I love road trips where I supervise the installations. Our crew works hard for weeks or even months, creating the pieces. The process often starts months and sometimes years prior with our client consultations and design process. When I’m on-site, I realize how important our work is. It starts with the unloading of the truck as staff and contractors look over the latest additions to the farm. So many players make our projects a reality. Everyone is excited to add their important part to the magic. This project involves many different trades and disciplines. Each has to blend their skills to tell a single story. In six weeks, Valas Pumpkin Patch will open for the 2026 season. Hundreds of thousands of guests will visit and create memories with family and friends. Our work will play a small part in that joy. And that is a cool thing I’ll never take for granted.
Fence art
At home, the crew is working hard on the fence. This is the perfect place to practice the art of sculpting woodgrains. They use pictures of actual wood grains as references and, with a variety of tools, recreate them in freshly troweled concrete. Matt is a master at these techniques and is training Jay and Laura (and now Henry) to carve. Previously, I could tell who carved each board, but as they build their skills, it is getting harder to discern the artist. This is going to be a wonderful piece of art when they are done. Stay tuned…
Ships can fly!
It is always an exciting day when we fly our creations into their permanent homes. Today was crane day for the major features of Cap’n Elias’ Shipwreck Cove at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch in Nebraska. The task was quick and painless with a wonderful crane operator and an eager Vala’s crew to hook and guide the features into place and bolt the sections together. The installation of the ship, Skull Rock, the shipwreck and all of their related pieces took less than two hours. Then it was back to laying out and shaping the miniature golf course. A couple more hours’ work tomorrow will ready the course for the extensive concrete work, pond and stream installation and the start of the landscaping. Then I am off on my journey home. But I’ll be back the first week of August to supervise the placement of the final features and do the final layout of the greens and sidewalks. Stay tuned…
