The Linden Homes Photo Thread

[Pussycat Catnap]

I was just thinking that we have all these house threads but exploring thread... but it looks like this one is an exploring thread...

In prepping my build for the upcomming expo I wanted to replace a lot of wall art with shots of Bellisseria... so I went exploring and took some pics.

And lest we forget, always gotta have a pic of Mordor happily in the distance...

 

 

[Rolig Loon]

I remember reading Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in school, so I was mildly excited to find that it became a place name in Bellisseria. Not that I expected to see the Black Night or Rebecca tromping through the streets, but the name Ivanhoe did inspire a bit of nostalgic fantasy.  I had to go see it for myself.

Well, of course Bellisseria's Ivanhoe looks nothing at all like something out of a novel about 12th-Century England, but it really is a fine Victorian community. And it has an immense park that takes up much of a north-south swath of land right through its middle. It contains two long bridges that span a picturesque pond, plus a lot of greenery to wander around in and plenty of flowers to enjoy.

I spent much more time than I should have in admiring the hydrangeas. We have so many of them in South Belliseria that they are certainly not a novelty. Still, I always find them overwhelming. They dwarf anything that I could grow myself.

The roses too. Gardeners here must have a special fertilizer, or maybe it's just rich, well-drained soil. I have tried so many times to nurse my poor sickly-looking rose bushes along, but these ones stand tall and proud, with deep green bug-free leaves. I bow to the professionals at work here.

After almost two hours of poking around in the park, I started walking south along the main road. If you make the walk yourself, you will find that the road runs up against a low knob of a hill as it enters Baslavar. Do as I did.  Climb over the knob instead of following the road, and you'll find yourself right on the green.

Here it is, laid out perfectly for a village fair or at least for afternoon picnics.  Those gigantic willows dominate the space but leave plenty of room for community gatherings. And the paved promenades give the area a look that is formal without being ostentatious,

And look! Here's another colonnaded pool with those lovely bronze frogs that I have seen in Crieff and at least two other areas in South Bellisseria. That sculptor landed himself (herself?) a fine commission for that work.

Baslavar is quite near to the south coast. In fact, it's only a short walk from the green to the north end of the shore community of Glory Road, which has its own small but pretty central park.

The Glory Road weaves gently through here, bordered on both sides by colorful homes and their brick-walled gardens.  I am pleased that the village council in each of these communities has placed benches along the way so that we have some places to rest on a long stroll. Somehow, I feel less like an intruder and more like a visitor when I can sit for a while.

The land drops off to the shore level immediately south of the central park. Here, I am standing on the bluff overseeing the steep road down to the shore. It's quite a vertical distance.

 

The land is more open and is quite green along the coast road. Houses high on the bluff can easily see the ocean over the rooftops of homes down here, despite the number of very large trees.  Homes here in the lower land back up directly on the shore. There's a charming little cove almost at the border with Pelham Station, where I imagine locals enjoy landing small sailboats after a day on the water.

The road only goes westward here (to go east, you would have to stay on the highland), so that's what I did, arriving very soon at Pelham Station's own village park.

This little park makes a nod toward looking formal -- it has a pretty double-tiered fountain and some nice white cross-woven fences -- but has a relaxed feel that is more appropriate for this intimate community. The planting has an air of wildness that I found refreshing.

 

So there I ended this afternoon's little escapade. There were songbirds in the flowering trees and the topiary, and the gentle sound of the fountain was hypnotic. I might have sat there much longer than I did, except that I wanted to get back and record all of this for you.  I hope you find it as delightful as I do to find how each of the communities in this part of Bellisseria expresses a unique character through its public areas. I have fun wandering through them all, and I hope you take time to do the same.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Rolig Loon

[Kat Shadow]

When your alt finally scores another Victorian the morning of the Expo... and you know you'll really want to attend, but the lure of decorating a new place is too strong. So you totally BS yourself into thinking you'll just put together a backyard water feature and stop at that. Suuuuurrre  (I did manage to see a few of the amazing Bellisseria homes at RFL just before I had to break for dinner :p)

 

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by Kitten Kaos

[Elena Blossom]

15 minutes ago, Kitten Kaos said:

When your alt finally scores another Victorian the morning of the Expo... and you know you'll really want to attend, but the lure of decorating a new place is too strong. So you totally BS yourself into thinking you'll just put together a backyard water feature and stop at that. Suuuuurrre  (I did manage to see a few of the amazing Bellisseria homes at RFL just before I had to break for dinner :p)

 

 

WoW, what a magical corner!!!!!!!! I would stay home too!!!

