But it's happening again—right down to the type of scene that's being afflicted. Going into the design of the little canyon above the James River Valley on the Z Scale James River Branch, I imagined the rugged, terraced rock, carved by a series of waterfalls, would be relatively easy to see. That is, until I recently added the (planned) strip of forest that separates the Landsend Farm from the sheer drop above the James River (below)... and now about all anyone can see from the normal viewing angle is the final waterfall; the picturesque canyon above it is cloistered by trees.
Once I reached this point, I realized my mistake: I failed to form a mental image of the scene in three dimensions; in my head, trees were still green blobs on a flat track plan. This problem has played out more than a couple of times on the James River Branch already—most recently, I had to play all kinds of games to keep the Triangle Bar in Naughtright in view so that the planned detailed interior could be enjoyed.
Of course, I can figure out all kinds of ways to rationalize the problem, justify the modeling, and gloss over my mistakes—to the point that they become a deliberate scheme. In the world of DVDs and video games, there's a thing called an Easter Egg, which is a little surprise you get for hitting a combination of buttons or achieving a particular score. I have every intention of photographing my layout from every conceivable angle—that, at least, was part of the deal from the get-go, and therein lies my excuse for poor planning.
Now I have a nice fat Easter Egg in the form of a photogenic canyon hidden behind the farm (above). I suppose that, had I designed the layout perfectly, with all points of interest in clear view, there'd be nothing for anyone to discover when the layout was observed from "abnormal" angles. Of course, I'll have to be honest if I'm ever asked if I'd planned it this way—the answer truly is "Not really!"
