Category: Exploring Second Life

It’s been some six years since I had the pleasure to visit NorderNey, the always photogenic region held and designed by Jacky Macpherson, my last visit having been in 2017 (see: A return to NorderNey in Second Life). One reason for this is that it has actually been closed for a while – I’m not sure precisely how long – and Jacky has been spending some of her time on other projects, including designing regions for others, including Vally Lavender (see: Time at Valium Creek in Second Life, from 2020)  and VUK Store (see: A visit to VUK in Second Life, from 2019), as well as her own (see: A Nutmeg Getaway in Second Life, again from 2020).

So when Shawn Shakespeare informed me Jacky was back with a “Nord”-related build, I decided to leap over and take a look recently and at a time when I really should have been a-bed! NordShore, a Homestead region design, may not be a direct continuation of NorderNey, but it does have that titular link, and there is a styling about it that does bring to mind past iterations of NorderNey. It is also a build carrying a soft echo of Gateway – Nutmeg, linked to above, although it remains entirely unique to itself.

For inspiration with this design, Jacky turned to the oft gentle, oft rugged county of Cornwall, England; a place that can be both a holidaymaker and tourist magnet and also a place of unspoiled, remote-seeming beauty. It is these latter aspects of Cornwall Jacky has used to fire her imagination, sprinkling her ideas with little Tuscan touches; and while she specifically mentions Cornwall’s coastline as her point of inspiration, elements of the build – to me – also carry hints of the county’s moorlands.

Presented as a low island with a rugged, rocky shoreline for the most part, rising from the surrounding sea and caught under a summer’s sky entirely in keeping with those often see around Britain’s coast, it is not hard to think of NordShore as being a little place sitting just off the shoreline of south-west England; far enough away from mainland to offer a sense of escape, yet close enough to make living here less of a hardship than in might otherwise be the case.

Along its grassy back, the island is home to a lighthouse, a small cottage and a barn. It’s possible – if not likely – the cottage may have once been the home of a lighthouse keeper, being separated from it by a short track as the lighthouse stands on a small headland at the south-eastern tip of the island. However, it doesn’t appear as if the cottage has been maintained in its original role, instead having the feel of a place now given over to being a home for those caring for the island’s horses and sheep, perhaps as a result of the lighthouse being converted for automated operation at some point.

Whatever the reason, the cottage is a cosy place which appears to have been extended and refaced – or perhaps entirely rebuilt – to give it a distinctly Tuscan look and feel. Inside, a wood-burning stove offer warmth in winter, the armchairs before it sitting with a game of backgammon between them – although the cat occupying one of the chairs doesn’t appear to be too interested in it. A large, comfortable sofa sits across the room, guarding the doors leading to the kitchen where another kitty appears determined to get some milk – possibly more than it bargained for, if not careful!

A track runs from the east side of the cottage, past steps running down to a little cove, and then onwards to a working barn built in the same style as the cottage. Behind and slightly above the barn the back of the island is matted with tough wild grass, bursts of wild flowers and shrubs, here and there punched through by rocky outcrops.  It is here, with the fenced enclosure for sheep, the further dusty tracks and the smattering of trees, that I found myself thinking of parts of Bodmin Moor than anywhere along Cornwall’s coast.

Which is not to say the northern end of the island looks out-of-place or different to the southern half. Far from it; this is a setting that flows together as a singular whole; but it does speak to Jacky’s power to fire the imaginations of visitors to see things that are both in keeping with her vision but which carry it in, perhaps, other directions.

With sheep and horses grazing and gulls wheeling in the sky whilst cormorants sit on the rocky shore and eyeing the rolling tide for any fish carried too close to land and thus making for a quick, swooping snack, the island also features other visitors to Cornwall’s shores: seals. These appear to have laid claim to the northern end of the island’s shore, perhaps feeling it offers seclusion and safely from unwanted approaches thanks to the surrounding rocks.

A single path slips gently down between said rocks to reach one of their basking grounds, a route which means they have more than ample time to slip into the sea should their peace be disturbed. Not that they need be disturbed: those seeking a dip in the sea can do so via both the east and west sides of the island, each of which is marked by rough beaches that slide easily into the waters before them, and which can be easily reached by following the local trails as the cross the island’s back.

