Tag: Exploring SL Archives

Back in November 2020, I dropped into Snowdrops, a Homestead region designed by Kess Smith (Kess Crystal), and made available during the winter months of 2020 / 2021 for people to enjoy (see: Snowdrops in Second Life). For 2021, Kess has brought the setting back, only this time bigger and with more to see, utilising a Full region for her vision – which this year she has shared with Trouble Dethly in designing and building it.

Snowdrops returns for its second year, bigger and better than before. We welcome you to explore this family friendly, photogenic, winter region in Second Life. With a variety of cold weather activities like a snowboarding, tobogganing, ice skating, teegle horses, mini golf and much more, there is something for everyone. Be sure to pick up your Christmas tree at the farm, take Santa’s train to a café for a cup of warm cocoa and other treats and find all the hidden nooks and hang out spots. Along the winter village, there are also free holiday gifts from Dahlia, KraftWork, Pitaya, Thor, Zerkalo, Elm, Moss&Mink and Atelier Burgundy.

– from the Snowdrops website

A visit begins in a town square sitting towards the middle of the region. It is bounded on two sides by boutique stores for the brands mentioned in the notes quoted above, each of which has a little seasonal gift giver just outside the door.

The remaining two sides of the square are marked by a gazebo housing a small skating rink (with a skates giver) and a cosy little chapel, the two looking at each other across the band stand in the middle of the square. This band stand is home to a quintet of musicians and to information boards for the region’s social media links and to web pages that provide information on booking the local restaurant or the vacation cabins.

The latter are located in the north-east of the region, five in all, gathered around a frozen pond. All are warmly furnished and offer a little outdoor deck for patrons to enjoy as well during a stay.

The fine dining restaurant, meanwhile, sits atop the region’s high peak, located to the south-east. Offering indoor dining for small parties and a separate gazebo for couples wishing to have a romantic dinner, the dining areas offers commanding views over the rest of the region.

Reached via a ski lift that rises from the south side of the town square, the restaurant shares its hilltop location with a pavilion warmed by an outdoor fire, and a long slope that drops all the way back to the ski lift station, with sled and snowboard rezzers available for those who fancy a little on-piste fun. For those not interested in winter sports, the little mini-golf tucked under the trees a very short walk from the ski lift station might be more to their liking.

Across the region from the rental cabins, and tucked into its north-west corner, is Santa’s North Pole workshop, the walk to it from the cabins passing by a Christmas tree shop and the fenced grazing for Santa’s reindeer, perfectly at home in the falling snow.

These reindeer are not the only animals waiting to be found here; more deer are wandering among the trees or watching those who come and go from the rocks and hills that form a part of the region’s landscape, while horses wander their own fenced areas, with one offering rezzable copies of itself to ride through the region’s wilderness.

With paths and trails to connect its various points of interest – which include several cuddle spots – and finished with a gentle sound-scape, Snowdrops once again provides a photogenic, enjoyable winter visit.

My thanks to Kess for the LM and invitation to visit. 

SLurl Details

• Snowdrops (Thallan, rated Moderate)

For those seeking a winter setting suitable for photography, Winter Dream Obsession might be just the place. Designed by Chanel (MONIYA Robbiani), it occupies roughly half a full region and offers a lot of seasonal and festive cheer.

The winter sun brought out the purity of the heaven-given snow, as if were a blank page for our merriment, inviting you to live a unique experience in a freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin…

– Winter Dream Obsession, About Land

Teleporting to the location lands visitors on a village street; where in the world it might be is entirely up to those arriving to decide. The cobbled street is dusted with snow, the houses along it decorated for the season, At one end of the street sits a winter gazebo, a golden tree decorated at its centre, a grand piano available for music.

At the other end of the street stand tall gates, partially open. A sign beside them points towards a covered bridge, suggesting the path will lead to the North Pole. Whether or not the cottage that sits at the end of the path belongs to Santa or not is again left to visitors to decide, whatever one makes of the figure in red face-down in the snow to one side of the path; is it Santa passed out from all his hard work, or is it a reveller from a local party who has perhaps had a little too much of the mulled wine…or something…?

The houses and cottages along the street are all furnished, each offering a respite from the snow and the cold for those who need it. Mid-way down the street sits a little outdoor café, offering hot drinks for those who would like to remain outdoors but feel they’d like to warm themselves up a little. Alongside of it, a path leads to the local park, again decorated for the season, with a mini-Santa presiding over everything from his little store.

