Shropshire

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

I love to visit regions in SL that are based on real life locations. I have been to visit Shropshire Rolling Hills and Farm inspired by the County of Shropshire in England. The owners, Jenni Jones (Pixie8615) and Stefan Jones (Skilledavatar) have created a site that honors history from the Norse and the present. There is modern roleplay offered, as well as visiting a Viking village that demonstrates the manner in which they settled in England.

 

The main vision of the region, however, is everything horse. There is no way to express the constant offerings of daily activities except to join the group and see the notices. Classes are offered in everything and anything related to horses, even beginners Teegle. If I had time I would definitely be going to many of them. The multitude of opportunities is dazzling.

I did drop in on one that was a practice session for dressage. There were not only avatars mounted on their horses but also many horse avatars ready to learn more and work out. It inspired me to go get the dressage hud and take a few turns around a sandbox to see how it all went. One of the dressage riders passed a wonderful guide book to the region and its history. Perhaps when time permits I will be able to go back and join a basic class. JamesT Juno, the owner of the former SL Newspaper where I wrote articles before the SL Newser opened, was a dressage and jumping expert and had many trophies and medals. I went to some shows and I thought it was beautiful then and still do.

This region is a family friendly place .One can rent a home at very fair prices. Get-togethers for chatting and game playing, and parties are on the agenda. Jenni said “we welcome all Avatars from small tiny bugs to huge Giants, we’re an all welcome sim, no matter your beliefs, mental state, gender or intelligence, we have an amazing Quadrille Team that are working on a show for the upcoming Dog and Pony Show, if you don’t know what Quadrille is, its basically group dressage” 

 

I visited the village. The homes were sweet. I found a pig farm down a lane and nearby a chicken coop. One chicken I noticed is an avatar who lives there, a singing chicken who gives concerts named Nivor. Evidently Nivor challenged a witch who turned her into a chicken so while she waits to end the spell she lives here. This area is called the small Animal Shelter though I think a dragon may have a resting place here too. I believe I saw a dog training class in a notice.

Nearby on the next road I found the combo Post office and Farm Shop. I walked along the road past homes which are labeled Private so watch for those and remember not to disturb. Along another road there is a Veterinary service. On a corner I found a restaurant called the Codfather serving delicious meals and stopped in to have some. I could not resist the smell. Yum.

I went to the Viking area to visit and that is where the riding trails go through the wood and if you don’t have a horse of your own to use on the trails there is a horse rezzer and you can choose the one you would like to ride. Explore the shops while you are in the Viking area and see the offerings available for those who wish to stay and participate in activities. There are helmet, clothing, avatar accessories, and lots of cheese!

Role play offers the emergency services to practice and stage events such as saving a barn from fire, rescues and more. They meet at the new services building to plan events.There is a hospital also and Doctors , Nurses. Police, Paramedics and others are invited to join in. Contact Jenni. You will be very welcome. Go visit whether you are a horse person or not. Pick up the Guide Book on the fence where you land. On the boards there is a teleporter to some of the areas you don’t want to miss.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Innocent%20Eyes/68/111/21

Gemma Cleanslate 

 

Reader Submitted: A Little Treasure, Calas Galadhon Park's Glanduin

By Alysabelle Resident

I truly wish you would come inworld and see the place yourself. It's so remarkably beautiful. Its not just the house itself. Its everything around and about the entire area . In every corner you have one thing or another that you haven't seen before. Please note I'm not a writer and never will be, with the countless mistakes and grammar errors, that's me.

 

I took pictures for you, although trust me, they don't depict all of what this place looks like. I also send you the landmark inworld.  In January, Truck (truck.meredith) and Ty Tenk (tymus.tenk) who own the sims at Calas Galadhon Park, closed for the month of January for a much needed break, and re-opened the 1st of February . What I understand is that Ty Tenk (tymus.tenk) and Truck (truck.meredith) collaborate decorating and designing the sims for Calas Galadhon. Ty Tenk (tymus.tenk) is the landscaper, who I have to say does a beautiful job. I did ask him a few questions this morning on what his motivation of creating a farm on one of the sims called Glanduin in particular, he mention the motivation was a lot of idea's in his mind and that he lived in the country most of his life and that in the farm house itself there are picture of his actual ancestors .

