Achill Island: A Touch of Irish Charm

Yesterday I did a bit of a walkabout on the grid.  Translation: I was profile perving and finding places that I have never heard of or thought they sounded interesting.  

Achill Island was in the 8th profile I had perved..I mean, checked out. and it just sounded so charming, quaint, and adorable that I had to take a peek.  I'm really glad I did that.  It has this sweet, charming feel of it, that was reminiscent of Ireland.    Designed and landscaped by the talented Minnie Atlass, she captures the feel, colors, and atmosphere of the Irish countryside in vivid detail.  

As you will see in the photos, it is set up with rolling hills, a peaceful and relaxing pond, and the cliffs are rugged and dramatic looking, similar to what you would find in Ireland.

Photographers are welcome but this is also a private home for Ziggy Duster and Grace Sixpence, who are gracious enough to open their land and share, so respect for their private areas, please.

Somewhere in Time: A Winter Classic

The holiday season is fast approaching us, with its cold winds, snowflakes dancing in the air, and the unleashing of genius imaginations of so many talented landscapers and decorators.  I love this time of year across the grid, simply because it lets these brilliant and accomplished individuals, a time to show us what really makes second life such an amazing place.
At the Somewhere in Time sim, Quinn Holsworthy and Chelsea Rae are two such talented and gifted individuals.  They have created a winter and holiday classic theme, that shines from one corner of the sim to the other.  The atmosphere of the sim is that of a vintage holiday postcard, with each area melding and blending with the other seamlessly.
The sim is not just a cornucopia of sights and visions for photographers, but a dedication to the winter season for all of those who love this time of year.

Happy Halloween Athenaeum

Well, I am down to my last post for Halloween, on Halloween Eve, no less.  I think it is fitting that it is Athenaeum that is the last post.  A sim that is fully done up for this day, in particular, that achieved a perfect sense of the eeriness and a bit of the macabre in their decor.  They went with a more classic, vintage-style, which is very well suited for this season and then added the perfect touches to bring an atmosphere that is almost palatable, on their sim. 
If you have any last minute photo work that you wished to do, this sim has been set up to be a visual treat that is quite photographic, with a number of areas for you to visit, enjoy, and get your Halloween spirit into the mood.

All Hallows At Moochi

As you and the other kids watch the town elder taking a seat at the bench, the sounds of the soft crackling of the bonfire and the soft whispering of the wind through the leaves fill the air.  The crisp air scented with the smell of decaying leaves and the acrid scent from the bonfire lends to the Autumn atmosphere and a sense of excitement slides up and down your spine in anticipation of the upcoming story.  Sitting on the ground, at a safe distance from the crackling sparks of the fire, but close enough to feel the heat, our young eyes watched with eagerness as our eldest member of our community cleared his throat and took one more sip of his warmed apple cider before beginning his story of local hauntings.Visiting Moochi and seeing the different little spots where you can sit and gather, brought the memories of previous Halloweens back to me with perfect clarity.  I could wax on and on about the detail, style, and how wonderful everything looks but for brievity, let's just saying it's breathtaking and completely amazing.  It is found on the SL's Top Haunting Tour & Hunt list and if you only visit one place, let it be this place.

Labyrinth of Darkness

Do you love the thoughts of walking through the dark, foggy night with your senses on overdrive, waiting for something to jump out at you?  Does the Halloween season send thrives and chills up and down your spine in anticipation?  Does your heart race at that suspicious bump in the night?  Well, it does for me and for many others, who love to decorate and celebrate the season. 
At Labyrinth of Darkness, you will see the season's attitude and atmosphere captured perfectly, with a nice mix of humor, as well.  They are one of the stops of this years SL Top Haunted places & hunt.  If you have not had a chance to check them out, go check them out because they are here for only a limited time.

The Peace of Glenrosa

Autumn is a season filled with a myriad of different hues of colors and we are reminded by the cooling weather that winter is not far now.  Seeing all the different blogs dedicated to landscapes and destinations, I figured today I would actually do one that is not showing the autumn colors but instead is just a peaceful forest, filled with the colors of summer.  

Glenrosa is both peaceful and serene, though, with the right wind lighting, you can deepen those colors and create even an ominous backdrop for your photo work, depending on your mood.  As you will see in my photos that I grabbed, while at the sim, I used several different windlight settings to give different atmospheres to my photography.

The sim is well thought out, well designed with a solid eye towards each section blending in with the other, creating a seamlessness in your visual experience.  It is a sim well worth the tp over to check it out.

Mesmeric Cove

As you step down from the train, the steam escaping from under the train is blown away by the cool brisk breeze, which tussles your hair and blows it across your face.  Both hands weighed down with a suitcase, you whip your head to the side, attempting to clear your vision.  As the strands are once more blown, this time out of your face, you get your first clear view of where you have stopped.  The train platform looks like it is from a time long gone, and there is a crisp, earthy scent of decaying leaves tickling your nose.  Glancing a little more to your left, you see in the distant, the faint shadows of buildings and the soft glow of light from some of their windows, dotting the landscape.  Tipping your head slightly to the side, you stand there studying scene in front of you, your inner voice whispering in your mind, "Now what have you gotten yourself into, this time?"  The better question though should be, can you unlock the history and mysteries of Mesmeric Cove.

