And We Walked!

On Sunday, November 13, 2016, a group of adventurers set out on a walk via the train tracks in southern Heterocera. The walk was a lot of fun and was without incident, except for a few of us falling off or through the tracks in Lutra. (Who does one report holes in the tracks to anyway? The moles? The SLRR group?) Ziki and I had not told anyone where we were headed, and the group seemed surprised and delighted to end up at the D-Lab train station in Poecila.

But by far the most delightful surprise was the fact that D-Lab owner Dazai Voom had created a group gift especially for us! I had told him we'd be walking along the SLRR tracks, so for the gift he designed a steam train engine-shaped pipe, with smoke coming out of the chimney (see picture at left). A huge thank you to Dazai for his creativity and generosity! The pipe is still available in the group gift area of the main shop and sky garden. You simply need to join the D-Lab group to pick up your very own pipe! D-Lab, about which I wrote here, is a delightful place, and well worth a visit in any case.

If you'd like to join us for further adventures, please visit our home, Cael Ystafell, and click the group joiner near the blue sign (see below). We will post notices about future walks there, and group chat is a good way to stay connected while walking! We'd love to have a really large group join us next time, and who knows what mischief we might get into and what new adventures we might find! 

Until then, keep exploring, and keep walking!

"And I Would Walk 500 Miles..."

A question: would any of you lovely readers be interested in taking periodic group walks across the Mainland? Ziki and are planning to organize just such a walk in November, and we hope to have YOU join us! Plan on fun and silliness as we explore the vast expanses of the Second Life Mainland together! 

The first walk will be held on Sunday, November 13 from 2-2:30 PM SLT.

We will start on Rte. 5 in front of Cael Ystafell, our home on Heterocera, and walk along the tracks of the Second Life Railroad, ending at a super sekrit location for fun and merriment!



When I was a little girl, my grandmother often took me for walks on the nearby railroad tracks. We'd walk, chat, stop to pick blueberries and have picnics. I have several sets of railroad tracks near my home in first life, and I still enjoy those kinds of walks. So, while there are many Mainland roads we could explore in the future, I decided to take advantage of the tracks near our house, and start there! If you'd like to walk with us, please contact me inworld or by email at kinnaird.fiachra@gmail.com...or just show up! We'll have a group joiner for any future adventures set up at the starting point.

We'd love to have LOTS of people joining in on the fun - imagine a whole gaggle of avatars walking the SLRR rails! To get you in the mood, here's a clip from one of my favorite cheesy 80's movies, "Benny and Joon," set to The Proclaimers "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". We hope to see you in November!

Cael Ystafell

Earlier this summer, Ziki and I decided to purchase a large parcel of Mainland on the Atoll, and we named it Cael Ystafell (pronounced "cal EES-ta-fell"). To landscape the parcel, we enlisted the help of Isa Messioptra, skilled designer, landscaper, and owner of the fabulous Crestwick Island. We couldn't be more thrilled with her work. Creating the illusion of privacy on a Mainland parcel takes a lot of skill, and Isa managed the challenge with grace and style, right down to the view from every window in the house. For the curious, Cael Ystafell is Welsh for "get a room!" Ziki and I have been heckled in first life during visits to cities all up and down the East Coast of the US, so we thought it appropriate. ;)

When you arrive at the landing point, you'll be instructed to drop your draw distance to 50m. The parcel is located on the southeastern coast of Heterocera, and is nestled between Route 5, the Second Life railroad (SLRR), and the Coastal Waterway. Yavascript pod tour H3 - the Heterocera Atoll Coast tour - passes the entrance to Cael Ystafell, pictured below, which is off of Route 5. To the left of the photo you can see where the SLRR runs along the Western edge of the parcel. We can launch boats from our beach, from which we can sail along the Coastal Waterway. It's a great spot, and I'm very thankful to Ziki for finding it.

I'm really happy with how the parcel turned out, and we held a small Open House on August 13th to celebrate. The parcel media plays Radio Dismuke, so the party-goers danced to early jazz music and explored our home. One of the things I heard over and over during the party was, "I can't believe this is Mainland!" Haveit Neox commented, "In the notecard, it says this is mainland? It looks amazing! I love the way you've furnished the house. And the views from the windows! The window in the nook with the driftwood chandelier... what an gorgeous view onto the woods. This is really a treat to see. I'm so happy you both have this really special home. Mainland... who would have guessed!"

Please feel free to visit Cael Ystafell and wander around. You are welcome to enter and explore the house; we just ask that you be respectful and holler a hello if we are home. :) Explore the woods near the train tracks and the beach below the cliffs. Catch a passing pod and go on a tour of the Heterocera coast, or hop a train and see what interesting spots you can find along the SLRR tracks. I love how connected the parcel is to so many ways to explore the land. It was our hope that this place would show people the beauty that is possible on the Mainland, and encourage more people to discover that for themselves!

Mainland Really Does Matter, or Why Kinn Has Not Been Blogging

I've not done a lot of blogging this month - first, because I was on vacation in Ireland, and second, because Ziki and I decided we should put our money where my mouth is, and we purchased a very large parcel of Mainland on the Atoll. The photo below, left, shows the parcel at the time of purchase, and right, after the very fabulous Isa Messioptra did a fair amount of landscaping for us. 

The parcel is not quite ready for visitors, mainly because we are still working on decorating the interior of the house and adding details to the land. Below, Ziki can be seen working on the interior decorating in her own, unique way. ;) It has been an awful lot of fun exploring what is in our inventories to find what might work here.

Below, you can see a glimpse of what this place will look like once it is finished. The trio of wooden elephants was a housewarming gift from Cica Ghost, and the only item, besides the house, that we told Isa she had to incorporate into the landscaping. The more time I spend here, the more I love it, and it is already starting to feel like home. Stay tuned for a more complete post once the parcel itself is more complete. We are excited about the opportunity to show everyone that a beautiful and welcoming home is possible on Mainland!