Tag: Cerulean

I first visited the Cerulean estate in Septembers 2024. A collaborative involving Emm (Emm Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame (among other things) and Teagan Cerulean. I enjoyed my visit at the time, as noted within Coffee and a Salty C in Second Life, and actually tried to make a return visit in May 2025. However, at that time, and while the regions of the estate had been completely revised, I found things a little heavy-going viewer performance-wise, and the hoped-for article never materialised as a result.

More recently, I was again contacted by Teagan with an invitation to try a further visit with the note that both she and Emm have made some adjustments to the setting which might – together with the Lab’s tweaking of the core viewer code to encourage better performance for users – make a return visit somewhat easier. As I have always appreciated the work of Teagan, Emm and other members of the extended Cerulean family in SL, I was happy to accept the invitation and hop along to have a further look.

The first hints of Autumn are in the air. Wander quiet trails, sip coffee by the water, or soak in the beauty of this tranquil PNW retreat. Cerulean is more than a place—it’s a feeling. Welcome home.

– Cerulean Township About Land Description

Occupying a Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus and with a Homestead adjoining it to the north, Cerulean township presents an engaging mix of public spaces and private residential rentals (the latter primarily located on the Full region, and all clearly marked as such to reduce the risk of accidental trespass by visitors).

Whilst not enforced, the main Landing Point for the setting lies on the western side of the Full region, mid-way between a cluster of private residences lying to the north-west of the region and what might be seen as its commercial district to the south. Taking the form of a little railroad station alongside aged tracks, the Landing Point is subject to repeated audio notifications that the next scheduled train has been indefinitely delayed, and so visitors are encouraged to enjoy the local attractions.

Some of the latter are to be found by heading south from the landing point and along Old Mill Road past the aging motel to where Sonder Books and Vinyl Vines are the first of a number of local establishments to offer visitors a warm welcome, together with the Rusty Spoon diner. A walk east along Stumptown Avenue will also bring visitors to the local open-air market and, sitting alongside one of the setting’s large areas of water, the Les Beans Café which has been pleasingly carried over from my original visit to the setting (if completely redesigned!), and is still the venue for assorted local events.

Across the bridge from the market and café lies the local glamping centre, complete with its own outdoor venue, the Bar/66. From here it is possible to take a chairlift up the eastern highlands overlooking Lost Lake and passing over tumbling falls as they cascade over the rocky cliffs. It’s also possible to follow a couple of trails up to the top of the highlands, but do note that these also pass close to some more of the setting’s private residences, so do keep an eye out for the signs warning you of such.

A trail skirts the foot of the highlands to head north towards Cerulean Lake, the largest body of water in the setting (comprising a little over half of the estate’s Homestead region. It is here that a long tongue of land extends north, passing between the main huddle of private residences to the west and a couple more to the east, between forming a low-lying and picturesque walk up to the lake’s harbour area with its waterside eateries, stores and line of (private, I think) houseboats and the land arcs around to the west, passing another campsite and the little wharf area marking the northernmost extent of the setting.

The latter forms one of the two termini for the local ferry that plies the waters of Cerulean Lake, the other being at the southern end of the lake’s waters, not too far from the path mentioned above. The ferry is not the only means of getting out on the water either. Little motor boats are available from a couple of the decks along the wharf, whilst back at Lost Lake to the south, kayaks might be rezzed and paddled along the waterways.

For those who prefer not to take to the water for rides and don’t want to explore entirely on foot, other means of exploration await, be it on bicycle, horseback or via hot air balloon. These all add to the attractiveness of the setting in addition to its natural design and beauty.

I will admit that I still had some issues with load times on arrival, but once I’d allowed things to fully load, the overall impact was minimal in terms of frame rates whilst wandering around (allowing for the fact I do have a reasonable GPU!), and certainly did not stop me from leaving shadows enabled whilst exploring. As such, I still consider Cerulean Township well worth visiting.

SLurl Details

• Cerulean Township (Cerulean Sea, rated Moderate)

In my previous Exploring Second Life piece, I visited Lavender Springs, a location tucked away on Heterocera, and designed by some of the talents behind Cerulean Sea (see: Relaxing in Lavender Springs in Second Life). At the time I noted that a return visit to the Cerulean regions on my part would be forthcoming. However – and for reasons I’ve yet to determine – my system / viewer decided to be very unhappy when I did earlier in the week, performance-wise, so I’m shelving that for another visit at a later date.

Instead, and to make up for this, I decided to drop back to Lavender Springs and head west along Atoll Road to visit the TNC Commons, a further part of The Nature Collective no too far away. The work of Teagan Cerulean, Emmerson Skye Cerulean (Emm Evergarden), TNC Commons covers just 8048 sq metres, forming a charming and picturesque corner of Second Life, literally packed with information and places to visit.

The Nature Collective welcomes you to TNC Commons, a blend of urban charm, green space, and forest trails. With exhibits, gardens, and open spaces to gather or reflect, TNC Commons invites you to connect with nature and community.

– TNC Commons description

Again sitting just off the Atoll Road (and thus passed by the local tour pods), the Landing Point for the setting sits back from said road, and alongside the TNC Info centre, where you can – if not already familiar with The Nature Collective and the work of Emm and her friends – discover the secrets of the the Nature Collective and its network of locations and associated locations around the grid.

The Info Centre sits to one side of a cobbled street lined on the other side by little rental apartments. This street is cut through along part of its length by tram tracks – and be careful where you stand on arrival, as the tram is indeed running, and can sneak up behind the unwary as it comes to a halt at the Info Centre!

Jumping onto the tram will take you on a trip around the Commons – which includes a rather novel hop by the tram over the footpath running along the front of the apartment houses 🙂 . This journey offers a pleasant loop around the landscape, and is certainly worth the ride – particularly as it does have a number of station stops at points of interest along the way, allowing you to hop off and explore (you can also explore on foot, obviously).

The far end of the street is home to The Dancing Rabbit Café – a special place for many, and if you know why, you know; if you don’t – please take the information pack from the stone rabbit to the right of the steps leading up to the Café. It is a thoroughly charming corner and, due to its meaning, also has its own Landing Point. Passing around the Café via the little canal to one side or the path between the Café and the neighbouring apartment house on the other will bring visitors to the garden spaces to the rear which includes more outdoor seating for the Café and an event space.

One of the local tram stations is just to the other side of the latter, but for those on foot, steps can be found to the upper parts of the setting – charmingly called The Canopy, due to it being shaded by tall oaks, fir trees and one special tree in particular. Spread throughout this area are places to sit and relax, places to meditate, water features offering space for local wildfowl and critters.

Also to be found throughout is – as noted a wealth of information (including some on the aforementioned particular tree). These information boards allow you to obtain the TNC Connect HUD, offering more on The Nature Collective; information on the secret language of trees (the Wood Wide web); links to external nature-related websites and more; together with opportunities for mindfulness.

A further HUD, the TNC Travelogue, can be obtained at the entrance to the setting from the Atoll Road. It provides SLurls to other locations around the grid associated with The Nature Collective. A sign board alongside the HUD giver also provides direct TP links to those locations.

There are some little quirks to the setting which  – to me – add charm. The warning signs for the tram track are placed such that the provide warnings to approaching trams rather than pedestrians, and the track does change gauge to cross a bridge. This is genuinely not to pick holes; in the case of the gauge change, it’s a classic example of making used of different creations to produce a means to add further visual interest to a setting.

In all, a richly engaging visit – as one would expect when it comes to The Nature Collective.

SLurl Details

• TNC Commons (Itame, rated Moderate)

Back in September 2024 I dropped into Les Bean at the Salty C, a coffee house within the Cerulean regions (see Coffee and a Salty C in Second Life).

Designed by members of the extended Cerulean family, notably (at the time of my visit) Emmerson Skye Cerulean (Emm Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame and Teagan Cerulean, it is one of a number of places held across Second Life by members of the family – and somewhere to which I’ve received an invitation to make a further visit, and plan to do so in the near future.

Another location designed by members of the Cerulean family – V Cerulean Rhys (Veronika Nightfire)and Dani Cerulean (Dani Varela) joining Emm and Teagan – is that of Lavender Springs, a charming retreat offering hot springs, relaxation and opportunities for photography, sitting on the south side of Heterocera.

Located at the end of a short dirt track connecting it with the cobbles of the Atoll Road, Lavender Springs sits and an open-air retreat, a large sign encouraging people to explore, and a notice board offering information on the Cerulean Sea, the Nature Collective and the Greenwich Café – a coffeehouse apparently inspired by England’s Lake District, and so may well end up on my list of places written about.

