If it's any consolation, I am a personal friend of the person who did all the 3d modeling for that shire project. She loves CG yet refuses to see the LOTR movies because she doesn't want the magic of the books altered in her brain.

I don't think any offense was meant to Mr. Jackson, but I think anybody here can attest to the power of leaving something as you see it in your mind. She is cool like that.

I have had a tour of the homes too, and they are pretty cool. The guy who is building the Shire is a very nice gent as well. He composes music.

*looks around*

I thought the houses were kinda cute, myself.  WAY BETTER than most American cookie cutter homes...

Bela, I'm guessing you're commenting on the post Neil made on his blog? If you intend for your opinion to get to The Man himself, you'll have to drop him a line via the FAQ. He doesn't post to the boards.

Thanks for the clarification. I sort of just wanted to start posting on the board. It seemed like a fun way to start.

Hi, I e-mailed the link to a friend who is a serious Hobbitophile and she loved the idea.

I did like the models. They weren't shire-like at all, I thought. More an English countryside answer to Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie style homes.

I live 20 miles from there, in Redmond, so of course I did a drive-by to see the real thing. Judging by all the heavy equipment there, it seems that there's only a small portion built. I do remember seeing the newspaper article on it two years ago, and thinking What the hell? I understand that some prominent people in the community have invested in this, including a doctor. Maybe it'll actually take off.