Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Trees Grow Tall in Caledon Downs

My new neighbor, Miss Easy Spirit, purchased the lot next to the Steampunk Resource Centre. Though the lot was vacant for a few weeks, save for one of Miss Rossini's airships, upon my return from my travels I observed an addition to the landscape. Below, I look up...and up, and up...at the tree.


High above the rest of the Downs, nestled atop the enormous tree, is a structure that appears to be a residence.

On top of the residence is an observatory.


One can only imagine the effect of this structure on Miss Heliosense's more modestly-sized observatory nearby.

On the subject of trees in the Downs, I discovered that one of my own trees was actually sitting on Mr. Mannonen's property. (Actually, I assume he discovered this after making changes on his land, and finding that he was still using a number of prims that, ah, turned out to be mine.) I was puzzled, because I felt certain that I had placed the tree squarely on my side of the property line. I tried again, making certain through various surveying tools that the tree lay on my land. I looked at the number of prims on my land - the figure had not changed. I inspected those on Mr. Mannonen's land - the figure rose. Most odd.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been curious as to what would arise on Miss Easy Spirit's property and I was considerably surprised yesterday to walk out and see the giant tree residence. To call it a tree house, while technically correct, would be a poor and inadequate description.

Fortunately it sits to the north of my observatory and does not interfere with viewing the moon and planets. (any rumors that I use the facility to spy on Professor Swindlehurst in his airship home are completely without foundation) The only change is that I keep the new building in mind while flying in the area, especially while test-flying a new aircraft. I suppose I should conduct test flights over the ocean where there are no obstacles, but what fun is that?

Rhianon Jameson said...

Indeed, Miss Heliosense, the girth of the tree is such that the mind does not immediately register it as such. I first encountered the structure at night, while en route to some frivolous to-do or another, and belatedly realized that the empty lot was no longer. Still, I had to stand and stare for several moments before it occurred to me that this was, in fact, a tree. (I then strained my neck looking for the top.)

I am glad to hear that your nocturnal activities are unaffected by Miss Spirit's residence. (Think of it as a challenge to fly around it, and it becomes a feature, not a bug, as they say in the world of Difference Engines.)

And I would never suggest that you might be spying on Professor Swindlehurst. The occasional skinny-dippers in the inlet are, no doubt, of much greater scientific interest. :)