Category: Exploring Second Life

I’m totally up to my ears in a variety of things at the moment, which has had something of an impact on my ability to blog with the usual frequency. Hopefully, I’ll be all caught up over the next couple of days, but I didn’t want to mission the opportunity to write a few words about Swan, the Homestead region held by Keely Mistwood as her personal space, but which she has opened to the public to visit.

The landscaping for the region is by Tab Tatham, whose design work is always worth seeing as she has an considered eye for creating natural environments – as can instantly be seen with Swan.

The region is largely given over to a mountainous off-sim surround that joins with the island to present a low-lying tongue of land extending out into the waters of a bay, several other peaked islands rising from the waters to suggest a coastal archipelago, while the the trees of the lowlands suggest this is somewhere in the northern latitudes.

Rocky in nature and split by a stream that issues from one of the landscape’s rocky faces, the landscape is rich in fir and oak and climbs back to a high table close to the mountain backdrop, a finger of rock connecting the two, a screen of trees helping to curtain the join between region landscape and surround.

This high bluff has prevented the sea complete separating the headland from the mountain, and thus turning it into an island. To one side is a channel that has eaten its way between headland and mountains; on the other is a sheltered arc of beach reached by wooden steps that descend from the flat top of the rock and watched over by a wooden deck.

The top of the plateau is largely given over to Keely’s house, which like the rest of the region, is open to the public. It has a delightfully bohemian feel to it, the indoor spaces open and breezy, seamlessly with the decks around it, and a cool looking rocky pool alongside in place of a more traditional swimming pool.

Packed with detail, the house looks down on a further curved bay, this one with shingle rather than sand, this one arcing to another, lower table of rock, home to a more traditional swimming pool. It can be reached via the wooden steps leading up to the house from the landing point or via one of two zip lines.

The second zip line descends to the north-east and the tip of the headline, where an old cabin, now converted into a hidden summer house – although be warned that the trip down the line will take you through the local fir trees, so you could end up getting a few slaps from the boughs!

Between the cabin / summer house and the landing point, the land is again rich in detail beneath the canopy of trees. Here might be found an open-air theatre, old terraces, open walks, decks and more, all making for a richly photogenic setting – although you’ll need you own pose HUD for avatar photography, as Keely hasn’t opened rezzing the region to avoid littering.

Superbly made, packed with opportunities to wander and / or relax (including the little island off-shore, although you’ll have to fly to it), Swan is a perfect destination for the SL traveller. I’m not sure if Keely intends to keep it open to visitors or if it may be a limited time opportunity to make a visit;  so if you’re interested, hopping over sooner rather than later might be the way to avoid disappointment.

SLurl Details

• Swan (rated: Moderate)

Dim Sum Gardens is a Full region on the Mainland that has been given over to a quite spectacular oriental themed public garden space that can be deceptive in its breadth and depth. Designed by Wee Willian Wylie, the gardens are built around a large lake, and are rich in features and details that can make any visit a voyage of discovery – although that said, it would be remiss of me not to note that such is the depth of detail within the gardens, a visit can take a lot out of older systems; so if you do tend to travel with a high draw distances or shadows always enabled, be prepared to make adjustments so that you might better enjoy things.

A visit commences on the south side of the gardens within a Japanese-style walled terrace area. Here, on a platform guarded by Japanese hunter / warriors and sinuous water dragons, sitting over a rectangular pool water and beneath a stylishly modern Torii gate, the landing point looks out across the lake as it spreads itself to the north, water falling from a low lip in the edge of the pool to add to the lake’s fill.

This is a place where the term here be dragons has genuine meaning: as well as the two water dragons busily keeping the pool under the landing point topped-up, dragon heads decorate a stone fountain on the terrace below, and two more are waiting to greet visitors as they descend the steps from the terrace to join the path that offer routes of exploration along the south side of the gardens. In addition, all of this  – landing point, terrace and all – is watched over by a large water dragon that raises its head out of the lake to also examine arriving visitors.

