Got some more work done on my Stele.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
With the sidewalls and beginning of the heads done, they are beginning to look like an actual statue.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
Now there is a question with how to proceed with the face.
A traditional stele look, to make these appear as statues carved of stone. Classical, fitting.
Or, a more Halloween twist, with hollowed out, carved, and lit from the inside, more akin to a Jack O lantern. Unorthodox, Halloween.
Opinions?
Last year, we said good bye to one of my favored pieces in the yard.
The totems.
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| From An UnOrthOdOx Halloween |
Originally constructed as a new entrance for 2006, it was always fun to watch the younger kids stand and decide whether they dared pass between them or not.
However, they had become wet in 2008, as it rained most of Halloween night. And, they did not stand up to storage while wet very well. So, they were removed in order to make room for Charr.
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| From Year of the Charr |
And, I think those who came through the yard last year will agree. Charr is definitely one of the more impressive pieces we have these days. What’s more, it was made with a mind towards our new overall theme of switching towards Spider Woman.
Well, in researching on Spider Woman, I come across Mayan Stele from one of her temples.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
Now, Jaguar is all fine and good for Mayan religion. However, we are creating our own here, and CHARR shall be taking their place in symbology. So, I decided to make some Charr stele to stand at the entrance to my temple, as the totems once stood as our entrance…
Now, in keeping with Charr, we needed FIRE for our Stella. And thus, when these things went on super duper no one wants such a silly thing clearance last year for $20 (down from $75), I procured 2.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
Now then, to begin their transformation into my Stele.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
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| From 2010 Buildup |
More to come once this part dries….
Spring, that time to get out and do some yard work.
And, of course, that yard work has an eye towards Halloween as well.
I managed to dig up and split that wonderful grass from Michigan. I’m still a little unsure if the stuff we bought last year is the same grass or not…Same NAME, and there’s promising signs, but it just did not grow with the same aggression as our 10ft tall grass last year. We’ll give it another year then dig up if no improvement and replace by splitting more of my proven stock.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
In a couple years, both sides on the path will be bordered by the 10ft tall grass, which will be fun to play with.
And, I just had to buy this…thing…when I saw it.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
Technically a shrub, it can be trained to be a tree. I’m looking forward to this thing growing into it’s potential.
So, we had talked of making THEM a little while back.
Well, since then, I made 2 copies of the body form out of paper mache, and it was time to test out and see if my idea for these things was going to have any merit at all.
See. When you are going about making the yard into a tribute to Spider Woman, you must have to assume the SPIDER portion is going to be making some bit of statement.
From the Steve mummies going to be draped in webs, I wanted something more sinister. Some VICTIMS. More recent victims.
Now, there’s lots of ways to make spider victims out there. And, they involve hanging webbed up corpses in various positions an occasionally animating them.
That would be fine for yards with roofs, or trees to hang things from. NOT for a yard that is one big flat patch o nothin. No, we needed something else.
Back to that olde source of inspiration for me, Guild Wars, for inspiration….and perhaps a new entry to the annual contest…
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| From 2010 Buildup |
The plan was simple. Mutilate some Christmas animated deer. And make little Trick or Treaters to be my victims all done up.
So, Monday night, I went and made a quick test to see how this motor setup is going to work. And, after fiddling with the counterweight a bit, I indeed got it moving just fine. However, before I could grab a video camera, the weight fell off. (what did I really expect from a rock and some quick duct tape?)
And, since I REALLY was not interested in making it look good monday night, just testing the motor, I was frankly ashamed to take a photo of the crappy lookin thing.
But, with rain coming in, it was time to clean it up tonight. And, I snapped a quick one before I did. Yes, it looks like crap. Those are the stretchy webs I have no skill in the least at. The real things, I have a web gun and a web spinner we’ll be using in conjunction to actually make look decent.
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| From 2010 Buildup |
Yes…it looks terrible. And unlike ANYTHING, really.
However.
I come in from cleaning up to find something interesting.
“You break baby cousin Bob!”
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| From 2010 Buildup |
(EVERY skeleton is Bob…since we made…Bob.)
We made the decision to purchase season passes to Lagoon again this year.
And, this weekend was our first REAL trip out. (I had taken the kids the weekend before, but it was really just to get our passes as it was too cold to really enjoy)
So, what has that got to do with here?
Well, They have gone and changed the Terror Ride.
THE MURAL IS GONE!
Now, some history.
Terroride (as it’s officially called, despite the fact the name on the SIGN for the ride is terror ride) is Lagoon’s oldest haunted attraction. Making it’s first appearance in 1964, THE MURAL was then created on opening. It is even STILL the official picture of the ride on Lagoon’s website.
Since then, it has served as an icon of fear here in Utah. I have personally considered it an example of what one should strive for in creation.
Let’s take a look from left to right in retrospect.
On the left, we have the “dragon”.
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| From |
Look at this thing. 5 toes, on clearly lizard feet, yet 4 fingers on furry hands. A horn on the head, a pig snout. This creature makes absolutely no sense, yet is menacing none the less.
In the background we have a lizard, in the fore an ant. Then comes the…well, just what IS that wielding the club? Is that a gorilla? The missing link?
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| From Halloween buildup 09 |
Then we have a spider in the foreground, and a dancing man, I’m assuming to be a voodoo priest in the back. Flanked by a mummy, and flying overhead are some ghostly skeletons who’s heads appear to float attached, yet separate from the bodies at impossible angles.
And, there on the far right, we are treated to a snake…and how in the world is that Octopus living ON LAND, in the middle of what appears to be desert?
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| From Halloween buildup 09 |
We will be missing you, oh mighty mural….
In your place has been added an “upgrade”. In the form of a ‘scary’ vulture telling really bad jokes. And, some overhauls inside as well.
2009.
2010:
It’s nice to see the haunted attractions getting some upgrades…but, at the cost of nearly 50 years of history?
Bittersweet.
