Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation
Updates from the week through to Sunday, February 12th, 2023
This summary is generally published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.
Official LL Viewers
Release viewer: Maintenance Q(uality) viewer, version 6.6.9.577968, promoted Thursday, February 2, 2023- no change.
Burrow Wood County, February 2023 – click any image for full size
Update, April 25th: Burrow Wood County has closed, and Monica has relocated to a one half of a Full region, now home to the twin builds of Burrow Wood by the Sea and Burrow Wood, Road to Nowhere, both of which have been built to Monica’s specification by Teagan Lefevre. SLurls in this article have therefore been removed – please see my updated blog post for more.
Occupying the north-east quarter of a Full region utilising the private region land impact bonus, Burrow Wood County is held by Monica Mercury as a ground-level public space, designed by Teagan Lefevre of Le’eaf & Co fame.
This fictional back-road Tennessee town was inspired by several amazing SL creations visited by the owner, and her real life ventures.
– Burrow Wood County About Land
Burrow Wood County, February 2023
A visit commences at the landing point, tucked into the south-west corner of the parcel and backed against the centre of the region. It is here, a short distance from the mouth of a tunnel from which a rutted track emerges, that the local bus stop sits, helping give the impression that visitors have just arrived by public transport.
From here, the track continues to where a bridge spans the local river; a bridge which marks the track as once having been a single-line spur of the local railroad, and perhaps the bus stop originally an end-of-line rail halt. Beyond the bridge, a dirt track dips down into a small hamlet sitting by the waters of a broad body of water, an off-region surround giving it the appearance of a river.
Burrow Wood County, February 2023
This is a place which has perhaps seen better days; maybe it was once a cosy little fishing village built along one of Tennessee’s many rivers. However, time has not been kind to it, leaving a couple of unpaved roads serving the remaining local businesses, marked by the presence of an ever-hopeful motel, and some scattered dwellings.
Almost all of the local businesses appear given over to food and beverages, from the bar of Frank’s Place through the diner and café shop to Carroll’s Oyster bar and shop, within only a little grocery store trying to break things up. Their presence suggests the motel may do better business than might at first appear to be the case, even if the entrance to one room is boarded up; or perhaps this sleepy little fictional corner of Tennessee is still popular among the fishing fraternity and holiday makers.
Burrow Wood County, February 2023
The latter point may be borne out by the presence of the little office sitting across from the motel proper. It sits ant the entrance to a small group of cabins and trailers sitting alongside one of the water channels. The OFFICE sign hanging on one of its outer walls suggests it is from here that the cabins and trailer sitting on the bank of the river beyond are available for rent by visitors who also likely contribute to the seasonal well-doing of the local businesses.
Ramshackle it might be, but the village still boasts a Sheriff’s Office, and there is no doubting it has a gentle photogenic air about it. The large pool sitting at the head of the river (which may have borrowed its name from either the song as a little joke – you do have to cross the river Jordan in order to reach the hamlet – or from neighbouring Virginia’s river of the same name), is apparently open for swimming, whilst kayaks are moored alongside what appears to be a rentals hut built on a deck extending over the edge of the water.
Burrow Wood County, February 2023
Those following the grassy path down to and around one side of the pool can make their way to where nature is slowly reclaiming the remnants of an old waterside barn – although a local artist also appears to be claiming it for their own use! Further back in the undergrowth lies an old schoolhouse in a greater state of being overwhelmed by mother nature.
Expressive and photogenic, Burrow Wood County is a pleasant, easy-on-the-eye visit.
For February 2023, Cica Ghost invites us all to visit her Happy Place, where we can all relax and have a little fun, wander through an exotic landscape and meet the equally exotic populace.
This is very much a green land, caught under a green sky, between which green-tinged clouds scud whilst on the ground spots and splashes of other colours might catch the eye and cause feet to wander. This ground is a strange mix of grass-like covering and what appears to be a natural quilt forming an interesting patchwork effect as it stretches over the humpbacked hills and lies on the flatter ground like a picnic blanket. Blue splotches within the quilt suggest pools of water – albeit sometimes at odd angles as the effect stretches itself over the uplands.
Across both grass and patchwork can be found tall grasses and clovers rising up taller than an avatar, smaller flowers of red and yellow and green scattered around them and across the landscape as a whole (some of which have much larger brethren away to the north of the setting) while trees in places rival the humpy hills in height.
Cica Ghost, Happy Place – February 2023
Nor is the shape of most of the hills their only distinguishing feature; many have had their tops sliced flat, allowing little houses and matching trees to sit upon their crowns (some have other little places sitting on their heads, but you should discover this for yourself). Some of these houses appear unreachable such is the steepness of the slopes rising to them; others can be more easily reached, thanks to the placement of ladders to assist with climbing.
Also across this strange yet welcoming landscape can be found the setting’s inhabitants. From sheep to bipedal monsters, passing by want of ants, ladybirds, a sleeping dragon, elephants and a Cica-like little girl tending a lone cow with what appears to be her cottage and pet fish close by. There’s even the suggestion, spread between two trees, that the setting might also be home to a giant human, although they appear to currently off visiting somewhere else!
Cica Ghost, Happy Place – February 2023
Although some are monsters, none of the inhabitants are in any way dangerous; the dragon snoozes peacefully and the monsters all appear to be here for the same reason as anyone else: to take in the scenery, to relax together and pose for photos and / or simply have fun. And given this is a build by Cica, there are obviously places for visitors to enjoy a little dancing, or to sit and pose for photos or to simply spend time together, both on the ground and in the air.
The setting comes with a popular quote which is often attributed to A.A. Milne / Winnie the Pooh. In fact, the words as given were never given to Pooh (or any other of Milne’s characters) to say within the books (although they may have been spoken in one of Disney’s film adaptations). But whether written direct by Milne or by a screenwriter really matters not; they encapsulate the magical wonder of childhood and the importance of never letting go of that sense of magic and wonder, but allowing it to permeate our lives in moments of fun, friendship and togetherness.
By allowing us into her Happy Place, Cica again invites use to to do just that: let the magic and wonder free as we explore, have fun with friends and share our time with them.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 