Small it might be, by Lavender Springs is perfectly formed and richly engaging. Three hot springs are available for bathing – two on one side of the stream flowing through the setting. The third is reached via a fallen tree trunk now doubling as a bridge across the colder waters of the swiftly-flowing waters of the stream as they tumble away from the local falls.

The first two springs are reached by crossing two wide stepped decks. One is the home of a massage therapy area, the other offers relaxation in the Sun. They are partnered by a stack of Zen rocks forming a tall pedestal for yoga and meditation.

Oak, Jacaranda, Wildberry form a screen of mature trees to provide shade and some degree of privacy, while the large pool into which the stream flows perhaps offers the opportunity for cold plunges after time in the hot springs. For those seeking a quieter means of relaxation, a swing might also be found.

Watched over by egrets, completed by a gentle soundscape and offer a lot of detail in so small an area, Lavender Springs is another space adding considerably beauty to the Mainland.

SLurl Details

• Lavender Springs (Notata, rated Moderate)

As can be seen by flicking through my Exploring Second Life series, one of the things I enjoy is seeking out coffee house style hang-outs, as well as places that are photogenically pleasing and interesting to explore. Within Les Bean at the Salty C, I found a place that combines all three – hardly surprising given the region’s designers: Emm (Emm Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame (among other things) and Teagan Cerulean.

The smell of salt in the air, the crash of waves, and distant harbor ferry welcomes you. Set sail to a place where the ocean whispers tales of a magical island. Whether seeking solace, adventure, or inspiration, the Cerulean offers a storybook escape.

– Les Bean at the Salty C About Land Description

Occupying a Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus, the setting is very much multiple-part in nature whilst forming a fairly continuous set of landscapes. By this I mean that within the region there is a mix of private occupancy homes, public spaces and private rentals, all of which are split across the three islands into which the region has been split, with the islands themselves offering landscapes that flow one to the next.

Of these islands, the triangular one sitting in the region’s south-east corner appears to be entirely private in nature, existing within its own parcel and entirely separated from the rest of the region by the intervening stretches of water. As such, it plays no further role in this article. Of the other two, both offer a mix of public and private areas, but with a clear delineation between the two, reducing the risk of trespass.

The main island, oriented north-to-south along the western side of the region, is home to the main Landing Point for the setting. Separated from the other two islands by a central channel of water, this island comprises a central public area forming a small town-style element, bracketed to the south and north by private residences, those to the north being available for rent at the time of my visit. The Landing Point sits on a cobbled plaza overlooking the waterfront of the central channel and backed by the coffee house, which shares the space with an ice cream parlour and a record store.

It is here that I must underscore the need for careful exploration and camming here; not only is the region packed with detail throughout, there is also some super little touches of humour to be found around the town in the form of signs and chalkboards; some of which I perhaps identified with a little too much (e.g. “I tried starting a day without coffee once – My court date is pending”). The town itself has a curiously mixed feel which is equally charming to take in; by turn offering touches of rural France, the Mediterranean, hints of Tuscany – and even flavours of Mexico and North America (the latter in the form of the stream train halted at the local station). Life to the setting is added by the presence of a range of vehicles, washing hanging on lines, place settings at the restaurant, a town market, and an engaging soundscape (I particularly liked the train service announcements!).

At the northern end of the little town is a flight of steps descending into the residential rentals area of the island, headed by a map of the region highlighting the available properties. Trespass here can be avoided by keeping to the boardwalks laid over the grass here, and one of these does actually lead to a public seating area on a deck up towards the north-west corner of the island.

The waterfront below the little town is a busy little area, offering some mooring space for small boats running directly below the sea wall, and a wharf pointing out into the channel. The latter is home to a little rough-and-ready bar and docking for the local ferry. The latter is Analyse Dean’s excellent Bandit vehicular ferry, which chugs its way back and forth between this pier and the one on the west coast of the island occupying the north-east quarter of the region, which is home to the rest of the public spaces within the setting.

This triangular island has – to me – more of a feel of North America. Heavily wooded, it also has a private residence within it, so some caution is required when exploring, particularly as the path winding away from the ferry dock eventually arrives at said private residence, climbing up to it by way of steps cut into a hill slope. However, as there is plenty of humorous warning the house in question is a private residence (“No Trespassing. We’re tired of hiding the bodies”), visitors can avoid it and simply carry on to the tumbledown and strange house sitting further up the hill.

