Picture of the Day - 128

"Ultraviolence..." by ⚓Chad Wayne

If you wish to see more of ⚓Chad's photography, please visit his Flickr photostream here.

Vistas & Blossoms 2014

Today I received this wonderful invitation through my dear friend Garth Raleigh.

VISTAS & BLOSSOMS 2014

~A GA multi-sim, juried Landscape, Garden & Destination Exhibition

A GA 7-Year Anniversary Event

In conjunction with the GA SummerFest 2014

JULY 11 - JULY 20, 2014

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: The concept is to feature multiple GA properties of varying LANDSCAPES, GARDEN SPOTS and UNIQUE DESTINATIONS throughout the Gay Archipelago. In effect......a 'multi-sim' event! This one-of-a-kind event will officially open grid-wide on July 11th and will run thru July 20TH. The regions are linked to all other sim/estate entries via an LM-GIVER BILLBOARD - allowing touring guests to jump from location to location (23 diverse regions to explore this year!) to enjoy all the Exhibition has to offer.

Touch a picture tile on one of the billboards located at each region entered and you will receive an LM to tour that estate. You will also receive a note-card that each participant has prepared describing the areas interest and varied attractions that VISTAS & BLOSSOMS tourists will be experiencing. In their own words, they will tell you about what they have created; sometimes their approach to creating the landscape/garden areas; their philosophy on presenting their creations to sim/estate residents and visitors, etc.

The featured entries need NOT be professionally landscaped, nor gardened - only a presentation from a sim/estate owner/manager who is proud of the work that has been done to terraform, landscape and garden in order to beautify and add interest to the property. Displays do NOT have to be huge and awesome....merely inviting and complimentary to the surroundings.

Our Top Three Winners from 2013 will be acting as the judging panel and will be awarding L$34,000 in cash prizes at an Awards Gala on July 20th in the following arenas: 

Best in Show: L$15,000
1st Place: L$7,500
2nd Place: L$2,500

Best use of water feature: L$1,000
Best urban setting design: L$1,000
Best rural setting design: L$1,000
Best 'Themed' design: L$1,000
Best use of a dedicated structure: L$1,000
Best 'Commercial' setting design $L1,000
Best 'Residential' setting design $L1,000
*New: BEST use of wildlife/animals $L1,000

PEOPLES' CHOICE AWARD: $L1,000

AFTER you have toured the regions exhibiting, we invite you to VOTE (free) for your favorite overall region at the voting board on GA Coronal Estate.

Vistas & Blossoms 2014: People's  Choice Voting (SLurl).

During the 10 day exhibition, these regions will be visited by people from all over Second Life! This event is listed with Second Life - Linden Lab - as a 'Featured Event' in the Destination Guide! 

Vistas & Blossoms 2014 is presented to you by the Estates of the Gay Archipelago and is a friendly competition amongst neighbors. We welcome you to this event of exploration and discovery through July 20th!

Begin your Vistas & Blossoms Tour here (SLurl)

Enjoy your tour! 
Garth Raleigh & Othon Weiland 
Vistas & Blossoms 2014 Coordinators

The Biggest Pseudo-Event of the Century

Today Germany crushed Brazil with 7-1 in one of the semifinals of the 2014 Fifa World Cup in football (the International variety where you actually aren't allowed to use your hands, not the American kind).

Frank Augstein / Associated Press

You don't even have to try to remember it, because you will never be allowed to forget it. It's going to be hashed out over-and-over-and-over again and repeated to you endlessly until the day you die no matter how much you should try to protect yourself and avoid the subject.

Picture of the Day - 127

"Happiness comes in salty water" Photography by Dissoni Diana

If you wish to see more of Diana's photography, please visit her Flickr photostream here.

Picture of the Day - 126

"...from 1945" Photography by Jeremy Seasick

If you wish to see more of Jeremy's photography, please visit his Flickr photostream here.

Second Pride Board: "Thank You!!!"

I have been a little remiss in my blogging, there has been so much going these last few weeks and I have also been exceptionally lazy due to my ongoing vacation and second bout with pneumonia. (I am completing the antibiotics cure today, so hopefully this will be the end of it!)

This notice was sent out close to two weeks ago in the Second Pride Festival Group.

"THANK YOU!!! 

The board of Second Pride will soon announce the successful close of Second Pride 2014. Before we do, I want to send our very sincere thanks to you, the people who supported our efforts through your sponsor and vendor participation.

Thanks to you and many people like you, Second Pride has the resources to continue on into its 10th year. Second Pride can continue to offer a home and support to charities and organizations that serve Second Life's LGTBQ community. We will also be able to make sizable dollar contributions to real world Charities that make a difference in the lives of LGTBQ people in the larger world. THIS SUCCESS ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!

One of the things we are proudest of is the increasing diversity of the vendors, sponsors, and performers who were part of Second Pride this year. We had many new sponsors and sponsors who returned after leaving Second Pride for one reason or another over the years. I was especially proud to see some of the sponsor banners behind the main stage. Straight, Lesbian, and Gay sponsors were side by side - Bears - Twinks - Leather - GOR - all together in support of this annual celebration of our LGTBQ community as they should be. To those of you here for the first time, thank you. For those of you returning, welcome back. And for those of you who have been here year after year - we exist only because of you.

We hope you had a fun and successful Pride. Please let me know how we can improve for next year - send any ideas via NC to Karl Kalchek.

On behalf of all of us on the Second Pride Board
THANK YOU!!!

Karl Kalchek, Community Relations Director
 ---

Those of you who belong to my loyal readership will perhaps be better acquainted with Karl Kalchek as "Jak's adorable little helper"