Bracketed by trees and woods to the south, west and east, the lake reaches north to where the land rises in grass-topped bluffs that arc around the back of a large island that proudly rises from the waters, a couple of smaller, low-lying islands between it and the landing point to the south. This sheer-faced island is topped by a quite marvellous Japanese tea house that mixes modern and traditional design in a manner that delights the eye. Like the landing point, this tea house is also guarded by dragons as it sits over a water feature that is home to fountains and Japanese crane, whilst waters tumble from the rocks of its perch to also add to the lake below.

The tea house is just one of many buildings and structures to be found throughout the gardens, some of which may be easy to spot as they raise their roofs above screens of trees or sit out over the waters whilst others may only come into view as you wander, and some attempt to remain hidden right up until you are almost literally on top of them.

Most of the larger structures are distinctly oriental in design, although a further café, sitting on the north shore of the lake and tucked behind the bulk of the island tea house, is of western design, and several of the smaller hideaways and romantic spots could hail from anywhere around the globe, whilst a dance pavilion on an island tucked into the south-east of the lake carries an elven air about it.

But no matter what their heritage, the placement of all the structures, large and small, within these gardens means that they all simply work and come together with the landscaping to capture the eye and heart.

To get to all of them really is an exercise in exploration: whilst a trail runs east and west from the path leading outward from the landing point terrace, it quickly becomes sporadic and overgrown or broken, although in places fences and old wall may offer hints of where to go. This allows things like bridges out to islands or the rediscovery of the trail after losing it in long grass and wild flowers, to add to the sense of adventure – as can coming across the unexpected, near-unseen house and courtyard or Japanese pavilion hiding within a curtain of bamboo.

For those who tire of wandering – something hard to imagine here – or who simply want to sit and relax, Dim Sum Gardens again offers a lot, from simple benches in the shade of trees, to the aforementioned cafés and tea houses, to the many pavilions and picnic spots and decks built out over the water and rafts floating upon it.

Nor is the lake home to a lone dragon; ducks swim among the lily pads, puffins perch on rocks, and heron and pelicans keep an eye out for unwary fish that might stray too close to where they stand. rowing boats and lanterns also sit on the waters, whilst several pieces of art rise above the rippled surface. This is a place rich in the colours of nature: multiple hues of green from grass, flowers and trees, reds and pinks and whites of cherry trees, and where the reds and greys and browns of rooftops add their bursts of colour to the mix.

With something new to see wherever you look and surprises to be found wherever you wander, Dim Sum is a perfect setting (if, again being honest, a possible heavy load for some systems). Such is its design, more than one look might be required to find everything – as I found out when I returned to take photos and came across the orangery with its piano inside, so well hidden under the boughs of a cherry tree I’d completely missed during my first visit!

SLurl Details

• Dim Sum Gardens (Malrif, rated General)

Annie Brightstar recently and indirectly reminded me that it’s been nigh-on two years since our last visit to Dream Shadowcry’s Homestead region, Winter Moon and that as such, a return visit was much overdue.

Dream’s designs are always places that draw lovers, romanticists, grid travellers and photographers; rich in detail, perfectly  designed and steeped in evocative elements, they’ve never yet failed to capture the eye at the heart – and this latest iteration is no exception, returning as it does to one of Dream’s themes of balancing land and water in a way they is both natural and visually engaging.

 

For this build, Dream presents a circle of islands, each sitting between the surrounding sea and a broad lagoon caught within them. Such is the shape of the two larger islands that it’s hard not to see this as the rim of an ancient crater, the crown of a volcanic mound that once reared its head above the waves, only to fall silent at some point in the past, its walls then beaten down over the aeons by wind, rain and sea until in time they in part collapsed, allowing the sea to rush in and fill the extinct crater bowl, the last remnants of the one proud walls now restricted to the north and west of the setting, where high cliffs rise.

