Amusement Parks, Part One

I grew up in Orange County, CA in the era when Disneyland was brand new. I think growing up in Southern California during that time was probably the best place and time ever in history for a child growing up. Well, maybe I’m a bit prejudiced…but it really was wonderful.

"Having a great time...wish you were here."

We had two major amusement parks within easy driving distance…Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.

Knott’s Berry Farm was further away at a 20 minute ride. The cool thing about that park then, was that admission was free and you only had to pay for the rides as you went on them. We would go there often on Sunday afternoons and wander around. Unless you are from the area, you may not be familiar with Knott’s. They have shops, restaurants, interesting curiosities, and of course, awesome rides. We could go there for the ‘famous’ Knott’s chicken dinner and then go on a couple of rides. It was always a fun way to spend the afternoon. Nearby was the Wax Museum and Alligator Farm…it was truly a tourist haven and it was right in our backyard.

My all time favorite
Disney character.

But the big excitement was when we would go to Disneyland, just 10 minutes away. Because you had to pay admission, we didn’t get to go there as often as we did to Knott’s. From our home backyard, we could see the nightly fireworks (impossible now because of the growth of trees and tall buildings). We would drive by Disneyland all the time and pester my dad to drive in. We would pout in disappointment as he would drive past on the way to whatever our true destination was. But every now and then….he would completely surprise us and actually pull into the parking lot. My brothers and I would go wild with excitement when we were actually going to Disneyland!

One of Disneyland's roller coaster rides.

My favorite rides have always been fast and furious roller coasters. Not ones that do strange things like go straight up and then straight down backwards. But true roller coasters that go way high and then have huge drops and twists and turns and make you feel like you are falling out of your seat.

A couple of days ago, I took a trip to a wonderful family owned amusement park in PA where I live now. This park is called Knoebel’s and like the Knott’s Berry Farm of my childhood, it has free admission. You buy tickets for the rides you want to go on. I looked at the map of the park and was delighted to see not one, but TWO large wooden roller coasters.

Large wooden coaster at Knoebels....so much FUN!!!

It’s been a few years since I’ve had a chance to ride a roller coaster. So it was with just a bit of trepidation that I bought the tickets and got on board. And guess what? The thrill is still there! How I love roller coasters…even the big, bad, fast wooden ones. I screamed my head off as the coaster careened around the track going up and down, turning corners quickly and bumping me nearly out of my seat. It was wonderful.

I disembarked with disheveled hair and a huge grin on my face….went to the ticket booth… and bought another ticket.

Friends and Community

A friend asked me to explain my perspective about friends and community in SL. I was giving this some thought and have come to realize that there is a difference between friends and community in SL and friends and community in RL. To me, the differences are tangible.


For instance, in real life you have friends, acquaintances, family, co-workers and any other description you can come up with to describe your social relationships. Some of these are natural…such as family relationships. You can’t pick your family…they are just there. Same with co-workers, who might be friends and might not. You mostly have to make an effort to keep in contact with your family and friends. A visit, a phone call, a text message…all are ways we keep in contact in real life.

In Second Life, you actually choose who you friends are. They don’t just automatically appear on your friends list. But once on the list, they remain there until one or the other of you decides to dissolve the friendship. That can be painful…and is a visual sign that someone thought it was time to end that friendship. Unless they are hiding their status from you (would a true friend do that?), you know when a Second Life friend is about. And it’s an easy thing to send a quick IM to just acknowledge their presence.

 Second Life friendships can be very deep and meaningful. I think part of the reason is that because they can be anonymous, its easier to let your guard down and let your true emotions and thoughts come forth. You might not want to do that in real life. There are no stereotypes based on appearance, because you can have whatever appearance you want. You can project yourself in whatever manner you wish and let your personality come through in whatever way you wish too. Want to be more assertive, or have a different color hair, or be thinner, or be an animal? Anything is possible in Second Life.

