Borgo Vecchio Harbor

Today, I visited the Borgo Vecchio Harbor, which is an international Italian sim.  It is a well thought out and designed sim, which has a gorgeous harbor and attached fishing village, with quaint shops through the main square area, along with cute little cafes to sit and relax at.  There are two languages here, Italian and English, and the atmosphere has an open and airy feel to it.  The surrounding village is laid out in a manner that is easy to navigate and walk around, and there are rentals for boats and homes available here.  To moor your boat here, it will cost 200L a week, which is very reasonable and since they are located in the Nautilus Continent, you have sailable waters to enjoy.  If you don't rent here, you can still use their rezz zone to rezz out a boat, to go out and enjoy the surrounding waters.

The landscaping around the entire area is very scenic and laid out quite well, so from a photographic perspective, this is a perfect spot for photos for scenery and modelling, in my personal opinion.  If you are looking for a place to listen to some good music, like the blues, most days there is music available in the Square.  The group for the sim is free to join and they seem to be quite active, from what I saw.  I do recommend checking this charming sim out.  I found it to be not just incredibly charming but a very sweet place to relax and enjoy.

Sous les Oliviers

Sous les Oliviers introduction: 

As the theme of Tuscany, Sous les Oliviers is a place to relax, explore or simply admire the view, Sous les Oliviers is the ideal retreat. Every nook and cranny is designed to offer you an immersive and soothing experience, away from the hustle and bustle.

 After landing, I could see the resemblance and the inspiration of Tuscany in the design of the sim.  Ely, who was the designer of the sim, did capture the essence and beauty of Tuscany in the different areas, with the beautiful architecture of the buildings around the landscape, to the actual landscape throughout the sim.  I could almost smell the tantalizing and mouthwatering smells coming from the market, once more; which is how amazingly well Ely did with this build.

This sim is wonderful for exploring, fantastic for photography, and the serene and tranquil atmosphere that I found here, is amazing for just relaxing in.  

If you do take photos here, Sous les Oliviers does have their own flickr group, so please feel free to share.

The Quieting

*After a long hiatus, I'm back to doing the two things I love the most in SL, photography and traveling.  I'm going to be doing a little more this time, namely showing my traveling in SL, with different vehicles and some of the sites I see.  Those trips though will be shown on a blog dedicated to that traveling, which is called Second Life Travel Journal.  This blog though will be dedicated to what it has always done, which is destinations, since 2016.*

I think, for my first post is about The Quieting.  The amazingly talented and wonderful woman responsible for this sim is the same one that did Auld Lang Syne and The Forgotten, who goes by the name Elo.  I covered her first sim but sadly missed out on her second one.  Thankfully, I get the chance to cover her third installment.  

The sims theme is fantasy and she nails it beautifully, creating an atmosphere of peacefulness and a visual delight for the eyes, with scenic views that breathtaking.  If you are looking for a place to do photography, explore, or just relax in, The Quieting delivers all of that and more.  

The photos are a small taste of what is waiting for you at The Quieting.

A Love Letter to Mimmo

I admit I did mull over the title for a bit before I came to realize that I had fallen in love with this breathtakingly beautiful region.  As a photographer, I have seen many beautiful and creative places.  Each one that I have visited and posted about, took my breath away in some way, be it visually, emotionally, and/or spiritually.  Mimmo, to me, is a dedication to photographers and their photography.  Everywhere I looked, there was a photo opportunity waiting for you to click your camera and capture it.
Mimmo is owned by Eli Cord (Elise Sirnah), who is a talented photographer herself.  Her gallery shows her work off, giving examples from Mimmo itself, of beautiful works of art.  If you are wondering what Mimmo means, it's an Italian term of endearment for a child or baby, and you can see, this is her baby.  Every inch of the land is done with love and dedication for photography, from the stream that runs through the entire region to the soft rolling hills and the mountains.  You are invited to rest and relax, allowing you to let your creativity loose on the beautiful landscape.
For photographers who need to rezz, there is a group available to join, just remember to clean up after yourself when you are done.  There is also a Flickr group that you can join, to submit your work to, as well.
For once, I find that I just don't have enough words to describe this amazing place, so instead, I think I'll let my work show you.  My only hope is that I did Mimmo justice in my photos.

