Thanks for the kind words. :o) Jan, The bear is one of my favorites and was an end-of-the-year gift from a student 15 years ago. He is concrete and soooo heavy. I drag him into the garage every winter...oh my back! LOL

just a thought. Why not contact the parks departments of both cities? They should have a list of w.wells if they have them. I can't recall seeing any but then I haven't really been looking here in St Paul. I don't think we rely on wishing, just doing?

I've got somewhat of a split personality when it comes to wishing wells. Most of the time I don't like them, but for some reason, usually at first glance they *always* catch my attention and make me catch my breath. Especially when they are on the grounds of an old house (100+ years). But once that initial "Oooh!" is over, I tend to think that I don't really like them after all. Weird, I guess. I also seem to like them - and this I guess ties into my liking them at old houses - I really like them when they are *real*. When you see a 200 year old house and there's a well in the front yard, you know it was once a working well. I looked at a house for sale recently, built in the early 1800's, and there was a well there, complete with the roof and all. Obviously it was sealed up, but had the pail hanging there, which was used as a planter. Looked really nice. Believe it or not, the well, like the house, was not in the best of shape, but that only added to the charm. Another thing that looks nice is when the open area between the wall of the well and the roof is filled in with lattice. There is an old farmhouse down the street, with its original well, that is like this, and they have annual vines grow up through it in the summers. I think since you have an old house, your well will look charming. I would definitely paint it to match the house, and personally think either the pail/planter thing or the lattice would look nice. Good luck, and let us know what you decide - and show us some "after" pictures! :) Dee

Got mine last year. Haven't taken pics of it yet as one of the two pips this year got a little frost bit and now half of it looks like carp. the other other half looks proper but the damaged half looks sick (plz don't be sick)