Finished with a gentle soundscape and – needless to say – lots of opportunities for photography, NordShore is a delight to visit.

SLurl Details

• NordShore (Echo Mountain, rated Moderate)

As my last wander in Second Life took me to remote Gaeta 1 (see: A LemonCliff café in Second Life), I decided to stay with the Mainland theme for my next bout of meandering, travelling across Second Life’s map from north to south to pay a visit to Jeogeot and a small parcel of land sitting just off Route 9 toward that continent’s southern coastline. It is a place perhaps easy to miss as you travel along the highway, just a pair of iron gates under a stone arch itself set into a high wall spanning the gap between high granite blocks on the south side of the road. However, it hides a little treasure.

Behind the gates, and occupying the greater part of a 6,400 sq metre parcel is Journey Garden, a charming setting created by Kes Evergarden Teech (Kestrel Evergarden), and offered under her Journey Magazine brand. And when I say charming, I mean precisely that.

Beyond the gates, a path gently winds across the roughly rectangular gardens, the granite blocks continuing on around the setting to neatly fence it in without being obviously oppressive or enclosing.

This main path leads the way past some of the setting’s major features as it makes it way to the southern extreme and the offices of Journey Magazine. A second path doubles back on the first just a few short metres from the gates, winding back to where steps cut through the grass to climb up to wide grassy ledge overlooking a sheltered pond. A bench has been added to a fountain and pool occupying the ledge, making it a perfect retreat for those wanting a cuddle or simply watch the play of ripples over the water.

A second shoulder of low rock sits across the pond, the main path curling gently past its rocky foot. Here lies a further little place to sit, this one talking the form of three hanging seats suspended from the beams of a pergola. However, getting up to them might at first seem to be less than obvious, given the sheer faces on the rock on which the pergola sits – but there is a way. A little slope rises on the side of the outcrop nearest the pond, offering a relatively easy climb up to the top, the grassy path passing a small wooden deck built out over the pond as they do so.

Between the pergola-topped rock and the magazine’s office sits a picnic area and live music space, reached via a short path and steps sitting alongside the garden’s café, a place where refreshments might be enjoyed together with a quiet sit-down. I’m not sure how often live events might be held on the little outdoor stage –  but they are mentioned as occurring in the garden’s About Land description.

This is a place of serenity and photogenic retreat, the one oddity within it sitting back towards the gates, and clearly visible to anyone entering the garden. Set back from the main path at the end of a short walk along loosely placed paving stones is a bus-cum-trailer home which, like the garden it sits within, appears to have been allowed to grow almost completely organically.

The trailer sits as a place which is strangely bohemian whilst also carrying a hint of dark magic. The latter point is added to by the presence of a deer spirit, standing like some Dark Herne behind it. Inside, however, the trailer house is oddly cosy, even with the further hints of magic. However, its presence is not entirely out of place within the garden, as it speaks to Kes’ sense of humour, something which can also be seen in her profile: professional cannibal & existential dread specialist … and on Wednesdays, we play D&D.

Journey Garden is not the only place to be visited along this stretch of Route 9 – right next door, for example, is the Brumby Park Conservatory, another peaceful retreat, created and run by Envy (Envy Renard). However, it is perhaps, a place to be covered in a future piece in this blog; for now, I’ll leave you visit Journey Garden for yourself, and with the SLurl.

SLurl Details

• Journey Garden (Ungnyo, rated Moderate)

Of all the Second Life continents, Gaeta 1 is perhaps the oddest. located off the north coast Corsica, it sits isolated, alone and unfinished, having only a west coast, and partial coasts to the north and south before it ends abruptly as one travels eastwards, as if someone got bored mid-way through laying down its regions and wandered off to find a sandwich – then forget where they left the continent.

The smallest of the Mainland continents with roughly 140 regions to its name, it is also the most sparsely populated – although this is not the result of its small size; rather, it is because much of the land remains either owned by Linden Lab or simply undeveloped.

This is not to say it is without its charms. Along the west coast, for example, the Lastness Marina, sitting at one end of one of the continent’s two paved public footpaths. Here, visitors can drop into the local lighthouse, rez a boat and take to the waters along Gaeta 1’s navigable coast.  Or, if preferred visitors can pop next door and enjoy a sojourn at Lily Cloud’s LemonCliff beach bar and café.