The landing point for the setting sits to the south-west, on a slender finger of an overgrown walkway that reaches out from the largest of the islands to tickle a low mound of rock that has been used as the foundation of a lighthouse (the lighthouse being something of a motif for several of Dream’s Winter Moon designs). A second walkway, this one with it paving still very much intact and resistant to the grasses that have overgrown its twin, points eastward to reach the second of the large islands at it arcs from south to north on the east side of the region.

Predominantly low-lying, the island raises a sinuous, wooded spine perhaps as much at 10 metres above the waters either side, prior to dipping down to a sand bar that shows every indication of being the next point where the sea will overcome the land and cut a new channel into the lagoon, running between the wooded spine and the narrow curtain of rock that risks above the sand at the island’s northern end.

Here, in a sign that the waters around the islands tend to be generally calm, a board walk steps out over the waters snaking over the shallows to pass around the sheer cliffs of the larger island’s northern extent to eventually meet with the beaches that hug the feet of  those same cliffs. Passing around the northern side of the table cliffs, the path then proceeds onwards, using a more rudimentary board walk to step over the water flowing outside from the cliffs as it drops over a number of the great falls that adorn the high rocks.

From here it is possible to follow either the beach around the north and west sides of the major island and back to the old walkway, or pass over the centre of the island, taking the path through a strange ravine and the woodlands beyond to reach the same point. As simple as either route sounds, both are worth exploring because there is a wealth of detail to be found along both.

For the adventurous, a second board walk extends out over the eastern waters of the lagoon from a point close to the one mentioned above. this stretches to where a pair of narrow screens of rock rise from the water like the prow of a ship. they guard a narrow path that connects the board walk to a small island crowned by the spread of an ancient oak-like tree.

 

One of the great attractions of Dream’s builds is the sense of age and purpose given them – and this is again true here, particularly with regards the many aged stairways, complete with broken or damage balustrades, that help connect different parts of the islands. Their presence suggest that this place was once one to a people at peace with both lands and sea, with the many scattered statues and carvings adding to this feeling as one explores, together with the gentle ringing of wind chimes.  Even the singing happiness of an old phonograph isn’t out of place, offering as it does and echo of more recent times past with some classic oldies being played.

With a well-rounded soundscape, lots of details I’ve barely touched upon (go fine the chandeliers and all the places to sit and relax- alone or with someone special) for yourself!), this iteration of Winter Moon is idyllically sublime.

SLurl Details

• Winter Moon (Winter Moon, rated General)

Note: Glitch Social has closed; as such SLurls are removed from this post.

Glitch Social is a public space developed by KaidenTray, owner of the Glitch brand, and who is also a region designer / Second Life photographer. Located on a 1/4 region parcel within a Full region, it is offered as beach-front hang-out for people to enjoy, complete with a range of activities to partake and places to simply sit down and relax.

The landing point is located towards the southern edge of the parcel and sits above a fast-flowing stream and right on top of a little picnic area with a bonfire that may or may not be lit when you arrive. The stream is an odd little beast, lying as it does on a raised arc of land than falls away it either end such that the stream appears to be following both eat and north before dropped down into a depression fed on its far side by more waterfalls, and south and west to were it splashes down a lip of rock into a much wider, deeper pool of water that is also served by a series of large falls erupting from the surrounding rocky hills.

This large pool offers the first hint of recreational options in the parcel. Once you’ve passed the black bear and her cub as they stand on the far side of the stream, a structure somewhat like a diving board  extends an arm over the water, dangling various rope climbs abov the waves, with poses available on them with a right-click. Rubber rings also float on the water for those who fancy a dip.

Just behind the landing point and hidden from it by bushes, a set of stone steps wind up the hill from the grassy knoll between “diving board” and picnic area. Rising along the slope in a gentle arc, it offers a way up to a large house and yard. While this may at first seem to be a private dwelling, it actually appears to be open to the public: a sign on one of the other routes up to it from the beach – of which more anon – offers a welcome to visitors as they approach the front yard area of the house.

