The earth is moving around here these days. We have two backhoes and two groundpounders working hard to raise the front gardens almost 10 feet above the roadway. It is exciting to see our raised gardens taking shape. And, with the bulk of the land shaping complete we are ready to begin out onsite theming!

With the installation of the first few pieces of theming, you can start to get a feel for what the Hazelnut Inn might actually look like. It is still very early days but it is really exciting to walk under the ship’s hull and imagine how our guests will feel when the North Star suite is finally ready to open!

Since the Hazelnut Inn will be chock full of modern conveniences, electricity is a must. 😀

However, an ordinary telephone pole just wouldn't do! instead, we opted for a nine meter stone and plaster tower replete with solid steel elephant head knees.

Standing in the sun, it is a thing of beauty.

It has been a busy week here at the Hazelnut Inn! The forms have been stripped and the concrete walls are looking great. We also installed the first themed elements! Our power tower is up and ready for hydro wires (it is going to be wonderful to have electricity on site). We also installed the Avellana's hull. Walking under the ship feels really magical! The next step will be to backfill the front garden before we begin the onsite theming.

It is very exciting to get our first glimpse of the concrete walls of the Hazelnut Inn. For the last couple of weeks we've been looking at the concrete forms with their maze of bracing, imagining (based on the model and plans) where the windows and doors were located. 

Now, as the forms are removed everything is becoming real at last. The storage and mechanical room is the first to be revealed, it won't be accessible to our guests but the North Star suite will be above this area. The garden gate opening is now visible and the base of the ship's hull will be mounted on top of this wall this coming week.