Personality of the Week, Autopilotpatty Poppy--2015.1.25

This week, we profile Miss Patty Poppy, Duchess of Kintyre, Duchess of Stella Maris, ODS Knight of Caledon, and brand new Duchess of Caledon Moors. Though Dame Patty has just recently taken on Caledon Moors, she still considers Caledon Morgaine her home. As if redecorating a sim isn't enough, Dame Patty continues to host two events per week in Morgaine--a casual no-theme dance on Monday evenings at Alley Cats Alley and themed dances on Saturday nights at Poppy's Place Dance Club. She also has standing gigs for her DJing skills on Wednesday nights.

Dame Patty's had plenty of time in Caledon to build a repertoire of memories--she arrived before it became a nation, in December 2005! Since that time, she's been a founding member for Tanglewood, Glengarry, and Morgaine and says she fondly remembers the excitement of being involved "on the ground floor" in getting those regions started.

When asked about funny stories, Dame Patty recalled a wrong window that earned a quip in ISC--thereafter, amusing wrong window-ers would be said to "pull a Poppy."  (This scribe can recall a mysterious spare "t" that somehow worked it's way into a post so that, instead of Dame Patty enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey while watching events unfold in ISC, she posted "/me sips her teat." If the original post wasn't fraught with hilarity enough, the Lady's flustered responses afterward left many of her fellow Caledonians crying with laughter.)

Dame Patty became a "Dame" through her work with Team Caledon for Second Life's Relay for Life campaign. She was co-captain in 2008 when Team Caledon raised L$3 million. She returned to lead the team as captain from 2011-2013. For her efforts, the Guv'nah knighted her.

Though many might think that Dame Patty's first love is hosting and entertaining, socializing was not the original reason she came into Second Life.
Over the years, she has been very involved in art and inworld photography.

"I think most people know that I originally was brought in to SL by my youngest son, Vlad Bjornson, in hopes that I could show my photography and have a gallery in SL.  He recommended Caledon right away and within two weeks of my arrival I was a land owner in Tanglewood and soon an adjoining region of Caledon on Sea where two galleries were placed.  I hosted a large number of artists from across the grid for a couple of years in both the Sea Song Gallery and The Gallery Tamrannoch.  That's where I first began to plan events and music and entertainment for artist receptions."

She shares a picture of the Gallery in Tamrannoch from 2007, just after the original was replaced by a minaret castle gallery:

Tamrannoch Gallery

"The Sea Song gallery is on the left.  The Cavorite Mines are behind the minaret castle.  While at this location I enjoyed working with a number of Caledon men when I did the Exotic Men of Caledon exhibit - my first try at portraiture in SL.  I was well received so I followed that up with Exotic Women of Caledon which was twice as large and very well received."

"During my time as Countess of Kintyre I did an exhbit called Men and Women in Kilts and also one that I may be most famous for the Moon over Caledon Women and Moon over Caledon Men - a 'behind-the-scenes' look at some of the steamlands most beautiful people.  Both for Relay for Life fundraising."

"As most people know, I like large builds and the Medieval Cattle Market I had built for a parcel in Babbage Wheatstone was no exception.  It was never rezzed in Babbage but instead was rezzed on Caledon Kintyre when I took that over in the spring of 2010, I believe it was."

Medieval Gallery in Kintyre

Kintyre Gallery Interior

"While on Kintyre and in the Highlands I worked with a number of lovely ladies across the steamlands and photographed portraits for a Stockings! exhibit - which, you might expect, was quite successful."

Stockings!

"This snapshot was taken just prior to the opening reception of the Stockings! exhibit.

From Kintyre I took on a large parcel in Caledon Highlands where I built a large gallery up in the sky.  It was undoubtedly the most aesthetically pleasing of all the galleries."

Highlands Gallery

"As I was curating and hosting events here in Caledon I also showed my RL floral photography in a number of well known galleries across the grid such as Enja Mysterio's, The Dream, Anandra, Gracie Kendall's gallery, Kelly Yap's gallery, Paris Metro, Dlly's gallery on Kijiiji, my own gallery on the DePaul CTI campus, a gallery on the Sweden region and a host of others.

My most recent group project was the Burlesque limited edition photo I did for the 2014 Relay for Life.  Fourteen of Caledon's finest burlesque beauties.  All five editions were sold raising L$5000 for RFL.  There is one edition that was generously donated to the wall of Alley Cats Alley, one of my dance venues in Caledon Morgaine."

Dame Patty is definitely a multi-faceted shining jewel in Caledon. If you're looking for something to do on a Monday or Saturday evening, treat yourself (and your ears) to one of her Morgaine events. If you're looking for one of her works to grace your walls, you might have to wait for the next RFL auction--but it will be worth the wait. :)