Category: Exploring Second Life

Spring has come to Lam Erin’s Cherishville for 2026, and with it the region has evolved into a new setting for visitors to enjoy.

With this iteration of the region we are offered a truly pastoral location; a place of farming, outbuildings, a meandering stream, gently rolling hills crowned by trees and flowers, and a scattering of animals together with little touches of humour for those with a keen eye..

The Landing Point sits to the north-west of the region, in the lee of an aged, bent-backed tree. This tree appears to suggest that strong winds can at times visit themselves across the island, although the upright poise of the other trees across the setting appear to say otherwise, and suggest the curved nature of this tree’s back is perhaps due to some other factor.

Sitting on a stubby headland, the Landing Point looks both east and south over the region, the eastern view encompassing the tall form of what might be taken to be a lighthouse on the far horizon when first seen, but which is in fact a clock tower, its belfry sitting in place of any lamp room.  Between these stubby headlands is a sweep of beach which is separated from the clock tower by the mouth of the region’s stream.

Southwards, the landing point overlooks a rutted track leading inland, a small stretch of shingle shoreline and a further trail passing some old vehicles on its way south. This rutted track forms a junction with the one leading inland from the Landing Point whilst also pointing east, where it becomes sandwiched between the beach and a pair of Tuscany-style outhouses, one of which has been turned into a patisserie and the other a residence-come-coffeehouse.

With outside seating, a large rectangular pond that has become the home of water lilies and swans and a separate fountain, the coffeehouse makes for a pleasant place to stop, itself sitting between track and the sharp curve of the stream behind it which leave it and the patisserie effectively sitting on a finger of land.  The patisserie offers more limited seating, but is still a pleasant visit and also holds an element of the humour I alluded to earlier.

To the south of the setting and sitting on a hill is a large farmhouse, in the grounds of which chickens squawk and cluck among the flowers – fortunately leaving the vegetable garden at the front of the house alone; a goose watching over her brood as they learn to swim, and a family of birds has taken over the mailbox – the property sitting, appropriately, on Bird Lane. With lavender and fruit trees being cultivated to one side of the house, with the lavender extending to encompass two more sides, the farmhouse is welcoming in a shabby-chic kind of look.

The best way to reach this farmhouse is to follow the track down the west side of the region from the Landing Point. This takes people past the old vehicles, one of which – an old truck – has become something of an apiary, with hives established outside its blocky form, and more hives apparently mounted along either side of its rear chassis.

A second vehicle has been turned into someone of a psychedelic piece of graffiti art as it sits at the side of the track. Beyond this, the track then rises up a slope to pass another outbuilding / shack where horses and sheep graze, to meet the stone built bridge spanning the region’s stream. The track then curls along the slope of the farmhouse hill before passing between the fencing surrounding the farmhouse. As it does so, it passes a signboard explaining the art of trail blazing and referencing the Slovene cartographer and trail blazer, Alojz Knafelc.

High photogenic, calming and rich in colour, sound and with an ideal EEP setting, Cherishville Spring is another excellent design by Lam Erin.

SLurl Details

• Cherishville Spring (Tuscan Hills, rated Moderate)

Since opening their Homestead region of Natthimmel as a destination in Second Life in 2024, I’ve become an avid follower of Konrad Rune (formerly Kaiju Kohime) and Saskia Rieko, through their many region designs over the last three years. Frequently drawing on locations from the physical world – such as Göbekli Tepe, which formed the basis for their first build (of which I wrote about in 2023), or more recently, the paired lighthouses of St. Joseph, Michigan (which I covered in late 2025).

However, some of Konrad and Saskia’s designs are drawn purely from the realms of the imagination, such as with 2025’s  Ythari – The echo of silent stars (see here for more). This is also the case for their first design for 2026, which actually opened over a month ago in late February, but with personal things being what they are, I only recently managed to visit.

Entitled The Array, this build is an engaging mix of fantasy and the imagination. A place which, in many respects, defies logical description but which weaves a tale all of its own within one’s head, the notes accompanying the setting helping to open the door to imaging.

