We Made It! Kingsbrae Gardens

Cathy and I are tired. It’s been an incredible journey across Canada to Kingsbrae Gardens in New Brunswick. Actually, we drove Babe, the blue truck (ox), from Oak Bay, BC to Oak Bay NB! (More about that later). 

Meeting Bob at Kingsbrae

Checking out the site - rain had prevented the painting of the pad.

Unscrewing the support rod from the truck

Once the sculpture came out of the truck we needed to remove the short stem

Working blind to undo the nut

Thinking about keeping the plywood base

Realizing the base screws were under the sculpture - keeping the base was no longer an option

setting up the structural support

Kingsbrae worker cutting a steel rod to straighten the support rod

Securing the rod in place

Securing the base to the pad

Tightening the bowl to the stem

Undoing the support arms for the bowl

Through the window for tightening the bowl to the stem

Peggy's 'Butt'er Side

Ladders not perfect but they worked well enough on the uneven terrain

Cathy checking the inside of the bowl

Installed

Many of the other sculptures are now in place for the competition, waiting for the judgement day in mid-June. The colourful, 7-foot tall cocktail glass made from HIV medication and supplement bottles blows in the breezes at the top corner of the garden. Inside many of the bottles are unique messages of love, letters of hope and expressions of gratitude that were gathered as we traveled. 

In the Garden

Lunch time

Added to the scenery, it was the stops along the way that made the trip spectacular for us. And it was your friendship and open doors that made it economically possible. We interacted with over 20 communities, discussing my life of living positively with HIV and learning where priorities lie for others. As I mentioned above, our last stop, coincidentally, was Oak Bay, a picturesque coastal town between St. Andrews and St. Stephen.

In Oak Bay, we were reminded that volunteerism and determination are effective, even when funding is not available. We met a young counselor who chose insecurity over government work, because he knew that centres for wellness were needed in rural New Brunswick. Their programming is diverse, with the Centre’s 12-member Board planning events and programming to enrich the lives of people with mental health challenges. They are encouraging professionals to make referrals while they host pot luck dinners, drumming, meditations… Including positive people in programming will go a long way to reducing discrimination and stigma. It reminds me of the warm reception I received on Salt Spring Island (one of the small islands between Victoria and Vancouver), when I joined a cancer support group before our Southern Gulf Island AIDS Support group was created.

Empty Truck

We miss everyone - and know that the sculpture stands proudly in the garden because so many friends contributed their time and expertise to the project. We did it!