Communities are different in Second Life too. I belong to the New England community. I was thinking that I feel like the characters in the tv show “Cheers” must have felt. Everyone knows your name….partly because it is listed over your head…along with whatever description of yourself or group membership you want to display. But community in SL goes beyond that….when you participate in a community there for a long period of time, just like in real life, there are shared experiences that form a common bond between the members. Sometimes those experience can be quite profound and really bring the community together…like the death of one of the members….or facing the loss of an important place to the community.

Working together towards a common goal to make the community welcoming and help it grow is another way that I have bonded with my friends in my community in New England. I have known some of them for over three years now, and we have friendships that are encouraging and supportive…and I hope, long lasting.

Blogging Fun

I seem to be a tweaker. That is, I fuss and fuss until whatever I'm working on looks just right. So it is that I have been tweaking the look of this blog. Changing this, adjusting that, trying something else. So don't be surprised if you don't recognize the blog...its just me changing the way it looks.....again.

Tuesday’s Travel to Marblehead

In my humble opinion, the best place to live in Second Life is the estate of the Islands of New England (which I affectionately call SLNE). There is a strong community spirit here, as well as beautiful scenery to see as you navigate through the picturesque waterways. Our community is themed, meaning the strong covenant keeps everything looking in place, no garish gilded castles or blue trees with pink leaves here.


If you decide to come for a visit, the first place on your stop should be the sim of Marblehead. This is the hub of the estate. Here you will find the main music venue, art display, historic sites, free boats and textures, rental information, and a quaint and charming shopping Village that is 3500m in the sky.

Come with me and allow me to take you on a little tour of Marblehead.



Our first stop, Fort Sewall, which includes the music venue. Truly the hub of the estate.



A replica of an historic large sailing vessel called the Ernestina.



A good way to explore the sim is to rez a horse! You can find one here at the barn.



A typical SLNE view...isn't it quaint and charming?

Click on these magic red doors and you will be transported to the Village above Marblehead at 3500m.
It's a whole other world up there! You don't want to miss it.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Marblehead/72/139/22

A glimpse of the Village...full of unique shops, a trolley, a learning center, community gathering place...and more!

At the Welcome Center you will find hot coffee and a lot of nice free gifts. Be sure to come by and take a look.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Marblehead/53/186/3501

The recently opened Forge is a popular place to hang out, dance to tunes spun by a DJ, or come to a live concert.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Marblehead/39/73/3501

New England wouldn't be complete without a little red schoolhouse!

I hope this brief tour of Marblehead has piqued your interest and you will come for a visit, or to sail, or to shop, or to a concert, or to find your place to live. I feel pretty sure you won't want to leave and you will come back again and again.



Tribute to a Friend

On this date last year, July 24, 2010, my SL friend England Macalroy unexpectedly passed away in real life at the young age of 42. Since then he has become a near legend in the New England sims where I live. England first came to SLNE in January 2010. He purchased a small parcel on Martha’s Vineyard, quickly added an adjoining second parcel. Deciding he still needed more space, he purchased the sim, Winter Island. He was bright, humble, creative and a rising star in our estate.

England Macalroy

Those of us who knew him all have our own stories of time spent with England. To me he was a special friend who was quickly learning and turning into an excellent builder. He loved fast machinery…he had airplanes, and motorcycles and boats. He made a small, humble-looking outboard motorboat. He named it “Old Bastard”. When he was just completing it, he took me for a test ride in it. He even rezzed a ramp in the water and had the boat jump from it. It was a fast boat and he was pleased with it. He gave me a copy of the boat which is now one of my treasured possessions.


There was another side to England too. I had several long talks with him about more personal things. Like most of us, he had a sensitive and deeper side to his personality. We enjoyed some long talks together. I always enjoyed my time with him.

When England went missing from SL for days on end, friends started to worry. Putting bits and pieces together of what we knew about his real life, someone finally was able to confirm his real life identity and discovered that he had died. It was a devastating blow to those of us who knew him in Second Life.


For awhile, we turned Winter Island into a memorial. People would come and sit and remember him. By some chance of fate, he had left a copiable version of “Old Bastard” floating in the cove at Winter Island. We sent out notices and invited people from all over Second Life to come take a copy, thinking he would be pleased to know his little boat was being enjoyed by so many. In his memory, we even had an “Old Bastard” regatta around the estate, followed by a very fun (and fast) boat race.

