I was digging through some old pictures and came across this piece of history tonight. It dates back to the summer of 1984. This was one of the very earliest 3D themed projects we built. The kids were young then, Peter in grade two, Rebecca in grade one. We decided to put a float in the local parade. I dragged out our home-built kayak trailer and whipped up a 3D plane - kid sized of course. I had only the basic tools in those days... little more than a jig saw and a hammer.

Peter donned a backpack (parachute), bike helmet and swim goggles and became the wing walker. Rebecca who was younger would stay in the plane and be the pilot complete with goggles, helmet and scarf. She turned a crank inside the cockpit to spin the propeller. The wheels were borrowed off my golf cart. The plywood on the wings was cut from recycled signs. In this photograph we were just testing the plane prior to gluing fabric on the wooden frame and putting on a quick coat of paint. It was painted to match our mini van and bore the name of our art gallery.

Although quick and somewhat rough, the project was successful and would lead to much larger and elaborate projects in the future. Those were fun days!

-grampa dan