I have to say the country farm land, which I call it, it's just the most loveliest thing I have ever seen. The most picture perfect country farm house/ barn  and so on that anyone would or could imagine. I have never seen anything so detailed in Second Life before like this place. I'll give you a few examples : the rope swing in the back of the house, the seating area with an outdoor fire pit. The swing set on the side of the house and the two seating area's on the rock nearby, with full animations. The front side of the house, you see a brown fence and horses, and the fence itself animates. Some poses bring you back to childhood example standing up with your arms outstretched tip toeing across the fence back and fort. Or sitting reading a love letter while you clutch the letter to your chest in remembrance of a loved one or love one hand written letter and that is just a few animations of many. There is also a black horse click sit and there is many poses as well , how sweet. 

 

As you keep going down the hill, you have a pond with gooses and a seating area overlooking the pond then there is the barn with the animals. There is a large pig, who won first prize at some country fair I imagine, rabbits, a turkey, chickens nearby, goats, cows, a horse rezzer nearby, the sheep in the back of the house, the cats and dogs in and outside the house, the ferrets even. There's plenty of plant life, the oak trees, cherry trees, the birch trees on the exterior, the countless flowers in and around the house, and more. In fact in the front of the house, how adorable, two pose balls that is written ' get to work.' You sit on them and choose a summer hat male or female as well as a rake and your avie animates to rake. There is even a clothes line with some clothes out to dry.

If you yourself lived on a farm in real life, or knew someone that did or even spent summers at your grandparents country home or someone else' grandparents country home, if you close your eyes you will, I'm sure, remember the smell of grandmother's  baked cookies. Walk into the house it may just evoke long ago memories. You feel transported in another time where life was simpler then it is today. And the conversational pieces that may arise amongst  one another visiting Glanduin and the inevitable question that usually arise "Do you remember when ...?" I'm sure it will bring a smile upon your face.

And if you're like me who never lived on a farm, but I imagine myself as my friends told their countless stories of summer's passed with their grandparents at their country place and the memories that they recounted. And I writing vicariously through their once upon a time storie.

Thank you,

 

Glanduin (135, 78, 26)

　

Alysabelle

The Crazy Horse Saloon

By BloodyKitty Resident

 

This fine place is called, "THE CRAZY HORSE SALOON" which is located in the region of Woiler. This place is  of course a fantastic club that has all kinds of music, though country is its main man I believe. Believe it or not, I work here sometimes when I can as a host, and everyone is so sweet and kind, and the staff has taken me in with open arms like I'm apart of their growing family. The sim is group owned if you wanted to know, and the group is called, Dusty's Club Staff. While this place may be empty or not as lively as it is some nights, I can assure you it's calming to just walk and explore. 

Now like I said before, I'm not just saying it's nice and all because I work in the sim as a host, I'm saying it even if I was just a guest coming for the music provided by multiple DJ's that are able to work the different shifts. Like any club really there are scheduled times for people to be at the place, even certain days of course too. I, myself, have not been around it like I used to be because of family problems. I ensure you though that the staff and even the guests that come and go are very kind, caring, and helpful to each other.

I hope your able to visit this sim soon when you get the chance, especially when its a night of partying. Now I can't specifically tell you when people will be around or not just from the schedule, sometimes they work when they are able to, and sometimes aren't able to, even if they are on the schedule board. Come on down and enjoy yourself to some country music as well as an all around variety of music too.

Woiler (95/70/1001)

BloodyKitty

Club WELGELEGEN ( Club The Right Spot )

By Wesley Regenbogen

Club “WELGELEGEN’ "roughly translated in English as "Club The Right Spot," is a nice Dutch club and it’s part of a whole sim. The club was created by Laila Streeter and Han Fallen, who remain it's current owners, and was opened on February 27^th, 2012. They mostly play music from the 70s, but also other music is played there as well.

