With less than three weeks until the Yarrow Days Parade, Henry was getting a little concerned we wouldn’t be ready in time, for there is still much to do. It was time to put in some work hours! Luckily, the battery/inverter had arrived, as had the walkie/talkies. We gave them a quick test and then plugged them in to get fully charged. Then we got out the large felt pens to add in the panel seam lines and rivets, which made the plane look a lot better. Henry asked for the number on the plane to be H08, which was a nod to his name and age. Under the canopy edge, we added his name and call sign ‘TINMAN,’ a nod to this year’s theme of “There’s no place like home”. (Wizard of Oz) We also took the time to fabricate and install the dashboard in the cockpit before it was time for Henry to head home. We still have to finish the lower part of the trailer, install and test the smoke machine, along with a few more details. We are now confident we will be ready for the morning of June 6. Stay tuned…
Visiting old friends
It is always fun to travel to our customers’ sites to see projects from our past. Most often, they dominated our studio for months as we created them, and then lived in our outside staging area until we shipped them. They were a big presence in our lives until we shipped them to their homes far away. By that time, new projects took their place in our shop. When I get a chance to visit our customers, I see them again, and I remember the joy of creating them. Most often in our shop, they are not seen fully assembled, and so it is a delight to see them in their glory. At NEB’s Fun World in Oshawa, they have assembled a substantial collection of our work over the last decade. We look forward to adding even more pieces soon! Stay tuned…
NEBs revisited
Most of our clients become friends, and the projects are but the first of many over a period of years. My visit to the Toronto area for the Downey’s Farm project also means a few extra days to visit our other clients in the area. One of them, of course, is NEB’s Fun World who we’ve been working with for about a decade. The indoor amusement park looks more amazing each visit! Although we didn’t do anything for NEBs this year, they have been making amazing progress on a very ambitious expansion that will open in stages beginning in the fall of this year. I was privileged to get a backstage tour and an in-depth peek at the blueprints of what is yet to come. It is going to be amazing and will undoubtedly bring dynamic energy to the business for decades to come. Over a nice dinner meeting, we discussed projects we will be involved with in the next few years. It is going to be a lot of fun! Stay tuned…
