Second Life Places

Supporting Calas Galadhon

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1 Calas Galadhon in Spring

Spring has returned to Calas Galadhon Park so I had to pop over to pay it a visit. Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith never disappoint and the park is as lovely in spring as it was charming in winter.

One thing you may notice on your visit is that the donation kiosks have been changed to reflect a monthly target amount. As of May, Ty & Truck will have to reduce the amount they personally put toward the $1,485 US dollars cost for them to maintain the full 11 sims. Yes, you read that right. That is the total in US dollars they contribute monthly to make the park available to SL residents.

This means, in effect, that if donations don’t meet a certain level, part of the park may have to be closed.

If you visit Calas Galadhon and have a few Lindens to spare, please drop them into one of the kiosks on your favourite sim. Or split it between several sims if you are in love with more than one. They pool the money for the payment, but the donation kiosk you choose will help them decide which sims to keep and which to let go, if it comes to that. Because this park is so special I would hate to see any of it disappear, but as always, real life commitments often get in the way of our Second Life dreams so this decision is completely understandable. You can read more about this on the Calas Galadhon Park blog.

I chose this location to photograph because I have always loved this painting, The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano. Is it my favourite location at Calas Galadhon Park? Well, it is one of many. I made small donations on two of the sims, but I will be going back to add to that total. There are so many delightful spots in the park that I want to help preserve. Please, if you have a preference, head over to help out Ty and Truck. Even if you don’t have a favourite but do have a few extra Lindens tucked away for a rainy day, this is a wonderful way to help support these two people who have given so much beauty to the residents of our virtual world.

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Umbrella: *BOOM* Rain no rain umbrella. -lemon- by Aranel Ah (gacha prize at The Arcade March 2014)
Top: Tee*fy Marlene Blouse Lemon/offShoulder by Azure Electricteeth (available at Collabor88 March 2014)
Skirt: (Milk Motion) silk skater skirt – white/black by Marie Lauridsen (available at Collabor88 March 2014)
Necklace: Maxi Gossamer – MG Necklace – Patience – Heart Watch Pendant – Long – GOLD by Maxi Gossamer
Shoes: KIM-Mia S.Heel-(Requires Slink Feet)-Yellow by Kimberly Flagon (purchased at Slink West)
Hair: *ARGRACE* MIZUKI – Red by rika Oyen
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Bare Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Eye Makeup: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Smokey Eyes by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Mid by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Pose: aDORKable Poses: Attitude 1 by Adorkable Peapod

Location: Calas Galadhon

Ramblings Of A Smiling Blogger

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1 It all starts with a smile

I took a day off of my world travels to visit a familiar location, It all starts with a smile. I have loved this sim since I first saw it about a year ago. Owners Kaelyn Alecto and Maxxster Resident have generously opened it to the public and it is refreshed seasonally. It is a lovely, whimsical place with rolling hills, paths to wander and all sorts of adorable and surprising vignettes around every corner. I thought about doing a full photo shoot of the sim, but to be honest, I was tired and that just taxes my little brain too much. I do love taking landscape photos, but it is not an easy task for me. Too much thought has to go into camera angles and lighting for it to be relaxing. So in order to just kick back and enjoy myself, I just shot a couple of selfies 😉

Before I started shooting I had sent an IM to my blogger mate, Cougar Sangria, who had mentioned she had been trying desperately to get the black hair pack from Exile in this round of The Arcade. Being a redhead, I naturally had it tucked in my inventory, gathering dust and in need of a good brushing. I offered it to her and we ended up trading – she got her coveted black hair and I ended up with the dark reds. We chatted a bit, discussed the need for a Gacha Anonymous group in world and then parted our ways, both intent on finishing work on our blog posts.

That got me to thinking. I have become friendly with several bloggers in Second Life, but with very few exceptions I have only met a few in person, and then only when bumping into them while shopping or when doing a blog-related photo. While I continue to have conversations with many of these amazing people via blog comments, I haven’t yet really gotten to know them well in the world we all call home and report on pretty much daily.