Edited February 14, 2020 by Elena Core

[Kat Shadow]

5 hours ago, Elena Core said:

WoW, what a magical corner!!!!!!!! I would stay home too!!!

Thank you, it took longer to put together than anticipated (isn't that always the way?) But I'm pretty much done with the whole house and free to Expo it up now, yay!

Honestly, I grabbed this place as a way to get a coalesced for when the new Victorians come... I'm really going to try hard for one of those along the RR track

[jellybeangirl101]

Belli is growing so large that you have to stop and take a drink from the many bodies of water now days. #bellilife

[Eva Nova]

I have been Belli-hopping for a few weeks hoping to get the perfect spot. Locked out  5 times a day for weeks (may be a slight exaggeration lol).

I finally get a waterfront  ... I am so happy I could cry and dance.

 

But ... hang on a minute .. who put that tree there? 

 

Is there any mole there who would take pity?  😂

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by Evarne

[Elena Blossom]

37 minutes ago, Evarne said:

I have been Belli-hopping for a few weeks hoping to get the perfect spot. Locked out  5 times a day for weeks (may be a slight exaggeration lol).

I finally get a waterfront  ... I am so happy I could cry and dance.

 

But ... hang on a minute .. who put that tree there? 

 

Is there any mole there who would take pity?  😂

 

 

 

 

 

What a lovely view @Evarne! I personally like the tree, but if you are using Firestorm viewer, you can always derender it. I did that with the hedges that were blocking the view to a little pond by my home; that way, I feel my garden is larger  

[Rolig Loon]

43 minutes ago, Evarne said:

But ... hang on a minute .. who put that tree there? 

 

Is there any mole there who would take pity?  😂

Take one step to the left....? 

 

[Raspberry Crystal]

8 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

Take one step to the left....? 

I now have an irresistible urge to start singing the timewarp song from the Rocky Horror Show!

@Evarne it's up to you, if you like the plot otherwise then derendering of putting up with an unwanted tree are the only options. However, if you have been enjoying trying out new homes and you'd like to try for your perfect spot, just go for it!

[Rolig Loon]

I was up early this morning, hiking in the hills where Down Time and Innside overlook Clamiranha Bay. The land drops off almost vertically to the sea there, so these are the most spectacular cliffs in Bellisseria. Views to the south from there are magnificent.  In one direction, you can see to the light at Oleander and beyond.  In the other, you look southeast to the houseboat communities on the reefs at Alewife and Grunion Beach. 

I know very little about fish, by the way, but I'm puzzled by the the fact that grunion and alewifes (also known as menhaden) are both found here.  I may be wrong, but I think grunion are slippery little California fish, but alewifes (herrings) are found along the north Atlantic coast. Bellisseria is a peculiar place at times.

Anyway .... I was admiring the view and thinking about fish when I remembered overhearing something about a spot called Pratt Falls, which had to be nearby.  Supposedly, it not only had a dramatic waterfall but also a nice little hidden pond. I'm always eager to add to my list of swimming holes, so I decided to check it out.

The coast road runs right up to the cliff edge at the east end of InnSide. This is a cool place to take pictures. It would be a mean spot for tourists if there wasn't a guard rail here, though.

It turns out that there is a lovely pond almost directly across the road here.  I'm not sure of its name, because there's no signage at all, but it must be well known around here. It's all set up with tables and lawn chairs for picnicking. There's a rack of fishing gear too, but it looks like it's for a private club, not for rental.  This would be a fun place to have a party some weekend.  On the down side, there's no waterfall here and it's more suited for family swimming than the places that usually interest me.  Nice flowers, though.

I climbed the steep slope on the north side of the pond, hoping that I could see a waterfall from up there, but had no luck. There's no stream running down to this pond, and it's hard to see where there might be a pond on this nearly vertical hillside. I wasn't quite to the top, but I didn't see much point in going farther, so I took a quick route back down to the coast road, father east.

The road would be great fun on a motorcycle.  Look at the way it twists through this steep cut.  A bike would roar through here (and probably annoy the heck out of the guy who lives in that blue house).

The place where I finally got down to the road again was almost to the east edge of the Pratt Falls region, which meant that I had missed something. If the waterfall wasn't accessible from the coast road, it had to be farther north, on the other side of the hills. I walked down the first road headed that way.

