Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld

The Garden of Hope is a joint venture between Calas Galadhon and The Grove Estate and features the creative work of Tymus Tenk of Calas Galadhon and Patch Thibaud from The Grove. It came into being during the 2023 Relay for Life season Hope Floats as a memorial to all those who have lost their lives to cancer, and has now been restored as a lasting place of peace and remembrance.

Its return, coming during the 2026 Second Life Relay for Life season and (more personally) on the heels of my own emergence from the shadow of cancer (for the second time in a decade, albeit this time being somewhat more worrying than 2018), led it to being added to my list of places to visit.

In fact, given its ties to Calas – a place that has long been close to my heart – it quickly percolated to the top of my list, hence this article. I was also, frankly, curious as to how Calas and The Grove came together, The Grove being another place which – while I’ve not really covered it in these pages due to much of it being residential in nature – I’ve enjoyed wandering through in past visits.

The answer to this latter question, how do the two design approaches come together, is “extremely well”. The Garden of Hope is a simply beautiful setting, rich in detail, beautifully created with a multitude of spaces in which to remember those we may have lost – and serves as a fitting memorial to Crito Galtier, the original owner of The Grove, who provided guidance in the development of the Garden prior to his passing away at the end of 2023.

The Landing Point offers an engaging description of the region – which is joined to the rest of the Calas Galadhon estate, sitting as it does close to the Garden’s northern edge where it joins Calas’ Glanduin. A path leads up to this northern boundary, whilst another points south and takes visitors deeper into the region.

This southern path is, in some respects, the “stitching” that brings the “Grove influenced” and “Calas influenced” parts of the region together, the former sitting on the eastern side of the path (and meeting it at its southern end) and the latter running more down the west side of the region.

However, whilst there is this sort-of split to the region’s design, with either side of the path directly designed by Patch and Ty, the overall blending of the landscapes and features within them is a lot more subtle than their meeting simply being denoted by a path; something that becomes clear as one explores and moves from east to west and back again.

The architecture on the east side of the region, for example is clearly drawn out of the influence of Patch’s work at The Grove, whilst to the west, the Garden carries the natural loo and feel of the countryside found within many of the Calas regions. As noted, they are linked by paths and trails with – one or two exceptions duly noted in a manner that present no divide, and thus presents both halves as a whole.

The Garden also neatly brings together two very contrasting architectural styles into a single whole. Patch’s work very much speaks to Mediterranean themes and elements, leaning towards a modern take of Greco-Roman design and Tuscan influences. Ty’s work, meanwhile, as well as embracing the natural themes from Calas Galadhon, carries a strong oriental theme and motifs.

When walking through the Garden of Hope, it is hard not to be absorbed by its beauty and wrapped in a sense of thoughtful contemplation. Whether the latter is in remembrance of those we’ve lost or the great good fortune we’ve had (as in my case) in coming through an immediate threat posed by the disease, or simply in reflection of the care and love poured into the region’s design doesn’t really matter: Garden of Hope is a place which bestows a wonderful sense of tranquillity to all who pass through it.

Throughout the Garden are places to sit or dance, and secret places to discover as they pass underground. There’s also more to come, as Ty noted to me during my visit: he and Patch plan to add a memorial wall where visitors can submit a name of someone they’ve lost, together with a short message. This will likely include an interactive element (Ty suggested a lotus on one of the bodies of water) visitors can touch and have a small golden orb rise to the skies as a prayer or wish for healing.

In all, the Garden of Hope is a place of piece, harmony and beauty which should not be missed.

Slurl Details

• Garden of Hope (rated: Moderate)

I was drawn to explore Loulou Forest after coming across it in the Destination Guide as it has been designed and executed by Elyjia Baxton, working in concert with the region holder, 7 (Seven Kaptane). Elyjia – or Ely as she likes to be called – is responsible for some of the most natural landscapes and setting found in Second Life, and I’ve has the pleasure of visiting and blogging about many of them since 2017.

Occupying a Full private region, Loulou Forest is part of a 4-region estate held by 7. Of the remaining three, two – Annabel and Eden Roc – provide rentals homes with decently-sized parcels and a mix of over-the-water and rural settings.

The remaining region is home to Loulou, a region-sized venue established by 7 in 2025. With indoor and outdoor settings, the club is open on Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays, all between 12:00 noon and 15:00 SLT, and again between 18:00 and 21:00 SLT.

Sitting on a region called – appropriately – Ely, Loulou Forest makes use of the majority of the region’s landmass, allowing for the off-shire areas around the coasts. The Landing Point sits a short distance from the region boundary linking the forest to the club region to the west, and Directory sign board offer direct teleports to the club, or across to the edge of the Annabel residential region, or the estate’s rental office for those interested in perhaps making either Annabel or Eden Roc their home for a time.

Loulou Forest is a place where nature invites you to explore. Every corner is designed to offer a moment of calm—a place to recharge and reconnect with what truly matters. A peaceful getaway in the heart of the Loulou universe.

– Loulou Forest About Land description

Dusty tracks provide the primary routes for exploring the forest, winding their way between the trees, passing across bridges, past bodies of water and low waterfalls and to where public buildings await to offer places of rest and refreshment.

However, it should be pointed out that whilst Annabel and Eden Roc are the primary rental regions in this estate, there are a number of private residences located along the southern, eastern and northern extents of the forest – so do take care to avoid trespassing into someone’s privacy.

The tracks are wide enough for vehicles, and indeed a couple are to be found on the verges. However, I would suggest a better source of transport – if you have one available – is a wearable horse (or a rezzable one, if you join the local group and obtain rezzing rights). The trails are ideal for riding, and while I did look around for local horse rezzers, I didn’t notice any.

Given this is a design from Ely, the region is packed with natural detail. Birds reel overhead, geese swim on the inlands waters; there are places to sit and pass the time, be they under the shade of a gazebo or sitting at the roadside or take the form of boats on the waters.

Elsewhere, Bees buzz, horses frolic, young foxes scamper and local cats put their paws of ownership on all they survey (naturally) – including the one hoping to put its paws on a bird, despite the latter’s attitude suggesting it is aware of the plan and will take flight before the cat can do it any harm.

This is a place where exploring can be as quick or as gently as you like, and where opportunities to take photographs and / or pose for selfies abound. The natural beauty of the setting encourages gentle exploration and invites visitors to sit and pass the time here; something also encouraged by the fact that the private residences are spread such that they don’t lead to a feeling one is about to trespass at every turn.

Travel far enough in your explorations, and you will likely encounter the boundary with Annabel. Like the boundary with Loulou, this is clearly denoted if you are following the main tracks around the forest. Casual visits to Annabel are not discouraged – but (again) do keep in mind it is primarily a rental / residential setting, and so opportunities for exploration are limited more to the unpaved roadways as they run through the region to provide access to the private homes.

Rounded-out by a subtle soundscape and richly picturesque, Loulou Forest makes for a rewarding visit for the Second Life explorer / photographer, and sits as a further tour de force of Ely’s ability to design and build spaces in SL which have a natural sense of presence to them.

SLurl Details

• Loulou Forest, Ely, rated Moderate)