Laila and Han and both did a nice job decorating the club and the sim as well. There’s an indian town that they recreated, which is a nice addition to the club. The club’s theme is country and cowboy related. This is a cool theme for a club, if you ask me. Although, I’m not a country music lover myself, people might enjoy this place if they are country music lovers. When you enter the club, you are able to configure the welcome thing on the floor to your personal taste. This is quite unique, I think. It could be that you need to be part of the group to be able to change it, though. 

On the sim it’s also possible to take a boat trip. Just click on the boat and you can drive the boat around. This is cool, because I haven’t done that before in Second Life. I must say, it’s an experience. I wasn’t good at it at first, but I’m sure the more I do it, the better I will get at it. There is also the ability to drive a steamboat or a canoe.

There are no events planned, but sometimes there are rezzday parties held at the club. But when when there are public holidays such as : Christmas and New Year and other events, like Carnaval and an Aprés Ski party, they organize parties for them as well. Laila and Han communicate their events ( in Dutch only ) in their group, called also “Club WELGELEGEN”. They also can be found on Facebook, as the owner Han Fallen has a personal page on Facebook. But Han  let me know that they are working on a website and also a Facebook page for the club too, so that will be made in the near future.

Personally, I think the club is nicely decorated and I like it that they made a whole sim in that theme.

So, if you are looking for a club and a cool sim, head over to :Senses Cove (34/128/36)

I hope to see you all there once. But remember this is a Dutch club, so mostly Dutch is spoken there.

Wesley Regenbogen

Finlandia

By Grey Lupindo

Finlandia invites Second Life residents to “hangout, relax and enjoy” and see what Finland is like.  Located at Finlandia, Finlandia (191, 48, 23), it is a beautiful place to visit. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first SL site that is based on Finland.  Finlandia’s creator, Daniela Finchy, has made a wonderful sim that showcases her lovely country.   One of her notes states, “So everything you see, feel and touch is all about Finland.  We are proud ... and happy to show it to you.”  

Finlandia is representative of the southern and southwestern areas as they appear in late summer and fall, a season which is known as “ruska.”   The terrain is comprised of rolling hills, forests, and beautiful rocky coastline. 

The rez zone is a small wooden structure that is functional but not representative of the rest of the site.   It is filled with information and necessary notes, as well as a few odd objects.   A large cut out of Marilyn Monroe is there, but I’m not sure what her connection is to Finland.        

Outside of the rez area, however, the land is peaceful and beautiful.  Wide paths cut through the woods and lead to various sites around the Finlandia.  Bridges straddle winding streams.   There is a bicycle stand, too, since they are very popular in Finland.   However, the paths are also great for horseback riding, which is one of my favorite things to do.   I saddled my horse and rode all over the site.

The area has lots of activities for residents to enjoy.   There are many spots where friends can gather, including a campfire site with a moonshine still brewing.   A large picnic and dance area is found at Finlandia (139,16,24). 

There are lots of free games to play, including Whack a Mole, Mah Jongg, Minesweeper, and others, located in a large cottage at Finlandia (45,71,25).  Try out the rope swings that are outside, too. 

The rocky coastline is ruggedly beautiful.   There are row boats available that you can use to explore it.  I rowed up to the sauna and stopped, although I think I could have continued further.  It is located at Finlandia (84,95,23).   The sauna is a wonderful steamy place that you don’t find very often in Second Life.  Approach this area with care since it is the only area where nudity is allowed in Finlandia.   There were other people visiting the sim during all of my visits, but no one was using the sauna.    

At the top of another hill there is a very cozy country cottage and a large barn, at Finlandia (164,72,33).  Inside the cottage you can try out a loom or sit in a rocking chair by the fireplace.   There are three rooms, all  furnished.  A cat named Tuikku sits on the front porch, and other farm animals roam about in the yard. 

