My week at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch is now concluded. It was busy, productive and fun. The list of projects for next year is being drawn up and will be finalized over the next few months. While I was there, I met with many friends I’ve made through the years while visiting the farm. I was asked a bunch of times which of the scores of signs was my favourite. It is kind of like being asked which of my grandchildren is my favourite, which is impossible to answer. They are all special with unique memories attached. As I rode my cart around the farm checking out each sign we’ve created, I also took pictures. They change with the light and angle, and so I made a point of taking pictures throughout the week. This pair I love, perhaps because they remind me of the wonderfully delicious pies the Vala’s crew makes inside.
First green
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.