Then the vision came.

Not a dream—visions in The Array were never dreams. They were memories, borrowed from the Primordium itself.

Lira saw a vast ocean, black and endless. She saw the Primordium as it once was: a drifting seed, searching for a place to anchor. She felt its loneliness, its hunger, its ancient purpose. And then she saw something else—something rising from the deep, something that made the Choir’s harmonics tremble with fear. The vision snapped away.

The Choir scattered, their lights dimming as they drifted back into the fog. The Veins beneath Lira’s hands throbbed once, sharply, like a heartbeat skipping. Abyssara was preparing for something. Lira stood alone on the terrace, the Mist swirling around her, the echoes of the Choir fading into silence. She didn’t know what the Primordium had shown her—or why it had chosen her—but she knew one thing with absolute certainty.

The city was waking up.

– Natthimmel description, February 2026

For some reason, this description put me in mind of assorted Arthur C. Clarke short stories, including The City and the Stars. I’ve no idea why, as there is little in the way of any form of connection between Natthimmel’s The Array and that story, or indeed, The Nine Billion Names of God, another of Clarke’s stories which for some reason dropped into my thinking = although the idea of something long asleep waking to make a dramatic change in the status quo does sort-of track (with The Array having a City wakening, Clarke’s story having a deity).

To be clear, The Array owes nothing to Clarke so far as I’m aware; it was to his shorter stories to which my mind flowed for some subconscious reason. Rather, The Array is a place of glorious mystery; a city of geometric shapes bought together in a manner that is both familiar an alien, interspersed with organic growths peppered with bioluminescent stands and ripples, some of which appear connected to the buildings. Bioluminescence is also much in evidence in the plants growing from the wetland from which the city appears to be rising, the plants both familiar and also somewhat alien as well.

Some of the buildings in the city can be entered, revealing more exotic growths, whilst stairways offer routes to upper levels – although some might be a little difficult to reach, whilst deep in the city is an events space. Very little here seems to be static, lights and shapes roll across walls and floors and while they don’t move themselves, the strands and trails of bioluminescence etched into many of the walls and the twinkling of luminescence among the trees further adds to the sense of motion and life.

Lifeforms and some very Earthly technology can be found within the setting. In the case of the former, fish float in the air whilst fantasy-like gossamer creatures float and “swim” through the air in and around the city’ towers. These latter creatures seem to take two forms – one fish-like, the other more plant-like. Some are blue, some are orange, all drift apparently without a care for those who visit the city and explore, ethereally aloof in their drifting. Elsewhere, dragon-like creatures might be found, both near the Landing Point and within the city itself.

In all, a place very much worth visiting for its mystery and ability to suggest stories and tales as to its origins and future.

SLurl Details

• Natthimmel: The Array (NewMoon, rated Moderate)

I came across Falling Tide in the Destination Guide recently, where the description pricked my curiosity, so off I hopped to take a look.

Falling Tide is a weathered coastal town where old songs, faded lights and quiet stories linger in the salt air. Wander the docks, paths and streets, find hidden markers, listen, remember. Take your time, explore, let the place get under your skin.

– Falling Tide description

A part of the Winchester estate operated by Clara Winchester (clarabellwinters) and Daniel Winchester, Falling Tide occupies a Full region located between, but not connected to, two other of the estate’s regions. Several of the other regions in the estate also have their own public areas, although for this article I’m focussing solely on Falling Tide.

The Landing Point for the region as given by the Destination Guide, sits within the centre of the little town occupying half the setting. A second Landing Point (neither is strictly enforced) is located on the north-west coast of the region, atop a deck built out over the water. This appears to be favoured by the teleport HUD and boards.

The town Landing Point has a giver for the Winchester Group HUD, which can be used to access other public areas in the estate, whilst equally close to the Landing Point is a teleport board which does much the same. Both are Experience driven, so do be sure to accept it if prompted.

The coastal Landing Point, reached via the TP HUD or whilst exploring, has two notecard givers in the form of empty crates. One offers the opportunity to find stories about Falling Tide scattered around the region (six in all), the other offers visitors the chance to join The Lost Playlist Hunt, which comes with its own back-story.