There is a cottage for rent in Finlandia, but I don’t know if this cottage is it.   One of the nicest features in Finlandia is the lack of commercialism.   There are no glaring signs or items for sale to spoil the natural beauty.   Except for a few tip jars and teleporters to transport shoppers to the store area, the site is a peaceful park. 

The shop area is located above the rest of the sim in a sky box, and it is worth seeing.  Finlandia Stores, Finlandia (119, 61, 2022).   Although it isn’t as beautiful as the rest of Finlandia, the shops are set along wide paths in a landscaped area.  There are fourteen shops from Finnish creators, including Mad Pea, SiO, Ihan Sama, Jinxies, S.L.A.D, CakeFox, Linealrise Design, and others.  There is also a club where you can hear Finnish rock/metal music. 

 In addition to the shops, Uleria Caramel, a Finnish artist, has paintings on display there.  Caramel creates art that is abstract expressionism in style.  She uses oil painting, glass, ceramics, aquarelles, photography, and other techniques in her art.   Her works are very colorful and unique.

Newsweek magazine ranked real-life Finland as the overall "best country in the world" in 2010.  According to Wikipedia, many sources rank it as one of the best countries for quality of life.  In creating Finlandia  Daniela Finchy has done a great job creating a sim that shares her beautiful country with the rest of Second Life.

Rock N Rustic Ranch

by Theonlyjohnny Resident

    The ranch is a great place to hang out, because there's great music, a polite and respectful staff, and a great design to the sim.

    This is a place for those of you that love hospitality as much as you love country music (assuming you absolutely love country music). My first time there, I had just teleported in, when everyone greeted me, as if I was already their best friend. Even though I was a furry, which they didn't mind even in the slightest, I felt at home.

    However, after being there, many times, I have begun to notice something that I don't see in other clubs, something that I can honestly say, sets this club apart from other clubs. No one comes here for lindens. The staff don't come to earn lindens either. No, people visit this club to make friends, have fun, and to listen to great music.

    The staff are some of the best that you will ever hope to find. They not only wish to have fun. They wish to bring joy to others. They make it possible for others to have a fun experience as well. The staff also play their part in the genre, perfectly. The DJ's all play country music. The hosts use only country style gestures. Honestly, you come here, and you will feel as though you were on a real ranch.

    Of course, this club isn't for everyone. Those of you who only visit clubs to get lindens, will not find this club very nice, due to the fact that there are no "sploders," no money givers, no coins, no cones, no lucky eggs, and of course no contest boards. The absent of these truly make this club better than most, since you know people are only there to have fun.

    The open design of this club really make it a welcoming place. The lack of walls really say, "We welcome all." Which is true, seeing as this club welcomes furries, and not many clubs will allow furries. So I applaud this club's kindness in allowing us furries.

I would say this club is a great place to be,

Originality: 3 of 5
Design and Look: 5 of 5
Music: 5 of 5
Staff: 5 of 5
Owner involvement: 4 of 5

In total 22 of 25

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Calas Galadhon Park Sims

By Gemma Cleanslate

  
Some of you will recall my visit to Calas regions during the winter. Most of the eleven sims were covered with snow, and I had delightful time skating and skiing and visiting the Christmas Pavilion. I thought I should go back now that it is spring and see what is going on. 

Flowering trees and plants now adorn the regions. The fields are filled with grasses and the animals are out roaming the pastures. It is a wonderful place to go horseback riding, so I did. I visited several sim that way, looking at the rocky hills and cliffs and spectacular vistas. In  Eryn Vom you can look out over the marshes and cross over the bridges to the tiny islands. Whereever you go, you pass quaint areas for relaxing alone or with friends. Dance balls dot some of the areas for your pleasure. In Mirrormere I found a canoe and paddles and took a ride down the rivers, perhaps some of those on which I skated in the winter. 

In the Bay of Belegar, visit the pirate ship and climb down below for a scuba diving. I met Chatty Kathy down there, using the gear and exploring and having a wonderful time. “This is entirely too much fun ... darned thing even has bubbles ... it's always an amazing place, but oh em gee, at Christmas and Halloween, there's no place like it on the grid." I left her to go see the Pirate ship which she recommended highly. 

