The setup for the 2018 IAAPA EXPO was quick and easy as per our plan. The trade show organizers had our display placed in our booth when I arrived this morning. The show pallet needed a quick nudge from a passing forklift to be perfectly positioned. That only took a few seconds. I then swung out the two side panels, rolled out the carpets and plugged in the lights and TVs. As quick as that we were ready to show. We come down a few days early - just in case things go awry… but the booth arrived in perfect shape. That means we have a couple of days to go play (I MEAN DO RESEARCH :) ) in our favourite theme parks!
Going for the gold
The main sign for the Hazelnut Inn is almost done. It’s looking very nice! The leave now sport a beautiful rust patina, the tree and background are painted and as a last step the lettering is receiving a shiny coat of real 23k gold leaf. Becke gave Alyssa a quick lesson in applying the size and laying the leaf and then she got to play with the gold for the day. The top letters in the picture are finished with gold while the bottom letters only have a base coat of gold paint. There’s nothing like real gold!
Movember
While construction continues on the Hazelnut Inn building at full speed we also are working on the decor pieces for the inside of the suites. That’s a delightful and fun job! One of the many pieces of the eclectic collection of ‘artifacts’ to be showcased in the North Star suite is a tribal mask. The legend is that our intrepid explorer acquired the rare piece (only known one of its kind) from from a distant jungle tribe. I put the finishing touches to it today Sculpting and painting it was fun without a doubt but I saved the best for last. The beard was created by drilling a series of holes into the bottom and then gluing in rope segments. These ropes were then unravelled to become an unkempt beard of wondrous proportions. It worked much better than I imagined it would and instantly inspired a host of other creative projects for the inn. Stay tuned…