The town is very much as its description states: somewhat rundown and past its prime but still marching forward and offering various attractions – notably the art gallery – with the old motel offering visitors opportunities to stay a while. At the southern end of the town and extending eastwards is a row of six modestly-size cabins available for rent, so please be aware of this when exploring so as to avoid trespass into rented units.

Water forms a good part of the setting, with a large bay separating it from the region to the east, and the land breaking into a couple of islands to the north-east, reached via a tarmac road surface. However, it appears these two islands have been recently formed as a result of tidal incursion, despite the setting’s name, which has washed away parts of the road in separating the islands from the rest of the land, leaving the locals to place a couple plank bridges to cross the new channels.

It is this outer landscape to the east and north of the town which really brings home the tired beauty of the setting. The buildings, from the lighthouse to the boat repair shop all carry a sense of age and of slipping gently into retirement. Where once tourists might have roamed, birds and waterfowl prevail, notwithstanding the presence of a tramp steamer sitting just off the northern coast.

This quiet sense of age, coupled with the dour grey sky actually makes Falling Tide very photogenic – although some tidying-up of footpath / road prims around the town is in order to remove overlaps and the resultant texture flickering. The outlying islands certain offer plenty of opportunities for photography, and more can be found in following the outlying roads and trails.

Serene in its gentle aging, quietly linked to the wider Winchester estate and even with opportunities for a bit of boating on the waters, Falling Tide makes for an unhurried visit.

SLurl Details

Falling Tide (Winchester Sound, rated Moderate)

Vally (Valium lavender) sent me a personal invitation to visit the latest region design she and Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington) have put together. Once again, things being what they are, it took me a while to get to a point where I could visit – apologies to Vally –  but I did finally manage to do so!

Occupying a Homestead region, Sojourn – Sojourn Spring is a ruggedly handsome setting, a hump of rocky and grassy land rising from a calm sea. The western side of its back largely flat and with a single, gently-sloping incline running down to the west coast with its narrow ribbon of sand and moorings for boats pointing their fingers out to sea.

To the east, the back of the island is more elevated, exposed rock seeming to shore up the land above as it forms another plateau of grassland.

Where it the world you might like to put this setting is up to you. The trees suggest somewhere in a northern temperate zone – which would be in keeping with most of the builds  Dandy has put together down the years, many of which I’ve had the pleasure to write about. Similarly, the buildings on the island suggest more northerly / temperate climates, but where you prefer to picture this island as being is up to your imagination.

Escape into a breath-taking spring landscape perfect for unwinding and capturing stunning photos. Frame your shots with gentle flowing streams, vibrant wildflowers, and charming wildlife as your backdrop. Region Windlight settings shine here for that magic.

– Sojourn Spring About Land description

This is an occupied island – a house formed out of the split, inverted hull of an old ship sits up on the highest plateau, whilst a couple of single-room cabins lie on the lower expanse of the island’s top, together with what appears to be a long-deserted old stone cottage.

A lighthouse points towards the sky from a blunt promontory in the south-west corner of the setting, standing proudly above the western strand of beach running alongside the boat moorings and a second, slightly deeper beach on the southern side of the isle.

The old cottage, tucked into the north-west corner of the island, forms the setting’s Landing Point and offers a grand view inland over the island, a view which immediately draws one into wanting to explore.

Were I to paint a possible back-story to the setting, I would guess that the “house boat” up on the higher part of the island is home to whoever keeps the lighthouse, perhaps together with their family. As well as maintaining the lighthouse, these folk would appear to have turned the island into something of a little homestead for raising horses whilst also keeping chickens for eggs and bees for honey, even though, giving the pizza box in evidence at the house, this place must not be too removed from all the conveniences of mainland.

Wind turbines share the landscape with the local trees, presumably providing all the power needed for the house, lighthouse and cabins – and perhaps elsewhere as well. Who might use the cabins (both of which are actually unfurnished inside) is anyone’s guess, but the multiple moorings and the presence of a little café overlooking them and close to the lighthouse suggests the island has its share of at least day-trippers – and maybe folk who want to make a weekend of it by using the cabins as places to sleep.