I visited the Cafe Armenelos high up on a hill, where I found some loungers admiring the view. From there I could see what looked like an entire Hotel high on a hill. I went up and it was a lovely set of buildings reminding one of a quaint village perched  at the peak of the mountain. 

There are no rentals or living places on any of the sims. There are no commercial enterprises. All buildings are open for visiting, but not for staying. I spied the one of the owners, Tenk sitting on a bench on a hillside pondering. I did not want to bother him, so I took a quote from the welcome notecard, “Come immerse yourself in the early American coastal countryside of the early 20th Century. We strive to bring the beauty & peace of our natural areas into Second Life for all to enjoy as a refuge. There are now 11 sims to the Park.  Each sim has a unique feel, yet are tied together with verdant fields & farms, high mountain meadows and winding streams through its woodlands & valleys which eventually lead to the natural beauty of the coast. There is also the island of Armenelos where the 'Santorini' build by Bora Rossini, can now be found.” 

There is so much to see. I will leave it to you to discover all there is to find in the regions. When you arrive at the entrance, you will be able to pick up a notecard with the rules and the landmarks of places you may want to visit. There is also a teleport board to all the regions. This is definitely a landmark you will want to save. The regions call for revisiting often, alone or with friends. You can follow the activites by joining the group , or by visiting the calendar at the website. You also see a copy of the calendar at the entrance.  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Calas%20Galadhon/137/233/22

Gemma Cleanslate 

A Tuscan Summer

         If you’re looking for a romantic vacation at an Italian villa, visit “A Tuscan Summer” at Cap Estel (13, 16, 28).   This site is another wonderful creation by Maurice Messmer, who is known for his beautiful landscape destinations.     His other creations include Cap Estel Goes Safari, reviewed on February 21, 2011, and Cap Estel Natural Lake Park, reviewed on November 24, 2010.   This time he has re-created the Tuscany region of Italy, a RL area known for its beautiful landscapes, villas, and artistic history.

At the SL entry point, a meandering path leads you past golden grasses and grazing Blackface sheep.   Be careful where you walk--the sheep and donkeys use the path, too.     Where the path split, I chose to follow it up the hill.   Either way makes for a beautiful journey since the path loops around the site.

Take your time at this destination because a Tuscan summer is made for strolling.   The lush landscape is filled with wildflowers, lavender, poppies, and a vineyard.   Bales of hay dot the hillside.  In fact, the bales are so big you can sit, lean, and even hide behind them.    Mountains with fog covered valleys are visible on the horizon.     You can hear the sounds of summer birds and insects, too.  

The highlight of the site is the grand Tuscan villa at the top of the hill.  Polished marble and Italian art combine to create the perfect ambiance.   Messmer has provided every comfort for his guests.   Inside are complimentary appetizers and drinks, including fine wines.     Chairs surround the fireplace, and there’s a grand piano to play.    Three terraces extend off of the main villa, all of which have great views of the countryside.  One terrace has chairs and a table where you can relax with a friend.  

At the doorway there is a guest book that you can sign as you enter or leave.  On the day I visited, over 168 residents had already left comments about the villa.  Many residents thanked Messmer for creating and opening the site to all of SL.      

RL Italy is known for its fountains, and SL Tuscany has two.   The formal one contains a reflecting pool, stately topiary, and the Sacred Sisters Wishing Well Fountain.   On the other side of the villa is the Gargoyle Wishing Well.   This informal area has a picnic blanket and goodie basket available for couples who want to linger.              

Another romantic area can be found at the bottom of the hill behind the villa.   There is a patio for dancing and a nearby stone ruin to explore and enjoy.   The ruin is situated on the coast so watch out for the sea gulls.   The sounds of the crashing surf, however, are wonderfully relaxing.  

            A Tuscan Summer feels so real I expect to meet Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci on my next visit.

Grey Lupindo