Category: Reviews

Oboeru – click any image for full size

Update: Oboeru has closed. SLurl in this article have therefore been removed.

A fog horn plaintively calls in the early morning light, the Sun slowly burning through the dawn haze as it rises over the eastern horizon. Cicada song mixes with that of birds greeting the dawn and the stridulation of crickets, while in the background the dull rumble of waves breaking on a shoreline resonates through the air.

These are the sounds that greet visitors to Oboeru (“Remember” or “learn” in Japanese), a Homestead region designed by  Manis Lane and Axiom (Axiomatic Clarity). This is a place that is hauntingly romantic in its near-desolated nature; a low-slung archipelago, the main island of which has been clawed by long fingers of water, its outliers of varying sizes separated from it by channels which can be surprisingly deep.

Oboeru

This is a place which seems to brood under the early morning half-light; the deep mewling of the foghorn seeming to cloak the islands in an air of sadness. And yet this feeling of loneliness combines with the rugged setting with its patches of scrub grass, scatterings of copses of tall Scots pine and gatherings of shrubs and bushes, to present a place of mystery tinged with that hint of romance.

A single table of rock rises from the centre of the region, giving shape to the north-south “spine” of the main island. The single-storey building crowning this plateau calls to visitors as they arrive at the landing point, sitting on a knuckle of land to the north. Reaching the building takes a little effort – the plateau is pretty much sheer-sided, but a way up onto it can be found on the southern side

Oboeru

The building has the look and feel of a clubhouse; outside the front of the place is room to enjoy music and perhaps dance, while the rooms inside offer plenty of space to set on large sofas. Each room has its own bric-a-brac to set a cosily untidy setting for people to relax within; music also a theme indoors as well as outside.

There are a couple of other structures to be found in the region. To the west, and sited to offer a clear view of sunsets over the ocean, stands a tall tower of slowly rusting metal, creepers hanging from its frame as if a giant wave has at some point draped seaweed over it. Metal stairs climb two sides of the tower, offering a way up to its rusted platform, where an old sofa awaits, facing the sea under a canopy of circling gulls.

Oboeru

The second structure lies to the north-east, on one of the larger outlining islands. This is the ruins of a church or chapel,  windows now without glass, bushes reclaiming the space inside its walls as much as the space around it. Yet it is far from forlorn, and the stairs climbing to the flat roof offer another route up to a place where one can sit and remember or reflect…

There are numerous places to sit scattered over the landscape – from rooftop to tower to chairs amidst flowers. Board walks strike out over water, but sometimes with no direct connection to the land; but be warned, some of the channels the sit within are quite deep, as I’ve noted, so wading out to a board walk might hold a surprise.

Oboeru

Oboeru is an atypical region in its styling and approach. There is – as I’ve noted – something hauntingly beautiful about the entire region – the design, the windlight, the aural sound scape. Not a region to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Oboeru (Landscape Dialog, rated: Moderate)

With thanks to Miro Colas for the pointer to Oboeru

Devin’s Eye – click any image for full size

Miro Colas recently tweeted me with a suggestion that Caitlyn and I pay a visit to Devin’s Eye, a Homestead region which recently opened in Second Life. As the name was familiar to me, we hopped over to take a look, confirming in the process that Devin’s Eye is the work of Roy Mildor and Ally Mildor (Ally Daysleeper), and represents something of a continuation of their work as we first came across it in Devin, back in January 2017, offering as a does the opportunity to visit two sim-wide locations  – one on the ground, and the other in the air. (As a point of note, Devin still exists, but appears now to be under private ownership.)

The ground level location offer a rugged island setting with offshore mountain ranges to the east and north. The landing point is located towards the centre of the island, close to a cove that cuts into the island from a narrow neck of a channel spanned by a log bridge, with a smaller and entirely land-locked body of water close by.

Devin’s Eye

The south-eastern quarter of the region is given over to a rocky highland area, rising in steps to coastal cliffs that shelter in their landward lee, and somewhat incongruously, a motorcycle repair shop. The land before this slopes gently away towards the inland waters, largely denuded of trees but given over to growths of tough grass and shrubs, with the remnants of another barn and the bulk of a farm tractor sitting upon it.

These uplands continue northwards along the east side of the region, becoming gradually more verdant, becoming the home of grazing horses and coloured by shrubs and plants whilst offering several places visitors can sit and snuggle both on the ground and up in a wooden tower.

Devin’s Eye

To the west and north, the rocky lowland flow around the landlocked pool and watery coves to reach sandy beaches as fir and temperate deciduous trees slowly yield to palm trees out on the sandy headlands. Bridges of various types offer ways across the different bodies of water, connecting sand with sand or to the gently rising uplands to the south.

There is much to be found here. The open nature of the landscape, largely devoid of set routes through it, encourages visitors to explore. So it is that in wandering, visitors might come across a little clearing here where the opportunity to dance is offered, or find a bubble car rezzer there, allowing them to float over the landscape from above (the usual PAGE UP/DOWN, arrow & WASD + E/C keys to rise, descend and move), whilst elsewhere might be found a little camp site or beach-side chairs might be found, or a rowing boat to cuddle on… These are just some of the many attractions  the region has to offer.

