Enjoying Rosemoor in Second Life

Rosemoor; Inara Pey, May 2016, on FlickrRosemoor – click any image for full size

Rosemoor is the name of a collaborative region design by Arol Lightfoot and Krys Vita (who designed the popular Kaleidoscope I wrote about here). “This one was meant to be fun!” Krys told me as Caitlyn and I paid a visit a few hours after the region had opened its doors slightly ahead of schedule, “welcome to our zoo 😛 .”

Rosemoor presents visitors with a low-lying island of grass and sands, just a couple of craggy plateaus offering genuine elevation in the south-west corner. The “zoo” Krys mentioned as we chatted, sits to the north-west, close to the landing point. It takes the form of Everlag Park – a place which has clearly seen better days at some point. Now the paint is fading, dirty and chipped on the entrance, the sign having partially fallen from its place above the archway, while the buildings either side showing similar distress.

Rosemoor; Inara Pey, May 2016, on FlickrRosemoor

Within the park, the carousel and big wheel stand broken and dejected, while the bumper cars look to have been the victims of a fire, while rides sit overgrown and forgotten in the grounds. Only the circus tent appears to be in reasonable condition, but even this fails to hold the attention for long, thanks to the animals standing and roaming the park – or as I put it to Krys, “tigers and zebras and giraffes, oh my!”

“Ha ha!” Krys replied, “the craziest thing is in the other corner 😉 Our little addiction found itself a home!”

Rosemoor; Inara Pey, May 2016, on FlickrRosemoor

To the south and east, around and across the bay cutting into the island, the land is sandier and offers a couple of homes between which horses contentedly wander, grazing on the stubble of grass poking above the gently undulating dunes and hills of sand. Those which are roaming freely and saddled can be ridden by visitors.

And it was southwards and eastward that I was drawn, wondering what the addiction Krys mentioned might be.  It can actually be found on a little island just off the coast. I’m saying nothing else on this, as to write about it would spoil a visit for others 🙂 . All I will do is repeat Krys’ explanation for things: “D-Lab… the gacha got us! 😉 ”

Rosemoor; Inara Pey, May 2016, on FlickrRosemoor – click any image for full size

With places to sit and to snuggle scattered around, particularly along the coastline, Rosemoor has a wonderfully coastal feel to it; somewhere perhaps not too far from civilisation, but far enough to offer a sense of isolation and being off the beaten track (hence why the Everlag Park may not have succeeded, despite the picturesque surroundings).

The default windlight suggests an early morning, but the region is ideal for photography under many different environment settings, as I hope the images here demonstrate. Very thoroughly recommended as a place to visit!

SLurl Details

Murder, sisterhood, war and wonder

It’s time to kick-off a week of story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, May 8th

11:00 at Seanchai Kitely: Dear Writer, Dear Actress

Caledonia reads from the love letters of Anton Chekhov in the Dacha at EXPLORE: Anton Chekhov and the Absurd.

grid.kitely.com:8002:EXPLORESeanchai

13:30 Crazy Eights: Tea Time At Baker Street

Crazy Eights sees Caledonia, Corwyn and Kayden reading from The Return of Sherlock Holmes on Sundays from the living room of 221B Baker Street. This week: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez.

Holmes (l) examines a bureau in Professor Coram’s study, directing his questions to the maid (Sidney Paget, 1904, Strand Magazine)

Willoughby Smith, secretary to the invalid Professor Coram, has been murdered.

There is no apparent motive for the crime, committed using a sealing-wax knife belonging to the professor, and the local police are stumped, leading Inspector Stanley Hopkins to pay Holmes and Watson a visit one dark November night to seek assistance. He brings with him the only clues to the matter: a pair of golden Pince-nez glasses found clutched in Smith’s hand, and his dying words, uttered to the maid who found him.

“The professor; it was she.”

Holmes examines the glasses and stuns Hopkins with a series of pronouncements, defining their owner, and some of her recent activities. He even goes so far as to describe some of her physical characteristics. With Hopkins suitably impressed, Holmes agrees that he and Watson will visit the scene of the crime the following day, and seek to resolve the case.

Monday May 9th, 19:00: TBA

Please refer to the Seanchai Library blog for updates on Monday’s reading.

Tuesday May 10th, 19:00: When Sisterhood was in Flower

sisterhoodThe writings of Florence King return to Seanchai Library as Trolley Trollop opens the pages of When Sisterhood was in Flower (1982),

Isabel, a conservative southern writer living in Boston, finds her life taking a number of strange turns. After an explosion brings down the wall of her apartment she is forced to share her living space with her neighbour, an ardent, humourless  feminist called Polly Bradshaw. Then, between them, they take in nutty Gloria, who is fixated with all things medieval, including the lute, which she constantly plays, and the death of Edward II.

Things start unravelling further when Polly inherits a house in California, and unilaterally decides they’ll form a self-sufficient feminist commune there. Along the way, they collect Agnes, who is trying to escape her survivalist husband, and Martha, a widow whose estranged husband died after an unfortunate incident with an inflatable rubber doll.

Then Isabel has the opportunity to earn a living as a writer … of pornography …

Wednesday May 11th 19:00: Crazy Eights: The War that Saved My Life

War savedCaledonia Skytower reads Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s children’s story.

It is the Second World War, and when nine-year-old Ada’s little brother is evacuated from London to escape the blitz, she is determined not to be left behind because her mother is too ashamed to allow her to be seen in public with her twisted foot.

So it is that Ada, experiencing her first time in the world beyond the house in which she has always lived, finds herself on an adventure, adapting to life with Susan Smith, the woman charged with caring for Ada’s little brother, and who unexpectedly finds herself with a second ward in her care.

As time passes, Ada learns to ride a pony, watches for German spies, and finds a bond forming between her and Susan smith, a bond shared with her brother, but over which hangs the shadow of what will happen when they have to return to London and the cruelty of Ada’s mother.

Thursday, May 12th, 19:00: King Kong – Eighth Wonder of the World

With Shandon Loring

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Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The featured charity for March / April is Project Children, building peace in Ireland one child at a time.

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