Occupying almost 6,000 square metres of coastal land, LemonCliff is a delightful setting, offering a mix of outdoor and indoor setting, the latter taking the form of a ranch-style villa converted into a café sitting above a small beach front and within a its own garden space, the low surrounding walls forming a parapet as they look down on the beach and a small car park.

With a central hallway cutting through it from front to back, the café is neatly split into two wings. To one side and with shuttered windows, sits the café proper, offering coffee and smoothies with a choice of cakes and fresh lemon juice. Across the hall sits a comfortable saloon, a place suitable for afternoon tea at the right time of day, and in the evenings as a retreat where wine and aperitifs might be enjoyed, the windows to the front overlooking a small patio, and to the rear they provide a glimpse of the semi-wild garden.

A broad terrace parallels the rear walls of the café, passing through this garden to give access to the café from the car park, and also to a garden pergola and a raised patio and seating area to the rear of the coffee bar where beverages can be enjoyed under the shade of parasols.

Also to the front of the café is a table set for a little cheese and wine tasting, whilst steps run down to the beach and what looks to have been a cobble-topped wharf sitting at the waterfront -although the tide appears to have retreated long enough ago to leave a stretch of dry beach between the wharf and the sea, allowing the cobbles to become the home of a Greedy Greedy table.

Bracketed to one side by falls tumbling into a small channel running into the open water and a deck built out over the water on the other, the beach offers a view out over the open ocean to the west, and a means to enjoy the setting sun. Meanwhile, the deck sits as a place for cocktails and a little crooning / dancing.

Sitting alongside the marina and a small coastal residential area, LemonCliff beach bar and café is a charming and easy-going visit – and when you’ve enjoyed its welcome, there’s always an opportunity for boating along the coast or a walk along the winding public path as it meanders north and east.

SLurl Details

• LemonCliff beach bar and café (Chantilly, rated Moderate)

I had not intended to write about two fantasy / magical places in Second Life one after the other, however, after visiting Xanadu Forest (see: The mystical magic of Xanadu Forest in Second Life), I found that a trip to LauneMeo’s wonderful environments, this time to visit Luane’s Magical World, her most recent creation on her Homestead region, Le Monde Magique.

Luane has a well-deserved reputation for producing engaging, romantic and photogenic environments – and that is the case with Magical Worlds, a place where dragons and alicorns and albino elephants wander the shallow waters under the watchful eyes of giant translucent tubers and silvan trees and fae folk flits and sit upon plants and under the shade of trees in green and pink blossoms rising from a lush carpet of grass.

This is a place of serene beauty, a garden of many faces and many spaces, the first all awaiting discovery, the second all offering places in which to retreat and spend time. The primary landmass forms a circular island sitting in the south-east quarter of of the region. Home to the landing point as it sits overlooking crystal waters bounded on their far side by the silvered wetlands.

While the waters are protected by transparent surfaces making them walkable, to maintain the illusion of the setting, easiest way across the water is to take the ice0like stones as they form a path around the water’s edge and along the wetlands – although beware the odd alicorn also wandering the path.

To describe this setting is really an exercise in futility; it more than speaks for itself. Just be sure to take the time to seek out everything awaiting to be found here – there is likely to be more than a casual wander and camming around might reveal. As such, I don’t plan to say more here; instead I’ll simply leave some further images to offer a shallow reflection of Luane’s creativity in the hope they will encourage you to go and see for yourself. You are unlikely to be disappointed.

 

 

SLurl Details

• Luane’s Magical World (Le Monde Magique, rated Moderate)

Fantasy Faire may have passed into memory for 2023, but those who appreciate the splendour and beauty of the Fairelands can recapture the spirit of it, and past Fantasy Faire events through the largesse of Evangeline Ling. She is the creator of the simply stunning Xanadu Forest, a place of mystical magic ringing with the echoes of Fantasy Faire hidden – like Tolkien’s Rivendell, within a deep cleft within the Mainland continent of Sansara.