You can get still get your own copy of “Old Bastard” at the Marblehead sim in New England. A commissioned replica of the boat was made by Anu Daviau and is available at no cost at this location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Marblehead/75/145/22

England, I remember you on this day and in tribute, I think I’ll get out “Old Bastard” and motor around Winter Island…remembering.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

I guess that title brings to mind cold snowy blizzard days. But I think it applies just as equally to the hot summer weather being felt over more than ½ of the United States. Where I live, it is over 100 for the 2nd day in a row. And that is unusual and extremely hot for this part of the country.


When it is so hot (or even when it is cold during winter), I love going into SL where the weather is usually predictable…PERFECT! You can have beautiful, bright, sunshine days any time of the year, any day of the week, any time of the day. You can don a bikini…and go surfing, or boating, or horseback riding, or do any number of things...weather not being an issue.


I get so immersed when I go into SL that is it easy to forget what the real life weather is like beyond the monitor. I remember during real life winter months, SLNE had snow on the ground and on the trees. It was a beautiful winter wonderland. I actually felt the chill in the SL air when I was there in the SL snow, despite the fact that I was snug and warm in my home. I guess the suggestion of SL weather conditions can actually affect me psychologically so that I am truly experiencing what I see on my screen. For instance, I could never go without shoes in SL snow...my real feet would be too cold! I would have to leave SLNE and go in search of some sunny, green place in SL in order to warm up.

A perfect weather place in Second Life.

I’ve been told that there is a new environment setting eventually coming to SL. According to the Second Life wiki “Region environment settings provide region managers the ability to customize the environment settings for their region. Residents who enter the region automatically see those settings unless those they have chosen personal overrides. So, for example, a gothic castle might have a dark and gloomy environment or a tropical island might be always bright and sunny.”

I wonder if that means that the weather inside SL could also be frightful and not under my ability to control. If that day ever comes, you can bet I’ll be looking for another Eden with perfect weather all the time.

Flying Fizz Follies

I think I’m fairly intelligent. I mean, I can do a lot of things and some of them fairly well. But I’m wondering if I have some kind of mental handicap when it comes to…..sailing. Yes, that “S” word again.

This morning, I decided to rez that cute little Flying Fizz that Karson is so excited about. Oh, he loves his. He sails it all around. He told me it has a beginner mode. All you do is raise the sails and steer! The boat does the rest….it lets the sails in and out…it moves your avatar from one side of the boat to the other to help balance (yes, I know there is a sailing term for that. No, I don’t know what it is.)

So encouraged that THIS will be the boat for me, I blopped my Fizz into the water. (blop, blop, fizz, fizz…yeah, you got it!). Skipper Jeanne got into the boat and raised the sails. Immediately, the boat took off. I turned the rudder to avoid hitting the island as I whizzed past. Did I mention that this is a FAST little sailboat?

There is a compass built right into the boat, so you don’t have to wear a hud. I do like that feature. The compass easy to see and when the indicator turns into the red part…it means no wind and you stop going. Ok, that makes sense.

I was sailing along, when suddenly, the boat took a nosedive. That’s not a good thing. That means, yes, I capsized it. Well, this boat is adorable…when you capsize, your avatar climbs onto the rudder and hangs onto the side of the boat, slowing pulling the boat back down into the water, rightside up. Once that’s done, your avatar, steps back into the boat, the sails are automatically raised and off you go again. Wow, how cool!  Unless you go just a short distance and capsize again, then again, and once again.

Karson came along and joined me and tried to give me some pointers. I did a bit better after that. I was cruising along, turned down into a channel hoping to be able to maneuver through it. Only it wasn’t a channel, it was a dead-end cove. So I brought the boat to a screeching halt, before I ended up on land. I guess I need to learn to read a map at the same time I am trying to control the boat. It’s a lot to do at once! I decided to moor the boat and get out to see if I still had my land legs. As soon as I got off the boat, it was returned to inventory. In a way, I was relieved. Maybe I’ll keep it there for awhile.

