I'm carving a grave marker for a close friend of mine who recently lost her fiance.

I'm carving it out of oak, and plan to put SEVERAL coats of spar urethane on it. Any other special considerations I need to take into account, since this will be exposed to the elements 24/7? When I give it to her, I'm going to note that it will either need to be continually refinished every so often or replaced eventually.

Another question I have, since the board is only 0.75" thick is - how to I attache some kind of stake to the back so it'll mount into the ground? I was thinking a small block, cut at an angle (so the carving isn't horizontal) that the carving would mount to. I'd maybe drill a hole into the block as well, to accept a dowel or stake of some kind. As far as attaching the block to the carving, will Tightbond II be enough to hold up to the elements?

Any other considerations I need to think about? Thanks!