A clear day

It was only a few weeks ago when we had the air conditioner going.  Today it's cold and rainy.  Oh well, the seasons change and so does the temperature.  This is an image of a warm and sunny hill on a summer day that was rendered on a cold and windy fall chicken soup and fresh bread day.  Both have their positives.

Relaxed and Thinking

After a big meal with friends and after everyone have gone home, muskrats of the 3D type like to sit in front of their fireplaces and relax for a while.  It gives them time to think of short stories to write, 3D images to develop and of other muskrats that they would like to visit soon.

Usually this time of the night inspires them, so when they are with friends they can share short stories or develop on-the-fly ones according to the season or the weather or something that they saw earlier that day.

Dramatic Scene

The great artist was at work today.  I pointed my camera out of my window and just happened to take a picture of this masterwork.  A few minutes before, I was outside, looking around for something natural to photograph.

After taking some pictures of branches and leaves, grass and vines, I came back inside and just happened to look out at the sky.  It's amazing what kinds of fleeting artworks we can take photos of when we take the time out of our busy schedules to do so.

This dramatic scene is definitely inspirational.  If you look closely, there is an unidentified wedge in the image.  Whether it was something minuscule that had stuck to the lens while I was scrounging around for things to take photographs of, or if it was something in the sky, I don't know.

It's just one of those things that will never have an answer.

Abandoned

I rendered this image some time ago and re-found it on a hard drive that I had converted into a portable drive, whose laptop home had gone to that great p.c. showroom in the sky.  That was years ago, way back before I moved up to Mac.

I wrote this little story to accompany the image.

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Walking along a strange beach in the late evening, I came across an abandoned seaside house.  It was very weathered and in severe disrepair.  As I went closer to it, I happened to see an old man walking along the side of it.  I asked him about the house and noticed that he looked concerned.

"Your not going into that house are you?" He asked.

"I wasn't thinking about it seeing that it seems very dangerous."  I replied.

The old man looked relieved.

His reaction sparked my interest into investigating the old house.

"Does the house belong to somebody?"  I asked, "Personally, I don't understand why such a neglected building would be allowed to remain standing being in such a poor condition."

"Well, the building belongs to Captain Orlande." He said, "So nobody ever goes in there, much less even think of knocking it down."

I stared at the house.  What a strange place to build it.  It was right on the beach and so close to the sea.

"Captain Orlande?  Do you mean that someone actually lives in that?"  I asked.

"No, Captain Orlande was lost at sea over eighty years ago."  He replied.

Now I was confused.

"He's been gone for over eighty years?  Well, I suppose that he was a highly respected man of the community then," I said.

"Actually, no.  He was despised.  You see, Captain Orlande turned traitor during the war and joined the enemy for a few bags of gold and a commission in their navy.  After that, his ship saw battle at sea.  As far as the townsfolk of that time knew, Captain Orlande's ship didn't survive."  He said.

"Well if that's the case, then I would have thought that a traitor's house would have been burned down long ago."  I replied.

"Are you kidding?"  He said suddenly, "If we did that, Captain Orlande wouldn't be very happy with that.  He comes back to it every night at about this time."

I looked at the old man as if he was out of his mind.

"What do you mean?  He's been gone for so long."  I said.

Just then, we heard a bell in the distance and heard a commotion in the distance.

We turned in the direction of the sea and there we saw a turn of the century naval ship.  I thought that since this was a pretty popular seaside community, the antique ship must have been a restored vessel for a re-enactment of some sort.

Just then, a small lantern-lit boat with a single man came closer to shore.

We watched as the man, dressed in a turn of the century naval uniform, came out of the boat and pulled it onto the shore.  He took the lantern, turned and walked closer to us.

I wanted to say hello, but the man walked right past us and up the stairs of the dilapidated seaside house.  We watched as he went in and closed the door behind him.  We watched the light of the lantern move around through the breaks in the walls of the house, and then slowly went out.

"That was Captain Orlande."  The old man said.

I stood there confused, as the old man excused himself and walked off.

I then turned to face the sea.

"Of course, the ship's gone and the small boat as well."  I said to myself as my expectations came true.

I turned back towards the house and it was gone as well.

"O.k. now, it's time for me to go."

As I walked off, I had a thought...

"This could make for a blog post.  I hope that I don't forget about it before I get back home in a few days."

The Beast

When it starts getting cold outside, the little creatures start finding ways to sneak inside.  This little moth showed up fluttering around the lamp.  I shooed it from there and it went and flew right into the dog before fluttering around the ceiling.  It stood there where you see it just long enough for it's picture to be taken.  Afterwards, I opened the window and it escaped back into the outdoors.  I saw it as an opportunity for inspiration.  Lets see...

There once was a beast that appeared one day from distant lands.  It was said by some that it came down from the sun to terrorize the vast herds that roamed the plains and then it took up residence amongst the cliffs of the far mountains.  It had great dusty wings, heavily muscled legs, ferocious turned up whiskers and an imposing-looking dusty face.  One day, as it perched amongst the great cliffs, it noticed another much greater world that it could terrorize and explore.  The beast flew to the new land and liked it so much, that it was never seen again.  And the vast herds celebrated on the plains.

Land of the Harpies

This is a 3D image of a mythical creature confronting a stone soldier.  Whether men made of stone or iron are mythical or not, I do not know.

The Minotaur's Maze

Far to the south, in hazy and poisonous swamplands, there was a maze carved deep into a mountain in ancient times.  It was said that an evil man, cursed by a warlock, was taken and melded into a form of an animal.  Now, part man and part beast, has wandered the deep and mysterious maze for hundreds of years.

It is also said that the minotaurs maze is laded with riches.

They are riches that had been carried into it over the centuries by unknown hands to hide them from long-forgotten enemies.  There is gold there, blocks of it that are heavier than any can carry.  There are gems there, more than can fit in the packs of many mules.

It is said that for all of the wealth that the thing guards, the beast has no use for it. But it knows the greed of men.  It knows that fortune hunters in search of gold are many, and that they will always be willing to risk their lives for it.

This time, an evil prince has taken a maiden and set her within the cavernous maze, in hopes that a particular heroic knight will search for her within it.  And to there a knight travels this very evening.  So the minotaur waits.