Land Of Sleeping Giants

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

 
If you are looking for a diversion from shopping and holiday decorations have an adventure for the day take a ride over to Land Of Sleeping Giants. 

 

The installation is that of AmandaT Tamatzui. She is a well known artist with many installations in the past and art works seen in exhibits and her own galleries.

The island is full of engaging scenes and interactive fun. But right nearby is a train station that will take you all around the island and up the mountain on tours. Don’t miss that!. Inside the station are tickets for the train and the Cable Car. While you are there you can rezz a boat to take a tour around the island on water too. Amanda had help from many people to do this installation . You can see all the helpers at the station also.

“Kia Ora Tātou, This is my love project, dedicated to my new homeland of New Zealand also known as 'land of the long white cloud' Sleeping Giants was born, inspired by Te Mata Peak's Sleeping Giant in Hawkes Bay, NZ. TY Rascal for donating this region.“ is Amanda’s description of her work. RL inspirations are always good , especially if one can never get there in person. The Sleeping Giants are up on the mountain facing out to the world. To get a great look cam out.

Across from the station there is an elegantly arranged garden containing diverse lovely flowers and plants with bunnies and other animals scattering around on the ground. Down below you can see many of Amanda’s colorful art set out . Do not miss the Butterfly cave . Amanda has activities going on . I was able to attend a dance party on the volcano (which she covered with water ) It was fun! There is a Riddle hunt going on if you can make time. Look for pages as you wander . Some gifts are there too. If you find all 8 pages you will get a big prize. You will see the info on a poster at the station.

After my tours and walking about I was enticed to stop into the Cafe too inviting to miss! Great Menu on the wall and Lemon tea was my choice. I took it outside to sit in the New Zealand air. Visit while you can. Accept the experience. Vixen Point

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vixen%20Point/120/200/38

 

The installation will be there until January

 

After the party I went over to the Christmas Expo for the American Cancer Society where Patch Linden had gathered a hoard of Moles for picture taking time. I managed to be able to take a few photos while crashing out in between .

 

When I arrived most of the Moles and visitors were mostly naked with backwards faces lol. Quartz was in good shape so I took one photo of him.

 

Finally I was able to get to sit with Patch and get a good photo and make a donation to the cause before I crashed out again. Squeaky tried to help but he was having rezzing issues also . It was all great fun. I might use this for my Christmas card.

Gemma Cleanslate
 

Mount Campion National Park

 
By Gemma Cleanslate

Since the Nature Collective had an update to their hud that takes one to a recommended nature place, I went over to the headquarters to pick one up. I forgot to mention that there is a hunt beginning July 18 at the member sites. I think I will do that. I did a little more exploring and wandered onto the Rainwashed Soul on the property. I had stopped by on my first visit but did not peruse what is offered there.

Standing in the rain just listening to the sounds of nature is soothing. I entered the little A frame shelter and discovered that there is directed meditation. I spent some time sitting and entering into the spirit of it and found it more than relaxing. There is a helping notecard there on meditation also. Stop there to delve into it.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Muslin/137/21/131

After that experience I walked out of the headquarters and found myself on Route 3. I decided to take a car ride on the road and headed east. I did not get far when I found myself at a Smokey Bear sign.

I discovered I was at Mount Campion National Park. I gathered the information offered and read about the park and its caverns. I discovered, ”Mount Campion Caves National Forest is over 150,000 sq meters of beautiful parkland, landscaped to look like a natural mountain park. It has the largest natural caves and caverns. Above ground are miles of scenic trails through natural canyons and forests. There is hiking, horseback riding, camping, and photography. and cabin rentals. Located on the slopes of Mount Campion, the highest mountain in SL on the beautiful Heterocera mainland continent. You can roam for weeks! “ This is one of the members of the Nature Conservatory.

I set off up the road and found a horse rezzer for public use of visitors. One can also use the Segway that is available at the entrance. Instead of rezzing one I brought my own horse out and continued up the trail that continued upwards on the mountain through the forest. Before I ventured too far I stopped at the Nature Center and went in to check it out. Interesting educational displays and projects are going on in the building and outside. I learned that Hiroko Nubalo takes care of the center with help from the mascot.

As I continued on my roaming I found good signage directing one to various sites to visit. The roads and trails are so numerous as I traveled up and up and up. It is amazing. I passed some of the camp sites and cabins off the road and finally reached the Caverns.

That is another site here that will take ages to explore but is well worth it. I spent some time on the rocky pathways in to the caves and found a lovely statue at one point. It would be easy to get lost in there I bet. You are recommended to give information to someone before entering the caverns just in case. The underground extends over three regions.

I took several trips to the forest after my first and I reached the peak when I found myself at a Gazebo way up on top. There are lovely rental homes summit that have wonderful views of the world around the mountain. The map is so helpful showing the rentals, trails and teleport locations. You CAN roam for weeks!!

