The Pirates of Pensans?

I heard a rumor the other day that Caledon Penzance was no more. Indeed, that venerable sim has been replaced by a homestead sim now called Pensans (with what I assume is the same pronunciation) and owned by Wrath Constantine and Aevalle Galicia-Constantine. Although the area is still under construction, I took a few shots of its current icy state:







And here are a few pictures of Penzance from 2009 and 2010:

The RCAF airfield on fire as I fly past (January 2010)

 A pirate ship? (April 2009)

The Gaiety Theatre (November 2008)

An emporium (January 2011)

An odd police box (June 2011)

Visiting Penzance

I decided that I had not been aloft in some time, so I called for one of my DME airships to be taken out of the hangar and readied for flight. After some aimless air time, I found myself headed to the north of Caledon and decided that it had been quite a while since I had last seen Penzance.

I landed at the Connolly RCAF Aerodrome and walked into town.


New stores had sprung up since my last visit. Below, the Kaleidoscopic Eyes Gallery.

The Gaiety Theatre was still present, however.


Below, shopping on Grosvenor Avenue.*

More shopping on Pirate King Road.

Residences mix with shopping on Ruddigore Road.


After a long afternoon of walking, a cup of tea and a book seem like just the thing!

Even better-sounding was a good night's sleep in my own bed, so it was back to the airstrip for me and a flight home.


* Interruption from the typist: those who have taken Metro's Red Line in the Washington, D.C. area to the Grosvenor station have a wide variety of choices of pronunciation of the station name from which to choose. My two favorites are "Gross-ven-or" and "Grove-en-or." Of course, this comes from the same transit system in which about half the drivers are happy to announce "the last and final station on the line."

Closings, Openings, and Hanging On

Changes. I seem to keep harping on them, but perhaps this Journal is nothing but a chronicle of the changes I see.

First up is the sad news: Mr. Mako Magellan reports that he is closing Magellan Straits. Magellan Kinvera, the adjoining sim, will remain, and house Mr. Magellan's line of clothing, as will with clothing stores locations in Victoria City and Kittiwickshire.

This likely means the demise of the famed Crystal Palace - an architectural marvel in both our realm as well as that Other Life. As spectacular is the Palace, one cannot help but feel that it never was an efficient use of space. Still, I'll miss this silent gent:

He was always sharply dressed, but I could never start a conversation with him. And what other sim has kangaroos?


Moving back to Caledon Penzance, Royal Caledon Air Force leader Zoe Connolly reported that a sale of the Connolly-Messmer Aerodrome was imminent. Fortunately, only hours later, she posted an update that the financial pressures were reduced for the next few months.





I'll keep my fingers crossed for a more permanent solution to maintain Caledon's air defences.

Finally, we have the discovery of an older piece of Caledon's history. I traveled to the Highlands, disembarking from the train near the Museum of Steam recently noted in this Journal.

From there, I descended into the earth to find this Mysterious Cavern:


According to Mr. Ambiant Kukulcan: "During the recent construction of the Harbour Shoppes in the southern portion of Caledon Highlands an unusual cavern was unearthed containing the well preserved remains of an early 19th century electrical laboratory."

So there you have it: comings and goings. Changes.

Attack on Penzance Aerodrome

Captain Zoe Connolly of the Royal Caledon Air Force reported an attack on the Connolly-Messmer Aerodrome in Penzance. I flew to the scene as soon as I could upon hearing of the dastardly deed.


When I arrived, the airfield and its principal building were still ablaze. There was no sign of Captain Connolly. Two other aircraft were in the area, with markings I did not recognize, so I made lazy circles over the airfield while taking several photographs of the destruction. Were these other craft friend or foe?

A little later, they made radio contact. The pilots of the craft were Captains Wrath Constantine, Lord Middlesea, and Rachire Andel. I took my finger off the button that engages the Vickers machine guns on the Steamray and took a deep breath of relief.

As Captains Constantine and Andel appeared to have the situation at the aerodrome under control - or as much under control as a raging fire could be said to be - I dipped my wings in their direction and flew off, keeping an eye out for any member of the RCAF.