Elsewhere, Christmas trees can be obtain from a local barn, whilst those who wander for a little, there are also places to spend time cuddling or romancing.  And those who do wander should try beyond the large pavilion as well, where stone step rise to a balconied path

This is a setting rich in detail, from the little holiday scene village, to the scene set out in the park, to the little train carrying Santa and his elves to all the richness of details the the houses.

But again, rather that have me wibble on about it – why not pay a visit for yourself!

SLurl Details

• Winter Dream Obsession (Deep Woods, rated Adult)

One day, I’ll sort myself out and get to visit Ambience Hideaway, the Homestead region held by yoyo Collas when it is not snowing 🙂 .

I say this because at the start of the year, and on the suggestion of Shawn Shakespeare, I paid it a visit and found it deep in the throes of winter, with snow laying deep over the ground of a rugged landscape (see: An Ambient Hideaway in Second Life). And when I returned for a further visit this month, snow was once again falling to blanket the ground – thus leading to the setting’s current name – It’s Snowing.

However, where the setting I visited at the start of the year was suggestive of a snowbound island, possibly lying off the coast of a northern latitude continent, the one I dropped into in December 2021 offered the look and feel of an Alpine village, high in the mountains, perhaps on the edge of a ski resort, close enough to offer chalets skiers can rent for their vacations, but far enough so that the local horse farm to continue doing business.

The landing point lies towards the north-west of the region, sitting on its highest point, a broad shoulder of land that appears to thrust outwards from the surrounding (of-region) mountains. A path runs south between a field set aside for events and a drop to where the rest of the village sits as the hillside falls gently away eastwards to what might be a mountain lake. to the east.

Two routes are available down into the village itself, each leading the way to the little market that stands before a large chalet-style building that sits as a kind of après-ski centre, a little café sitting next door. Chalets sit clusters along the slope, with a little chapel to add further atmosphere to the setting. To the north on the lower slopes sits the house farm, the herd gathering together to eat the hay that is being deposited via tractor.

For me, the horses came as a reminder of the region’s look at the start of the year. They were smaller in number then, but like here, they could be found roaming the snows. A further reminder of that start-of-year setting came as I reached the shores of the lake, where I found penguins huddled in defiance of this being a purely Alpine setting. A short distance away, and extending over the water, sits a place where humans can also enjoy huddling – this time around a fire.

The chalets are all open to people popping in if they wish, and all are comfortably furnished. As well as these and the lakeside deck, there are other places to sit and pass the time – such as the converted rail car that is being guarded by a copse of trees, or the wagon on the hillside or the pavilion sitting at the end of the trail leading away from the landing point.

With snow falling on the high ground, and touches of humour scattered around – Santa might need some help getting his sack down the chimney of the large chalet – there is much to see here, without the region being overly taxing on a half-decent system (or at least, it wasn’t on my mid-range PC). Opportunities for photography abound, and exploring across the snow is easy, on and off the the obvious trails.

Should you pay a visit, be sure to say “hello” to the alpaca!

SLurl Details

• It’s Snowing (Ambience Hideaway, rated Moderate)

It’s been over a year since my last visit to ARNICAR India’s Homestead region, making it long overdue for a re-visit. So when Shawn Shakespeare sent me the LM for the winter 2021 setting, it served as a reminder to get my boots on and go pay a visit.

Sitting beneath a twilight sky that gives the setting something of an other-worldly feel, Between Autumn & Spring offers a marvellous winter setting that is one of the cosiest and most romantic I’ve so far visited this winter. This actually comes as no surprise, given ARINCAR’s eye for detail.

The primary landmass rises from a frozen body of water, a low-lying, if semi-rugged island. Somewhat oval in shape, it is crowned by a tall house occupying the flat top of its rocky spine. Warmly furnished, it sets the tone for the rest of the setting’s touches of fantasy, comprising two floors connected by an external ladder that climbs one wall to reach a balcony outside of the bedroom.

Ringed by trees, the house sits on a hill that, under its blanket of snow, forms a series of broad steps down to the lowlands between it and the frozen water. Stone stairs pass down the slope to the south, passing by way of the setting’s landing point and onwards to a garden space marked by an old stone wall. From this, paths around the outer edge of the island offer routes of exploration – and there is a lot to see in following them.

To the east, for example, a bridge supported by balloons passes over the ice to reach a little circular bump of rock that, in spring and summer, would be shaded by the broad span of the oak tree that sits upon it. A second bridge, rough in form, then leads on to a second small island and and a covered skating rink offering a seasonal diorama.