To this end, there are multiple look-out points and places to sit on the island – including a VW camper van some enterprising soul has brought to the setting, where it now (permanently?) sits on a narrow self of land on the east side of the island between parallel cliffs.

These look-out and sitting places encourage people to spend time on the island doing what the About Land description suggests: making an escape and simply unwinding; allow the beauty of the setting, its flora, fauna and birds to carry them away from the worries and concerns of life.

In this, the island is absolutely perfect, the details are highly photogenic and offer a lot to see and give life to the setting. I particularly like the way water has been used, from broad ponds upon which rowing boats sit to the tumbling of falls to the sea below and the meanderings and tumblings of genuine brooks – so rarely seen when streams and rivers seem to be far more popular.  No wonder the island is a popular stopping-off point for egrets as they commute back and forth with the changing of the seasons.

All of this makes Sojourn Spring a visual delight to see and an engaging place to explore. Highly recommended.

SLurl Details

Sojourn Spring (Sojourn, rated Moderate)

As I work to catch up on a backlog of invitations, I pulled up one from Myrdin Sommer, inviting me to visit his Full region build of Planet M – Tula.

The invite actually came in mid-February with a note that it would likely only be around “for a few more weeks”. This being the case, my apologies to Myrdin for not having been able to visit sooner, and my hopes that this article finds its way to readers with sufficient time for them to visit the build before it vanishes.

Planet M’s Tula is a surreal red-earth valley shaped by organic forms, roaming animals, and a ceramic studio at its heart. Tula invites visitors to wander, pause, and look — offering a calm, dreamlike environment with Room to Dream, and perhaps make a picture or two. Tula welcomes you with open arms.

– A description of Planet M – Tula

As might be gleaned from the description above, this is a strange, alien environment – albeit with many touches of Earthly familiarity. The undulating landscape is marked by strange tubular-like extrusions and rising tendrils of clay ground, some of which are bent and bulb-headed, almost as if they are organic in nature whilst others end in lightbulb forms that provide local illumination together with some of the horizonal tubulars extending outwards from hillsides. In addition, flat-topped, mushroom-like islands rise on stout stalks to provide raised platforms, and honeycombed humps provide another form of illumination for their surroundings.

Amidst all of this water flows and pools and animals from Earth graze and roam: horses, cows, elephants, cats, birds, goats – even a couple of sauropods. Some of these can be found on the ground, others keep themselves to the island-like  tops of the “mushroom” islands.

Also waiting to be found are signs of human habitation. These are located in several of the caves found below the hills (and one of which sits behind a curtain, so to speak!). These are both primitive in form let cosy in nature, with human seating, furniture and so on. One of these is also the home to an artist’s studio.

The Landing Point sits towards the middle of the region, watched over by flamingos, a nearby signpost pointing the way to various attractions. These include the Octopit (find out for yourself!), and a memorial to director David Lynch. Note that the Landing Point is on a small island of its own, but the waters surrounding it are shallow enough to wade through.

Getting around the ground level is easy enough. However, exploring the “floating” islands without resorting to flying up to them is a matter of finding the rope ladder to the first and then using the interconnecting bridges and rope ladders to work your way around the rest.  Exploration of these will also allow you a view of  a group of dogs happily gathered on a white cloud complete with its own waterfall and a rope ladder to climb up to it.

With Earthly trees, grasses and lily pads making up the majority of the setting’s flora, Planet M – Tula is, as its description states, a surreal place, complete with a Moon floating just off the ground between two horns of rock, and a series of tiny floating “suns” to add to the illumination. It is also engaging in design and discovering all there is to see does cause you to travel its length and breadth, while the habitation spaces in the caves present places to rest awhile.

In all, an interesting visit with a fair amount to see and do. My apologies again to Myrdin for taking a while to make a visit.

SLurl Details

• Planet M – Tula (Planet M, rated Moderate)