Category: Reviews

Ciaran Laval recently posted about the return of Lumenaria, Kayle Matzerath’s fabulous and whimsical build from Fantasy Faire 2013.Once the location of shops and stores, it now serves as home to the Moles of the Linden Department of Public Works – so it’s become a kind of Mole Town, you might say.

As a fan of the build, and of Kayle’s work in general – as anyone who has seen my SL garden knows! – I decided to fly over and take a look for myself earlier in the week. I say “fly”, as the region the Moles occupy can be reached directly from my house, via a flight across Blake Sea and then down the coast of Satori. So I hopped into G-NARA and headed south-east.

The last time I’d spent time in this part of the virtual world, it looked like the Moles were working on a little string of islands for Petites along Souverain, Laugier and Fernandes, just off the coast of Satori. These islands have long gone (or have possibly moved, I’m not sure which), and the “Mole Town” occupies a new region – Meauxle Bureaux – sitting alongside of Souverain and Fernandes, which offer waterside access to the town via the Mole marina in Fernandes and a jetty in Souverain. After landing on the waterway, I left G-NARA moored at the marina area (at least until auto return kicked-in).

The town is pretty much as it appeared at Fantasy Faire, the same twisty little streets leading up to the great hall, the same gaily coloured rooftops and the same formal park area – even the windlight is the same. However, the Moles are now in residence, as the signs outside the doors of many residences announce. They seem to be a healthy bunch; on the stone paved streets sit market stalls offering fresh fruits and produce, as well as flowers for the green-fingered … clawed …. Moles, and bicycles appear the be the preferred method of wheeled locomotion.

However, all the good-for-you edibles doesn’t mean the Moles live a life of abstinence, as Ye Olde Abnor Mole Pub demonstrates. Here locals and visitors are offered the chance to sit down and enjoy a drink or three, play the odd board game or challenge each other to a friendly game of pool. Given the menu on the wall, I’ve little doubt that there may also be the odd bout of impromptu and Pythonesque singing breaking out should anyone happen to ask what’s available to eat. It starts out with fish and rum before proceeding through the likes of rum, apples, seagull and rum and fish, rum, rum, apples and rum, to eventually arrive at rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, rum, bananas, rum, rum, rum, and rum, with a note that bananas are, in fact, off. Enjoy the greeting when visiting as well!

The humour continues out in the street, where an obelisk can be found, upon which is writ is letters large and golden, four of the Good Neighbour Commandments for Second Life Mainland, which may raise a smile when being read – click on the picture to the right for a sample.

LDPW builds are celebrated in the main hall, and clicking on the pictures will deliver a SLurl for those interested. There’s also a gallery of Moles to be found there as well. Lindens also have their spots in the town; Michael Linden, for obvious reasons, has a little place on the “quieter” side of town (in that some of the houses are still unoccupied), while the ever-charming Shaman Linden has a little studio tucked away near the marina entrance.

That the Moles have had homes in SL is not new – sail the waters around some of the mainland continents, for example, and you’ll likely bump into those belonging to Moles past and present. However, seeing a little town like this, where they can congregate and spend time away from the rigours of banging prims together and carving mesh, adds a lot to their presence in SL which, despite being oft critiqued, forms a valuable service. That the town is a re-use (with the creator’s full knowledge and approval, I might add) of a very popular build that may otherwise have lain forgotten and lost, makes a visit to Meauxle Bureaux doubly pleasant.

My only real complaint is that the rezzing areas at the marina and quayside seems to be restricted to land group members. I had hoped to re-rez G-INARA or possibly my Loonetta 31 and do a spot more flying or sailing in the area to see what else may have popped-up; unfortunately attempts left me informed that I didn’t have the right to do so, leaving me with no choice but to use the more boring method of teleporting back home. Nevertheless, a fun visit, and one I’ll doubtless repeat the next time I fancy a long-haul sailing trip!

Related Links

• Meauxle Bureaux town SLurl (Rated: General)
• Mole Marina Slurl (Rated: Moderate)

I’ve not had too much free time in SL of late; visits have comprised attending meetings or visiting destinations for blog articles and little else. It’s that time of year when demands are being made on my time elsewhere, and even my reserve of articles “in preparation” is starting to look a wee bit thin.

However, I did get the opportunity to go sailing of late, and decided to make my way to Holly Kai, part of the Hollywood estates north of Blake Sea. Until recently I had my home on a corner parcel in the region, and while flying over it a while back, I’d noticed that there was some large-scale redevelopment going on. So, curious to know more, I boarded my little Loonetta 31, Exotix 2, and set out to poke my nose in.

For those unfamiliar with Holly Kai, it’s a residential region, with several private parcels located around a central public park area – and it was this area (together with some modifications to the parcels) that I’d seen undergoing redevelopment. The work has been undertaken by a small team comprising Fred Uralia, Autumnx Rain and Conte Alchemi (who has been responsible for the park’s design), the aim being to enhance the park and offer it as a suitable stopping-off place for those sailing through or exploring the waters to the north of Blake Sea. And I have to say, the results are impressive.

The new park combines a tropical beach area with a summer green park through which streams flow, water falls from rocky banks, trails wind through trees and around rocks, and moorings offer plenty of space for boats to tie-up alongside for a while. It runs from west to east through the middle of the region, with the beach area to the west, although this does admittedly have one of the mooring areas sitting between it and the open waters, although the strategic positioning of palm trees means that it doesn’t spoil the view per se.

One the east side of the region is a further mooring area, this one located alongside an events / party area built out over the water. Between this and the beach sits the main park, separated from the latter by the sweep of a stream as it runs between steep rocky banks. Here visitors can wander as thy please, following the trail that leads the way around the river bank, or climbing the slope up to a flat, grassy plateau and a weathered wooden deck overlooking the river, while another path winds through tall oak and beech trees, linking the park and beach together.

For those exploring the waters north of Blake Sea, Holly Kai park offers a relaxing stop-off point for any trip – auto return is set to 60 minutes, which should allow good time for exploring, and boats can be rezzed at the mooring areas.

The park officially opens on Saturday, November 8th, but visitors are already welcome. Once open, the park will feature an open-air art display, with pieces from artists displayed throughout the grounds, and pieces and artists rotated every so often to keep things fresh.

All told, a lovely new addition to the waters around Blake Sea, and one worth watching.

Related Links

• Holly Kai Park west side moorings
• Holly Kai Park east side moorings