Wish it was there.

Sadly, family can't always be together for Christmas. Some of our family resides in Florida and won't be making the trip home this year. I drew my sister-in-law's name for our gift giving exchange. I know Lisette loves hand made, personal things the very best. I also know she loves lighthouses. So I decided to make her a small sign for the front of their house. 

It was my intent to have it ready for when we were down that way doing the workshop in Orlando late this fall. But tight deadlines and a crunched bearing in my router, just before we left, made that plan unworkable. When we returned from that trip I was only home for a few days before going to the sign conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Then when I got back we pulled out the old router and it was a couple of weeks before things were up and running with the new machine. Production in the shop was rather backed up by this time and so we worked hard to take care of business. Personal projects took a back seat.

By this time there was no time to create the sign, paint it and have things cure enough for shipping - all before Christmas. But no worry for I know Lisette will be happy, even if it is a little late. She is a good sport.

But I decided since the present will be a little late getting there that she should be able to 'unwrap' it a little early. It is only fair and it might average things out a little. So here's a picture of the finished sign Lisette. Merry Christmas!  It will be sent off next week once the paint cures a little more.

As an added bonus (to make up for the late delivery) I'll personally install it the next time I am down your way.  :)

-grampa dan

What could possibly be next?

Each time we work on a project I do my very best to raise the bar, often not knowing exactly how we might pull it off... but we always manage - somehow. I have no trouble imagining the designs, but building the projects is often much more the challenge. This is exactly what keeps my job fresh and exciting every day. It is always new territory, untested ground we are walking (or running) through. This is what keeps me excited about going to 'work' every single day. 

I get a kick out of the comment I often hear whenever we finish a project. Everyone wonders just how we will do better than the last. The answer is easy. The project just finished is behind us. I am already thinking about the next, and quite possibly the one after that. It doesn't matter if the next project is larger or smaller than what is just completed, it will always be more imaginative and most likely much further 'out there!' Sometimes by a significant distance! 

One of the projects for early in the New Year was approved this week. It will be a series of three cartoon robot displays designed to showcase what we can do with a MultiCam CNC router and plasma cutter. The displays are for trade show booths and will be of a scale to be interactive with guests as a photo op.

The new thing on these signs will be the many LED and fiber optic lights we will incorporate into the projects in new and exciting ways. I've been puzzling for almost a week on how to include everything to make these signs like none seen before. There was one particulary tough spot I was a bit worried about. But in today's mail there was a mysterious package, and in that package were sample LED lights that were brighter and smaller than anything I had seen previously. It was the perfect solution! Problem solved. This is going to be a lot of fun!

And after this is done, you can bet there will be something even more exciting...

-grampa dan

Doing the 'impossible', without breaking into a sweat

Today, as Hailey was painting the detailed lettering on a sign for the Fox and Hounds Pu, we were chatting. She commented to me just how much she enjoyed hand painting. I reminded her how when she started with us only five months ago, she would never have made that comment. Then, she was somewhat unsure of her abilities, and sometimes expressed a little trepidation with a new job I gave her. She hadn't used many hand tools previously. But I strongly believe there is a world of difference between what we believe we can do and what really is possible if we really set our mind to it. Surrounding ourselves with others who believe in our abilities at a critical moment often gives us just the boost we need to do the seemingly impossible. This summer I witnessed it many times.

In the last five months, I have watched Hailey's confidence and abilities grow daily. Often I would ask her to do a job with only minimal instruction (on purpose). Doing so forced her to figure things out - which she always did in a hurry, for Hailey is eager to learn and has a strong work ethic. I watched carefully from a distance and I was not disappointed. I knew from the start that I (and she) had no worries. 

Hailey has discovered there is a world of difference between 'I can't' and 'I don't yet know how'. I look forward to seeing what she will accomplish in the future. I have no doubt it will be cool!

-grampa dan