Devon Dream and Caledon Downs

By Bixyl Shuftan

There's so many Christmas-themed places in Second Life, there's too many to write about. But we can mention a few good examples. Gemma Cleanslate has mentioned plenty, and may continue to write about winter-themed lands. But with December 25 almost here, I thought I might mention two favorite places of mine, Devon Dream and Caledon Downs.

Devon Dream is owned by Safra Nitely. Every year, she sets up a Christmas-themed display. Among the things one can do is ride a train.

In this display, it seems Rudolph is getting a little stubborn in regards to where the elf wants him to go.

 There's a frozen pond with bumper card in the shape of teacups.

Some nice relaxing scenery to check out.

And when night falls, one can see the aurora.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Devon%20Dream/77/102/23

Another place to check out is Caledon Downs in the Caledon community. Owned by Cynthia Farshore, this December "The Christmas Express" is back. You can ride it by heading to the station.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Downs/196/114/44

Once it arrives, you have thirty seconds to find a seat to get on. It can be a little tricky as it's easy to end up sitting on the wrong part of the seat. But it won't be long before you're off and in the air.

And you're soon at Santa's Secret Base, presumably near the North Pole.

There are things to do there, such as this sled ride. While there, one can listen to the KGYG stream, which had plenty of Christmas tunes.

 Santa and his elves are busy at work.

There's a warm, and detailed looking, kitchen area.

Caledon Downs of course is just one sim. To the north at Caledon Moors, there was a ski slope one could ski on. One could just walk up, or take the ski lift (elevator) to the top.

One can pick up skis and skates at a couple points there, midpoint and at the top. You can also teleport there from midpoint.

Getting the hang of skiing with the provided skis can be a little tricky. But before you know it, you'll be going downhill.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Moors/53/115/21

There's a lot more to see at Caledon, so feel free to walk around.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Bixyl Shuftan

Winter at Devon Dream

By Bixyl Shuftan

Every December, Safra Nitely decorates her sim of Devon Dream into something out of a Christmas story.

I recently dropped by to get a few pictures, and have a few words with her. 

Much of the area was covered by a pine forest, with snow on the needles.

 

There was a walkway going through the forest, with occasional scenes such as a few presents placed here and there.

One thing that is different this year is that Safra has some stalls up for any merchants interested in setting some wares up for sale, for free, "free maket stalls for content makers, try make it a viable marketplace for two months."

Safra wanted there to be some interactivity, so she had a couple rides set up in the area.

In one cottage, Santa and his elves are getting ready for Christmas.

Dropping by later at night, the place had a whole new look, with the Northern Lights visible in the sky.

There was a dance floor set up on a frozen lake, with lights and a DJ booth.

The teacup ride area looked different at night, with some of the cups lit up.

This time while going through the forest, there were crystals helping to light the way.

Don't forget to drop by Devon Dream this Christmas season

Bixyl Shuftan

Christmas at Devon Dream

By Bixyl Shuftan

Safra Nitely, a friend of the Second Life Newser, likes to give her sim of Devon Dream a Christmas look every year for her friends and Second Life family. So I decided to drop over to take a look.

When I first teleported to, I saw a walkway. And going down, it soon led to an elven workshop, where Rudolph was being less then cooperative as the little guys were loading Santa's sleigh. Perhaps out of eyesight, the elves expressed a mischievous streak and the bright-nosed buck got tired of their "reindeer games."

Inside the workshop, some of the elves were busy making toys. One was a lady sewing a doll together. Another of the little guys was working on a train. No sign of any computer games though. Perhaps they were in a place not open to visitors.

The elves had a "to-do" list, and had a "breakfast in bed" tray for Santa, complete with a letter from a kid. St. Nick might have trouble with one of the rascal's wishes, though.

 Outside the workshop, there were some animals and snowmen frolicking, including penguins diving into a swimming hole.

 Going further down the path, there were some amusement park rides and attractions.

 Among them was this "Moon Cannon" that looked like it was straight from a Jules Verne novel.

Getting in would cause it to fire a second later. You might not get to the moon, but you'll certainly end up sky-high.

The walkway went through a forested area, the trees laden with snow.

Next to a party area was this manger area. Notice the Baby Jesus is levitating a bit.

The path would continue on past a few more sights, such as this ice carousel.

I was interrupted at once point, but came back later. I didn't see much more, of the Christmas counds that I hadn't before. But there was an evening scene which seemed a good time to show off my Rudolph avatar, or rather what his red nose could do to the vicinity at night.

That's all for now from Safra's corner of Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan