Ship shape

It is always an exciting day when the last concrete mud is applied to a feature and the last of the carving is done. What formerly lived only in our minds and on paper now is real - BIG as life! The ship is massive and dominates the shop, measuring almost thirty feet in length. With the top deck in place it will measure about thirteen feet tall and the masts will take it seven or eight feet higher than that. The tops of the masts and the upper deck still remain to be done but they are small bits in relation to the giant hull now complete. Tomorrow the ship gets pushed out into the parking lot to cure.

Once the ship is installed in the center of the pond the second hole of the mini golf will go over a gangway, through the ship, over a second gangway and onto dry land once more. The two masts will be obstacles for those golfers who don't hit down the middle. We'll put down a thin concrete deck for transport but once the ship is in place four inches of concrete will be poured through the two gangways and ship deck. Here's a couple of shots showing the deck details. The captain's wheel will be up on the upper deck out of reach of the guests.

The other good thing about finishing a feature is that it means we get to move onto the next feature. We've got some pretty cool stuff ready for concrete! Stay tuned...

-grampa dan

Wall to wall features

With only two days left before we need to empty the shop for the workshops the crew is in full gear on the two big pieces that dominate the working space currently. The ship will recieve the last of the sculpted  fiberglass reinforced concrete tomorrow while the KRAKEN will get it's last base coats of paint as well. Getting from one side to the other in the shop is doable but not in a hurry. The only way I could get a picture of both pieces was to use the panning feature on the camera. It distorts things a little but gives a good idea of all that is going on

By backing up into the corner I managed a decent shot of the KRAKEN. It is going to be a nice play between the cool and warm colors when we are done, especially with the glazes and patinas tying it all together.

It is exciting to see all the action in the shop on a daily basis. 

-grampa dan

One last tour

Today was one of the most gorgeous days of the year. Very warm but not hot, and with the mountains starting to show their fall colors it was absolutely beautiful. I took it real easy, reviewing my notes and pictures for the coming workshops and simply relaxing. Action will ramp up in the coming days as final preparations are made for the workshops and we continue with normal production in the shop as well.

On my way back from town this morning I detoured up to Cultus Lake Adventure Park to liesurely look around one last time before they close for the season at the end of the month. The park was not yet open for the day. In the quietness I simply enjoyed every corner of the park looking closely at and taking in all the work we, together with Chris' crew accomplished in the last year. The park looks great from every angle. The plants and landscaping are filling in nicely. Despite having many tens of thousands of guest interacting with our pieces they all look like new. The staff took good care of the park thrugh the summer.

It was good to relax but tomorrow we'll hit the ground running.

-grampa dan