WELCOME to Xanadu Forest, a place of magic and mystery … Here you are welcome to role-play, explore, relax with your friends or take beautiful photographs for your special memories, or just play a game or two of greedy. We invite you to use the shared environments as our lighting here is part of the attraction and don’t forget to take a visit to our fantasy bowling alley (Even elves enjoy a little bowling too). You will find dryads and elves, Dragons, pirates, scattered evidence of a demonic presence. 

– from the introductory note card for Xanadu Forest

Comprising multiple levels from the waters at the bottom of its deep gorge to platforms and plateaus amidst its peaks, this is a place of vivid colours, otherworldly plants, winding trails and climbing stairs, all of which fully captures the romance and magic of multiple Fairelands without ever feeling as though it is merely trying to copy them. Thus, it stands as a rich and vibrant land in its own right, as much as standing in homage to Fantasy Faire.The landing point sits high up on one of these platforms, sitting within a build from The Looking Glass and harking back to Fantasy Faire 2022. Here, under the shadow of Ketsui Naidoo’s The Majestic Revived – better known to Fairelanders as The Fairechylde – walkways extend out and across the valley, held aloft by the trunks of giant mushrooms and the faces of cliffs rising and falling to reach other levels, houses and the gardens below.

Along the way, there is much to find, again as the introductory note card for the setting describes:

You will find dryads and elves, Dragons, pirates, scattered evidence of a demonic presence. With enough searching you may even find the home of a certain Slenderman (we advise extreme caution entering his home). There are no strict role-play rules in Xanadu, you bring your own RP here or perhaps use Xanadu as a foreign land for your own RP group. Please join our Group, Xanadu Forest, and we will keep you up to date on any fun activities or events. Stop by anytime the forest welcomes you.

– from the introductory note card for Xanadu Forest

Also awaiting discovery are teleport points, both light and dark, offering trips to destinations which may appear in opposition to their outward appearance; a hidden gallery of art, a high (literally) elven home and many, many, elements from the Fairelands, from the giraffes of Haveit Neox and the bears of Loki Eliot – even the suspended walkways are liable to bring forth recollections of Fairelands past. There are also one or two unexpected characters to be found along the way!

This is a place so cleverly put together that just when you think you have found everything, you turn around and discover something new and / or unexpected. It might be a throne sat back and above the garden trail or a hollow within the rock where a board game might be enjoyed or an unexpected cliffside path rises, offering an alternate route to where the elven house sits.

As with the Fairchylde, the Majestic Revived offers the opportunity for dancing – at least for couples, I didn’t notice any solo dances – and more places to dance are also await discovery as people explore. There are also multiples to sit and / or cuddle and – obviously – endless opportunities for photography.

With regards to the latter, the setting comes with its own EEP settings, and I recommend using them when visiting – just go to World → Environment and make sure Use Shared Environment is checked. Also, and for the fullest experience, make sure local sounds are enabled. Should you appreciate Evangeline’s work in creating Xanadu Forest, or if you are a Fairelander yourself, do please consider a donation towards the future upkeep of the setting.

SLurl Details

• Xanadu Forest (Apukohai, rated Moderate)

For the April / May / June build at *80 Days*, Camila Runo offers people the opportunity to roam a small corner of America’s frontier Old West, with a visit to Wind River, a small settlement in the middle of the mid-West, where cattle are brought it for possible herding along the trails to wherever the nearest railhead might be, and from there by rail to feed the towns and cities of either coast.

Get that Old West feeling at WIND RIVER! A dusty cowtown, a native village and vast plains with wildlife and epic sceneries are waiting for you. Stop by and enjoy.

– Wind River About Land description

Quite what brought this little town into being is hard to say. Evidence suggests that the location was much used by native Americans – who have an encampment close to hand -, so perhaps there’s a local aquifer that provides good drinking water, even if the “river” of the setting’s name appears to be absent (indeed, the name “Wind River” might either be the westernisation of the Native American for this broad valley running between hills and mountains and forming a corridor along which the dusty wind is prone to barrel, or is perhaps a touch of dry cowboy humour, given that self-same wind as it blow dust up and across the town).