If you don't already know it, Jay T Muir updated and released a large pack of wl's that he had available in his blog for free.  He now has it packaged all together, so there is 26 wl's in one pack.  Most of my photos were taken with his wl's here, with the exception of the last one with the painting on the easel, which was taken with Ambient Realism.  The link is to his FB page, just scroll down a little way and you will find the post where he released them along with the download link.

Ville de Coeur

One of the things I have found to be inspiring is individuals creativity and the ability to bring real-life places, into Second Life.  People have recreated or been inspired by real-life places, building them on amazing, scenic regions and bringing them to life with their creativity.  Ville de Coeur is one of those places in Second Life.  It covers 7 regions, each one showing off the creativity and talent of its owners, Bedrick Panacek-Guisse(Bedrick Panacek) & Ayla Panacek-Guisse (Ayla Guisse).

Places like Ville de Colmar, Cote d'Azur in France, and Chateauneuf-en-Axios in Bourgogne, France, have been used as inspirations for creating this amazing network of regions. You will find beautiful villages dotting the rural landscapes, with little quaint shops and homes, tucked in between the mills, hills, and canals.

As you walk or drive through each region, you can see that everything has been built with an amazing eye for detail, with each region seamlessly connecting to the other region.  Whether you do the walking tour, ride in a carriage, or take the trolley tour, the experience is smooth and beautiful to behold.  If you don't want to use those methods of travel, there are bicycles and horses that you can borrow, where you can ride the many horse trails or ride your bike down the many roads and pathways that you will find in each region.  No matter which method of transportation you decide to go with, you will be offered a cornucopia of scenic views to enjoy along the way.

Ville de Coeur is also very active.  They hold events, dances, get-togethers; along with having rentals for both residents and shop owners.  The list is long, on the many things you can do and interact with.  The people who live here are warm and friendly, as are the owners of this amazing place.

I visited the different regions and took a sampling of photos, to give an idea of what awaits you at Ville de Coeur.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Edit:  I noted this after writing the article that Ville de Coeur also has a Flickr group for their regions.  If you take photos, please consider adding them to their group and sharing with them your experience there.

Up, Up, and Away!

The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall. Orville Wright

It's been a while since I had a chance to write in my blog.  Life likes to throw you some busy periods and I have had a long stretch of one.  Since I have had a little more time, I have been keeping myself busy finding some new and interesting things to do and see.  Through some friends, I was introduced to two amazing groups, GTFO(Get the Freight Out!) and Drivers of SL.

Through these groups, I have been exposed to some wonderful places on the mainlands, like Aniak Airfield.  While there, I was able to take some photos of the decorative skills of Syler Avon & Rurua, who are responsible for the amazing look and feel of Aniak Airfield, which is owned by Cinn Bouchard, the owner of the wonderful GTFO game.

The airfield is a fully functioning airfield, where you will see planes coming and going.  They have a monthly competition going on for the pilots, the Flyer of the Month and a system that is unique to their airfield, called a STOL runway landing sensor, which measures the accuracy of landings and take-offs.

As for the setup, the whole area is set up with a quaint rustic, vintage-style of feel to it.  All of it is tastefully done, including their little rental homes and parking/storage areas for your planes.  The entire airfield is not just well thought out but wonderfully put together, so there is consistency through the entire area.

For photographers, this is a fantastic area for vintage style photos and if you need to use a pose stand, you are able to do so here.  *Remember to clean up after you are done and keep in mind, there is active planes coming and going in this airfield.*

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.

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.

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: 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.