Chimera 2 has begun to take shape, with a lot of help from Kyle.
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| From 2011 buildup |
(and that is Talia’s interpretation of it in chalk. She calls it “a silly anaconda”)
With Chimera 1 being built specifically to be staring into the eyes of a trick or treater, Chimera 2 is built specifically to tower over them.
(Kyle resting on the bridge)
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| From 2011 buildup |
One of the best branches I’ve ever seen. I might end up embellishing this “hand”, but I don’t know it needs any.
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| From 2011 buildup |
Always fun to spend time with the Family over the 4th.
If nothing else, it gives me a chance to hear what all my neighbors are saying. It is also Fred’s birthday.
Among the more bizaar things being said?
“He has some kind of Star Wars guy out doing the countdown.”
Star Wars?
I’m really not seeing how we get Star Wars out of the Chimera.
However, it is an intriguing area of potential inspiration. The concept art on Darth Maul alone yields some potential so strong, it’s worked it’s way into Star Wars canon in the ‘extended universe’ of games and TV.
And, while there was a lot of science and industrial aspects, there is also, perhaps even more, a very natural and organic element to the Star Wars universe. The amount of source material is near infinite…
In some other news, we completed the second prototype piece of the Bridge of Death. The sections lock together great, and it’s holding up just as intended. We only have 5 more sections to make…maybe 6. And I’m still a little iffy on how we’ll get the corner piece done.
The Bridge of Death is finally getting some work.
The good folks over at Mill Creek Hollow were kind enough to not only share with me how they made their own boardwalk in 2009, but give me permission to use their pics here.
A simple matter of some runners, some used decking, and a nail gun.
They have since upgraded to the haunter’s holy grail of a PERMANENT path, complete with underground fog machine access…Check out the 2010 gallery.
With this info in hand, we set out prototyping our own ‘Bridge of Death’.
Using fence slats, I wanted some more support, so a 3rd runner was added. And, I wanted just a touch more height to delineate the boardwalk from the lawn just a tad more, so we added some crossbeams to the bottom of the skids.
The idea being to use the ‘tongues’ at the end to lock skids together, I still need to test that particular idea…I’m not sure how easy it will be to actually utilize, or whether it’s needed or not just yet. The kids sure did enjoy using the staple gun to attach the slats, however.
I know we haven’t had a lot of updates lately…
I had a bit of an injury that made typing a little uncomfortable, and we’re in the process of shifting to a new job, so things have been a little crazy around here.
I recently got a surprise birthday present sent along my way.
Mad Monster Magazine. A new horror magazine seeking to etch it’s niche into the market.
The idea of horror, or even monster magazines is nothing entirely new…
What, then, sets this magazine apart?
The first thing I noticed was the quality. They are not skimping on the print process on this thing. This is high quality print, and paper. This thing is built to LAST. It’s really rare to come across an entire publication on such quality paper.
The entire publication has a really classic FEEL to it. Like it’s sprung up from the golden age of comics. Even the ads, for both real and faux products, which have that old comic book mail away for this feel to them, expertly woven into the magazine itself. And, while other publications might have similar articles on similar topics, Mad Monster has a rather playful rendering of this same information that makes it just fun.
I especially liked the article on a real-world Mad Scientist…even though it was one I knew quite well.
And then there are the little extras…
Included, for instance, was all the cutouts and instructions to create your own house from Psycho:
Now, I LOVE these kinds of things, always have, but I just couldn’t bring myself to cut up this magazine. I might have to take those pages down to Kinkos…
Also included were PAPER DOLLS. Well, at least their clothes…you can download the actual dolls on their website. I found this rather amusing as well.
There was even some kind of game included, with a game board, several game pieces, and set of instructions for your own little board game.
Heck, the magazine itself is a flip book with little images on the edges set into motion.
It’s nice to see a publication that feels like it is actually enjoying it’s subject. The first issue is out now, I’m already looking towards the second…
You know, I used to believe in hiding this kind of thing. Building in secret. Holding back. Then we started going big…I remember it was the totems we first built out in the driveway. Neighbors stopped and asked. By now, most of them know about my strange tendencies toward Halloween.
I get plenty of “what is that”. “How are you doing that?” And the odd “Where did you get that idea?”
I try to take the time to answer as best I can.
This afternoon, we were finishing up the waterproofing of the Chimera. Off in the distance, a “turn here”.
“Over there!”
“See, doesn’t that look SCARY!?!”
I looked up in time to see a car driving by. Too slow to recognize…but that made my day.
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| From 2011 buildup |
Through the evening several others stopped to chat. “what’s that”
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| From 2011 buildup |
I’ve come to realize I have no good answer for “what’s that?” on this one.
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| From 2011 buildup |
Setting up by firelight, we had another group walk by. “Whoa, look at the Halloween thing! Are you going to be using that this year?”
Yeah. They know me. The little things…
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| From 2011 buildup |