Devin’s Eye

For the more active, there’s the opportunities to walk out along the pier to the north or go for a swim using the rings in the surf along the beaches or to ride the zip line ride running down from the southern uplands.

When taken as a whole, Devin’s Eye at the ground level can initially can come over as a curious potpourii of themes and scenes  which might in other circumstances clash one to another – the random wreckage of a plane crash, the motorcycle repair barn on its rocky shelf, the random placement of railings, the more coherent placement of fishing boat hulk and beach, together with the offshore scenes of boats at anchor, and so on. Yet the simple fact is – it all works, the different ideas and settings flowing together naturally to offer visitors something unique to enjoy.

Devin’s Eye

The upper level of the region – referred to as Devin 2 – can be reached via a number of teleport boards scattered across the ground level setting (one most notably placed alongside the landing point), which also offer quick hops to various points at ground level.

Devin 2 is remarkably similar to its former namesake at Devin, presenting an area which might be taken as a part of the Sahel Zone of Africa, with rolling dunes, some of which are covered in a thin but tough mat of grass, scattered trees and a lone watering hole where the local wildlife – elephants, zebra, rhinos, gazelle and giraffe – come to drink and seek shade while camels troop by. Only the cheetah appear to be looking for more than a drink and a rest as they pad towards the little dazzle of zebra. For those so inclined a dune buggy rezzer is available here – but as the landscape joins almost seamlessly with a region surround, keep an eye on your direction and distance from the region’s four sides if you want to avoid collisions!

Devin’s Eye

As with Devin, Devin’s Eye offers visitors a rich environment to explore and discover and with plenty to do. Should you enjoy your visit, please consider a donation towards the region’s continued availability as a public place.

SLurl Details

• Devin’s Eye (Devins Eye, rated: Moderate)

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park – click any image for full size

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park is a homestead region designed by Shen Molinaro, specifically designed for people to visit, enjoy and to relax in. It offers plenty of walks, both along its sandy beaches and inland along paved paths, wooden board walks and over raised earthen trails that wind over grass and under bough. Also on the beaches and under the boughs of trees and palms, can be found places to sit or hang out along with opportunities to enjoy board games, take a bicycle ride or have a swim (look for the HUD givers as well as the rings out on the surf).

The region is somewhat modelled after the Cape Florida Light and the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, at the southern end of Key Biscayne in Florida. The lighthouse has a long history, and is the oldest standing structure in Greater Miami. Today it is operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park

I’ve no idea how well the region reflects the park, as I’ve never had the good fortune to visit the latter; but the lighthouse presents a fitting homage to its physical world namesake, and the beaches echo those from which popular photos of the lighthouse have been taken. However, accurate physical resemblance to Bill Baggs State Park isn’t important: the region stands on its own as a  place of natural SL beauty.

The beaches run along the west and north sides of the region, the northern beach becoming quite expansive before it reaches the white finger of the lighthouse topped by the black “nail” of its light. Grass grows on the undulating beaches, vying with trapped seaweed to break-up the whiteness of the sands. Rocky outcrops also break up the sands, several of which have snagged flotsam deposited by the sea during high tide; there are also numerous places to sit and watch the ebb and flow of the tide – be it on sun loungers, deck chairs or blankets.

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park

Behind the beaches, the land rises gently – not to any great height, but enough for the sand to give way to a more solid covering of grass spread beneath the boughs of tress and palms. It is here, among the trees that the majority of the board walks and paths can be found, offering multiple routes to different destinations. The latter includes the octagonal bulk of a great greenhouse overlooking the southern coastline, the glass long gone from its heavy wooden frame, a small cabin, a partially walled terrace, a paved terrace under a triangular awning, and more besides.

To the east of the park is a tiled roof gazebo offering shade, food and refreshments, one of several decks that hug the coastline sitting below it. On one of the latter, set above the south-western tip of a beach on a rocky overlook, offers a couple of spiKKo tables for those looking to play a game. Just above one of the beaches, tucked away near the old church gate marking the way to (or from!) the paved terrace and its awning, in a chess table. A little stall can be found here as well, offering a range of fresh fruit.

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park

The paths and board walks, with their twisting and winding and frequent intersections, help to give a feeling that the park is larger than the region on which it sits. This is further helped by the use of trees, bushes and shrubs to hide views of the coastline.

Those wishing to rez props for photography can do so by joining the region’s group. It might also be worth playing with windlight settings – I confess to flicking my viewer over to a couple sky options provided by Stevie Davos as a part of his cloud and sky series (see here for more), as I found the default windlight left me feeling a little chilly whilst exploring the region. When wandering as well, make sure you have local sounds enabled; Shen has provided a rich sound scape to fit the region and breathe further life into it.

Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park

A beautifully conceived and executed region which invites people to tarry whilst visiting.

SLurl Details

• Cape Florida Lighthouse and Park (Cape Florida, rated: Moderate)