A Word (or several) of Thanks

Now that the Harvest Festival is over and has been put to bed, I would like to say a few words of thanks for all those who helped to make this event possible.

The lovely Duchesses of Carntaigh and Loch Avie, Gabrielle and Eva who saw merit in my idea and brought it forth to the people of Caledon, oversaw the details and organized all the Caledonian aspects of the Festival. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, ladies, we were able to have a joint event. Thank you!

To the people of Caledon, thank you for taking the idea and running the distance with it. I know there are so many of you and I think that Caledon as a whole can be proud of it's citizens. I was impressed with the creativity and enthusiasm that went into the individual events. I'd also like to send out a special thank you to Mr. Szondi for the wonderful treasure hunt he put together in the Cay. It was a challenge and I think a lot of fun for anyone who dared to go head to head with the clues!

I'd also like to thank the people of Steelhead. While we are not many in number, we are mighty in spirit and take pride in our small community. I would like to emphasize that word Community. We have had our knocks lately, but for the most part, we as individuals use our strengths to make Steelhead work as a whole. The citizens of Steelhead rose to the occasion, in spite of incessant redmapping, horrific lag and other issues. The tea was lovely, the corn maze fun, the scarecrow building competition well supported, enjoyed by all those who joined in the fun.

Another thank you should go out to those who participated, from Caledon, Steelhead and other sims. We had people who had never visited (I believe one lady was photographed on Mr. O'Toole's blog....words fail me) who made a favourable opinion of our Communities and will no doubt be back. I've heard that people had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the week.

Last, but not least, I'd like to thank my beloved husband Edward. He had to put up with me when I was being at less than my best, stressing and having fits about things that now seem really rather minor. He was a calm influence and made sure I did get out to see a few things and enjoy the week, rather than being mired down in the minutae of details that need to be taken care of, but not stressed about. He is truly a blessing to me.

So, THANK YOU to everyone who helped out, participated or otherwise contributed to the merriment of the week. Without everyone, this idea would have remained exactly that. Now....on to the next event...the Caledon Social Season!

Harvest Festival Events

My goodness! What a busy week and it's not over yet! If you've not been able to attend any of the events in either Caledon or Steelhead, I strongly suggest you manage to find a few minutes to go, you won't be disappointed.

Sunday saw the kick off to the week with the horse race in Steelhead. Unfortunately, my human had a terrible headache and decided to lay down for a few minutes to clear it and promptly fell asleep. By the time she awoke, the race was over. However, I hear that it was a lot of fun, even with the Daring Drop of Doom on the corner of the dock. *grins*

We also had Edward Lowell scheduled to play live music, but for a variety of reasons he was unable to attend and perform. So, our noble Sheriff Fuzzball Ortega fired up his music making machine and cranked out the tunes so we could dance the night away. Of course, it was crashilious but a few brave souls hung in until the very end.

Monday afternoon we had a tea in the garden. Miss Lumina was our hostess and it was quite well attended. Luckily I had the sense to bring my camera to the tea and was able to capture a few images of the event.


Entrance to the Garden


Taking tea and having polite conversation


Mr. Aza Zymurgy entertains us with his unique skin, juggling and riding his unicycle. Only in Steelhead.

Also, if you have a chance, please stop by Steelhead and vote for your favorite scarecrow. Scarecrows are located down off the town square on the very west end. Also, the corn maze and pumpkin hunt are there for your enjoyment as well.

Tuesday we had a treasure hunt in the Cay. I'd like to thank Mr. Mavromichelli Szondi for all his hard work writing the clues, putting out the clues and otherwise doing all the work. I think it was a challenge for all of those who participated.

Tuesday night there was a race in the new Firth of Caledon as well. My beloved hauled out his new Steamray boat (that does a lot of other things as well) and completed the course in a super speedy time. Mr O'Toole was also in the race and bravely finished. We were all very impressed that he was able to manage the course without interruption, seeing how he's had such troubles as of late with fainting and such when in world.

All in all, it's been a wonderful Festival. As I said earlier, please try to attend some of the events. If you aren't sure when they are, keep your eyes out for one of the signs at the Caledon telehubs, all over Steelhead and I think Antiquity may have a sign as well. Come out and have a very good time!

Things to Look Forward To

As many of you know, Caledon and Steelhead are having a Harvest Festival, from September 9th though to the 15th. Many events and activities are in the works, but I would like to share a few that require some prior work if you care to participate.

Steelhead will be having an art show the entire week. Any interested artists (and we would like to include sculptures in this) please contact me (Christine McAllister) for particulars.

As well, we are also having a scarecrow building contest. The rules are as follows: Must be 30 prim or less, NO mega prim, and it must be your own build. Please drop a no mod/no copy version on me by Monday, September 10th at the latest and I will place it out in Steelhead. The scarecrows will be judged by visitors and the winner will be announced at our dance on Friday (7-9pm, Kokopelli stage, Wizard of Oz theme). There are prizes awarded. If you win and are unable to attend the dance due to prior engagments or time zone differences, you will still get your prize.