Karson decided to go find some professional sailboat racers and try his hand at racing.

As for me, well, maybe I’ll watch from the sidelines while I continue to search my inventory for my neverfail motorboat.



The way it should be done...Karson sailing away.



A Note of Thanks

A huge thank you to my dear friend Cynthia for making that big monster turtle picture into something a little easier to take. The heading still could use some work, but it is so much better now.

Thank you Cynthia for offering to help and for being such a good friend!

Friends

I’ve been pondering friendship today. I was contacted last night by the first friend I made when I came to SL in March 2008. Her name is Lily and although we seem to go through seasons of being in constant touch and then seasons when we don’t contact each other…I still consider her one of my dearest friends. It was good to spend an evening with her and get caught up on what’s been going on.

This made me think about the poem about friends for a reason, season, or lifetime. I’m sure you’ve heard the poem. I’m not going to try to copy it here, because when doing some research on it, I discovered so many have claimed to be the original writer of it. I wouldn’t have a clue who to give credit to, so its best to just not use it.

I have many friends in SL. Some I have known for quite a long time like Lily. And some are new friends, but I can tell they will be lasting ones. There are others who were friends for a specific reason and then I lost contact with them. Others are friends for a season, and happily, some of the seasons are long.

Once one of my friends sent me a random IM ‘hug’. That’s what he called it. And when I tried to return it, he didn’t answer. Why? Because it was meant to be like a random act of kindness…the kind where you don’t expect to be acknowledged.

I’m thinking it is time to spread some friendship around….like contacting long lost friends like Lily, or sending out some random acts of hugs to some of my SL friends. Just think what a better world it would be if we all did that.

The Ghost Ferry

In his never ending quest to turn me into a sailor, Karson told me about a sweet little freebie sailboat that he acquired the other day. It is called a Flying Fizz. I already have one in my (vast) inventory, but mine has been unused for probably three years and it is not the latest, greatest version. Yesterday I decided to go get my own copy of the Flying Fizz so I used the LM I had and ended up at a yacht club on the Hollywood sim. There was much to see and I became engrossed in checking it all out.

The Blake Sea Ferry aka the Ghost Ferry!

Suddenly, there came an announcement in local chat that the Blake Sea Ferry was about to take off and was heading towards Barbarossa. I made a quick decision to go along for the ride. I went to catch the ferry, only to discover that it was pulling away from the dock.  I ran after it, shouting “Wait! Wait for me! Wait!!”  No one heard me and it kept going.

Skipper Jeanne at the helm of the Ghost Ferry

Desperate to not be left behind, I took a flying leap and landed right on the boat! I was proud of myself, until I discovered that not only had I landed on the ferry, but I was also now the skipper! Let me tell you, this ferry is a big boat and I’m not an experienced skipper, so I was a little daunted. But I thought, well, if they have enough confidence to have me be skipper, then ok, I’ll go for it.

I looked around and it dawned on me that I was the only one on board. I also realized that I wasn’t really steering this boat. It was being controlled by ghosts. How do I know it was ghosts? I saw the sea spray from the bow. When the boat would dip down and the water slapped against the front of the boat, the spray was little ghost images. I’m quite sure these were mirroring the ghosts aboard the ferry.



A near miss with a sailboat!!

 I think they were friendly ghosts, so I decided to stay and see what would happen. The boat went along merrily and moved slowly through sim after sim. We drove through a sailboat regatta…I closed my eyes hoping we wouldn’t hit one. Well, I confess, I did take a peak and we seemed to somehow maneuver through the sailboats without incident. I drew a sigh of relief.


I started to relax and enjoy the sights. We went past Crow’s Nest in the Blake Sea. It is a huge lighthouse and I think has a bit of history. We passed Spyglass and I thought that looked interesting too. I was hoping I might get a chance for a better look, but the ferry kept on moving forward.

The Crow's Nest Lighthouse

I learned something on this trip. I think the Blake Sea has its own Bermuda Triangle. Why do I think that? Because as the ferry crossed over into the Sitace sim, I was suddenly and unceremoniously dumped out into unknown waters. The ghosts kept my eyes on the ferry…I was unable to look away. But my avatar body was nowhere to be seen…probably in some black sea hole somewhere. Try as I might, the ghosts had control of me. The only thing left to do was relog.

