Category: Exploring Second Life

Frog Hollow – click any image for full size

Note: Frog Hollow has closed and Stella has created Winter’s Hollow – read here for more. Because it has closed, I’ve removed the SLurl reference from this review.

Frog Hollow, occupying the north-east corner of the Full region Blue Nile, is a 8176 sq m parcel that has been exquisitely landscaped by Stella Mahogany and offered to the public as a place of exploration and rest. It is also another shining example of why a full-sized region (Full or homestead) isn’t required to create something special and personal in-world.

Bounded on three sides by tall cliffs, Frog Hollow has a nice – but not overpowering – feeling of an enclosed garden, a personal space to be enjoyed without due worry about others looking in. To the west, it faces open water, where a wooden deck sits as the landing point for visitors. Lily pads below the decking offer a place for frogs to hop as lanterns drift on a slow breeze overhead.

Frog Hollow

A single trail leads inland from here, winding between banks of wild flowers and the trunks of silver birch whose leaves are turning golden in reflection of of the changing of the seasons in the northern hemisphere. Fallow deer are to be seen among the tree trunks, and further inland, wander along the looping path or curiously exploring the spaces available for visitors to enjoy.

The largest of these spaces can be reached a short way among the path, where a little bridge branches away to arch over a dry steam bed and arrive at a set of gabled gates. Beyond these is a large brick-and-glass pavilion (another superb design from Cory Edo, for whose work I have a particular fondness).  This is presented as a romantic, magical place. An old grand piano sits at its centre, sheets of music floating and tumbling magically above it as if Harry Potter has recently been by in a playful mood. Cats play under the piano’s lee, and close by a painting, easel and paints await the return of their artist.

Frog Hollow

To one side of this pavilion sits a small terrace, itself bordered by vines turning to gold, home to a setting for afternoon tea. A further befountained terrace lies to the pavilion’s rear, a paved path winding into the trees beyond. Also reached by a grassy path passing under a Rowan arch and alongside another snug little seating area with cosy bric-a-brac, the paved path leads to yet another patio, marked by a smaller, curtained pavilion presenting a place of rest and comfort.

Whilst all relatively close to one another, these little spots have been designed with considerable care; an eye for the considered use of space and for studied design ensuring that they do not feel clustered one atop the next, whilst also allowing each of them to have its own unique nature.

Frog Hollow

Nor is this all; facing the front of the pavilion is a further paved area, complete with open fireplace and neatly set out for a formal meal as delicate little lanterns float overhead.

Should you opt not to cross the little bridge into the brick pavilion’s domain but instead follow the path onwards, it will carry you under bough and around twist and turn to a second bridge, and a further enchanted area. Here a chandelier hands from a stout tree branch, and a giant game of chess is set before comfortable armchairs, watched over by more fallow deer even as the trail winds onwards through an old metal gate – and arrives at the brick pavilion.

Frog Hollow

In this the further genius of Stella’s design is revealed: no matter which route you take when following the path, it will take you through the garden to reveal all the major points of interest before looping you back the to landing point. Along the way you’ll pass many places where you can sit and talk and / or cuddle, engage in a game of chess, listen to, or play, a piano, observe the local fauna – and simply appreciate the beauty of Frog Hollow and Stella’s creative skill and eye for detail. And keep in mind that there are a lot of little touches to be found throughout I’ve not mentioned here (just observe the little pumpkin at the landing point for a couple of minutes, and you’ll see what I mean).

Magical and marvellous, Frog Hollow is a true delight – but it will apparently only be around as long as the leaves are falling. So don’t miss the opportunity to visit and share in the enchantment.

Frog Hollow

Florence Bay – click any image for full size

Update, February 2020: Florence Bay has closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article. However, Florence at Low Tide is now open – see Witnessing Florence at low tide in Second Life for more.

Florence Bay is a homestead region held by Gnaaah Xeltentat and Tomaso Franizzi, with landscaping by Minnie Blanco (Minnie Atlass). Minnie both runs and landscapes the Soul 2 Soul region (some of which you can read about here, and here); given my fondness for hers work, I was curious to take a look at Florence Bay, so we recently hopped over to explore.

The region is listed by Gnaaah and Tomaso as “private, but please wander and enjoy”. Two large houses are located on the island; as these are private residences for both Tomaso and Gnaaah, people are asked to respect their privacy and consider both properties as off limits, although there are no security systems in place.

