The Rural Voice, 1989-10, Page 39fir with cedar shingle roofs. Although
he uses no plans in creating his mod-
els, and doesn't build them to any
particular scale, the detail in the
buildings is exceptional.
On his travels in both Canada and
the U.S., Ellis is constantly on the
lookout in antique and novelty shops
for things he can add to the little farm.
But not just any piece will do.
"If I had a dollar for
every time I've heard
'fantastic,' I'd be a
millionaire," says the
78 -year-old Ellis.
"You've got to get them just about
the right size," he says.
It's been a labour of love, and the
response from viewers has been Ellis'
reward for all the time and money
spent.
"If I had a dollar for every time
I've heard `fantastic,' I'd be a
millionaire," he says.
Ellis also has four other models,
of the village of Melrose, the village
of Ilderton, the city of London, and
one called Shovelbirds, which features
whimsical animated creatures — as
the name suggests, they are part
shovel, part bird.
The London model, at 7 by 13
feet, is his largest. It boasts motorized
streetcars, railway trains, and down-
town traffic.
Ellis says the motion in his models
is the thing that attracts and delights
people of all ages.
Very young children in particular
get a charge out of the tiny figures and
the moving parts. He has had fun
taking the models to schools.
"There was one little girl; if she
thanked me once, she thanked me a
hundred times," he says.
Coming up with the models wasn't
as tough as it looks, he adds.
"I guess I don't sleep well and I
dream a lot. And usually what I start
works out for some silly reason."
Does he have dreams of building
any more creations?
"I haven't got room to keep them,
but it'll be a wonder if I don't," he
says.0
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OCTOBER 1989 37