Another day I went to the other entrance that is off of Route 6 on the other side of the mountain. This entrance is definitely more of a challenge than the one off Route 3.

There are three rangers at Campion, Scott and Maggie North and Hex Shining North Star (hextar Resident) who help out with activities and on the mountain. I met Maggie and the mascot, ?Maddison?Angel?NÔrth (lunaroseus Resident) who is the daughter of Scott and Maggie and also helps out. I will be visiting again. 

Activities taking place at various sites in the park: ballet dancing, belly dancing, several parties during the weeks with 80’s music and more. A lovely spa set into the mountainside offers calm and solace in the sauna there. With the forest all around there is a soothing effect just walking along the trails and waterfalls and rambling brooks abound.

I stopped off at the rental office just to take a peek at what is available. The owner of this magnificent site is Marz (Mar Scarmon) who says it all on her profile, “The forest embraces me, It encloses me and shelters me from harshness, Its soft greens and browns soothe my aches, And I slumber relieved while dreaming of primordial things.”

I was going to ask her about her reason for the park but I did not have to after reading this on her profile. I have not met her yet in my travels. There is no way to do justice to all that one can do or see at this marvelous mountain here. To get to Campion take this ride to the Route 3 entrance. Get all the information from the Squirrel. You will find shortcuts to various sites you might want to visit. I say just walk and discover.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Highflyer/40/248/122

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Mount Campion Park

By Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life has a number of parks. But not many have you going through a system of caves or up a mountat. At Mount Campion Caves National Forest, you can do both.

WELCOME to Mount Campion Caves National Forest!  This place is open to the polite public, come and explore the caves, forests, canyons, and trails.  Mount Campion is the highest point in mainland second life, the National Forest property occupies the southeast slope of Mount Campion.  
 

The landmark I was given took me to a spot a few hundred meters high. There were trails going a few different ways. One was to a cave entrance, where a sign told me "there are numerous chambers and tunnels ... they are not all easy to see."

I saw a few paintings on the rock inside that looked as if they were done by cavemen.

The cavern led downward, and like the paths on the outside, the tunnels led a few different ways, sometimes passing waterfells and stalactite and stalagmite formations.

 I did come across one room that appeared man-made with a wheelbarrow that led to the outside. Another exit led to a fountain and garden area.

A third would lead to a bridge high above the ground below. A friend with me at the time remarked she felt dizzy looking down.

Going about the trails, there was quite a bit of detail in places. The water rippled and bubbled as it flowed. The trees, flowers, and other plants were quite detailed.

In one place, a fox moved about.

There were a few cuddle spots and campfires here and there.

There was also a party area complete with a couples dance ball, and a fountain and statue in the middle.

It had quite a few over the side.

One needed to be careful in places on the trail as it was easy to stumble and fall down the side of the mountain.

One branch of the trails would lead down one side of the mountain down to a mainland road, Route Six, where there was an official-looking National Forest sign.

At various places, there were rental cabins one could pay for the use of. Most I saw along the trails were rented out. They were of various sizes from small to medium.

At the very top of the mountain, around 350 meters, were a number of other cabins. Unlike others, these were not accessible to others not in the group, and there were few spots there I could go without running into yellow ban lines or warning signs to leave or be booted. No one sticking to the trails has to worry about them as I didn't see one that goes to the mountain top.

It's unknown if Mount Campion really is the highest spot on the mainland. But few mountains in Second Life come close to it in size, and I can't recall any with this kind of detail and cavern network.

Most times I visited, there were others looking around, occasionally talking to one another in voice chat. For those whom find it inconvenient to go to a real mountain park, this place in Second Life offers a lot to see.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Campion/152/94/302

Bixyl Shuftan

The First Sims: Stanford

By DrFran Babcock


Stanford is the fourth sim to come on line in Second Life™. I have to confess that I don’t think I have ever visited there until this article. Two big parcels are for sale on the sim, rendering it half the size of most sims, and there are a few ban lines on some of the properties.

Ban Lines

I will use this opportunity to opine about ban lines a bit. I…hate…them. Hey, ban line people, the moment that I see them, I use my camera to look into the place that is blocked out. Just because folks think they are important enough to believe they can have privacy in Second Life™ doesn’t mean they should make things ugly. Ban lines interfere with transportation and movement in general here, and I oppose them simply for that reason. Please don’t use ban lines. Especially, do not use the kind of banlines/security I encountered on Stanford. This security device sent me home a few times before I had time to fly away, which I found quite rude.
Anyone who wants access to you can figure a way to get it, and you disturb the serenity of nomadic people like me when you use them.

Rant over: We now return you to our regularly scheduled history.

