Finding Minnesota: The Flower Bomber
HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) – A Minnesota man plots bombing missions across the United States in which no one gets hurt.
In fact, David Cook, 50, hopes to achieve the opposite effect.
He's an artist who's earned the nickname "the flower bomber" through his clandestine missions, hitting communities with random bursts of color.
He creates six-foot high images of flowers or butterflies out of plywood and colorful tape and then selects public spaces to "bomb."
"This is a sneak attack," Cook said. "In some areas, I'll keep them up for, like, eight hours. Some areas, [they'll stay up] three hours, four hours. They make people happy."
His temporary surprise gardens have sprung up from Cocoa Beach to North Dakota, wherever he happens to be.
Cook rarely gets paid for these missions, even though he said he could use the money. The vehicle that he calls his "bombing vehicle" is an old Chevy Suburban with more than 300,000 miles on it.
"I'm used to kind of being broke and living on the edge," he said. "It works for me."
Cook is a Minnetonka native who has settled in Hastings. It's where he started his road to sobriety after an earlier life of selfishness and trouble.
"I know we've all done things that we're not proud of," he said, "but this is my chance. This is my chance to give back and do what's right."
Cook said he gets his reward from the smiles he sees through his Suburban windshield. He usually parks a short distance away.
"It's fun to watch," he said. "I like to take pictures of people taking pictures."
Lately, Cook has added to his artistic arsenal. He's planted longer-lasting surprises along the Hastings riverfront and deep in the woods of a city park.
"I'm sculpture bombing now," he said.
He takes invasive vines and weaves them into natural sculptures that hang from trees -- unexpected jolts of imagination for innocent bystanders to enjoy, just like his flowers.
"I just think the world does need a lot more joy and happiness," he said. "It's not very complicated, and the world does need that, I think."
The makers of the Duck brand of duct tape found out Cook was using their product on his flowers, and they now send him a free supply whenever he runs out.
This summer, he hopes to take on his biggest flower bombing project yet, along Route 66 from Chicago to California.