A Winter Wonderland

Getting past the trite post title in 3, 2, 1 ...

The thought of decorating the Isle of Lesbos for Christmas left me apprehensive and depressed for some reason. Then events fell in place and before I knew it, I was done. Mostly. My Big Sister Threshin started decorating the landing area at IOL (SLurl; Women Only). Then she asked me to decorate at the ice skating pond, an area I first created when the Isle completed a sim server upgrade. I love this part of the resort despite the little use it has seen and not because I built it. If anyone else had built this same space I would enjoy it just as much for the tranquility, the quality, and the sense of great area in a small space.

The last event and the one that made the decorating a real joy was an Instant Message from another Lucky Kitty Crew (Web) member. A day or so earlier she had offered a free winter carousel to the first person in our group to contact her. I had just missed it at the time but when she got in touch with me she said she had found another and would let me have it. I was happy, expecting a simple affair probably suitable for a fireplace mantle at most. What I got was an extra large, extra grand piece that has become the focal point for the skating pond.

"Mostly," you may be wondering? I'm never done. I'd like to rework the hang glider area near the falls to the jungle. I found better snow angel animations. The pond could be bigger. Like any project I'm not really finished. I tweak and poke and prod at different times in an effort to keep the area (or any of my builds) fresh and interesting.

Art Sale @ PoP

My shop, now named the PoP Department Store, is having a HUGE art sale at the Isle of Lesbos Mall location (SLurl) only from now until Monday. Pieces regularly priced at L$25 are now just L$10 each.

Vint Falken & Parody

The "Free Accounts Pricing & Policy Changes" post (Web) by Vint Falken today created a storm in the group I belong to in-world. The premise of limiting 'free' account in Second Life® caused nearly all the group IMs to bing-bing in with folks screaming all over.

Then I scrolled to the bottom of Vint's post and read the disclaimer and told the world. Didn't seem to matter much. Everyone kept screaming. Gotta love good parody.

The Homestead

Word is that my home will :::poof::: in less than a month. Nothing is permanent, but I guess this is as good as it gets. Every time I think of tweaking or remodeling I stop, thinking "this is perfect." At most I'll upgrade a texture or replace one plant with a better one. Some of the best plants are from the basic Linden inventory, especially the grasses. I use them in all my builds. And I like a touch of whimsy. That boulder over the falls is a re-textured Luskwood cat head. I sit on my tire swing for long stretches, watching the fishies in the pond and soaking in the mountain air.

A bit closer in shows my giant frog from Wynx Whiplash and my cuddle raft. Mystical lights appear over the pond at night and the butterflies come out with a glow. Most of my pictures of my land are from this angle. The only structure is a fabulous gazebo filled with pillows and snuggles. I'm not big on houses, but if you were to fly up from here you'd find my airship. It has a living area, bed, and more. There is an empty lot next to mine and a few days after these pictures were taken I added a castle from the same company that made the gazebo. Just for fun. No furniture inside. It just looks right. Maybe I'll post pix of it later.

Go West, young woman. And you'll find the sim edge. Filling the void with water is probably most economical means for Linden Labs to make the Grid but it is very unnatural. Okies, okies ... we live in a virtual world. I love my beach, but on the other two or three sides I'd like to see more land. Don't ask me to change this view, though. This is a great place to swim and dive (I have a coral reef) and just plain relax.

My wife/partner and I are building a sim that will be just as beautiful, but in ways very different from my home. "My home." Sorry, Angela. I know we have a skybox in Dreams that is Home and the new sim is Home, too, but you understand what this place means to me. Remember your land in Novi?

The Oasis of Lesbos

Visit the Oasis of Lesbos in Second Life ^® (SLurl) to see for yourself!