Quality Assurance

Saturday morning I was making the rounds. A swing around the trail we use for Marv's Monster Wagon Ride; a pass by the target area for the Special Olympics Trebuchet; a walk through the parking lot; and then a stroll around the Infamous Bale Maze and Slide Mountain. I paused.

The slides are fast this year. I'm not sure why they are faster than years past -- maybe enough "bumpers" have them polished to a new level. At any rate, we put a large straw bale in front of one this past week to hold loose straw and the landing area in place. We built a straw "pillow" at the base of the second so when you come flying off the end you have a softer landing.

After a thorough examination, it was time for the final step in quality assurance: practice runs. I climbed up to the top of the first slide, plopped myself down in the chute and shot down like a bullet. Thank goodness the bale was at the end to get me stopped! 

Invigorated and a bit out of breath, I climbed to the top of the second slide (the one with the pillow at the end). I scooted my way to the edge and gravity did the rest. The next thing I knew I was skidding over the top of the straw pillow and came to a halt about a foot past it. I had enough loose straw up my pant legs for a table top manger scene. 

Now some people might say this is child's play but, well, they're right. And that's one of the reasons all of us at Papa's take time for quality assurance. 

See you soon,

Papa