I found Caledon when the fourth sim was just being added. And as of last night it has grown to 50! Long may her citizens prosper and be happy. ALL of them!
Guv'nah Shang, The Vicereine, Kamilah Hauptmann, and me.and many comments from other residents and friends.
Whither Polite Victorian Steampunk Society
by the way Sir Telemachus, ORR. The Order of the Red Rose follows me to my new lands.
For the last two days now as my mind has wandered back through the incredible events of the weekend, this phrase - this title - has run through my head. Pictures at an Exhibition. I am not sure that I have yet discovered the why of this. But perhaps as I write to you now, we will unearth the reasoning together.
So I have a little time to write as the woman you have all now met - the woman who animates me - is taking a break from the mind-numbing work of project documentation. The first thing I did was to Google the phrase above. I know the music well, but it's history was unknown to me. (I have the music playing in the background at the moment by the way.)
Modeste Mussorgsky created his Pictures at an Exhibition to perpetuate the memory of a friend, Victor Hartmann, who was an architect and painter. There does seem to be a drive that humans have to memorialize people, events, places. Some grand. Some simple. Mussorgsky was an ardent Russian nationalist, but he was far more interested in folk art than in the grandiose ornamental designs of the aristocracy. (Or, as Tchaikovsky put it, “He likes what is coarse, unpolished and ugly.”)
How odd for me, a member of Caledon's aristocracy, to find some level of inspiration in the music of a composer such as this. Perhaps not. I enjoy the simple things of life - often much more than the complex. ~Being loved and loving, caring for and playing with my children, a good book, walking through the snow on a clear winter night hand-in-hand with my beloved -the silence surrounding us, friendships - new and old.~ I have ever tried to be first and foremost a good citizen of Caledon (of any world, I occupy).
And what was this first CaleCon weekend about if not about inclusion - of learning about one another and our alternate selves. Our real selves. Putting the themed role play off of center stage. Discovering the motivating factors that lead us in world in the first place, that forged the path to Caledon. Those things that keep us there (at least as a place to belong in a world filled with exploration).
What is the common denominator? What bonds us all together as a community?
I believe we discovered that and more. So much more. And we did not desire this to be the experience only of those who were able to attend a convention in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Nay! We wanted to be able to share that with all of Caledon: Guvnahs, Shipwrights, Chivalric Groups, Pilots, Peers, Shop Keepers....all citizens of the Realm.
This is why it was so important to me, and to the CaleCon Planning committee, to be able to offer video and audio streams of some of the events. It is also why I hope to blog in some detail over the course of the next several days now that my human is home and is ready to assist in this process. (Side note - we all did discuss at our first meeting the pros and cons of revealing our human selves to the greater world at large. Some desire to remain more mysterious than others. These wishes are entirely respected and protected. So if you did not, and do not, see pictures, videos, or hear audio of some of our inaugural group, do not ask for them. They will not be shared.)
So maybe we should start with some of those pictures and I will fill in some details as I can.
A welcome sight indeed after 10 hours on the road. 
(yes - I know you've seen this pic before if you read this blog regularly..but it's a good one)
And what an incredible ride it has been!!
Thanks go to our loving and ever patient leader, Guvnah Desmond Shang. Without him there is no Caledon; there would be no "Us".
Caledon is a small, windswept forested country at a temperate latitude. Wild creatures, country estate life, sights and sounds that were common well over 100 years ago are the hallmark of the land.
Technology is approximately that of the 19th Century, though some astonishing breakthroughs have provided for incredible wonders. Ground vehicles, airships, and even a device known as a 'telehub' are made possible through the power of exotic material properties and the wonders of Steam Technology.
The government is an expansionist monarchy, supported by a strong aristocracy (i.e., residents). Caledon once offered the opportunity for residents to take their turn at "Stewardship", a post which can involve answering questions, restarting sims, banning obvious griefers &c. As the complexity of a large estate grew, the burden on one Steward's shoulders became too great, and the role is now filled by a corps of about 10 estate managers appointed by the Guvnah--some serving openly, some quietly.
As Caledon has grown, it has made contact with a number of other nations that share many of her values. Some of these nations now share direct sea passage and have formed a coalition known as the Realm of the Roses to promote their mutual interests.
Our Vicereine, Kamilah Hauptmann, dances alongside the Guv
The Invitation created by Mr. Craig
As we continued to discuss what would be required by way of communication and invitation, building and decorating, and prim space, Mr. Craig told me that he will make arrangements for the musical selections on his own. I nodded and told him that he need only tell me to whom the parcel stream should be assigned.
We said our goodbyes, a firm timeline in place for the work and the event. I thought to myself, "how unusually nice it will be to simply provide the venue for an event." I will be pleased to provide assistance as it is needed, but am really looking forward to simply enjoying myself and the other guests while Mr. Craig and the Edison Company get to know and entertain us.
Now....I really should start shopping before I head off to the ski slopes for a week's holiday.
Well - party may not be exactly the right term.
Last night after taking delivery of my new uniform for the Middlesea Fleet, I was chatting with Miss Tombola and Captain O'Toole, when I received a message from Sir Telemachus that he had a word from the Guvnah to deliver to us. I sent for him, and he joined us on Polymath Rock. Once the message about creation and use of the Caledon Jack for maritime combat had been delivered, we enjoyed quite a jovial time together discussing all sorts of things from the Fleet to music to whist. Soon Miss Persephone Gallindo arrived for a visit as well.
In the event, we decided to head over to Sir Telemachus' home in Caledon Cay, Octopus Gardens, to see improvements that he is making to the property along with new weapons vendors and the like.
What an interesting evening it turned out to be.
Listening to Desmond as he attempts to persuade a couple of our fine designers and builders to create his Caledon Jack. My typist had to find Morpheus' arms before anything was decided finally. I will look forward to seeing the results of his consultation and planning.You know it is a good night, when at the end of a long, hot Gen X Rave at Carntaigh, you receive an IM that says Desmond Shang would like you to join him in an undisclosed location for a discussion. Now mind you that in and of itself is generally pretty cool, but the real fun begins when you realize that you have arrived to find that you are there with the Viceriene, Kamilah Hauptmann, and Sir Hotspur O'Toole.
Much funny ensues....along with the serious.
And then at the end of it all, Desmond hops up on stage and begins doing the Can Can.
Well that simply cannot go unanswered! The three of us then climb up on stage and perform the synchonized Caledon Can Can.
