I have come home at last. This is where I belong. This is what I have been looking for all my Second Life.

My first home in Second Life closely resembled a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Built by Varriale Designs, it is no longer available. The Mirage was a small home, but it had the most amazing waterfalls along the front. My second home, a log home, is where I truly began to learn building, texturing, and landscaping. I took things apart, modified, retextured, removed, and anything else you can think of. Luckily, the creator of the Rose Mansion, Pamela Galli of La Galleria, was so helpful in my quest to learn. Greystone Mansion by Redgrave Homes was my third home. Italian in design, or so it seemed to me, is where I really began to set my creative soul free and plan the layout of my whole region. The build had a small vineyard, and this was also the first build I opened to the public. This is also where I began to write a backstory for the builds I did. My fourth home was a French chateau, The Valpennac 1705, built by Never Totally Dead. I purchased the chateau back in the Spring of 2017 and began the layout of Petit lac Des Cygne, spending months landscaping before I opened the region to the public. The vineyard was larger and even had a small Winery complete with a cafe. Of course, I had a backstory to go with it, too, explaining why I came to live in France. In mid-summer of 2020, I removed the build, not knowing where the inspiration for my next build would come from. However, I did not have to wait long.

There are over 70 wineries in the state of Indiana. I’ve visited them all over the span of several years. A few new ones have cropped up that I plan to visit this next spring and summer. This got me thinking about modeling my home in Second Life after the Wineries I have visited over the years. It didn’t take me long to find the build for the Winery itself. I opted to use a Barneswoth Anubis build. I promptly set about planning the region’s layout, intent on using most of it for the vineyard and Winery. I also set up another build, the Aviary by Meshworx. More to come on this build. Finally, I carved out a small parcel for my own use and set it to private, something I had never done in my previous builds. But, what house was I going to use?

I looked at a few houses, even bought a few, thinking these would work. I would place them out on the parcel let it sit for a couple days, getting a feel for the build. None of the ones I purchased worked for me. They are lovely homes, just not MY home. I spied a photo of a home on Flickr; well, it just showed a small portion of the home. Nonetheless, I was intrigued. I messaged the photographer in hopes of getting the name of the build. Nope, never received a response. Can I just say here that this just really frosts me when people do this? Moving on, I found the home quite by accident while out looking at another build. As I walked through the Mitchell Park home by Roost, I knew that this was MY HOME. Just to make sure, I waited a few days, going back for another and then yet another walk-thru. I went back once more, buying it and a few other items to use along with it. I promptly set it up, and there it sat, empty for a few months while I worked on the landscaping. Furnishing a house is always the last on my list as I live in the outdoors anyways.

I love this home. First off, it’s blue, and if anyone knows anything about me, it’s that blue is my favorite color. It’s a large home with four bedrooms and a two-car garage. It has a large kitchen, a plus as my last build had no kitchen, and I was itching to have a big one. I even built a larger covered porch off one of the backs of the house using pieces I took from the house itself, lol. Thank you to the creators who set their builds to modify. The house now sports two covered rear porches, a large open rear deck/patio, and two balconies, one off the master suite. Sweet! The garage has been modified as I have no need for one. It will be used for a game room instead. I removed the garage doors and inserted French doors from the master suite balcony. It works. Two of the bedrooms have been turned into sewing/craft and home cinema rooms. I have just the sewing room and the game room to furnish now, then I can relax for a little bit before moving on to a few other goals I have set for myself. Keeping the name Little Swan Lake, I have started a backstory on this build, and the first installment can be read here. For now, I am going to take a much-needed break for the holidays. Maybe 🙂

In the meantime, be kind to one another. Till we meet again♥