The Ippos Collective: Nymphai

This is the 3rd installment of the Ippos Collective, the Nymphai sim.  The best way to describe this sim is to think of an old town charm, with rustic cabins and campsites through it, along with corner stores to add charm and appeal and dirt paths to wander down.  There are areas where campers can gather together, to catch up and enjoy each others company, along with a landscaping that begs to be seen.  They have a corral for horses, so if you are a horse enthusiast, they are set up for you very well and pets are allowed here. This sim is set up for you to literally walk around it and is connected to the other sims, so if you are on a horse, you have a wonderful ride ahead of you here.
There are residents here as well, so heavy emphasis on respecting their areas is a must and is also home to 2 larger events, The Secret Affair and Enchantment.

**I went to visit the last of the 4 sims and was going to do a post on it as well, but realized after I landed, it is even more residential than any of the other sims.  I am uncertain on how open it really is so I will not be doing a post on that one, due to privacy concerns.**

The Ippos Collective: Ippos

This is the 2nd sim, in the Ippos Collective, the Ippos sim itself.  Filled with idyllic views of amazing forests, beautiful paths to follow, and plenty of open spaces to enjoy, it's home to quite a few SL photographers, according to the Ippos website. 
The whole sim is in full autumn bloom, with falls palette painting your view with vibrant colors and amazing opportunities for photos.  Each area is filled with wonderful discoveries, each one was done with a very critical eye for the most minute detail. 
As mentioned, there are residents on this sim, so respect to the residents is emphasized, which is understandable.

The Ippos Collective: Pegasoi

While looking through lm's and different links from friends, I came across a link called the Ippos Collective.  I had not heard of it before so I popped over to see for myself what I would find.

At this time of the year, I am normally looking for fall/Halloween style sims and on Pegasoi, which is where I landed, I found a small section with some fall, with the remaining portion of the sim in an amazing fantasy landscape style.  Impressive is a good word to describe Pegasoi, since it is done in a manner that gives you a visual feel of being somewhere quite ethereal.

Normally, before I start clicking photos, I do research on the sims.  I find out what inspired them, how things are set up and basically get a general feel for the sim.  I'll be honest, Pegasoi was so pretty, I just started clicking away happily and found out later that there is not 1, but 4 sims to enjoy, hence the "Collective" part of their name.

Due to the fact that each sim is amazing in its own right, I will be doing 4 separate posts for the Ippos Collective.  Pegasoi is the first of the series.

As you can see, there are areas where the season is reflected on this sim.

The Illustrious Linden Mole

As many of us know, especially the older residents, the Linden Moles are those employees from Linden Lab, who are responsible for setting up and maintaining the mainland.  They terraformed, landscaped, and created the web work of roads, that go through the entire mainland.  They are rarely seen, but you know that at least someone put all those roads, linden trees and the buildings up that is on Linden public land.
What many may not realize is that they also have a sim that they live on.  Yup, there are roads there, along with a center square, a pub, and quite a few residences, many with the name of the mole or, in one case, the Linden who lives there.  The other fun fact is that this is all open to residents who may want to drop in, visit and take a look around. The sim is called Meauxle Bureaux, which is a bit of a mouth full when you try to say it, but it's worth at least one visit, even if it's to cure your curiosity on if the moles really exist.

The alluring draw of Pacifica

In the last couple of weeks, I have heard several people request for underwater areas to take photos.  The original intent today was to find the Halloween area that is being set up over at Pacifica, but alas, that was not open yet.
As I stood on the dock, debating on looking around, I noted their diving gear and signage about an underwater area.  Unable to resist the urge to peek, I slide under the blue waves near the pier to find a breathtaking underwater world open up to me.  As I moved further through the water, I found many areas of wonderful beauty, just waiting to be discovered.  With thriving aquatic life surrounding me and a landscaping set up to amaze you, I started to feel the draw and pull of the sim as it showed me it's beautiful layers of visual treasures.

The sweet sounds of Melody

I should first confess that I love fall.  The colors, sounds, smells, and the feeling of a cool breeze on my cheek, are all things that make fall one of the most amazing seasons for me.  I'm a lover of all things that happen during this season, including the landscaping and decorations that are done on the grid, during this time of the year.
This next sim is called Melody and they put together an amazing visual of the season on their land.  As I walked through, I could almost feel that cool breeze caressing my cheek and hear the crisp crunching sound of the leaves under my boots.  Photographically, they put together a treat for the eye, in the way they blended the colors together in their landscaping.  I highly recommend popping over and enjoying the hard work that went into this sim.