Florence Bay – click any image for full size

The setting is suggestive of somewhere in northern latitudes, the tall off-region peaks on two sides suggesting this is a rugged upthrust of rock just off a stretch of untamed coastline, caught under a cold, wintry sky. Fir trees and scrub grass are the dominant flora on this hunched landscape, their presence and the sound of the wind whistling its way in off the sea further enhancing the sense that this is somewhere well north of the Topic of Cancer.

At the time of our visit, there was no enforced landing point for the region, so for this article I’ve arbitrarily selected a point in the south-east corner of the region, as it seems a logical place to start explorations. A narrow ribbon of shale beach curls around a low-lying promontory here, the home to a copse of tall firs and an old chapel. The latter appears to have been converted to a place for general meditation or reflection, rather than being a place a worship, the altar replaced by a warming fireplace. For those with a taste for adventure, a raft lies among the reeds of the shallows close by. This again offers a place of rest and shelter, although the manner in which its makeshift sail is catching the wind suggests it is eager to break free of whatever ropes or chains are holding it in place…

Florence Bay

The little promontory curls around to connect to the bulk of the landscape, climbing as it does so. Here rocky paths can be found, one running west, the other north, each leading to the private residences. It is also here that things get a little confusing with exploring.

Beyond the western house is a little café and, sitting behind it on a second headland, a shed housing – rather incongruously, given the overall rugged setting – a car undergoing repair.  However, while the café would appear to be a public space, the only way to reach it is by walking directly in front of or around one of the two private residences, potentially impinging your presence, even in passing, on the property. It thus becomes a little confusing as to whether the café is a public space or not.

Florence Bay

Similarly, beyond the headland with the garage, the land falls away to another low-lying finger of rock and shale beach, complete with a set of piers reaching out into the deep cut of the western bay. Chairs sit on the piers, and a rowing boat with sitting poses is moored alongside, together with a fishing boat, all of which suggests this is also a public space; but again, to reach it requires a degree of trespass through the garden of the private house.

This pier looks both eastwards and back inland to where the second of the two houses sits high above the frigid water atop a shoulder of rock, and north to were a narrow cleft splits the land, spanned by a wooden bridge. This can be reached by following the path from the my offering arrival point westwards and up over the low hump of a hill, before turning right and away from the first house and its gardens.

Florence Bay

This route passes over another grey beach of shale curing within the large bay before rising to the western headland, offering a view down to a small, and previously hidden cottage sitting right on the coast, and access to a path running up to the bridge and the small knuckle of rock beyond – the home of firs trees and a bear with her cub.

There are odd little issues that might be found when travelling across the region: the rocks used to mark the paths can be seen hovering over the landscape in places, while there were a few points where we either bounced off of flora that wasn’t phantom or fell through rocks that unexpectedly were. But when taken in total, there is no denying the atmosphere exuded by Florence Bay, accentuated nicely by the region’s soundscape, and the fact that it lends itself as a perfect location for photography.

Florence Bay

 

 

Zone One – click any image for full size

Update: Zone One has closed. SLurls have therefore been removed from this article.

Lam Erin is a skilled Second Life photographer perhaps most noted for his landscape work, which has captured and uniquely accentuated many a region for posterity. Given his skill and eye, it should come as little surprise that were he to turn his attention to region design, he’d produce something equally as eye-catching as his art.

And thus it is with Zone One, the full region that is also the home of Lam’s Soul Identity store and Ohemo. We’ve been watching the development of the ground level of the region since work started in about June 2018, and have made several visits over the last few months to witness how things have grown, which itself has been intriguing to watch.

Zone One

There is no set landing point, so I’ve arbitrarily selected one alongside the landmark giver for the region. This should also double as a teleport to the two stores, but at the time of our most recent visit in September, it didn’t appear to be working. The sign sits alongside a single road that almost circles the land, roughly following the line of an inlet slicing its way inwards from the east side of the region.

Alongside the inlet and along the road sit a number of houses, surrounded by trees that, in keeping with the time of year during our last visit,  are heavy with leaves turning to the colours of autumn. All but one of them are unfurnished, which did have me wondering if more work is yet to come with things. But even unfurnished, each house has its own character, thanks to both its setting and the décor placed around it, allowing each to be used as a photographic backdrop with it’s own look and feel.

