A Tout Sweet Safari

 The region Novale on Creanovale grid has four glorious seasons, just like the real world it represents, the wildly beautiful Eastern Canadian countryside. It is the home of an extraordinary couple, very talented both in scripting and building, Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay.

Spring comes relatively late to Canada, there's still snow in April, but of course when the sun does finally break through, then it's go time in the garden, and everything changes. Dramatic scenery on every hand has proved to be a great inspiration to Dabici who lays our the region, full of charming details like this garden-in-a-bottle. Kelso's speciality is, of course, scripting, and the many rides that animate the sim are signs of his skill.

This seasonal build will soon give way to the Summer Novale build, so don't delay if you want to visit! HG Address is as always, at the end of the post.

We arrived at the big tent in the corner of the region, which offers excellent resources to find your way around the build if you're a newcomer. Here's Mal Burns in his trademark stetson (no, not a turban, Forest, we all want to see a photo of whatever it is you see on Mal's head)

We all took a seat and got some background about how the sim goes through four big changes each year as it's dressed for the season. This arrival point has at the moment lots of spring and Easter-related items like the chocolate egg, and animals...

Novelties on Novale

Another splendid Canadian winter on sim Novale, with lots of familiar features and novelties for all to enjoy! Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay of Creanovale have once again created an immersive snowbound experience for everyone in Opensim. HG Address is of course, at the end of the post - but you knew that already.

There is a fabulous mixture of real life places and fantasy elements on Novale, it's always been so, no matter the season. Revamping the var region to reflect the passing from spring to summer to fall to wintertime is a major job for these two very accomplished builders. It's also a real achievement that they combine novelty with those elements or landmarks that we've all come to recognize and love over the years. They make the place feel real, while never allowing it to become stale or predictable.

Snowglobe landing point

Dabici and Kelso love their Quebecois heritage and they feature the landscape and culture in every season - for example some Safari goers will remember the Maple Syrup Safari  tour we did back in 2022 where there was so much to learn and to enjoy. 

Creanovale: Tout Doux

 If you're in need of some R&R, far away from the draining drama of world events, and the vociferous, but luckily not too many, angst-mongers inworld, why not take a little time to enjoy the season on Creanovale.

This grid is built by Dabici Straulino and Kelso Uxlay. They live in the French-speaking area of Canada, and their grid is based on the beautiful countryside, traditions, products and history of their part of the world.

Each year, they modify their VAR region to reflect the passing seasons, so you can experience everything from surfing to skating here, depending on when you come to visit. The sim is a resort, a wilderness and a fine collection of perfectly assembled tableaux, complete with appropriate sounds that bring the sights to life, and here and there animesh...

Summer on Novale

 Novale, the Canadian landscape region, is up and ready for summer visitors. The islands have largely retained the form and features we've all come to love, with additions and tweaks both to the decor and the scripts, just as you'd expect.

Dabici Straulino  and Kelso Uxlay  are the imaginative inventors of this wonderland. They reccommend you use 'Shared Environment' which, just in case you don't know, is quickly achieved by clicking on the 'Quick Preferences' button at the bottom ov the viewer, and then clicking on the X next to Personal Lighting - that will remove any custom settings that may still be hanging around your sky. It's always interesting to see in what light the builder intended their world to be seen.

Canadian Advent - ure

It's always a warm welcome at Novale. As every season comes along it offers a unique opportunity to explore the landscape. The winter is of course an enormous part of the culture of this part of the world, and so the snow lies thickly over the sim, the perfect backdrop to the colorful festive fun.

But there is jeopardy here too - of course! We are, after all, in the land of Alec Trebeck.

 Seriously, take heed of the warning and do not touch Rupert's nose.  Or if you do, be sure that you're wearing warm and tightly fitting underclothes.

Best Practices in Jumping

 Anyone can leap about in opensim, exploring regions by themselves or maybe with a friend. We've all done it, often finding pleasure in the big empty spaces of the hypergrid. But it is also fun to grid jump  with a crowd, to meet the grid owner, or sim builder, and spend some time laughing and dancing and learning more about the infinite variety of opensim. 

But traveling in a pack can create its own unique problems. So what makes for a successful hypergrid trip en masse? Our group is called Safari, because there's a good chance you won't survive to the end, and there are dangers lurking! I asked a bunch of Safari regulars who have joined our trips many times to give their advice for a successful and enjoyable trip around the metaverse.

Frost Burn

I was with Lucy Afarensis when the call came in. 

Dabici Straulino: do you have 15 minutes? I would like to show you our winter build.

"Want to go skiing?" I said to Lucy. 

 "Sure, why not."

We were not dressed for it, because as you all know OSGrid has ongoing asset problems to the point that even if the item you click on is present in your Inventory (and that happens only once in about 100)  you still do not dare change clothes, because your current outfit is quite likely to disappear. Never mind, we shower twice a day, so  it's all perfectly hygienic. And I have been barefoot skiing before, so decided to risk it.

Var Out

Aime Socrates: i'm looking much more intelligent with those horns

Dabici Straulino: certainly more brilliant

The Xmas season is getting close and of course all the decorative instincts of opensim people are coming out in force.
Lucy Afarensis: Like your Xmas decoration Snowy
snowbody Cortes: oh ty Lucy .. a gift at Friday party , mattie mcbride
Lucy Afarensis: she makes nice things
James Atlloud: Do love the horns.
Lucy Afarensis: lost my glasses
Prodyck Theas: hello all
PatriciaAnne Daviau: ok going to try and get to first stop...without crashing

Safari In Wonderland

Wizard.Gynoid @hypergrid.org:8002: this is starting to look obscene

Clustersled!

 Not one Wonderland. 

Three. 

On three different grids. 

Because this is OpenSim, not merely SL. We saw Alice, rode dragons, made new friends, honed our ability to grid jump, and thoroughly came to terms with the instability - and beauty - of hypergridding. 

Cherry Manga's new Alice build on Francogrid

First up, a Winter Wonderland, Canadian style. L'Hiver du Grand Nord is on Dabici Straulino's VAR region full of snow and fun, and oh boy did we take advantage. Kelso Uxlay and Dabici herself were on hand to welcome us when we arrived, via a gate she supplied, although the Safari Landmark seemed to work OK for most. The HG Addresses are at the bottom of this post, and of course, the LMs and explanatory Notecard (not reading the NC can make your life more difficult) are still available on both the Metro and Francogrid bases, and in Group Notices on Craft, Francogrid, and Metropolis. 

L'Hiver makes you shiver

Creanovale is the biggest little grid, and has a gallic smart ass bot called Jean-Givre on hand to keep you company if you go over there by yourself. If you're into festive stuff, there loads of decorations in the winter market. James ATLOUD found what he described as an HG Wells lost underground vessel (an excellent excuse for another visit) but that's not why we came.