HOPE Castle had to have inspiration.
HOPE castle has gone through a few versions before the current version that just gets larger each year. The idea of a massive castle comes from the Campbell brothers from Wisconsin and their display at Brickworld Chicago 2012. Picture below is their layout that inspired me to build a castle.
I only wish I had acquired this many Ice Bears before the retirement of the LEGO Chima theme.
THEN there are the special people who keep the inspiration going non-stop in my imagination. They are no longer on this planet but their spirit lives on every time I display HOPE castle. All Names below are colored to match the ribbon color of the respective cancer.
Keely Yaeger-Decker
Above is my Sister Keely Yaeger-Decker along with my nephew. The keep seen at Brickworld 2013 was built during her battle with triple negative breast cancer. She lost her battle with triple negative breast cancer and became an Angel on February 12, 2014.
Taylor Easterberg
Above is Taylor and myself when KIDSFEST came to Denver. Taylor and I spent a lot of time together building. He is the one that taught me to be selfless and give what I could of both my time and LEGO collection. The time we spent together meant a lot to me and I miss him everyday I build with LEGO. The image of me building LEGO with him in the PICU at Childrens Hospital resides as my background on my phone. Taylor's LOVE for LEGO was huge and I was able to get him the Cafe Corner 1 year for Christmas. Taylor lost his battle with cancer and became an Angel on March 16, 2013.
Justin Miller
The above picture is from the first St Baldrick's foundation head shaving event at Fado's pub in downtown Denver. I have made the journey every year since. I didn't get to spend as much time with Justin as I did Taylor but that didn't diminish how much he meant to me and our shared love of LEGO. Justin lost his battle with cancer and became an Angel on January 21, 2014.
Jim West - COWLUG / DENLUG AFOL
The above is a photo of Jim West manning the GBC layout at Brickfest LIVE in 2015. I think this was the last AFOL event he attended and it means a lot for me to remember a special AFOL who brought so much to our events. He was a frequent volunteer at the Master Building events and AFOL shows and will be greatly missed. Jim became an Angel on October 12, 2015. I will be making the trip to BrickCon Seattle in 2016 in his memory.
Trevor Kling
Here I am giving Trevor the first 4 cars in the Speed Champion theme when he was up at Children's Hospital. I know his father through the bowling leagues I have bowled with him. Sadly Trevor became an angel October 4, 2017.
Turner "Brickfreak 3" Howell
Turner joined the Cast of Friday Night Bricks and used his ability to recite the entire Incredibles Movie during the streams. Episode #60 is when he showed the viewers his ability. Sadly he passed away on June 7, 2020.