Perhaps that aquifer, and its distance between significant points of habitation / commerce made the location a ideal point for the Pony Express to establish a waystation where horses and riders could rest-up, then when the Wells Fargo Company came through, using the old Pony Express routes as the easiest means to transport passengers from point-to-point, expanding the old waystation into a full-blown stopover. With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine some enterprising individual coming up with the idea to build a hotel to offer tired passengers with a comfortable overnight stay in a warm bed (for a small price!), the hotel in turn encouraging the rest of the town to grow up before it to become a natural focal point for the local small-hold ranchers to bring their cattle ready to join forces and drive them on to the railhead, as noted above.

Whatever the story behind its origins, it’s clear that Wind River has grown into a small, but vibrant place of commerce; beside the hotel, its Main Street boasts a bank, a large saloon, a bathhouse, and medical-come-veterinary-come-dental practice, a good sized general store, an undertaker, its own town sheriff (complete with gallows to the rear!) and a town hall / court house where some of those incarcerated in the sheriff’s cell might presumably find themselves prior to making a journey onwards to said gallows…

From the flags hanging outside the town hall, I’d guess the time period for the setting lay some time between early 1867 and the start of 1890. I say this because while the flags are short one red stripe, they do contain 38 stars, and while Colorado did not officially become the 38th state of the United States until 1876, a Stars and Stripes with 38 stars was commonly in use in the period from early 1867 through until the start of 1890, when the former Dakota Territory was formed into the states of North and South Dakota.

In support of the above, I’d also note that the town hall celebrates all of the US presidents from Washington through to Grover Cleveland, whose portrait take pride of place behind the main desk / judge’s bench, suggesting he is the current incumbent of the White House  “back east”. As he first took office as president in 1885, this tends to further confirm the setting as being set some time between then and 1889.

The landing point for the setting sits within the stables located at one end of the town’s Main Street, facing down the hotel at the far end. It’s not a long walk down to the hotel, and it is one worth taking as the buildings flanking the dry, dusty street are all furnished in keeping with the setting’s time period and offer opportunities for photography along the way. The raised sidewalks also have some nice touches, such as the planks reaching between the Sheriff’s office and the undertaker’s and town hall; it was not uncommon for the streets of frontier town to turn to quagmires after heavy rains, and so planks connected the raised sidewalks fronting building in this manner were not uncommon, helping townsfolk minimise the need to slog through sucking mud that could be ankle-deep.

For those who prefer, the stables offer a horse rezzer at the hitching post outside, allowing the rest of the landscape to be explored from the relative comfort of a saddle. A trail pointing north from here leads the way past the cow pens to where the main Wells Fargo station sits, a newly-arrived stage sitting outside. Along the way the trail passes a fork leading to one of the small homestead ranches, while the chuck wagons of another ranch crew are parked on the grassland just off the trail – presumably belonging to those who have herded the cattle now contained within the town’s pens.

This is a place where bison still roam – possibly another cause for the presence of Native Americans – and a small group can also be encountered grazing quietly, although a large bear is watching them and possibly weighing the odds of being able to pull down old of the older members of the little herd and have himself a meal.

Away to the south-west of the town, a long shoulder of rock descends from the mountains to act as a natural buffer between the the town and a small Native American encampment. With teepees arranged around a central fire pit and ponies grazing free, the encampment serves a special purpose, as explained by the information card available from the landing point:

Inside one of the teepees there’s small museum of Native American History (late 19th/early 20th century). There are several dream catchers with old photos of indigenous people. Once you touch them, you will get a notecard with information about a certain tribe. Please note that the choice of tribes displayed here doesn’t reflect any personal preference of the sim owners! It should be considered a representative cross section to raise our visitors’ awareness of the past and the today’s life situation of the Native Americans in general.

There are some small anachronisms present in the build (the saloon features a pianola for example (an instrument which wasn’t available until 1896) which can be heard playing Joplin’s The Entertainer (which wasn’t written until 1902); however, I’d say that such anachronisms actually add a further little quirk to the setting, rather than taking anything away from it. Anyway, they are more than compensated for by those little additional touches of authenticity mentioned above, and which also include a reward poster for one Dave Allen “Mysterious Dave” Mather, a man who led a very interesting (if not untypical for the period) life – eventually more than living up to his sobriquet, given so little is known about his fate!

Rich in detail and atmosphere (do make sure you have local sounds enabled when visiting!) Wind River is another superb setting from Camila and her co-owner, ZamiTio.

SLurl Details

• Wind River (Infinite spirt, rated Moderate)