Category: Reviews

Small Town Green, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Update: Small Town Green has closed and the host region is now home to a club / hangout.

Miro Collas gave us the nudge about visiting Small Town Green, the Homestead region design by Mido (Doli3).

A few years back there was a region also by the name of Small Town Green, but whether this build is a continuation / renewal of that, I honestly cannot say. However, I can say that Mido has in the past been responsible for Small Town Café (see A visit to a Small Town Café), and we did hop over to an earlier iteration of her Small Town Green roughly six months ago, prior to it popping up in its current location, but I didn’t blog about it at that time.

Small Town Green, June 2019

The current iteration of Small Town Green is an eclectic build in three parts defined by three separate islands. One of these, tucked into the south-west corner of the region appears to be a private home (ban lines denote it is certainly off-limits to casual visitors). The second island is to the north-west, and is certainly open to the public, as is the largest of the three, sitting on the region’s east side.

This large island contains the region’s landing point – or rather, it is the closest of the three major landmasses in the region to the landing point, given the latter sits under pouring rain on a flooded section of roadway, a submerged railway line paralleling it as they point towards the ruins of a town on the island.

Small Town Green, June 2019

It would appear that something has happened here at some point; not only are the road and track submerged, they are partially blocked by large boulders, and while the wreck of a car and a train respectively sit on or against them, the car has been around long enough to become festooned with flowers while the tracks from which the train has toppled is similarly overgrown with flowers sprouting out of the water.

Follow the road “inland” and you’ll start to discover the eclectic novelty of the region that makes it so attractive: koi carp slowly circle around the entrance to a subway station, rain falling around them as they bring a new perspective to the term “flying fish”. More fish – but somewhat smaller – can be found idly circling within and old British telephone box close by.

Small Town Green, June 2019

Take the stairs down to the subway and more surprises await.  While it might be under water, the station nevertheless has a train awaiting passengers – although the tree growing on that platform is probably not the kind of “passenger” you might expect to encounter in an underground station! Across the road sits the ruin of a school, the upper floor of which is still occupied by surprisingly pristine looking desks, the building itself long overgrown and roofless. More shells of buildings and skyscrapers, equally overgrown, mark the eastern extreme of the town, suggesting this place has been long deserted.

Across the water, and beyond the small island with its broken lighthouse that lies close to the road, the second public island is similarly overgrown and offers curios of its own. There is a gabled avenue of trees, for example, pointing the way to where an old manor house lies in ruin, the trees growing around and through are festooned with lights. Then there is the old tram car converted into a diner and accompanied by its odd little menagerie of giraffe, zebra and raccoon, it’s entrance long blocked by a wild garden despite the apparent freshness of the meals placed at the tables.

Small Town Green, June 2019

Not far from the tramcar is a little café, a trifle overgrown, perhaps, but cosy nonetheless, while between them is a delightful little curio of a corner, stacked with books and more, and just beyond it a cosy little hideaway perfect for cuddles. It is these contrasts: ruin and little snuggle spaces, the rain and the little, perfectly-detailed dioramas, the open waters and the wild, yet someone cultivated islands, that make this Small Town green a genuine pleasure to explore (although some might find the rain around the landing point and island a little hard going).

Amenable to a wide range of windlight settings, Small Town Green makes for an ideal photographic study, and an engaging opportunity for exploration.

Small Town Green, June 2019

SLurl Details

• Small Town Green (Baroque, rated: Moderate)

Tyraina, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Tyraina is the name given to a recently opened Homestead region design by Vince (VinceStriker) on behalf of the region holder Dessi Tyraina (Dessi Tyran). Featuring an open and rugged landscape, it is another region that does exactly what the description says of it, presenting:

A quiet photogenic scenic sim where you can hang out with friends, cuddle, dance and take pictures.

Tyraina, June 2019

From the landing point located towards the north-east of the region, it is clear that this is a place of gentle beauty cut by channels of water that proceed outward from the high plateau  than extends from the centre of the region towards its western extreme, the slice of an open-ended canyon separating it from the narrow table of another plateau that drops sharply into the sea.