History of Stanford

Before Jessie, Stanford was one of the weapons sims, or the Outlands as they were called. This all got changed when Stanford, along with Federal, Hawthorne, Shipley, and part of Clyde were changed to residential sims. This happened in 2003, a long time ago, in Second Life’s™ timeline, way before most of us remember. Since this time Stanford has been home to Annie Butlers residence, and to the Stanford mountain. Most of the rest of the island has changed often.

Stanford Mountain exists thanks to  the benefit of being able to terraform the early sims to great heights. The peak of the mountain overlooks the whole sim, and provides a relaxing break from the stresses of everyday Second Life™. There is a nice old-school bench there to sit and ponder your next build project, relationship, or whatever. The really striking feature of the mountain is the stream and waterfall that meanders down the mountain, and was build by Jake Cellardoor, whose profile said that he is ten years old! Jake is responsible form much of the parklands and the waterfall on Clementina. One of the lessons I am learning is that there are a handful of old-timers who are devoted to preserving, creating, and maintaining the beauty of the mainland.

Annie Butler’s residence is clearly based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water. It is perched to the south of Stanford Mountain at the base of the falls, and was built by old-timer Juro Kothari, who is also my neighbor on Varney. Sadly, he is never around.

I recommend highly that you go and visit this house. Remember that it was built before the era of sculpts, flexiprims, and mesh. Yet, it is a beautiful representation of the Arts and Crafts movement in architecture and furnishings. The look is timeless, luxurious and earthy all at the same time. Outside there is a deck with many lounges, and an ultra-modern infinity pool. If you don’t know what that means, you will have to go look. The house is open for wandering, and it actually would make a nice date outing. Don’t miss the works of art, the hot tub, or the very necessary kitchen.

I had thought to contact Annie and ask her about her time on Stanford, and her lovely home, but it seems that her profile makes it plain that she is now committed to medieval role-playing, and has left her previous second life behind. One of the reasons I love Second Life™ is that you can be whatever you want to be, and change your course at any time. I respected her desire to not be contacted.

The last public building on the island is a lighthouse—one of the icons of Second Life™. It is on group land owned by the aforementioned Annie Butler and two other people. It is a simple build, well-executed by a younger resident: Sandy Clymer, of Pillow Talk fame. You can teleport to the tower to have some more views.

For Sale

The three plots for sale on Stanford are large and pricey. One is 10,240 meters squared and costs 62,000 Lindens; the next is 8,416 meters squared and costs 51,000 Lindens, and a tiny plot of 160 square meters is a pittance at 15,995 Lindens.

None of these plots have water access, and all are very expensive, but reflect the historical value of the land, and the almost limitless terraforming. The one plot that was on the water that was not for sale, but for rent was attractive.

So What?

As I conclude the fourth visit to the first sims I am struck again by how little history has been preserved. I was pleased to find that much of the topography of Stanford remains unchanged, but there is little of the old sim that is identified or recognized. I know there are history museums in Second Life™, and many places that have information about the past, but I wouldn’t want to go visit the Alamo in Michigan, and I don’t want to see have no place to go to see the roots of this world that I love.

Visit Stanford: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stanford/128/128/2

DrFran Babcock

Seasons of the Witch

Recently I traveled to the Witches Forest to view an art exhibit called Seasons of the Witch. The pieces promised to "explore the soul and spiritual side of life, whether it be 'real life' or 'second life'." The sim is dedicated to the ancient art of Wicca, or "white magic."

Arriving at the TP point, I encountered a dimly lit gallery lined with various art work. In the center was a pavilion of sorts with a bright white cone of light shining straight up. Taking time to rez, I slowly made my way through the exhibit. In the pavilion was a poster depicting the Wiccan pentacle. This explains the various elements of the "religion." These five elements are invoked during many magical rituals, notably when consecrating a magic circle. The five elements are Air, Fire, Water and Earth, plus Aether (or Spirit), which unites the other four elements.

Most of the art spoke to the deeper, inner meanings of life. Most all featured moving imagery with printed inspirational words which we all can live by, whether Wiccan or not.

Following the path, I found a quite magical place filled with beauty and nature. I followed the signs for the Witches Fountain which led me to a sparkling fountain in the midst of a shopping area with kiosks lining the pathway. This is the most commercial aspect of the sim I quickly discovered.

Continuing in my journey through this strange and mystical place, I began following signs for the Witches Mountain. Along the way, I encountered many beautiful sights filled with spectacular color. The path seemed endless but I trudged onward. I finally arrived at a large volcanic void which seemed to be above the entire gallery and kiosks. The view was amazing and nearby was a mountain lake with a lone duck swimming in it.

As I have always been drawn to the idea of Wicca, this was time well spent. I'm sure all will enjoy the meaningful art and amazing, colorful landscape.

Shellie Sands