When I came back from relogging, I chased after the ferry. I could see it had reached its destination at Barbarossa and was docked there. I saw several people on the island. I shouted out to them “Don’t board that ferry…it is haunted!” I think they heard me and no one boarded the ghost ferry as it pulled away from the dock and headed off for its next destination and unsuspecting passengers.

An Apology

Dear Gentle Reader,
I apologize that each time you come to my blog your eyes are accosted with that HUGE picture of me riding a turtle.

Although I am becoming more friendly with Blogger, we still are not intimate. Blogger is not showing me how to reduce that picture to a nice banner sized header, instead of an "in-your-face" giant sized, looks like she's on an ego trip, picture.

I assure you I am NOT on an ego trip. I just don't know how to make that picture smaller. If you know how, I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Sincerely,
Jeanne Schimmer

Tuesday’s Travels to Bearskin Neck

In my opinion, one of the most interesting sims to visit in SL New England is called Bearskin Neck. Yes, I agree…that’s a curious name! When you visit the sim, look for the sign that explains how the name came about. It turns out there really is a place called Bearskin Neck in Massachusetts! The most prominent feature of this sim is the large red fishing shack on the wharf. Does it look familiar to you? That’s because this is a faithful replica of Motif Number 1, located in real life Rockport, Massachusetts and is the "the most often-painted building in America.” Look for the easel so you can take your turn at painting this building.  In addition to my obsession with yellow houses, I absolutely love red buildings…and this is one of my all time favorites!



Motif #1 in real life Rockport, MA



Motif #2 in Bearskin Neck, SL



There is so much to see on this sim, I don’t know how I can describe it all. Instead of going into a long narrative, I am posting pictures with explanations in the captions. (Try clicking on the pictures to make them larger...I say this hoping it works!)



Find this easel and have a hand at
painting the Motif yourself. :)



A long view of the Motif and beautiful surrounding scenery.



There is a replica of Walden's Cabin in
Walden's Woods, Concord, MA.
This is simply furnished, just like the original.



The water swirling around the rocks is very treacherous.
Watch your footing and don't fall in!



I found a friendly turtle who was willing give me a ride and tour of this and some of the surrounding sims. Of course, turtles do swim slowly, but it was a nice ride, until he got tired of swimming, and landed on a beach.



The secret of the sim's name!



There is a bunny colony that resides on this sim. I was able to sneak up on this little fellow and take his picture. Have you ever seen a strawberry bunny before? I hadn't!!



When exploring Bearskin Neck, if you look closely, you will find little red doors in surprising places. Go ahead...click on a door and it will open up, allowing you access to unexpected non-New England type places.



Most of the little red doors will bring you to this room...where you will find lots of other little red doors. This is the central location on the sim for teleporting around to other spots on the ground or the sky.



A space station is behind one of the little red doors!!





There are even surprising things located underwater...like this collection of steampunk submarines.



Henry David Thoreau said "An abode without birds is like meat without seasoning." Although a vegetarian might not agree, I think there is still merit in that saying, don't you? So it is fitting that this robin was feeding it's young in this nest.



All roads lead to and from Bearskin Neck.



I hope you will come visit Bearskin Neck yourself and wander around to see what hidden treasures await you!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bearskin%20Neck/51/187/25

Monday Musings

I’m one week into writing this blog. Along the way, I have learned more about how the formatting works, so the posts are looking a bit nicer now. I have also learned that once I decide on a topic, I really enjoy just letting my thoughts come out.

This morning, I was thinking about a couple of books I own that encourage you to write each day. (The books are “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, and “Life is a Verb" by Patti Digh). Both books stress the importance of capturing your thoughts as they come forth as a way to tap into the creativity that is inside.

I was also thinking about how we each have the stories of our lives and how those stories are retold, sometimes from generation to generation. If we hold the stories inside us, then it is impossible for them to be retold. In prehistoric times, of course, the stories were told verbally. I wonder if they were remembered correctly in the retelling, or if they were embellished each time so that they became grander and more interesting. Historically, as man created language and learned to write, eventually those stories became written and preserved for the generations to come to read and learn.

