Venture Hall

Venture
Hall

ven·ture ven(t)SHər/ noun
1. A risky or daring journey or undertaking.

Well OK, maybe they are not really all that "daring," but these are some of Larry's
"interesting" undertakings from over the years.

Hi, my name is Evie (e-vee) Strump. It is so nice to meet you. I wear many hats around here. And one of them is "Interpreter for Level 1" of the Museum. And, it's my pleasure today to welcome you to Venture Hall .

You are at the Durable Light Construction Exhibit. In the late 80's Larry began to experiment with techniques to build these light and less expensive but durable buildings for specific purposes. He referred to these structures as DLC's for short.

~ The Durable Light Construction Exhibit

This was the Burnett's first home. Larry built this house in the late 80's in Mississippi. It was a kind of precursor to the later, true DLC's. It was just not quite so 'L' as the later buildings.

By the mid 90's Larry's buildings had been noticed by a ministry called Teaching The Teachers which built Christian schools in Africa. Larry became a staff member in charge of their movable classroom project, among other responsibilities.

The DLC classrooms were prefabricated in the U S and shipped in a sea going container to Africa where they were then assembled.

Donna, Larry's wife, says she could see this coming a mile away...

<< A DLC Home

There were actually two of these full-fledged DLC homes for the Burnett's. However, there are no extant pictures of the 2nd home. Nevertheless, it was also a two story. However, it had quite a different shape. It was a six sided structure. It looked very much like a typical space observatory. And, it actually did have a small hatch on the tip-top where, on occasion, you could see a child's head protruding through. The family occupied that home for a little under 2 years.

Home Spectrum
A Brief Study in Architectural Tastes

O>Portal Exhibit
Folding Homes
by
Minds Eye Designs

~ The Fleet That Larry Flew

Larry has had a fascination with airplanes since he was a little boy. The planes above are the various aircraft types that he has flown, on and off, over the years. Typically, it has been the budget which has dictated both the "on" and the "off." Click Here to read an article involving his flying days.

Artful Aviation

O>Portal Exhibit
Electric Planes:
They Have Arrived
by
Electric Future

The Magic Of An Airplane

What is this song that an airplane sings
to my heart upon the wind?
What is this drawing upon my soul
By this siren made of tin?

From whence this magic
which makes me see
airfoils, wing shapes, and engine nacelles
appearing at will when my mind is free?

And what makes me stop and stare
with every skyward pass
until it is gone? And every time,
be saddened that it did not last.

Perhaps it is the shape,
streamlined, sculpted by the wind.
Function and beauty sweetly expressed
in a rare and perfect blend.

Or maybe the colors and larkish stripes,
the promise of movements yet unmade,
so that even while it merely stands,
still it seems to fly away.

Or is the magic from flight itself,
when the airplane mocks earth's grasp
but then returns to kiss her gently
and rest so lightly on her grass.

No - I think an airplane's magic
must surely flow from rhythms deep
which bid my spirit, "Go aloft,
and know sweet freedom's highest peak!"
-LB

O>Portal Exhibit
Smallest Mini Aircraft
In The World
By
Beyond Facts

O>Portal Exhibit
15 Amazing Luxury Helicopters
by
Top Fives

~ The T*Boat Exhibit

And, then there are the T*Boats.

One of Larry's longest running adventures is the T*Boats. He began designing and building them in 2002. In this T*Boat Exhibit there are pictures which range from the earliest versions of the T* to the T*-5 (5th generation). And, the T*Boat continues to evolve. The new T*6 -2 (a 2 person T*) is due out soon.

^ To The Annex ^

You can learn much more about the T*Boat at The
Back 40 Mercantile where the Kits and Plans are presently sold by the Museum. The Mercantile is located in the Museum Annex. Just follow the Hall to the Annex.

~ The Furniture Gallery

High there. I'm Celeste; and, I will be filling in for Evie as your interpreter while she is at lunch. The exhibit where we are presently standing is what we call The Furniture Gallery. Larry has built furniture for may years, everything from Commercial, to Church, to Domestic pieces.
Larry's furniture making began as a hobby. But, for some years he earned his living, doing it professionally. His pieces actually total more than a thousand. And, He still does special order pieces now and then. The pieces you see on display here are merely representative of his work.

The Contemporary Gallery

Larry began the professional phase of his furniture making with his own company called Original Wood Designs. OWD produced many in-house designs, but there was also a multitude of custom designs as per the client's specs. produced by the company.

The Reproduction Gallery

~The Pavilion Project

Hello again. This Pavilion Exhibit furnishes an interesting way to look at the construction of a pavilion which Larry designed and built with the help of some great volunteers on the campus of the Scottsville Camp and Conference Center near Marshall, TX.

~The Place Where T*Boats Are Born
Larry's Backyard

~The Warp Drive:

Larry has tinkered with barrel based wood heaters for years. He says, "They're just fun to build. And, they make the shop more efficient by utilizing its scrap wood."

This new heater typically puts out 150 cubic feet per minute of 100-200 degree air as needed. It keeps the shop toasty even on those frosty Arkansas days.

2018 Version

~ A Bucket List Item...

Building the "Whisperflite," below, is an item on Larry's Bucket List. He says, "Maybe, maybe not - we'll see. The 'runway' may already be to short to get it off the ground."

You Are Here: On Level 1

^ To Level 1^
Locator

^ To Level 2^
Locator

^ To Annex^
Locator

<< To Level 2
To Annex >>