January 2024 once more brings with it a further return of the ever-popular work of Bo Zano (BoZanoNL) and his SL/RL partner, Una Zano (UnaMayLi), with the latest iteration of their series of builds produced under their Elvion title. Once more ensconced within a Homestead region, the setting for early 2024 harkens back to some of the earliest designs Bo and Una put together for the enjoyment of SL explorers and photographers, presenting as it does a low-lying setting rich in Nature’s presence.
Designed around a large central body of water, this new iteration of the setting forms something of a circular route around the water, paths and trails meandering gently away from the landing point to the north and south, at times passing under the shade of trees and other over open grassland, turning gently with the flow of the land to pass over the waters either via broad bridges or narrow boardwalks. For the most part the land is flat, the only real “highlands” being a table of rock where water descends from a another large pool of water and into a wide inlet at the northern end of the setting and separated from the waters around which the land forms a broken ring.
Stone steps make their way up the west side of this plateau, allowing visitors to climb to the top and admire the view – or wade across the shallow water to where a bench might be used to observe the local heron and egrets as they await the passing of an unwary fish or two. However, I’d suggest that viewing this area is best done from close to the edge of the waterfalls; that way, when looking back over the water flowing towards you, it is possible to see how it appears to flow outwards from the off-region slopes and mountain that form a backdrop to the north side of the setting, giving the impression Elvion is part of a much larger landscape.
Nor is this upper pool the only place where waterfowl might be found; both the inlet and the lake within the lowlands are being watched over by heron, pelicans and egrets, as ducks and swans and geese swim on them. Given the presence of the former three, it would appear that the waters here are rich in fishy meals waiting to be caught. A houseboat floating gently among the reeds to one side of the lake might further suggest this; whilst it is now be a cosy little retreat for romantics, its not hard to imagine it once having been a places from which rods may have been cast.
The houseboat isn’t the only structure waiting to be found; away to the north and east, a refurbished shack sits upon a deck extending over the waters of the inlet; a place where kayaks sit on racks awaiting their owners’ return to take them back out on the peaceful waters. For now, however, it offers a set of places visits can use to sit and pass the time, the walls of the shack neatly separating them around three sides of the deck.
Across the water to the west, is the largest of the setting’s buildings. Its outward face suggests it may once have been a barn; but if that were the case, the large front door openings have long since been altered to form picture windows standing either side of a front door, whilst the inside of the building has been refurbished as little games room, complete with a billiards table, Greedy Greedy game and a corner couch and armchair for quiet chats.
The last of the structures within the landscape is to be found a stone’s throw from the boardwalk linked the old houseboat with the eastern shore of the lake.
Nestled with its back to one of the two large, mixed copses of trees occupying the land, and faced on three sides by an aging wood fence with old stone cobbles Nature is slowly reclaiming lying between them and its front entrance, it is another building which has been refurbished. Once a wrought-iron and glass greenhouse, it now forms a bath-house complete with a cast iron tub over which a shower rises, its piping solid enough to support a ring from which curtains might be drawn around the tub to prevent the water from the showerhead spreading too far across the floor.
Whichever way you opt to wander from the west side landing point, it is clear that this iteration of Elvion is intended to calm and relax. There is an easy-going, unhurried look and feel to it, aided by the gentle flow of water and the wheeling of geese on the wing overhead which simply encourages gentle meandering, whichever path one opts to follow. This is further enhanced by the many places tucked away on either side of the trails to encourage folk to just sit and let the time pass unhindered, while the local horses do their part in offering further opportunities for photographers to frame their shots – or for the more artistically inclined, an easel and tricycle-cart laden with paints await.
Rounded-out with touches here and there which might remind those who have previously visited Elvion of those past designs, this is genuinely a natural and evocative setting, clearly designed with love for nature and open spaces. As always with Una and Bo’s builds, it offers a warm welcome and offers multiple opportunities for photography under both the default environment and many others – I use a number within the pictures offered here as evidence.
As always, Elvion is a highly recommended place to visit.
SLurl Details
- Elvion (rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 