From the main island’s north shore extends a finger of land pointing to a solidly built ruin of a building that has been converted into a summer house. Inside, a fire burns in the hearth, and the table facing it is set for two to sit and enjoy a slice of Christmas cake – or cuddles on the room’s large bench seat.  Westward, meanwhile, and across the ice where children skate, sits a second pair of islets. The larger of these offers an old greenhouse that has also been converted into a summer house. But how to reach it in warmer months when the water is no longer frozen might appear to be a problem – until one remembers the ice-locked rowing boat moored at the east side islands.

In and around all of these locations are multiple places to sit, vignettes to admire and photograph, and views to appreciate. Along the edge of the main island for example, visitors will come across a couple of snowmen (courtesy of Cica Ghost, and not the only pieces by her awaiting discovery) looking for all the world like an elderly couple out for a snowy stroll – and possibly not appreciating the cold in the air, going by their expressions!

Or there are the penguins who have clearly staked a claim to two more rowing boats. These have been pulled from the water and then unturned on a wooden deck to prevent the snow from filling them and so form the perfect perch. Meanwhile, out on the northern promontory, deer watch the comings and goings of visitors, unperturbed by their presence, and a couple of ptarmigan appear to be discussing the weather  – or possibly whispering hopes that no-one decides one of them might be better gracing a festive dinner table!

Throughout the setting are multiple places to sit, indoors and out, some of them providing views of these and the other vignettes awaiting discovery, other providing places to simply sit and think – or cuddle – and take photos. Fireplaces, again both indoors and out, help keep some of these warm whilst other might best be enjoyed wrapped up against the cold and drifting snow.

Rich in whimsy and seasonal delights, ripe for photography and wrapped in a charming soundscape, Between Autumn & Spring is another graceful setting by ANRICAR, and not one to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Between Autumn & Spring (Everlong, rated: Moderate)

Luane’s World is a region I’ve oft visited over the years, it being a popular destination that is always rich in detail and visually impressive through every iteration, thanks to the care region holder LuaneMeo pours into it. However, I have to admit it has been a few years since I last visited when it has been dressed for winter. Hopefully, this post helps rectify that fact.

For 2021, Luane presents a rural setting centred on a frozen body of water bordered by lowlands to the south, west and north and highland to the east, the latter also forming the region’s landing point, safely fenced off from the cliff edges and risk of falling to the lake below, while two routes of exploration extend away from it.

The first is via a high bridge spanning one of the three channels into the lake; the second takes a set of steps down the eastern slope to where the path splits north and south. The northern arm of the path points the way out for the region and into the adjoining residential regions Luane also operates, and which sit outside of this article. The southern arm of the path offers a route around the lands surrounding the lake, eventually meeting the path away from the landing point and the high bridge by the landing point.

The highlands across the bridge are home to an open air café presided over by bulldog riding mini Santas while their “little” helpers (who are a good deal taller than the Santas, if shorter than us!) take care of stuffing sacks with goodies. Alongside of them a long, snowy slope runs westwards to join the path circling the lake.

A relatively gentle incline, the slope can be walked down (or up), but for those making the descent, a sign board at the lip of the slope offers the chance to take a sled down the hill – just watch out for the gentle curve in the slope   and the slight risk of hitting some low stone marking the far side of the snowy trail!

Being frozen, the lake is ideal for skating, as proven by the penguins zipping and dancing across it (plus one Emperor Penguin who appears to have decided skis are a much better option!). Those who wish to join them ca find skates available at the little pier on the western shore, close to the box bridge crossing another of the channel leading into / out of the lake.

This pier is also home to a  – wait for it – bumper car rezzer. While this may at first sound odd, allowing for some unevenness in some the ice elements on the lake, the cars can be a lot of fun for scooting around the lake and offer three different modes of driving, depending on whether you want a quiet pootle or engage in a little friendly competition with friends – just do be aware of any skaters (including the penguins!) also on the ice.

For those seek a little respite from the cold, the lowland offer a number of places visitors can retreat into; a total of five cabins and cottages are available, all furnished and ready to offer a touch of warmth to counter the snow – although one might take a little bit of locating 🙂 . Also awaiting discovery is a cave with a touch of Christmas spirit hidden within it.

Beautifully laid out, easy to explore, rich in opportunities for photos, Luane’s World remains a delightful place to visit.

SLurl Details

• Luane’s World – Le Monde Perdu – Winter (Le Monde Perdu, rated Moderate)