A sprawling setting, the house squats rather uncomfortably on mesh landforms (and in one place is in need of a measure of support as it does so!) surrounded by a mix of gravel, vegetable garden, wild grass and chickens. The house is comfortably furnished, again with opportunities for couples and groups to gather, sit and chat indoors or out, those opting for the latter possibly coming under the watchful eyes of a heron perched at the edge of the large stone pond sitting on the front gravel.

Despite its elevation, the house is set far enough back on is perch so that a screen of weeping willow and maple trees hide it from the beach below, and vice versa – although admittedly the high dormer roof of the house does raise itself sufficiently enough to be seen through the trees and bushes from below. Three tiers of stone steps connect the front yard of the house with the beach, these being the way up to the house marked by a welcoming sign mentioned earlier.

A third way from / to the house sits on its north side, where a rock path slopes down to a cinder path and boats docks. The path pushes through a narrow ravine of rock to link up to a meadow sitting back from the beach as it curves east and north around the land. The north western end of the docks are marked by a squat lighthouse that appears to be hiding behind a tall shoulder of tock, rather than giving warning of its presence.  Alongside of it, the cinder track turns sharply inland to climb up the hill before the cliffs, passing between them and the house.

The top of this climb is marked by a café / music venue built over a shelf of rock and looking down onto the large pool – so much so, in fact, that the daring can use the platform extending over the water from one side of the venue’s deck to do some spectacular high diving into the waters. For those less inclined to daring-do, the deck and café offer a further place for relaxation and passing the time.

With bumpers boats available in the waters by the beach, a camp site in the meadow and little details tucked away here and there, Glitch Social has much to recommend it, all wrapped in pleasing sound scape.

I recently received a personal invitation to visit Bellezzamora, the stately home of Crito Galtier, owner of The Grove Country Club Estate residential regions and his partner, Christian Galtier (Christian Q), and which they recently opened to the public.

Sitting in a Full region leveraging the LI bonus, this is an impressive sitting put together by Cristo and The Grove’s lead landscaper / designer Natalie Rives. At its heart lies a house design inspired by and modelled on Hatfield House, located in Hertfordshire, England (and coincidentally, a place with which I have some degree of familiarity for assorted reasons), located in the grounds once occupied by the former Royal Palace of Hatfield (elements of which still exist a short walk from the main house).

A prime example of the Jacobian era prodigy house, the actual Hatfield estate is steeped in English history. The former royal palace was the home of the then Princess Elizabeth whilst her father, Henry VIII was still on the throne, for example. It became a centre of intrigue when her half-brother was crowned king and it was alleged she had illegally agreed to marry Thomas Seymour, which Seymour’s brother Edward saw as a threat to his role as Lord protector of England and the sway he held over the young Edward. It was also the place where Elizabeth received news of the death of her half-sister Queen Mary (who seized the throne following Edward’s death), and where she held her first Council of State as England’s new monarch.

Hatfield House itself came into being at the hands Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, who was given the royal palace and its ground by King James I of England and Ireland (James VI of Scotland) in 1607, and whose descendants have retained ownership of the property. After tearing down much of the palace, Cecil used the bricks to build the initial Hatfield House, which was extended over time. As an aside, one of those descendants, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, a 3-times prime minister in the later Victorian period, gave rise to the expression “Bob’s your uncle” on account of his habit of taking care of family members by appointing them to his governments, thereby ensuring everything turned out fine for them.

The Second Life iteration of Hatfield House is a commercial build by Romin McDonnell (although I understand the version used at Bellezzamora is something of a customised version, modified with Romin’s help to specifically fit this setting). It reproduces many of the features found in the original, including its grand hall, chapel, its distinctive tiled floors, and more and exterior physical attributes such as the original’s southern aspect, although for this design it has been turned to face to the north and the courtyard within the two wings of the house have been converted into a garden with water features.

