Tag: Exploring Second Life 2014

Another Somewhere, Hamoa Island (Flickr) – click any image for full-size

Another Somewhere is a half homestead region of delight. Created by Azriel Xue, it is another reminder that it doesn’t necessarily require a 15,000 prim land capacity to create something eye-catching and memorable (or even 3,750 for that matter).

Wilderness is the theme here; rugged cliffs, perhaps leading up to mountains tall and cold, stand over a stretch of coastline hugged by blue waters which surround three nearby islands. These can be reached by boat, and are in turn watched over by larger islands further out to sea (off-sim).

Another Somewhere, Hamoa Island (Flickr)

Footpaths follow the shoreline, winding their way around the base of the cliffs and overlooking the water, before branching to climb steps worn into the rock and then branching again. Little red huts stand over the waters, precariously balanced on wooden piers out-thrust from the sheer rocky faces.

Part of the water passage between coast ansd islands has been dammed, squared-off stone bricks allowing a path to reach the largest of the islands. Here sits a rustic cabin, offering home comforts and fresh water from deep well. An improvised jetty of old railway sleepers offers a place where you can grab a motorboat and make your way to the other islands (although I confess, the rezzer didn’t want to work for me 😦 ).

Another Somewhere, Hamoa Island (Flickr)

The outermost of the remaining two islands offers a place to sit out with friends under leafy shade, enjoying a cup of coffee or a bowl of what looks to be chowder, both simmering over an open fit pit. A gazebo offers a warm fire and place to sit sheltered from any wind, for those who prefer.

Across a narrow stretch of water, a wooden pergola sits atop a grassy upthrust of rock, a solid pier again offering a place to rez boats, stout wooden steps leading up to the pergola as it sits amidst a small copse on the island. Another well is also to be found on this island, so the water is fresh for those wanting a cup of tea or mug of coffee. Here is another place where friends can meet and relax – although for the adventurous, a zip slide links it to the gazebo’s little island. Just mind the tree at the end of the line! I had a bit of a George of the Jungle moment sliding down…

Another Somewhere, Hamoa Island (Flickr)

Across the water, you can follow the paths upwards, where there is more to discover: one leads to a look-out point, another gives access to an old mountain shelter, now perhaps serving as a hunting lodge. Follow a follow a third, and it will take you into the foothills and to a high wooden footbridge spanning the gorge between the cliffs and the rocky outcrop sheltering the  cabin.

For SL photographers and those seeking new places in SL to enjoy, Another Somewhere presernts itself as an excellent place to visit. I also have to admit to liking Azriel’s outlook on life, summed up in a quote from Lauren Myracle: I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here. I know that feeling ony too well!

Another Somewhere, Hamoa Island (Flickr)

Related Links

• Another Somewhere SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Pigeon Island, Neverending (Flickr – click any image for full size)

Amelie Knelstrom (Raein) offers visitors to her homestead region two very different places to explore, both of which invite the imagination to create little stories to suit them.

The first is Pigeon Island, which is also the arrival point for visitors. This is a slightly rugged island of temperate disposition, sitting in a bay (or perhaps a fjord?) which, given the lush green of the grass, may see more than its share of rain at times.

A farm looks to have once been here, although little now remains, other than the ruins of a small house or cottage (the actual landing point for the region) and an old shed which faces it across the curve of a rocky little bay. Old telegraph poles march out into the waters of the bay in two lines, still carrying their wires and looking like they may have once met, but their comrades have at some point either fallen into the blue waters or have been taken away. Did the lines running between them carry messages, or did they once bring electrical power to this little place?

Pigeon Island, Neverending (Flickr)

Not that the island is deserted; far from it. Sheep wander the low-lying parts of the island, grazing on the grass, and the little shed shows signs of habitation: there are chairs and couple of wood-burning stoves (one with a kettle atop it), while a bed sits in the corner; all signs that someone finds their way to the island, perhaps to make sure the sheep are fairing well, or perhaps to escape some noisier place across the water. There are other signs of life to be found as well: a hammock here, swings there, a table and chairs under the open sky, blankets out on a wooden pier, a telescope … all await your discovery.

The western side of the island is given over to a huge upthrust of rock. Flat-topped and with stair and path cut into its flank, it overlooks both island and bay, a gravel-like beach of stone and eroded rock separating it from the blue waters of the latter. Follow this rough path around the base of the rock, and you’ll find your way to a secluded beach sheltered between rocky shoulders, and more signs of habitation: a bed made in an old rowing boat and a small tent pitched well back from the water, while an old fishing boat sits at anchor.

Pigeon Island, Neverending (Flickr)

Pigeon island is a wonderful rustic coastal scene, ripe for the SL explorer and photographer. But it’s not all that can be found here. Sitting in the wall of the old farmhouse / cottage is a single wooden door. Open it, and you can be transported high overhead to the streets of Meaningless City.

Here is a place very different to the island’s natural beauty. The streets are deserted, their tarmac cracked and breaking, weeds and grass pushing their way up through the gaps;  concrete walls are cracked and damaged, holes revealing their steel reinforcement. All of the houses stand deserted, grime and dirt turning their empty windows into opaque, sightless eyes as crows circle overhead. In the playground, a lone children’s slide stands rusting and forgotten, barrels with flammable warnings adorning their sides sitting close by…

Pigeon Island, Neverending (Flickr)

It is clear something has happened to cause the inhabitants to leave this place – but what? Do those barrels with their dire warnings of fire offer a hint, or is it something else? Why are the streets all closed-off by the gaunt forms of concrete walls, the barbed wire along their tops ominously turned inward? And what of the tall, silent sentinel of an old siren standing at one end of a street? What part does that play in the stories waiting to be told here?

