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.