We walk past the unfinished Copper Crown on our way to the UnderHill many times daily. The exterior is complete and is looking fine. The plantings are all mature and thriving. The Castle looks like it is ready to go. But guests will have to wait a while yet. In the meantime the North Star suite is finished and open. Work on the UnderHill is proceeding at full speed. Stay tuned for regular progress updates…
Making a steel owl
The welding crew is making fabulous progress on the interior armature of the UnderHill Suite at the Hazelnut Inn and it won’t be long until they head out into the garden to finish the welding there. That means it is time to work up a final design for what we will build. Peter and I discussed the possibilities and after a few quick scribbles, settled on a final version for the outer fireplace. I worked up a quick concept and with Peter’s approval, it was time to get to work. The owl above the fireplace opening must be fireproof and we decided it should be made of welded steel. I whipped up the cutting files on my computer and then sent them to the FastCut CNC plasma. We set the machine in motion and went for coffee. After coffee, the pieces were perfectly cut and cool enough to handle. After a few minutes with my big hammer on my favourite anvil, they were shaped and ready to weld. The eyeballs are made from a couple of giant 2.25” dome head rivets and the eye sockets and beak are shaped and welded steel. Next week I’ll finish welding up the decorative keystone and then begin fabricating the armature for the rest of the fireplace. Stay tuned…
Pumpkin test drive
With all of Vala’s Pumpkin Patch signs and features now complete it was finally time to take them out of the shop in readiness for shipment next week. We decided to take the pumpkin coach for a little spin. If you are wondering where you might take a pumpkin coach for a test drive the answer is obvious…. the castle at the Hazelnut Inn. We hooked up the riding mower to the hitch and I jumped in the driver’s seat. Although the crew was betting heavily against me the little electric mower easily got things rolling. We drove up the 350 feet driveway, out the gate, and over to the Inn next door. As we had assumed, the colourful wagon looked perfectly at home in front of the castle gate. The only thing missing was a princess.
