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It's Saturday evening and we got in a good afternoon of work. We have finished cutting the labyrinth design into the concrete. The pattern is complete.
This afternoon we cut the center rosette and did the detailing.
Detailing consists of connecting the larger curves with the smaller curves...We've been cutting curves into the concrete. The really large circles are the main parts of the paths. The next smaller circles are really half circles that connect the paths. Finally, we cut a very small half circle to make line ends and corners.

This first image shows a corner that connects to a main circle. In the first image, you can see a short, curved cut on the left and a straight cut on the right. They are separated by solid concrete. In the next image, you can see my gloved hands guiding the diamond grinding tool as it connects the two cuts.

Grinding to connect the lines:

Judy and Melissa laid out the center rosette:

We also washed all our dust off the pad in preparation for coloring. John is in the foreground while Chuck spray washs our dust off the labyrinth. The pattern of cutting is very subtle now and barely visible in this image. We'll invest the next four days in coloring the lines so that the pattern is obvious. People (the other subcontractors in the building) are likely to start making comments about a landing zone for our space brothers, or "Is this ground zero? That looks a lot like a target." It's a good time to smile!

This is an important moment in the birth of the labyrinth at Marionjoy. It must be kept pristine. That is, no walking on the pattern with shoes which might carry dust or dirt onto the pattern.

Why do we insist on this?
Because the colored cement that we are about to put on the labyrinth will not adhere to the existing cement if it is dirty! So we ask that no one walk on the labyrinth until we have finished coloring it and have finished applying the sealer with which to protect the surface.

Once the coloring has set and dried and been sealed, it is stronger than regular concrete. If you want to land a helicopter on it or drive on it, fine - no problem. This polymer cement is used in high traffic situations because it is so durable.

Visit the Labyrinth Coalition's website to read about their upcoming "Midwest Labyrinth Gathering." Ellen Meuch from Wheaton is a panelist in one of the round table discussions. She is an expert on the labyrinth in under served populations and regularly presented a labyrinth walk in a prison until she was run off by religious conservatives who misunderstood the positive effects of the labyrinth. She serves on the Veriditas council.

There are only a few spaces left at the Gathering. Please call John or Gail at
317 842 2997
and reserve your place now!

Please visit Robert Ferre's web site Labyrinth Enterprises for complete information on how to have your own labyrinth!

See my labyrinth jewelry here!

Chuck Hunner, Sunday, June 10, 2006.

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