Not far along that road, the land opens up, is flatter, and becomes a nice suburban neighborhood with traditional homes nestled among the trees. It's very pretty, but not a place for a waterfall.  And then ... I reached a bridge over the main street where, quite surprisingly, I could hear the roar of falling water somewhere to the west.

That's where it was!  Here's Pratt Falls, on the north side of the hills.  It's a beautiful cascade, tumbling down over rocks and splashing into a fast-moving stream that runs under the main street and off toward Beau Derrick and whatever is farther north.  I'll have to explore that one of these days.

I do love waterfalls. There's something about the way water sails out over the edge and goes into free fall, tossing up a spray of mist and then bouncing and dripping its way downhill. It's giddy and free and still I sense inevitability in it all.  I like to find a spot where I can almost look straight up into the water as it plummets down and can feel the cool spray on my face.  Isn't it glorious?

The climb to the top took a while. The slope is almost as steep on this side of the ridge as it was on the south side, but this time I knew where I was going.

Tada!  A pond!  Not a large one, but plenty deep to dive into and far enough off the beaten path to be a one-woman pool. Each pond and lake in Bellisseria has its own character. Some are better for diving, and some shallow ones are better for floating in.  This one is somewhere between.  The rocks are high enough to get a good jump from, and the water is safely deep on one end at least.  And the bottom is grassy and soft.

This pond offers something special, though. There's a fun little hollow right where the water rushes through rocks and heads for the falls, a spot just the right size to lie in.  It's like being in a whirlpool at the gym, but much better.  THIS is worth the morning hike.  I think I'll stay for a while.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Rolig Loon

[PrudenceAnton]

Bellisseria's Group Consociate building, located in Winters Elm.  Care for a little dining on the river for two?  Open to the public.

Landmark:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Winters Elm/77/155/24

Edited February 18, 2020 by PrudenceAnton

[sceneris]

@PrudenceAnton, that is nice for couple

[Elena Blossom]

@PrudenceAnton, thank you for the LM, that gazebo is lovely

[Peony Sweetwater]

I decided to give a different trailer a go - I'd started with the Colorado when I first got a trailer, but quickly swapped over to the Shenandoah. Now I thought I should try the Colorado again, and picked up a nice little spot in Placid to give it a go. It looks like it's going to be a gypsy artist enclave

 

[Rabid Cheetah]

My Friend Finds a New Home, staring my friend lol

"What a beautiful area!  Look at this lake!  And those mountains!  I think I'll land here..."

 

"OK, if I squint, I think there's a For Sale sign on that red cabin way over on the other side of the lake.  Maybe I should use my binoculars...YES!  IT'S AVAILABLE!  OH EM GEE!"

 

"OH!  Not only is it right up on the lake, it's right near a crossroads!"

 

 

 

[Rabid Cheetah]

"Such a wonderful place to watch the sun rise over the lake, or set behind the mountains!"

 

"Hey what's up these rocks, or up the road...oh, wow!  Footsteps from a Linden Lodge!"

 

"I...I...I finally have a home..."

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

     

 

I don't know who abandoned this cute little parcel bordered on 2 sides by water, but I thank you.  Polly (my alt) lucked into it.   I derendered one edge of hedgerows to have more access to the water and the views.  I don't have any idea what other people do with their parcels, but mine is open.  No banlines or security orbs will block you and you can open the doors and windows to your hearts content.  If you  happen upon it,  come on in and sit a spell (hopefully my furniture, which is set to public as well, will cooperate)

NE corner of Middle Totting.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Cinnamon Mistwood

[Coby Foden]

One day I saw this floating dance floor passing by my house. Pretty cool! 😃 😁

[Marisa Starbrook]

On 2/18/2020 at 2:35 AM, Peony Swee*****er said:

I decided to give a different trailer a go - I'd started with the Colorado when I first got a trailer, but quickly swapped over to the Shenandoah. Now I thought I should try the Colorado again, and picked up a nice little spot in Placid to give it a go. It looks like it's going to be a gypsy artist enclave

 

I love what you did with this, since the Colorado is my favorite camper. 💖🌟💖

[Nika Talaj]

I have a peripatetic noob alt now, that I use to do a round of scouting every morning, just to see what the moles are up to.  So, watching the map so closely, I noticed something quite a while ago that I don't think anyone has commented on.  And altho the map is not beautiful, I'm going to post about it here, in this thread which is all about the beauties of the Belli LHs, because I think what they've done with the design of this continent is so pleasingly whimsical.

