Behind the Scenes

2/18/2026

Before continuing with the story, I thought I'd share the behind the scenes of the Quest so far.

the Recap

Scenes posted back in 2024, and again in 2026 as part of the recap to the story.
The scene of Kyle, Aeran and Maya leaving. It was taken back in 2012 at Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, on the windy hillside overlooking Upper Waterton Lake....

with the Prince of Wales Hotel in the background, which I thought would work as Aeran's castle...

In 2024 I decided the group needed servants to accompany them and take along all the supplies for a lengthy journey. so I took photos of Narin and Adrian with their horses, on a picnic table with Lower Waterton Lake in the background. It was extremely windy, so Jan had to support the doll's stands to prevent them from being blown over....

I wanted new travel scenes with the entire group in 2024, so set the dolls and horses up on the shore of Bow Lake, up the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park...

Back in 2012 I didn't have horses or tents, so in 2024 I wanted to take scenes with everyone in camp. This scene was set up on the top of the hill in the group camp site in the campground in Uclulet, on Vancouver Island....

6 Comments

Nancy

2/18/2026 09:54:00 am

I like reading how you elaborated your original story with more details. The story and process are so engaging.

Martha

2/18/2026 12:06:40 pm

Thanks. I' had been wanting to turn the story into a book, but the original set of photos needed something more, as they were mostly all just traveling photos, back in the early days before I had a lot more props and could get more creative. So in 2024 I took the dolls along with some servants, horses, and all kinds of props along on another trip out to the same locations.

I already shared the first part of the story back in 2024, and have finally finished processing the last of the photos taken in 2024, and taken some new ones this past January. So now I get to weave the originals into the newer photos and finish the actual story, as well as the four epilogues.

Dorothy

2/18/2026 11:59:54 am

Thanks for these photos. I love seeing Jan at work. He is so gentle with the dolls.

The photo of the dolls on the shore of Bow lake is amazing. I like the idea of the tents for privacy and protection of the travelers.

Martha

2/18/2026 12:11:32 pm

Jan is often in the Behind the scenes photos, since once I'm seated on the ground at some distance, I need him to adjust stuff for me. Plus it really helps show the scale of the dolls.

Yes, I love that scene of the dolls on the shore of Bow Lake too. It wasn't that easy to set up of take, but thankfully there weren't a lot of other people around in the picnic area. Most of the tourists traveling up the Icefields Parkway stop at the roadside pull-off beside the lake, or go to the Lodge on the north shore.

Donna

2/18/2026 11:39:13 pm

Spectacular scenery! I love watching how you put all the scenes together, and how it is a joint effort with you and Jan.

He does show the scale of the dolls! Years ago before I'd ever seen a little BJD in real life, I had no idea of their relative size until your photo of Jan rescuing Elin when she fell in the river near Kilarney.

Martha

2/19/2026 11:49:05 am

The Canadian Rockies are spectacular, especially when they have snow on them. The Icefields Parkway through Banff and Jasper is considered one of the most scenic drives in the world.

The smaller the dolls, the more challenging it is to make them look like they actually belong in the scenery.

Behind the Scenes

the Recap

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