Other things that we will be having are a horse race, a tea on September 10 from 2-4 pm STL, pumpkin treasure hunt (pumpkins filled with goodies from various merchants) and of course there will be things to see and try around Steelhead for the entire week. As we lack the population of Caledon most of our events and activities will be out for the duration for people to try and experience, regardless of time zones.

This combined event should be fun for everyone and I hope that you will be able to attend. Please keep checking back for further details.!

Battle of Fredricksburg Ball

Sunday evening saw a ball being held in honour of the Battle of Fredricksburg exhibit which was and is currently on display in the Caledon Library (please go and see it). For those of you who don't know (and I was one of the masses), the Battle of Fredricksburg was one of the many battles fought in the American Civil War (or War between the States if that pleases you). The South had a decisive victory in this battle, with about half the fatalities the North suffered and less injuries as well.

Several weeks ago, Mr. JJ Drinkwater approached me about this ball, as it was scheduled to be on my rez day and he didn't want it to conflict with any plans I may have had. I am not one for big parties for myself, so I didn't mind that it was being held on this day at all (of course, if you've read the Surprise post, you know that I had a party anyhow, regardless of what I think about it *smiles broadly*). So while I knew this ball was going to happen and occur in Steelhead I was blissfully unaware of any other details.

However, due to some circumstances and miscommunication, the ball nearly did not happen. Knowing the amount of work that Mr. Drinkwater and his hard working staff had put into the exhibit and seeing a golden opportunity for Steelhead to shine being lost, I offered up my services to assist in bringing the Ball to life.

While it was a fair amount of work, I must say that I rather enjoyed finding furnishings and accessories for the hotel as well as decorating and getting everything together. My dear brother Lunar helped me out to no end and working with the Duchess of Carntaigh is always a pleasure. I decided that it would be beneficial to used the dance card system, as it brings an element of order to what has the potential to be chaotic. Most of the ball attendants (if they'd ever attended a Caledon ball) would be familiar with the system and as there was a clear explaination of how it all worked at the top of the card, I believed that most people would be intelligent enough to either use the cards or at least understand if a potential dance partner was booked if they chose to "dance on the fly" as it were.

I hurried down to the hotel fifteen minutes prior to the dance, hoping the ice sculpture was still in shape. Guests were already arriving and the Duchess of Carntaigh was welcoming them warmly, directing them to where the dance cards where and otherwise being the charming lady she is. The actual dancing was to commence at 7:15, which gave people time to find a dance partner and choose a dance set.

Colonel Exrex Somme was my first partner of the evening....and this is when the fun began. For some reason, the Lindens decided to start maintanence on the grid, and this combined with over 50 people, caused lag of epic proportions (I also heard that the dance ball scripts went haywire too). However, as the crowd was accustomed to such trivial nuisances, we all made light of it and laughed it off.


Some of the dancers


Miss Kattryn Severine, the First Lady and owner of Steelhead, looking stunning as usual

Overall, it was a successful evening. In my opinion, I think it showed that Steelhead, both the sim and most if its' residents, have outgrown it's rustic past and has matured, perhaps even come into it's own as a place where people can come to have an enjoyable evening....casual or formal. It is no longer a place that is known merely for one service provided, but as a place where you can come and enjoy a friendly, cheerful atmosphere and have a splendid time. For any of those who are interested, the Hotel is available for rent for parties and functions. Please contact Miss Kattryn Severine for details.

It was also an excellent learning experience for myself as well. I can see where things need to be changed for any future events (restarting the sim for example) and what else that can be done to make our events even more enjoyable for the attendees. I was able to make contacts with people in New Babbage, Antiquity and Deadwood so we can share information about social events, which is very important in my opinion.

I would like to thank everyone who was able to attend, and extend my sincerest apologies for the lag and any other annoyances/discomforts you may have had to endure. Please be sure to visit us again and drop in for one of our Friday dances at the Kokopelli stage.

SURPIRSE!!!!!!

What a weekend! While I was unable to attend Friday night's festivities due to my human having to contend with some rather dire RL things, I was back in world on Saturday, although my human was feeling rather "out at the elbows" as she had only 3 hrs of sleep the night prior, in a cot that attempted to fold itself back up while she was in it.

So, needless to say, Saturday evening we were moving at a somewhat slower pace than normal. I was busy attending to any and all last minute details that popped up for the American Civil War Ball, to be held on the Sunday. My brother, Lunar and I were running here and there getting last minute items, and his charming wife was with us, showing me some lovely sculptie prims that I had asked her to make for me, for a commissioned cake. My beloved was noticably absent, doing something "super sekret", and since he began asking me for my cake recipes my suspicion began to raise it's weary head and I thought perhaps something was afoot.

Sure enough, my love asked if I would please dress, as he wanted to take me some place special in honour of my Rezz Day. I inwardly groaned as the thought of having to decide what to wear was really almost too much for me at that point, but I settled on a gown I had not yet worn in public, one that was capable of being worn in Caledon or abroad without looking out of place. Ladies, if you are interested, I bought it at Ivalde....wonderful shop, bring your lindens, prepare to leave them at the shop.

