When summer pruning is mentioned, in most cases that does not mean you can not also dormant prune. The only fruit I exclusively summer prune is apricot which is prone to disease when pruned during the rainy season. Al

Luke, thanks for the information about the Wadsworth engraving place. Wadsworth isn't very far from me, my aunt even lives there. I'll definitely check it out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I bought the book Lettercutting in Stone by Richard Gasby from John Neal Booksellers out of North Carolina. An bit expensive, but worth it I think. I haven't had alot of time to sit down with it but from the very first pages I've discovered that letter cutting begins by learning to paint and place the letters properly on the stone. It is a must to learn this art first. Then there are the correct tools one needs. I have spoken to several monument dealers in the area and all use stencils and all said they prefer not to work with sandstone because the stencils will not stick to the gritty surface. They do no hand carving whatsoever anymore. That type of work fell by the wayside when laser machines made it possible to cut faster and thus create a larger volume of work quicker. In fact one dealer remarked that he wouldn't even consider working on as big of block of sandstone as I want (5' long). The laser cut letters are not quite the look I'm after, I was hoping for the V-sunk lettering one sees on older buildings. This project looks like it may not happen until next Spring or Summer anyway, as I need to have the stump of a pine tree removed. This is where I want the stone to sit. It will cost $285 to have the stump ground out, so I have to come up with that bit of extra cash before I can even buy the stone. I have a source for the stone, but am being picky as to the size and color; the dealer is still searching for the right one for me. Thanks for the the replies and info. I'll keep you posted on the progress!

I do landscaping (planting and maintenance) so I'm light on details but I have seen our stone man do the torch thing. I would test it on scrap first. He flames the cut edge with acetylene torch, the heat pops the edge of the stone. He doesnt use safty glasses but he's young and a little dumb...safety glasses first, I say. It doesnt seem complicated but I suspect, like everything else, that practicing the technique will lead to a better result.

Vannie - I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this book. I have read other Verghese work and been impressed, and from what I can gather, this is more novelistic than his normal oeuvre.. I have been waiting to get this from the library once it gets past the 7-day wait... (I am right in that it's a Verghese, right? Or do I have him confused with someone else?)