Bob Clark Beyond: Adventure

latest adventure posts

The Importance of Labor Day

Summer really flew by this year because we never stopped working at Clayco and were busy throughout the entire season. However, Labor Day is an important time for all of us to pause and recognize the hard work, commitment, and service of our team members and generations of American workers and tradespeople who built our country and continue to shape its future. In addition to marking the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day encourages us to show our appreciation and support for the hard work of those who get up each and every day to make an impact. It’s a holiday that celebrates the strength of our country’s labor movement and especially the men and women in the construction sector who fortify the foundation of our communities for all of us.

Blue Origin and Amoako Boafo

Blue Origin just launched some stunning artwork painted by Amoako Boafo into space! Painted directly on the now-iconic New Shephard Rocket capsule, Boafo’s art is literally going to reach new heights in orbit, and it’s exciting to see his work used in such a unique way. Thursday’s launch was a moon landing navigation experiment, and Boafo painted directly on three of the capsule’s parachute panels. The artwork includes a self-portrait, along with depictions of his mother and a friend’s mother, in order to communicate just how powerful the bonds of motherhood are.

Thank You to Clayco’s Teams

It’s been a tough year and a half for so many of us at Clayco, and we’ve been asked to deal with so many new challenges that could have very easily set us back as a business. But I can definitely say that it’s the dedication, talent, and unity of our teams that have allowed us to not only grow, but also succeed in all of the projects we’ve been working on since the start of the pandemic. There’s a lot of talk in the media right now about people quitting their jobs after being called back to in-person work environments. A lot of time has been spent covering the differences in productivity, teamwork, and communication that arise when companies move towards new hybrid models of working. I think so much of this kind of talk is unfounded, and we should call B.S. I’m glad to say that no one at Clayco has quit due to being called back to work together in person.

Unmanned Systems and New Tech in Construction

At Clayco, we’re always looking for new ways to innovate our build processes. A big part of this is seeking out partnerships and collaborators that will help us do our best work, and we’ve been actively looking into the ways that the drone industry could complement our own. One of the solution providers we’ve worked with on this front is Skycatch, and our good collaborative relationship with them was important to successfully gain FAA approval to fly the first drones over a construction site. We also worked with them to develop and analyze 3D scans of sites so we can compare them to the original model and plans, which has opened a lot of doors in modernizing our process.

Illumination 2021: A Return to the Light

There’s no denying that 2020 was a dark year for all of us, but we still have a whole lot to look forward to. After a year of postponement, Illumination is coming back this fall on October 23rd, 2021. Held at the Vertiport Chicago Heliport, it’s going to be our largest and most experiential event to date, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve been planning. Illumination 2021: A Return to the Light will be the 5th event we’ve hosted to help raise funds to find a cure for RVCL, a rare genetic disease that affects the central nervous system. Held annually around Halloween, it offers the opportunity for everyone to dress up in their best costumes and immerse themselves in an experience unlike any other.

In Memory of Hung Liu

I was deeply saddened to learn that Hung Liu has passed away. She was a prolific Chinese-born American painter and an artist whose work captivated people around the world, and she leaves behind an incredible legacy that is sure to inspire fellow artists for generations to come. Born in Changchun, China in 1948, Liu immigrated to the United States in 1984, where her distinct style of using layered brushstrokes and linseed oil to give her work a dripping appearance became widely known and celebrated. She went on to produce a variety of great paintings, mixed media creations, and installations that captivated audiences with her unique vision and ability to humanize her chosen subjects that are often drawn from traditional Chinese painting and even pottery.

ADVENTURE

Building Buttercup

a fence in a field with trees in the background

I can’t describe the powerful emotion I felt at this moment, for everything lost and gained in my whole life. It was a spiritual experience, from my heart.

ADVENTURE

Climbing Capitol Peak

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Adventure

Adventure is in my DNA

Ever since I read the stories of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, I’ve looked at all of my life as an adventure. Listening and learning from my father was amazing story in history over the course of 40 years taught me that adventure was in my DNA at conception.

I’ve always been able to keep calm and have a level head and every situation I can remember. The only exception of this rule is that I don’t believe a person should not panic if they’re drowning. I would definitely drown panicking.

Beyond that all of life’s twists and turns good and bad ecstatic or heartbroken all add up to the different color crayons in your crayon box. That was a quote from my dad upon hearing some shocking news about my own colorful life.