Two things I enjoy

There's two things I really enjoy. The first is introducing a new crew member to what we do. Shane joined our crew last week. He's fresh from trade school after learning to be a welder. Shane's primary job will be to weld the bones of our projects. He will of course do many other jobs too and has already tried his hand at sculpting, mixing concrete and painting. We love his willing spirit and cheerfulness. 

The second thing I really enjoy is starting a brand new project. Today, we started building the second feature/sign for Playland at the Pacific National Exhibition. I fired up the plasma cutter to create the heavy baseplates from half inch thick plate steel. Then the building of the structural steel began in earnest. It is an unusual shape as the giant bonsai tree will also fill the role of an operator's booth for the ride. The tree will sweep to one side. This meant we had to beef up the structure to compensate. It will be an exciting build which the entire crew is excited about. With help from Len cutting many pieces of steel, Shane and I made great progress on our first day. This is going to be FUN!

Its cold out there!

It's been a winter to remember in our area with more snow that we've had for a long, long time. Temperatures have also been lower than normal for sustained periods. The weather has played havoc with our work schedule as getting material on the yard and into the shop has proved difficult. There have been a number of days when staff simply couldn't safely come to work. This morning we are experiencing an ice storm - the worst in more than forty years locally. There was about a half inch of ice coating everything in sight. While it does create problems it is also incredible beautiful too.

Our signs out by the road were coated along with everything else. Our dinosaur sure looked cold and the flying ship needed a thorough de-icingbefore it few on. Hopefully spring and much warmer temps are on the way soon!