Zone One

Follow the road south and west from the landing point, and it will point you to where a little wharf sits just offshore and connected to a cinder beach by a raised wooden board walk stretching over the shallow water. Reached via a short walk over grassland after the road has come to an end, it is the home to, among other things, a ramshackle fish and chips shop where one might assume the fish is super fresh, given the little trawler tied up alongside.

The inlet pushing into the middle of the region offers a pleasant place to tarry. wild flowers grow along the high banks, while on the water swans and ducks paddle and rowing boats offer places to sit and cuddle. A bench has been set with fresh apples to eat and goblets from which to enjoy a drink, but it would seem one of the region’s four-footed denizens appears to have had a little fun on the bench top – possibly in revenge for what he’s (or she’s) having to wear.

Zone One

Zone One is a genuinely peaceful setting, offering plenty of opportunities for photography. You can join the local group to obtain rezzing rights for props, but please be sure to pick them up afterwards. It’s also a setting in which time can just be idled away, and it’s nice to see some of the décor includes sit options for “friends” as well as “singles” and “couples” – a small detail that can make a place that much more welcoming when exploring with a friend.

So, for those looking for an easy-to-explore photogenic location, Zone One is ready for your visit.

Zone One

Little Havana – click any image for full size

We came across Little Havana as a result of an e-mail suggestion*. Occupying a Homestead region, it is a joint design between Sofie Janic, Fred Hamilton (frecoi), Alexa Maravilla (Spunknbrains) and Lotus Mastroianni. It’s an easy to visit region, offering a seafront location looking out over a sandy beach to where waves suitable for surfers are rolling in on the tide.

As the name suggests, the region takes its inspiration from Cuba. However, rather than trying to recreate anything specific from Havana – such as one of its more famous buildings of monuments, the team responsible for the design have opted to present a setting mindful of the images often seen in photos and postcards of Havana: wide streets, gaily painted buildings with something of a run-down air about them, little churches and, of course, the giant gas guzzlers, equally brightly painted and obviously lavished with care as befitting behemoths that have a design lifespan reaching back to the 1950s.

Little Havana

The seafront boulevard offers the best vista of the houses, buildings and cars, the street lighting offering opportunities for tourist-like night-time photography for those looking for an alternative to daylight photographs.

With the exception of the church alongside the landing point, which appears to be  a small gallery displaying images by Lotus Mastroianni, none of the buildings are furnished. Some do, however, carry hallmarks of el revolución cubana on their flanks. The heroic visage of Argentinian Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, arguably, and alongside Fidel Castro, a major architect of Fulgencio Basista’s overthrow and the remodelling of Cuba post-revolution, stares stoically outward from the side of one of the taller buildings, for example.

Little Havana

The northern end of the beach front road ends, quirkily enough, in an odd little helicopter landing pad, complete with a D-Labs helicopter that looks like it has been put together using bodywork from a car. When encountered, it is both unexpected and yet strangely suited to the setting.

A short distance across the water, north and west of this, sits a little sandy island given over to swimming, sunbathing and generally relaxing, a bar offering an excuse to swim over and stay a while.

Little Havana

The roads on the region also run along the east side of the buildings, where can be found more paintings typical of Cuba on walls, including one of Fidel Castro himself in all his bearded glory. This faces a recording studio sitting on another little island, this one reached via a wooden bridge. With an indoor pool and outdoor sun deck, it suggests a place of easy-going creation of Cuban music.

Ideally suited to photography, particularly avatar-centric images, Little Havana is connected via bridge at its south-western extreme to Voodoo In My Blood, the neighbouring full region. This features a design largely brought together by Megan Prumier, working with Sofi and Fred.

Voodoo In My Blood

This is distinctly more run-down America in terms of tone, but equally as engaging visually. A good portion of the region is given over to commercial activities centred on but not limited to the Voodoo main store itself. However, explore southward beyond this, along the narrow, grungy alleys standing between the shells of ageing buildings, and you come to an open beach front setting. Tired it may well, but it is also packed with detail.

Running east-to-west across the southern side of the region, this beach opens out on its western side to become the sandy location of an ageing seaside fun fair. Whether the rides still work is up to you to find out, but the function here seems to have shifted over time: a music stage has been built, and the tents pitched on the white sand suggest there’s recently been a festival of some kind here.

