Whimberly – click any image for full size
Whimberly, a homestead region designed by Staubi (Engelsstaub), is another location Caitlyn and I were introduced to through Shakespeare (SkinnyNilla). He, along with his partner, Max (Maxie Daviau), has a knack of finding beauty spots in Second Life, and Whimberly is certainly that.
This is another region leaning towards a Mediterranean theme, split into two islands under clouds lit from above by the sun, filtering its light across the landscape. A villa stands atop the single, low hill on the larger of the two islands, neat lines of grape vines arranged around the slopes leading up to it, standing as if marshalled ready to march smartly down the hill to where a dirt track runs between the hill and the region’s landing point.
The track curls gently around the foot of the hill before branching, one arms climbs the gentle slope to the villa, the other following the curve of the coastline. Stone steps also lead up to the villa, passing between the lines of grapes. At the top, on the villa’s outer terrace, fruits are laid out for sale on the outer terrace of the villa, and geese roam. A cart with wine casks and an old pick-up truck add to the suggestion that this is a working estate, but the inner courtyard, with its pool, games room, barbecue and outdoor lounge area, carries a sense that this a more of a holiday location than a working vineyard.
Perhaps it is both; to the north, and on the lowlands beneath the villa, sit a cabin and a flat-roofed building. both offer comfortable, if small, accommodation. Might it be that those on vacation sleep within these, whilst availing themselves of the villa and its facilities for the rest of their needs?
To the east of the villa, and nestled at the foot of the hill on which it sets, is an artist’s studio, occupying the corner of an aged terrace which drops abruptly into the water. Smoke rises from a brazier a short distance away, where sits a small deck, one of several places on the island visitors can relax, a wooden board walk linking it to the studio, while its back sits to the dirt track.
Between the villa’s hill and the arms of the dirt track – the same track which passes by the landing point – sits a field of oilseed rape. It’s not hard to imagine a gentle breeze stirring the seed heads, causing them to dance in unison like ripples across a lake. Follow the track west and north, and it will bring you to one of the “holiday homes”. A short distance from this, across open grass, sits the bridge offering access to the smaller island. This points a slender finger out over the water, dissected for most of its length by another track which brings visitors to a lone caravan sitting in the shade of one of the region’s scattered trees, and another wooden deck sitting out over the water.
Whimberly is beautifully elegant in its simplicity of presentation. It offers much to explore without leaving the visitor overwhelmed, while the attention to detail means there are a lot of little touches to be discovered and enjoyed, all set beneath a sky crafted to suit the setting and completing the ambience of the region. Should you enjoy a visit, please consider a donation at the landing point to help with the upkeep of the region.
SLurl Details
- Whimberly (Whimberly, rated: Adult)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 