Written for the 3-6 year old audience, it is also a primer on healthy food for children.
This production blog will be coming to a close soon and will be replaced by a child oriented website with our engaging Happy's Greenhouse videos, games, coloring pages, etc. All content, starring our very own Eco Beeps puppets, will focus on healthy fresh vegetables as well as growing, harvesting, choosing, cooking, and eating healthy foods. I'm sure you have heard by now that America has quite the problem with food and health issues, so I won't go into that other than to say really bad eating habits across the land have been the inspiration for the series. Happy's Greenhouse will be here to let your children learn about choices that are available, both good and bad, about the food they eat.... or don't eat.
I'll make a final post when we are ready to make the switch to the new site. Thanks for following along.
My Favorite Richard Branson Story
In the meantime, I wanted to take a moment and let you know how I got started in all of this. In late 1998, I was completing the model building segment of a series of hot air balloon fantasy models. I had it in my head to write a children's book and use the models & sets to create my own illustrations with photographs. The story is about a group of teddy bears that sail around the world on a hot air balloon.
I had many visitors that would come into my art studio/antique shop located in the back of an old historic building. One day Martha Sherratt came in and saw what I was doing and asked "Have you sent pics to Richard Branson? He's the Virgin Records guy that is trying to fly around the world in a hot air balloon. I bet he would love this."
Of course, I knew of him and was aware of his attempts to circumnavigate the globe but had never thought to contact him. Well, on Martha's recommendation, I assembled a photo packet and synopsis and FedX'd it to London. And waited.
I didn't have to wait long. Sir Richard and Steve Fossett had just finished an attempt at heading around the globe... by landing short in Hawaii. I was sitting at my desk when I received a call from Virgin Airship & Balloon company CEO Mike Kendrick who told me he had gone over my presentation with Richard and they "...would like to give it a go."
Mike set me up with a contact within the Virgin London office and I sat back and waited and kept polishing the story while they worked out the details.
On March 1st, 1999 a pair of rival adventurers, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones lifted off in a hot air balloon called the Breitling Orbiter 3 in an attempt to sail around the world. At the time I felt like I was riding a wave, but as we all know, waves don't last forever. As the Breitling team got closer and closer to actually making it, I found myself having some dark thoughts. Nothing drastic, just your normal "I hope the wind drops to nothing." or "How about a pin sized leak that forces them to land short?". I knew if they made it my book would not go forward. They made it around the world in 20 days. I was excited that the accomplishment had been conquered but... my guy wasn't in the balloon.
Everyone around me said there would now be even greater interest in my book, etc. No one believed me when I said "No, my guy was not in that balloon, the project is over." About seven days went by when the FedX truck pulled up in front and dropped off a package from London. Inside were my photos, etc and a nice short note from Sir Richard Branson thanking me.
It was incredible to have a tiny behind-the-scenes part in what turned out to be hot air ballooning history. Would have been better if we had been able to make a kids book though. Hmm...I wonder if there is a need for puppets & healthy food in space?
Charles Parker
April 2012
