Growing up

I was up at Cultus Lake Adventure Park today with my grand daughter Phoebe and her friend. I chose not to go on rides today as Phoebe and Jordan were more than capable of handling things on their own. Instead, I took the opportunity to watch the crowds interact with the park we had helped build. The park is now three years old and looking good. It functions beautifully, even with a large crowd. The operations management and staff has made a few small changes to make it work even better.

With each passing year the park looks better. Good management and maintenance certainly show. The biggest change since the park was built is in the landscape. The trees are maturing and in the process the hardscape looks even better, and appears like it has always been there.

There is one more weekend of operation this year and then we set to work on some major additions for next year. Stay tuned...

It's a trailer

This afternoon I got to spend a bunch of time in the shop, designing, cutting, welding and grinding steel. I was fabricating the trailer for the rail truck. I blasted through three sheets of plate steel but when the smoke cleared the trailer frame and wheel set was complete. As always a bunch of changes to the original design happened as I worked. The frame became a little heavier and chunkier. It looks indestructible and it is! :)  I cut holes in the decking to make it see through and much more exciting for the kids when they ride. I welded in some heavy duty screening for the floor panels to keep it safe for the kids who ride. In the next days I'll design, cut and weld up the seat riser and double bucket seat. Like the frame, there will be some modifications from the original design... all in the interest of making it a little better and a whole lot more fun! 

Almost a theme park.

Almost on a daily basis I am in contact with the people at Skallywag Bay in Trinidad. By Skype, phone and many emails we communicate about the endless details which need sorting out. I regularly receive photos and then make notes, do drawings and consult about where things should be placed or built. It has been a difficult year to build with all of the rain they've had in that region but progress is being made.

I pore over each batch of photos I receive, looking for details and clues. I look not only at the image of feature which our clients sent but also in the foreground and background to see what else is going ion and how things are progressing. Every detail is important.

The courtyard is currently being surfaced and various features are being placed. This all was discussed the last time I was there, drawings were done and notes taken. But building a theme park is not like anything else for we adhere to a visual standard. What looks good on paper is not necessarily what will be done. Many other things are also considered, like sight lines, traffic flows and what will draw the guests through the park. Then there's the inevitable changes, necessitated by need or circumstance. The trick is to keep everything in mind and then create the best possible compromise. It all works - with lots of sweat and time.

I'm looking forward to another trip to the site soon. It's looking more like a theme park every day!