Wolves Bain is a builder and creator. His castles are created for practical use, to allow owners to experience any fantasy or reality they may wish to pursue. The 'builds' are eminently practical in terms of the rules and regulations of the world of Second Life. They use the fewest number of prims and are designed to fit 'standard' plots of land. Castle Row is a place where these castles are displayed and where they can be purchased.
There is another component to Castle Row, however. It is a place to be enjoyed for its own value and both Wolves Bain and his partner Darks Adria are extremely hospitable. Darks Adria is the perfect companion to Wolves. It is she who designs the grounds in which the castles flourish and to which visitors are drawn again and again. She has exquisite taste and yet both Wolves and Darks display an appealing sense of humour and knowledge of the 'dark side'. The cemetary is a wonderful example of this.
Apart from all this, Castle Row is a place where there are Promenades for the visitor. In contemporary society, the idea of the 'Promenade' no longer has much meaning, but in the past, especially among the higher social classes, people actually would dress and either ride or walk through a specific area on certain days or at certain times of day to 'see and be seen'. It was a regular social event in the great cities of Europe and in the States as well I believe. Some of the great parks in London and Paris were designated for this type of social interaction at various times in history.
One does not go to Castle Row to 'see and be seen' by any means. In fact, as is characteristic of most places in Second Life, one usually will find oneself alone unless a social event is taking place at that point in time. I personally love to engage in solitary exploration of places in Second Life, although I do have a wonderful Companion in many of my explorations, a fellow 'adventurer' who enjoys the quest for new discoveries as much as I. For me, it is not only the incredible beauty of some of the places that enchants me. It is the ability to walk through the imagination of another human being and sometimes to actually be able to interact with that creativity. It is one of the things that distinguishes Second Life from any other so-called 'gaming' experience. Second Life truly is a world created by the imagination of humanity and is an ongoing, ever-changing creative process. It is the ultimate interactive art experience.
To 'walk the Row' is a delightful way to spend an hour or two, even when one is not in the market for a new castle. These photographs attempt to show the magic of Castle Row. As you can see, it exists on more than one level and some of the Promenades are in the sky. The vista is incredible, whether one is looking at the castles on the same level, or viewing the castles below on the lower level.
In one photograph, you can see the 'Accalia', a ship built by Wolves Bain, master castle builder. I have written another post about Accalia, a ship that I am privileged to own now.
Another element to Second Life that is used to its advantage on Castle Row is the cloud level. When Wolves helped me place my 'Awakening' in the sky, he set it slightly above the cloud level, so that the clouds would 'peek through' the windows. It had to be done carefully, however, as if set too low, the clouds actually would invade, sweeping through the chambers like the front line in an army of ghosts.
I have to remark here once again upon Wolves' incredible good humour and patience with those who buy his castles. He has come to my rescue more than once when I 'lost' a teleport in the sky or 'took' a piece of my castle wall instead of the fireplace I intended to remove. However busy he may be, he tries to help if he can. There are many artists in Second Life who have NO interest in the buyers of their work and no desire even to interact with them on the most casual level. With Wolves, one feels that, as soon as one shows a genuine interest in his work, one has made a friend. It is not only Wolves who demonstrates that humanity. Lady Darks is some one who will go out of her way to welcome a visitor to Castle Row.
The cloud layer in Second Life can be experienced when one walks along the upper level of the Promenade at Castle Row. From the balcony of 'Parisa', one has a particularly romantic view of the entire area.
Each castle possesses its own unique style, atmosphere and history. Beyond this, however, Wolves Bain always is willing to help the buyer modify a castle slightly to make it precisely what the buyer dreamed of owning.
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