Buiding the Lab!

  Each year, Son and I work our little fingers to the bone trying to piece together a bit of entertainment for others.  We start planning in November for the following October so it is a year-round endeavor for us. The Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou is something he and I do purely for the enjoyment of others.  We do not get anything out of it other than the satisfaction that those attending are having a grand time.  That, in itself, makes it all worth the effort.  We start by writing a storyline then build props, puzzles, locked boxes and mechanical devices.  We totally transform the Little Bayou House and surrounding outbuildings to meet the needs of the hunt.  My oldest son said that our clue hunts are not clue hunts at all but rather LARP and Room Escape had a baby.  (LARP being "Live Action Role Playing.)  I suppose he is correct on that! There are very few (if any) written clues.  You have to be observant and "find" your clues that help you solve the mystery.  

  This year, the clue hunt's theme is Medieval Times with a title of "Save the Alchemist".  Since the Little Bayou House is far from being a castle, we are working more with townsfolks and leading characters.  As of today, my living room has become an alchemist's lab.  Shelves line the windows and are heavily laden with all those magical things that any good alchemist would need to further his/her experiments.  The delving into science might easily be accomplished in our lab!  

  All that is left to complete the lab is the "work table" where the experiments actually are performed. That will be set up tomorrow and will be carefully arranged to allow for the teams to do whatever is necessary to complete the given tasks presented to them.  Part of the appeal of these hunts is the challenge that we pose for the teams.  The groups are going up against Son's brain.  That is not an easy task as not only is he brilliant but he has a very quirky sense of humor. Combine the two and some clues and props need a bit of figuring.  Now, toss in a bit of my eclectic and eccentric artistic sense and things get even fuzzier.  It takes most teams a good three hours to complete the tasks set before them but no one, as of yet, has quit nor complained and they all want to return for the next hunt.  That sure makes you feel good!

  We are running a bit behind schedule (due to my uncooperative knee) but should have things ready for the groups scheduled later in the month of October.  The knee put a hindrance on progress so the first few hunts had to be cancelled.  Thankfully, Son's good friend has stepped in to give us a hand and I can sit back and supervise.