The water channels help to give the landscape something of a maze-like feel, slicing the land into a series of islets connected by bridges. One of these little isles, just to the north and east of the landing point and reached via a little open-sided arch of a wooden bridge, is the site of a private residence (as noted in the introductory note card) – so do please take care to respect privacy when travelling in that direction (a security orb will offer a warning should you get too close. The more public areas of the region, including the western plateaus, can be reached via track and stone stair or twisting rocky path, while further bridges, both open-sided and box walled, span the waterways where required.

Tyraina, June 2019

Which route you opt to take when exploring is entirely up to you; each and every path around and through the region will reveal places to sit, opportunities for photography and the option to simply while away a little time either on your own or with a friend or loved one. These seating spots take a number of forms: little summer houses, sings, benches, beds, open decks, and one the water, rowing boats – and even, when you find it (it’s not too hard to see!) a cuddle bubble floating serenely in the air. And keep an eye open for the wooden dance tokens that are scattered around as well!

For the more energetic, the plateaus offer climbs to reach them, either by the stairs or the switch-back path mentioned above. Climbing them offers various rewards, from finding further places suitable for photography or for sitting or dancing, to the region’s little element of mystery: a series of underground caverns that offer their own rewards to those willing to slip down into them and explore (there is also a ground-level access point to them as well, should you follow the right path).

Tyraina, June 2019

If you have a wearable horse for riding, Tyraina is an excellent place to explore, offering as it does trails to follow and open spaces for the odd canter if not a short gallop or two.

A wonderfully restful region, filled with the sounds of nature throughout, Tyraina makes for a ideal visit at the end of a busy day. Yes, one or two items do appear more than once around the region, giving odd feelings of déjà-vu as you explore, but these don’t detract for the overall impact of the design; it’s a place where unwinding comes easy. Those taking photographs are invited to share with the region’s Flickr group – for a fee of L$150, photographers can join the land group and obtain rezzing rights for props (do please clean-up afterwards!), and those who enjoy their visit might like to make a donation towards the region’s upkeep at the landing point.

Tyraina, June 2019

SLurl Details

• Tyraina (Rockaway Isle, rated Moderate)

Summer Edge, June 2019 – click any image for full size

Update: Summer Edge has closed and the region is now under private ownership. SLurl have therefore been removed from this article.

Funky Banana (FunkyBananas) is back with another new Homestead region design, Summer Edge. This is a wonderfully simple design, one that doesn’t need much in the way of description, and is delightfully restful to explore. As Funky himself states, the region offers:

A remote island with no inhabitants, perfect for an escape from everyday life. Beaches, cliffs and fields.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Set with a north-south orientation, the island sits between two beaches, the one to the east including the landing point, the one to the west broader and offering marvellous views out over the ocean that are ideal for romantic sunsets. A single solid structure sits above the island’s low cliffs, brick-built and with its roof broken, it resembles an old lighthouse that at some point was re-purposed, a wooden dome replacing the lantern that might have sit on it.

Cinder paths cross the island’s top, providing easy access to the tower, to the beaches and to the wooden platforms that have been built out from the cliffs. These latter provide places to sit and relax, while others might be found on the sands or along the cliff-tops.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Funky has resisted the possible temptation to scatter sheep or deer on the island – although there are gulls are on the wing. This absence of animals gives the island even more of a natural look and feel. Why would sheep be grazing on an island that’s clearly not inhabited? Similarly, how would animals survive more than a few generations?

Instead, what we’re left with is a small, wild rising of rock, grass and hardy trees that all have a feel about them of north northerly latitudes and a definite untamed feeling. Wandering it, I felt like I was exploring a small island off the coast of Scotland, protected from the mainland by the unpredictable swells of the North Sea.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Funky has a reputation for region designs that captivate (see The sands of Banana Bay in Second Life, A Butterfly Beach in Second Life and A Wild Edge in Second Life), and this is no exception. Summer Edge is a beautifully natural design that is highly photogenic.

Summer Edge, June 2019

Our thanks to Shawn for the pointer!