It did not cool off until we reached the Outer Barks of North Carolina, where we took a ferry. It was wonderful, enjoying that cool breeze off the water after days of unending heat. And then a seagull pooped - largely - right in the open top of my slouch purse!

We left for home the next day because we had been gone a month and needed to get home and pay bills. It was a wonderful trip, over all, but my purse was never the same. And unfortunately, we never finished the rest of our trip down the east coast.

When I spotted a cartoon of birds pooping on a statue I immediately remembered that experience and also that I had purchased some statues over the years, thinking I would use them in a garden or park setting.

As soon as I located this Department 56 Mozart in my stash, I knew he was the one!

The container is one of several that I purchased years ago. At first, I tried this one, with a door in front.

However, it has an opening in the top, which means I would need to make a glass circle - or something - to cover it, which I did not want to do. Plus, since it has a bottom, I figured it might hamper somewhat fitting the base and the birds in.

Knowing the difficulty of photographing a finished setting inside a glass container, I looked again and found this one, which just serves as a cover for whatever you want to use with it. It measures 7 inches tall at the peak and 5 inches at the widest point.

For the base, I glued a piece of Woodland Scenics Ready Grass Vinyl Mat in Desert Sand atop a piece of about 1/8 inch thick 7x6 corrugated board from a pack of 12.

I don't recall where I got these sturdy boards which don't warp readily; probably from a scrapbooking site.

When it was dry I traced around the container bottom to make a pattern and then cut out my base. I first stained the edges with a stain pen, but it was too light, so I used a wide black marker to make the edges less noticeable.

I used clumps of model railroad greenery to suggest the park bushes, but purposely kept that part simple, so that the emphasis would be on the statue and the birds.

 

I began with my Department 56 statue, and to get a more realistic weathered patina I used various watered-down colors.

I experimented first on a handy troll, who didn't seem to mind at all.

To make the poop I used white, ivory, pale grey, tan, and dark brown iron oxide. Sure hated to mess up Mozart, but it was for a worthy cause.

I used my smallest birds that I had accumulated over many years, some less expensive than others. By the time I was through adding birds, there were 14 in this setting. In real life, they look fine, but close-up pictures, otherwise. However, I did not want to go back and repaint them, and since this is fantasy anyway, what the heck.

I added a black paper wing so the blackbird could hold his ipad.

Nothing like Mozart in the park on a Sunday!

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