New Neighbors in Caledon Downs

A cold, clear day in the Downs, just the time for a brisk walk about the neighborhood, with the goal of working off a few holiday pounds - very special pounds they are indeed! - wearing BlakOpal's scarf and gloves to ward away the worst of the chill. I had not made note of new neighbors in some time, so I jotted a few notes along the way.

Just next door to me, where Miss LillieJay Mills had a snug retreat on the lake, is Miss Cliodna Oakleaf, in this cozy cottage.

One plot down, on the Glengarry border, is Her Grace, Lavendar Beaumont, with an old mill, though I fear the waters do not run quickly in that particular location. If I recall correctly, Miss Beaumont had the next plot over at one point, just inside Glengarry, before leaving the Steamlands entirely. Fortunately, that departure was only temporary. Welcome back, Your Grace!

I was distressed to read in the Steamlander Forums that Miss Ceidru Gothly and Miss Lianndraa Gothly have put their Glengarry plot up for sale and are decamping with their gypsy caravan to OpenSim. The Gothlys have been most pleasant company and have put up with my gothic eyesore across the lake with nary a word of complaint. I wish the ladies well in their new locale, and hope that they continue to visit Caledon. More recently, I learned that Miss Parakeet Unplugged is also selling her Glengarry plot, just next to Miss Beaumont and adjacent to the Gothlys. Many departures.

Up the hill, and next door to my original Downs house, Mr. Heyoka Silversmith (whose primary abode is underground) has started offering carriage and wagon rides. I have not yet summoned the courage to take such a ride after that disaster experience with the pennyfarthing some weeks ago.

Across the street, Mr. AutoPilotPaul Qork has started a project of developing a gallery of photographs that will feature Caledonians' own submissions of their typists' homelands. (The gallery itself will apparently be around the corner.)

Fortunately, to offset the departures, we have some arrivals. A new shop, L'Atelier, by Miss Leanna Caerndow, occupies the formerly vacant and slightly weedy yard next to Mr. Silversmith. L'Atelier sells fine Victorian furniture and collectibles from an elegant mansion.

Down the other side of the ridge, near the Southend border, lies this building, the residence of a Mr. Zohnar Yifu (of New Babbage, if my sources are to be believed). I have hestitated in the past to discuss this structure because I do not know what might be going on behind the walls. The exterior is reminiscent of the old Mason Labs in Steelhead, however. If Mr. Yifu intends to be only a fraction as destructive as Dr. Mason, the neighbors would do well to stay alert.

Appropos of nothing except my stroll, I shall report that, at Mrs. Kuhr's advice, I picked up a new firearm, the G.E. Lewis & Sons Boxlock Ejector shotgun, from Albion Importers. I stopped at the Southend firing range to test out my acquisition. (And my apologies to Miss Avariel Falcon, who was checking her Tesla Tower and chess set in the Downs when, startled by her appearance, I accidentally fired both barrels. Fortunately, the buckshot scattered harmlessly away from her.) I am certainly not the expert Mrs. Kuhr is on firearm design and aesthetics, but I can confirm that the piece is well-balanced and accurate, and will come in handy when defending my house from the occasional home invasion.