The latter is one of two places on the island offering a sense of the haunted as brooms magically sweep floors. I’ll leave you to find the other such place on the island, and say only that it also has an item of clothing that seems to be knitting itself to add to the slightly haunted feel, and that the location itself is again charming in its general presentation, even if the cabin is itself is oddly overgrown.

As noted, this is a highly photogenic setting with a lot to see – more than I’ve covered here (the sense of ghostly mystery is enhanced to the southern end of the main water channel and close to the lighthouse, for example, where ghostly singing might be heard)  -, so again, care in exploring is well worthwhile. Given the soundscape available through the region, do make sure local sounds are enabled, and use of the region’s shared environment is also recommended, as it gives a suitably autumnal feel in keeping with the rest of the region.

In all, and enjoyable place to visit.

SLurl Details

• Les Bean at the Salty C (Cerulean Sea, rated Moderate)

Earlier in September I received an invitation from Teagan Lefevre to visit her latest region build at Tilheyra (see: An everglades autumn at Tilheyra in Second Life). At the time, I noted from her Profile that she and her SL partner Cayleigh Lefevre (Cayleigh Aurelia) also had a new (at least to me) location on Heterocera where they’d set-up another picturesque setting for people visit, with the attraction (again, at least for me, of being home to a coffee house).

Occupying a 5,520 square metre parcel to the south-west of the continent (itself home to a fair few of the cafes I’ve written about in these pages), Le’eaf Forest Retreat is – as is always the case with designs by Teagan and Cayleigh – picturesque, engaging and – as if it really needs saying – exceptionally atmospheric and decidedly photogenic.

Once a bustling train depot of adventurers, the Le’eaf Forest Retreat has been reclaimed by Mother Nature and of course caffeine. An umbrella waits for your arrival as you wander through the rain, seeking shelter and a warm beverage.

– Le’eaf Forest Retreat About Land

Sitting in the arms of the junction between Atoll Road and Mock Heather Road, Le’eaf Forest Retreat is marked to the south by a stream tumbling downslope from the mouth of an old tunnel and into the formal lines of a canal just before it is in turn swallowed by another tunnel. Just a little up from this, with what remains of the old railway line mentioned in the About Land description, most of it now gone and replaced by roughly hewn trail which may – or indeed, may not – mark where the tracks might have once lead.

Another natural trail climbs gently upwards from the canal, crossing the one which may have once carried the single line track as it paralleled the water, and then continues up to what remains of the depot building itself – the largest structure within the parcel. Bordered on one side by what remains of an old ticketing station and another spur of train track, the old depot now sits as a café boasting strong coffee for those seeking it and with plenty of seating to be had for patrons – including bench seats which look as if they might have originated as seating within cabins on a first-class rail carriage.

To one side of its length, the café connects to the old ticketing hall via an old ticket office-come-waiting-room, now clearly no longer used as such but which has a couple of Japanese automated ticket machines – most likely brought to the old depot to act as décor more than anything else. Above the ticket kiosk and on a small mezzanine level overlooking the rest of the café is a further seating area where a large wall mural and posters celebrate rail travel and the allure of visiting far-away places.

For those who don’t mind getting a little wet once they’ve purchased their refreshments – Le’eaf Forest Retreat sits within a rainstorm of near tropical rain forest proportions – what’s left of an old brick outbuilding has been converted into a cosy snug, complete with movie projector and a brazier alive with the flames of a warming fire.

All of this sits within a landscape which has been put together to suggest both the encroachment of nature on humanity’s endeavours and also a wild, but still managed garden with blooms of colour and little corner delights tucked away and awaiting discovery by those who can to brave the humid downpour to wander the short paths around the depot, perhaps meeting some of the local wildlife along the way.

Such is the design of Le’eaf Forest Retreat that it really doesn’t require much of a description here – it speaks for itself from the moment you arrive. And if you happen to be someone who has not previously visited designs by Teagan and Cayleigh, do be sure to accept the note card which is offered on arrival, as it has a lot of information on their other builds together with  their partnership with The Nature Collective and about live events they host.

All in all, a pleasant pace to spend time, the rain and mist giving Le’eaf Forest Retreat a sense of isolation and introversion which is as engaging as the physical aspects of the location.

SLurl Details

• Le’eaf Forest Retreat Itame, rated Moderate)