My last full day at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch was a busy one. As per tradition, the day was spent with department heads and the owners discussing a wide variety of wish-list projects for the future. The list was extensive, ambitious and exciting. In the coming weeks and months, we will dream up concepts and then decide which will proceed next year or in years to come. Between meetings, I dropped by the mini-golf to watch the progress of the crews making it real. Progress has been swift through the week, and today the first of the carpet was laid down. As always, it was my pleasure to work with such a willing group of people as they laboured so hard to install our creations and make the farm ready for hundreds of thousands of guests who will soon visit the farm. I look forward to working through this winter with our crew to make more magical features and also look forward to returning next summer to see the finished result of this year’s creations. Stay tuned…
Small details to tell a big story
To visually tell a big story well, one needs to include many small details. These may be insignificant to many, but even those who don’t ‘see’ them will feel the difference, because they are there. Today we began pouring the sidewalks between the ‘greens’ of the mini golf. These paths feature no straight lines, but instead wander around various features, just as a path would in the real world. The theme is nautical, and so we asked for a light tan colouring with fine aggregate. The stones in the mix were fine to mimic a sandy beach. The railings, of course, will be netting and rope. We also scattered small seashells into the concrete. As a special touch, we also judiciously placed dollar shells that the Vala grandchildren had gathered on a recent visit to the seaside. Once the concrete had set, the top surface of the concrete was gently pressure-washed to reveal the seaside treasures. The result was pure magic that will help transport guests to a pirate isle.
Crowning touch
The days of my being in the high lifts doing the strenuous tasks are long behind me. My job these days is to supervise and advise as required. The Vala’s Pumpkin Patch crew did the heavy lifting as I stayed on the ground and made sure the weathervane pointed in the optimal direction for guests to appreciate as they approach the new twisting coaster named the Pony Express. The water tower sign already looks like it has been there forever in its new home. As I left the farm this afternoon, the landscaping crew were busy planting flowers underneath it to make it perfect for Vala’s opening, which happens in less than four weeks.