We refer to the area below the river boundary as South Belli, or VictoriBelle, etc.  But what I see -- and once you see it you can't unsee it! -- is a baby Belli dragon.

(apologies, I have no idea why the text is so blurry, doesn't look blurry on the jpeg)

 

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Nika Talaj

[Knutz Scorpio]

The nerd in me thinks it's from Alien

[Elena Blossom]

19 hours ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

  3.03 MB · 0 downloads    

 

I don't know who abandoned this cute little parcel bordered on 2 sides by water, but I thank you.  Polly (my alt) lucked into it.   I derendered one edge of hedgerows to have more access to the water and the views.  I don't have any idea what other people do with their parcels, but mine is open.  No banlines or security orbs will block you and you can open the doors and windows to your hearts content.  If you  happen upon it,  come on in and sit a spell (hopefully my furniture, which is set to public as well, will cooperate)

NE corner of Middle Totting.

It looks just like the one I let go in Lissome. I loved it, but I was more into a forest feeling. Congratulations, it's a lovely location

[Sparkly Rainbow]

Decided to re-do the upstairs hallway area of my Shelley.  I am pretty happy with the new look.

[Rolig Loon]

I've been avoiding going to see what's in Mermaid Frolic. I know it's irrational, but the name brings up an image of an amusement park or a resort where mermaids are supposed to hang out and pretend to have fun. I'm just not a resort kind of mermaid.  Still, I finally decided that I wasn't being fair.  Today I went to take a look and I was surprised.

It's really kind of nice.  It's a shallow inlet. hardly big enough for a poker game, and it's very quiet. You can just lie there and enjoy the warm water and listen to the otters or whatever that are quarreling in the bushes.  (Really.  There are otters or weasels or something there.  Go listen for yourself.)

After a while, I thought maybe it was OK to frolic a little, so I tried.  It took a while to get into the mood, but I can still remember how, so I guess this place isn't so bad after all.

The coast to the north of Mermaid Frolic is quite sandy and gentle.  I swam up that way as far as Clean Air and Knebworth, watching out for small boats along the way. These are the sorts of places where land-dwellers like to sail out of nowhere in speedboats, so you can't be too careful.

I went into the cove at Knebworth, which is a lovely spot.  There are huge Victorian homes on the hillsides and some attractive marshy spots with water lilies.  I have always liked water lilies.  They smell wonderful, and they are fun to hide under. When I was a kid, we used to play hide-and-go seek, and those lily pads were always my favorite hiding spots.

Knebworth's cove is not far from the houseboat community on Retrograde, which is on the reefs to the east.  Since I was right there anyway, I decided to take a short swim to investigate.  Mostly, it's houseboats --- pretty, colorful ones -- one after another.  Lots of houseboats.  And piers.

I don't know why, but people who live in houseboats almost never think to look under the piers. It's lovely cool under there, and safe. I have been around piers all over Bellisseria and have never seen anyone but another mermaid under one.  Go figure.

Here's the view back from Retrograde toward Knebworth cove. Despite my earlier concern, I didn't see a single speedboat on the water today, or a sailboat either.  I frolicked alone out there and loved it.  Frolicking could get to be a habit.

I had a little time left in the day, so I decided to poke around the peninsula of Wuthering Downs, just north of Retrograde.  There's a network of channels through there. I didn't have time to explore them all, but I was attracted by the bridges over the main channel, so I went that way.

Houses come right down to the channel through here. They have huge overhanging willow trees and well-kept gardens.  They must be great places to live, if you like being indoors.

And look! More water lilies.  There are patches of them all along the channel, both the normal, "plain vanilla" white variety and ...

... these beautiful lavender-colored ones.  These ones are quite rare, at least I have hardly ever seen them, and they smell heavenly.  I wonder if land-dwellers pay as much attention to plants out on the water as they do to all of the roses and other flowers in their gardens?  If not, they are missing something.

Here's the east end of the main channel, where it opens to the sea at Highmarket.  This was a good place to stop for the day. The sun was starting to go down and I had been out longer than I planned.  I'll have to come back again to explore the other channels through here later.  I understand that there's a small island not far to the north that might be fun to visit, and maybe I'll find more water lilies.  I might even frolic a bit more. Who knows?

Edited February 20, 2020 by Rolig Loon
typos. as always.