Voodoo In My Blood

A set of trimmed hedges and paved paths sit above these tents, presenting a little formal place to take a stroll. On their north side the look towards a finger of rock pointing out to sea and reached via wooden board walks. Seals have claimed this rocky ribbon as their home, and lie resting on wooden piers – although one seems intent on receiving scooter lessons! The piers are also where boats might put in, as evidenced by the pristine yacht moored close by, the affluence it exudes contrasting with the aged look of the rest of the region.

Both Little Havana and Voodoo Blood are finished with local soundscapes – such as music blaring from a car radio as you wander the streets of the former, or the sounds of the seaside when exploring the southern seafront of the latter. This means that having local sounds enable while exploring is an absolute must.

Voodoo In My Blood

Taken individually or together, Little Havana and Voodoo Blood make for interesting destinations for Second Life travel bloggers, explorers and photographers. Both had been designed to exude atmosphere and catch the eye, and both are very much worth taking the time to explore.

Those requiring rezzing rights in either region can obtain them by joining the respective groups, and each region has its own Flickr group for those wishing to share their images – see the About Land information within each region for the links.

Voodoo In My Blood

SLurl Details

• Little Havana (Cartagena, rated Moderate)
• Voodoo In My Blood (Voodoo, rated: Moderate)

* I’m not offering a name, as the e-mail appears to have originated from a personal account, rather than one linked to an avatar name. If I have this wrong, the sender can ping me with an OK, and I’ll add their name for due credit. Otherwise thank you for the hat tip.

Tagus Enchanted Forest – click any image for full size

I walk away from the world I know,
To a forest were each thing can change
And where the floor is carpeted in seasonal splendour.
It is here I feel magic,
In the enchanted forest.

So reads the description for Tagus Enchanted Forest, a homestead region held and designed by Lady Amalthea (meganwhitlock). As the stanza suggests, this is intended to by a mystical, enchanted place; one given over to woodland in which assorted locations can be found, which lend themselves to a variety of fantasy themes – a hint of elves here, those of a magician or alchemist there; a touch of Game of Thrones along the wall of a crypt or the suggestion of witchcraft possibly lurking in the mists …

Tagus Enchanted Forest

It is a wild, free place – a rugged island rising tall from the surrounding waters, crowned by tall trees between whose trunks paths and trail wind and loop, sufficient enough to guide travellers around the various locations to be found here, but with ample twists and turns to possibly confound one’s sense of direction.

From the landing point, lantern-marked steps offer a way up inland or down to the waterside, where further islands, long and thin and equally as rugged, can be seen.  These can be reached via rowing boat offered at a small pier – although only one offers a similar boat for getting back!

Tagus Enchanted Forest

It is on the largest of these outer island that the Game of Thrones reference can be found: a wall of faces of the dead waiting to be worn, sitting at the back of a cliff-top crypt. A short distance from this crypt, and situated upon the highest plateau of the island is a small chapel, its organ being played by a ghostly, skeletal figure…

The remaining islands are marked by high waterfalls, one the home of an alchemist, the other featuring the ruins of a tower in which an ancient elven throne resides. Across the main island, to its north-west, another low tower is to be found atop a ridge, the seat of someone fascinated with the movement of the stars and the planets – an astrologer or magician, perhaps….

Tagus Enchanted Forest

Finding your way around all of the trails and paths on the island can be an adventure in itself. Some are obvious, others perhaps less so as you climb and descend stone steps – just watch for the lanterns hanging from their ivy-draped poles. Along the way are numerous points of rest: camp fires to sit around, tents to sit within, places to dance, places to rest alongside still waters… All of this given a further air of mystery by the selected windlight.

There are one or two rough points one might journey into: the physics alongside the chapel’s only working entrance can at times knock the unwary sideways, and there are some landscaping elements floating above their peers. However, these do not prevent Tagus Enchanted Forest from being photogenic – and there is a Flickr group for those who wish to add their pictures.

Tagus Enchanted Forest

A mysterious, place, Tagus Enchanted Forest perhaps awaits those willing to weave a tale of those who might reside in its towers and buildings.

SLurl Details

• Tagus Enchanted Forest (Tagus, rated: Moderate)