Within, the house is lavishly furnished, many of the rooms featuring suitable period designs, including pieces by Kaya Angel, himself an expert in period designs and furnishings. The grounds are more unique, offering a individual perspective in stately home landscaping and formal gardens rather than anything specific to Hatfield House. Found within them are terraces, summer houses, a pavilion, neatly laid paths, lawns and flower beds.

A sense of history is imbued through the placement of statues through the grounds, whilst the one concession to the modern era – other that the roadway leading to the house and the cars parked before it – is a swimming pool that has been added to one terrace on the north side of the house, an orangery neatly converted to serve as a poolside lounge. To balance it, and facing it across a further, raised the terrace, is a more traditional hedge maze, which were a staple of some stately home designs.

The entire build is richly populated and detailed, making it ideal for photography. However, I would point out that such a rich environment comes at a cost, unless you are using a more high-end system. With my ageing i5 (Haswell) system and GTX 970 GPU, I had to disable shadows and drop my draw distance down to 128m or less to maintain a double-digit frame rate in the teens. So, if you are using a mid-level or below system, do be prepared to make some adjustments to your settings, particularly if you tend to prefer a higher draw distance or like to have shadows enabled when moving (rather than only enabling them for photography).

SLurl Details

• Bellezzamora (Terra del Amore, rated Moderate)

Mount Campion is the highest point on the Mainland of Second Life. Sitting on a high ridge of hills running along the north side of Heterocera, it is home to the Mount Campion National Forest, a series of high granite steps that reach almost to the mountain’s green peak.

As the name suggests, the rocky steps and plateaus are home to a rich forest of fir, cedar, maple, birch, beech and more, tall and short, all  casting their boughs over paths and trails that wind up and and down between their trunks and over the rocks, shaded from view above by the umbrellas of green held aloft by the trees.

Designed by Marz (Mar Scarmon), the forest is home to many secrets. Scattered through the woodlands, for example, are houses and cabins. Some stand at the side of the tracks that wind through the park, others within their own gardens, or with gardens close by; some appear as mountain cabins, others are more whimsical in form. All are picturesque when caught under the right light and from the right angle, and most sit at places where the paths through the forest may fork or reveal a new route through trees or between rocks or up to higher elevations or down to some below.

But the houses are not the park’s biggest attraction; that take the form of a series of tunnels and caverns that sit beneath the steps and plateaus of the park, awaiting discovery just behind the cliffs and rock faces.

There are many ways into – and out of – this network of tunnels and caverns. Some sit at the edge of the park’s paths or open unexpectedly onto them. Others lie at the end of trails that break away from the main paths that at first seem to just meander through the trees. Some even lie behind doors found at the bottom of gardens or within the cellars of houses.

It is only once you’re within the caves that you really appreciate how cleverly they have been put together. Using mesh kits and prims, Marz has built a convincing and consistent set of tunnels and caverns that rise and fall, divide and come together, run to dead ends or to walls that hide hidden turns and climbs up or down. Natural in form, many have the look of having been shaped by the passage water (and water can still be found in some). They are lit throughout by flickering torches, while sign posts – the same as those found along the trails outside – sometimes offer suggestions on directions to take whilst wandering through them.

Such is the design, just when you think you’ve seen all there is, something new pops-up, such as an unexpected opening that leads out to another part of the paths and tracks of the forest. Some of these can be surprising because they st close to another opening, but managed to pass notice whilst hopping in and out of that other tunnel. Others emerge from the network on a precipitous ledge that in turn reveals itself to be another path that clings to the vertical faces of the the mountain faces – paths that might otherwise be missed in a too-hurried walk around the park’s trails and paths.

And therein lies another part of the magic with this design: the paths wind and meander, rise and fall, drop through canyons, disappear into tunnels then reappear – but ultimately they all link together, offering multiple ways to explore the park and appreciate all of its many touches – the hidden paths, the statues, and so on, and also its features – gardens, houses, tunnels and caverns.  All of which makes for a rich and rewarding visit.

With thanks to Elora via Annie Brightstar

SLurl Details

• Mount Campion National Forest (Campion, rated Moderate)