Space age

Today, Phoebe and I went to the Kennedy Space Center. I've long been interested in rockets and all things space related and Phoebe has too. For the first time ever I took advantage of the senior's discount. It was disconcerting. It felt the same as when I was formally introduced at an event a while back as a 'master' sign maker and theme park builder. In my opinion I'm too young to be a senior and too inexperienced to wear the 'master' title. Hopefully I have many years to go and I know I still have much to learn.

As we walked through the many 'historical' displays and our guide kept pointing out that the Space Center had fifty years of history I realized I am indeed pretty old. I vividly remember the space race, the first man in space, the first man setting foot on the moon and pretty much all of the other space achievements honoured in that massive place. In three more years I will qualify for a senior's discount everywhere I go. I may just have to get used to the 'masters' designation too eventually. It all makes me want to hurry and get as much experience in as I possibly can so I can hopefully pass the test.

WORK!

Most people don't believe me when I tell them we are working when we travel to visit theme parks. But it is work. While we have just as much fun as anyone, we also have our ears and eyes wide open. I take thousands of pictures and my sketch book is always handy!

Having younger members of the family leading the way allows me to see things through their eyes. This hopefully makes me a better designer and builder of these magical places. We are currently in the middle of a trip to Florida to visit a number of theme parks and attractions. We're having a blast, and learning lots too! Did I mention I love my work!

Power to the people - and bosses too!

About twenty years ago we expanded our crew very rapidly. We went on a major shopping spree to get all the tools we needed to keep them busy and productive. In this time I also had to learn how to manage a large crew effectively and I had a lot to learn. One day I went to the tool box to get a battery powered drill. As I turned from the tool box I pulled the trigger to test it. The battery was dead. The second drill I picked up was in the same condition. As was the third and fourth and fifth. The spare batteries were also drained. We had a serious problem and I had to deal with it correctly.

We called the crew to quit work and to gather round for a meeting. I began my talk, trying my best to keep a serious face. I told the crew I owed them a huge apology for obviously I had failed miserably as a boss. I had failed to train them correctly in the use of the new tools. I then gave them a long and detailed breakdown and demonstration of the correct use and maintenance of battery powered tools. They learned about the drills, batteries and chargers, when to charge, how to store the batteries and even how to plug the chargers into the wall. I left nothing to chance. After the long and detailed lesson we had a question and answer period to make sure we didn't miss anything and that every single member of the crew knew how to take care of the equipment. I also explained that the next time I found a dead battery in the drawer it would NOT my be my fault. Everybody had a good laugh and we never had a dead battery again.