For every four projects we design only one will actually get built. The realities of cost, permissions, changes of heart, timing and a host of other factors weed out the rest. Those are the odds. Along the way some pretty cool projects get left on the drawing board. I thought I would give a glimpse of three of the hundreds of ideas that were left behind.
Filling in the gaps
There were seventy large holes for the roller coaster supports cut into Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf. Once the footings and columns were poured everything was filled in and packed and then new greens were poured. Now our job is to fill in the theme work where it was removed and build some new magic as well. Hundreds of anchor bolts were set into the new concrete and then we began welding the thousands of feet of pencil rod to form the required armatures. Its time to fill in the gaps.
Idea collection
One of my most valuable assets is my sketch collection. This collection of sketchbooks contains pretty much all of the projects we have worked on over the last sixteen years plus all of the ideas that never made it past the idea stage. Rather than draw on loose paper which can easily be scattered or lost I instead do all of my idea sketching in blank books. Through the years I've filled more than fifty of the black hard cover books with many more new ones on the go. They are stashed everywhere. A couple are beside my recliner, another in my bedside table, a couple are in our vehicles and others wait on my desk for when inspiration strikes. The drawings that overflow inside are done with my favorite rollerball pen or whatever happens to be handy. Most of the drawings are loose and quick, capturing my creative thoughts and ideas while they flow. Often subsequent pages are filled with iterations of the ideas that morph as they are developed.
Once I've worked out a clear idea of all the details I can then do a more finished drawing which then is redrawn one last time for presentation.
