Will Emery #4 - From Sketches to Steel: Shrimp Boats, Crawfish, and Springtime

Things have been busy around here, but in the best way. Last week was all about construction documents—getting everything ready for a review with the structural engineers. It’s one thing to see a design take shape in a 3D model, but it’s a whole different game when you’re figuring out how the thing actually gets built. That’s where the real magic happens (and where the real problem-solving kicks in).

Joey has given me a lot of trust with the construction documents for the shrimp boat play structure, which has been both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. I’m looking forward to a good redline session because, at this point, I’m just ready for some feedback. It’s been cool seeing this thing evolve from sketches to a fully realized structure—what started as a fun concept is now turning into an actual, buildable thing.

We’re also diving into hardscape details, which has been a nice change of pace. A lot of those elements were already worked out in previous phases or other projects, so it’s mostly fine-tuning instead of reinventing the wheel. But what I didn’t expect was just how much more I’d be detailing beyond hardscapes. The shrimp boat’s wheelhouse, for example, is framed with 2x4s, so I’ve been tapping into my (somewhat limited but useful) experience with wood framing. It’s been a great learning experience all around.

Outside of work, things have been a little more relaxed. I boiled some crawfish this weekend and soaked up the nice weather with friends. The garden is coming back to life, too. I’ve been cleaning things up for spring planting, and I’ll be starting some seeds this week. The blueberries and strawberries are looking really promising already—three little green strawberries and a bunch of blueberry blooms, which is a big deal since they didn’t produce hardly anything at all last year. Fingers crossed for a good harvest.

More updates to come—on both the shrimp boat and the garden. Stay tuned.