I admit that I have become more solitary while I am in Second Life since I started blogging. Or perhaps I started blogging in part because I had begun to spend more time alone. While I used to be at home pretty much just to change clothes before hanging out at a club or going shopping, it is now where you will find me most of the time. I do visit other places more frequently now, but I am almost always on my own and there for the express purpose of taking photographs.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. I DJ two sets a week which forces me to be social and I almost always have fun. The times I enjoy it less are when the crowd is quiet, more content to keep their conversations in private. I like to entertain – to get the group involved in local chat, laughing and teasing, picking up on a song that they might like to keep them involved. So I can’t say that I am an isolationist. But my days of just hanging around with a lot of people for the sake of being around others has passed.

Last night was one of those nights when I had a really fun time DJing. The crowd wasn’t big, but they were engaged and I laughed and chatted all night. There was rarely a pause in the chatter, which was quickly filled by someone making a joke or comment which started the group talking again and I found myself grinning all evening.

I have rambled a lot in my post today. I didn’t have a clue what I would write when I sat down to blog. But like so many others I publish, it all started with a smile.

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Top: Tee*fy Basic Tucked Tank Sand by Azure Electricteeth
Jeans: Maitreya Zipper-Skinny Jeans * S #3 by Onyx LeShelle
Boots: {Sleepy Eddy} Engineer Boots (Brown) by Metro Moonwall (gacha prize)
Necklace: Cae :: Promise :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Earrings & Ring: Cae :: Promise :: Earrings & Ring by Caelan Hancroft
Holster bag: ANE Holster Bag Brown 01 Leather by Anemysk Karu (available at The Chapter Four)
Headband: *LODE* Headwear – Boohoo [dry grass] by Chirzaka Vlodovic (gacha prize at The Chapter Four)
Hair: *ARGRACE* MIZUKI – True Red by rika Oyen (New release)
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Eye Makeup: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Smokey Eyes by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand applier:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink HandApplier SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Pose: Eternal Dream Poses – *ED* Runway Love 09 by Fata Boa

Location: It all starts with a smile

Hello SoCal, Goodbye .::Vivid::.

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1 Vivid Closing Sale

I really wanted to be one of the first people who showed photos of this gorgeous sim, SoCal, but I got stuck in the jumping castle and a lot of people have beaten me to it. I’m not going to worry about it though – it is a fun sim that does catch the vibe of Southern California. I lived there for almost a year and while it wasn’t the best year of my life and I would never move back again, it is a great place to visit.

Now I can do it from the comfort of my desk chair instead of traveling 13 hours to get there 😉

It has it all…gacha stalls and stores (still filling up), a bands shell, a ferris wheel and yes, a jumping castle, cliffs, beach and of course, a pier. It was rather busy while I was there with people hanging out on the beach and checking out the gacha goodies. It is a fun sim and I have no doubt it will continue to be a destination for photographers.

I am wearing an outfit from .::Vivid::., which is sadly going out of business on March 2. Everything in the store will be at least half price – with some items as low as 25L. It is a great time to go and stock up on casual clothes (a lot of them with colour-change HUDs), makeup, Slink nail appliers and shapes. I want to thank Honey Bernandes, the designer, for allowing me to blog for her over the past several months. Some of my most fun-loving posts have been shot while wearing her clothes (cleaning house, fighting off zombies, trying to get to the North Pole).

Honey will keep her Marketplace store, so she is not disappearing from the grid completely. I wish her the best and hope that things settle down in real life that she might be able to come back from time to time with something new to delight us!

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

*Top & Skirt: VIVID – Little Mix Outfit by Honey Bernandes (CLOSING MARCH 2)
*Hat: JfL Hats – Plains hat V.2 worn white, mesh by Johnfrancis Laville
Boots: ::HH:: Hucci Akita Suede Boots by Eboni Khan
Necklace: Cae :: Promise :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Earrings: Cae :: Promise :: Earrings by Caelan Hancroft
Ring: Cae :: Promise :: Ring by Caelan Hancroft
Hair: Amacci Hair Nicky ~ Sangria by Carina Larsen
Nail polish: Izzie’s – Slink Avatar Enhancement – FINGERNAILS (metallic) by Izzie Button
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Eye Makeup: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Smokey Eyes by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Medium by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Pose: {Imeka}Kirsty-Pose 7 by NatiWilliams

Location: SoCal