Pigeon Island and Meaningless City are poles apart, yet such are the strong contrasts between them, coupled with the strands of stories running through them, that they complement one another in many ways.

Why not pay them both a visit and see what tales they whisper to you?

Related Links

• Pigeon Island SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Goodnight Photography, Berlengas (Flickr – click any image for full size)

Jeff Goodnight is an SL photographer who has a well-deserved reputation for taking some incredible pictures in SL, as both his blog and his Flickr stream reflect.  So when I discovered he’s completed his own region and was inviting people to visit, I knew I had to hop over and take a look.

Jeff describes Goodnight Photography as a, “labour of love and has been 5 weeks in the making.  After a couple of starts and restarts, I finally decided on the look I was going for and this is the result.  I wanted a tropical sim but I also wanted to infuse some color and warmth into it as well and this is what I eventually ended up with.” It’s fair to say that he’s achieved all that and more.

Goodnight Photography, Berlengas (Flickr)

On arrival one is presented with a tropical paradise, a beautiful island within a small archipelago, on which he’s built a stone house, its colour blending perfectly with a setting  which offers some wonderful opportunities for photography.

Given the surrounding islands, it is easy to imagine the island sitting within the caldera of some long-submerged volcano, perhaps amidst the Indonesian or Philippines islands. Indeed, looking out at the peaks surrounding the place, vents from the old volcano would still appear to be somewhat active!

Goodnight Photography, Berlengas (Flickr)

The design here is that of elegant simplicity, suggestive of an island which has been “tamed” just enough to provide a comfortable home, but which has not been unduly spoiled in doing so.  There are trails, low-lying beaches, high cliffs, grassy meadows where horses roam, places to lie in the sun or the shade, boats anchored just offshore, streams cutting through the rocks and around the house, rich colour and opportunities galore for photography. So much so, that it’s hard to point to a single aspect of the island as particularly photogenic – everything works so perfectly.

Goodnight Photography, Berlengas (Flickr)

On the subject of photography, Jeff has this to say about the island:

Not only do I want people to visit, enjoy, and photograph it, but I also want to use this as my launch into avatar photography.  Besides the setting on the ground, I have other photographic items set up to accommodate many requests.  If you would be interested in having your pictures done, either for profile pics or something more personal, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I would be more than happy to discuss them with you.

In the case of the former – people taking their own photos, rezzing is allowed on the island; just do please remember to clear-up again should you choose to put out a prop or two. In the case of the latter, should you have something in mind photo-wise, be it individual portraiture, group shots or something else, please do give Jeff a call in-world. If he’s not on-lin when you do, he’ll certainly get back to you.

Goodnight Photography, Berlengas (Flickr)

Related Links

• Goodnight Photography SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• My Flickr set

Rico’s Tea House, Isle of Flux, May 2014 (click any photo for full size)

Afternoon tea is a very English tradition, and something I enjoy. I’m fortunate enough to live a pleasant drive away from a country house hotel occupying a former stately home, and which opens its doors during the summer weekends for those wishing to indulge themselves in a very formal (and filling!) afternoon tea.

I mention all of this because browsing the Destination Guide, I came across an entry for Rico’s Tea House, and was immediately put in mind of that hotel, and decided to hop over an investigate.

Rico’s Tea House, Isle of Flux, May 2014

Located on the east side of the Isle of Flux, Rico’s Tea House forms a part of the Clairty-Flux  (of LTD fame) estate, with the private home of Editorial and Rico occupying the neighbouring region. The tea house sits opposite the entrance to a bay which offers mooring for up to four yachts, and which is in turn bordered on one side by woodland and the other by a meadow and a lawned garden with a gazebo and covered walk.

Designed by Kaya Angel, Rico’s Tea House is of a style which fits-in well with the stately look of Editorial’s and Rico’s home, suggesting it is a part of the estate which has been specially converted for its current purpose and opened to the public. Inside, and under the two ornate glass domes of the roof, it is divided into two. On the one side is a luxurious lounge area and on the other, a dining area serving afternoon tea, complete with cake stands sitting on white-clothed tables.

Rico’s Tea House, Isle of Flux, May 2014

For those who prefer to sit outside, the terrace to the front of the tea house offers elegant rattan chairs and low wooden tables where guests can sit and look out over the bay, while on the terrace to the rear offers two gazebos, each presenting visitors with comfortable and shady seating, both of them surrounded on three sides by fruit-bearing citrus trees which give things a touch of the Mediterranean.

The meadow, rich with flowers and with a fountain at its centre is home for a couple of dairy cows and a horse, but also offers places for couple to sit and cuddle. Those who fancy a walk can do so along the upper path, which leads to a small orchard and the square lawn and its surrounding flowerbeds beyond, or they can descend down to the paths which sit either side of the bay, and wander along these to the entrance of the bay.

Rico’s Tea House, Isle of Flux, May 2014

Rico’s Tea House is open to the public, and is billed as a place to meet and make friends. It’s a delight place to visit and offers some great opportunities to the SL photographer. All told, it is a lovely setting to visit.

Related Links

• Rico’s Tea House SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• My Flickr set