I suppose in some ways writing my blog is a bit like that…telling my story for others to hear and giving my thoughts a voice. I like that phrase…I have a voice.

When I was younger, I was very shy and introverted. I used to dream of being able to express myself and of being articulate so that people would listen to me. But I held things inside and only those very close to me had any inkling of the deeper thoughts I had. But as I have matured, I have been able to get some of those thoughts out and when I see the result of some of my writing; it pleases me quite a bit. These are not deep philosophical writings, but they are sharing of myself and the things I ponder.

I think I need to change the ‘byline’ to include the real me and not just the adventures of my avatar. The Jeanne behind the keyboard is pleased that you are taking the time to read this.

Quaint and Charming SLNE

I recently wrote about how I came to live in Second Life New England. Beyond the yellow houses, the estate (currently at 28 sims) is a traditional, post card looking, New England setting. I lived in real life Connecticut for a few years and the real estate agent described the setting there as quaint and charming. I think those words also apply to SLNE.

Welcome to New England!

In its current configuration, most of the sims are residential islands. With lots of water around for everyone to use, there is ample opportunity for sailing around to sightsee the various islands. Each island is uniquely landscaped, making for a very interesting place to explore. You just never know what you are going to discover in SLNE.

Ft. Sewall Community Center

In addition to being a great place to reside in Second Life, SLNE also has a vibrant live music venue and an adorable shopping village with some one of a kind stores and a trolley to take you around. Add to all this is a wonderful community of friends and you can see why I just love spending most of my SL time in New England.

The Village

As a tribute to my community, I have decided to write a series of blog posts about some of the distinctive features of SL New England. I hope you’ll enjoy this little tour in the posts to come. I may intersperse the travelogue with other things that come to mind.

So keep checking back…and thanks for reading!

The Ernestina

 

Yellow Houses with White Picket Fences

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve had a fascination with yellow houses. To me, yellow represents a happy color and it is one of my favorites. I do not have any drawing ability at all, but I remember in my school years I would repeatedly draw a picture of a boxy house with a pointed roof. It always had a chimney with smoke curling from it. In the corner of the picture, there would always be a brilliant sun with sunbeams radiating out. My house drawings always had a white picket fence with daisies growing alongside and a large tree in front. And the house would be yellow.



My first yellow house in SL



I would dream about someday owning a house like that. That vision has always been my ideal and not necessarily achieved in exactly that way in real life.

I was thinking about yellow houses this morning and I realize that I have lived in several yellow houses in Second Life. Those who know me, know that I have lived in a LOT of places in SL New England. I have had a tendency to move around a bit…but as I look back, surprisingly, the predominant color of those houses was yellow.



Jeanne's Folly



In fact, two yellow houses were the reason I ended up in New England in the first place. I was looking for a rental cottage. Doing a search brought me to New England where there were two rentals and both of them yellow. I was immediately drawn to the fantasy-like yellow Cape Cod cottage and rented on the spot. My heart beat a bit faster and I was full of adrenaline as I hit the ‘pay’ button to rent that first cottage. It was just adorable and I could imagine it with a white picket fence.



Morning Glory Cottage



Not long after, that parcel was being sold by the owner, so I had to move on. I decided to purchase my own parcel on Martha’s Vineyard, which I aptly named Jeanne’s Folly (and from where this blog gets its name). I had a house built and yes, it was yellow too. In time, circumstances changed and I moved on and lived in other houses, not all of them yellow. However, the vision of the ideal house has always been a yellow one with a white picket fence.



White picket fence and bicycle



I’m happy to say my current New England house is yellow with black shutters. And guess what is on the side of the house? A garden containing daises surrounded by, you guessed it, a white picket fence. The final perfect finishing touches…a straw hat perched on a fence post and a bicycle with a wicker basket leaning against the fence.  Sounds just about perfect, don’t you think? A yellow house with a white picket fence.



The Brewster House