So, I was aware that something was going to happen, but unaware of the particulars when the carriage arrived to whisk me away to my special evening.....and what an evening it was!!!

I found myself in the hall of Coughton Court, with a crowd of friends who assembled together to help me celebrate one year of lots of insanity and very little sleep! What a wonderful surprise! Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh, Gabrielle Riel provided the music...including 25....that's right folks....TWENTY FIVE minutes of solid Robbie Williams......am I a happy girl or what?!?!?! *swoons*

Some of the crowd assembled

My brother TotalLunar Eclipse and Miss Emilly Orr

Some more of the partygoers getting down and having fun!

Caledon Synchronised dancing!

I rezzed out a picture of me at day 2 of my life in SL (which I must confess now, that while I did sign up for SL on August 26th, I was unable to actually get in world until the 30th of September, due to an old crock of a computer that lacked the jam to do it) and then a more recent picture as well. My dearest Edward added to the collection, as did the Duchess (a picture from our Ladies Night Out experiment *Grins*) and my brother added a few as well. Rather overpowering!!

The Wall of Pictures being built

The full wall

The partying and dancing continued for quite some time. My dearest Edward took over the music from the Duchess after a couple of hours and the fun carried on. I honestly cannot recall the last time I had such an enjoyable, carefree evening. But then.....Dr. Who was played and low and behold if we weren't invaded by Daleks! I don't know if they were on the guest list, but I supposed that wouldn't stop them anyhow. Luckily, the crowd was very used to dealing with them and other than Miss Em getting singed a bit, they were dispatched in good order (but I think they had fun while they were there).

The Daleks getting down and bustin' a move

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and as much as I would have loved to have stayed for several more hours, my human was starting to feel like she would drop at the keyboard, so the party had to be wound down.

I would like to thank my dearest Edward, her Grace Gabrielle, my brother and his lovely partner, Miss Gustafson and everyone else who had a hand in my surprise party. It is very heartwarming to be thought of so well and to have had you all there with me to celebrate a full year of precious little sleep and a whole lot of fun in Second Life. Thank you so very much! :-D

The Pleasure of Your Company is Requested...

Please join us at the Steelhead Hotel and Ballroom this Sunday, August 26th from 7-9 pm for an evening of dancing. Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh will delight our ears with her splendid taste in music. Dr. Darien Mason will be our host. Refreshments will be served, to replenish your strength and fortitude as we dance the night away. Formal dress is requested and strongly suggested. Both the Blue and the Grey are welcome, as are our friends from other genteel sims.

This ball is being held in honour of the American Civil War Exhibit that is currently on display at the Caledon Library. Please pay the library a visit during the afternoon of the 26th to speak with the curator, Mr. Turing Weyland but the Battle of Fredricksburg and the exhibit. The exhibit will run until October, if you would like to learn more about this historic battle.

An Enjoyable Evening

On Monday evening, my beloved suggested we go and do something, to get away from our work and just do a little exploring together. After some discussion, we decided it would be a good idea to take our horses out for some exercise as they were becoming quite fat and sassy, being in the stables most of the time and not getting nearly enough excercise.

We went to AKK Ranch, where you can also obtain a horse of your preference. They also sell horses now with armour as well as Pegusus (or would that be Pegusi?) with the usual assortment of dun's, roans and unicorns. They also have riding trails, which is what we set out to explore.

The trails were very well done and enjoyable to follow. We were curious about a trail that appeared to go straight up a mountainside and prompted our steeds to attempt the climb. They managed to get up the incline quite easily and we found ourselves in the middle of a Dragon's Lair!



The dragons seemed to be quite friendly (obviously, or I'd not be able to tell you of our adventure, you'd be reading my obituary instead, assuming my bones were recovered) and quite content in their mountaintop home. After looking over their abode, we continued with our explorations.


We meandered through lush meadows, where deer were grazing in the grass that was swaying gently in the breeze. We encountered a valley of wild horses, who inspite of being untamed, were very calm when we drew near. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful scenery and surprises tucked here and there along the trail. Finally, after fording a rather deep stream we came across what appeared to be a very large slide that emptied into the lake. Of course, my dearest (being male and we know how boys are) had to go down this slide with his trusty horse not once, but three times (mostly because I couldn't get a picture until the 3rd try!). I am told it was fun....it certainly appeared to be so!


The trails held many delights, including an area that was rather snowy and wintry, most likely due to a higher elevation. There was a cheery fire lit, so we paused for awhile to give our mounts a rest as we warmed ourselves by the blaze. I'm am thinking Mr. and Mrs. Snowman must be made of rather firm stuff to be able to sit by the fire and not melt away.


All told, I would recommend the AKK horse trails for anyone wanting to test their mettle, see some beautiful scenery or just have some quite moments. There are many little niches, nooks and crannies around the trails where a person can spend some time alone, with a special someone or with a group even, having a good time. I know Edward and I rather enjoyed ourselves and will no doubt be back again, looking to explore the sims in greater depth. As it was though, it was an excellent place to go to spend some time together, and we returned to our duties refreshed by the time spent in the wonderful surroundings and in quiet conversation.