A New Visit to the German House

On one of our first visits to Info Island International, I took you to the German House, in the extreme southwestern corner of the island. We didn't spend much time, though, so I've been meaning to go back again and give you another chance to see what's there.

You can tell we have arrived because the flags of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland -- the three main German-speaking countries -- are flying out front. This is an interesting building, combining elements of late 20th century architecture with some traditional beam and stucco features.

Let's go inside.

The theme in the German House is art, literature, and music of the German-speaking world. It was designed as a place to learn about the place of the creative arts in cultural history, either by individual exploration or as part of an organized class or seminar.

The first floor is a reception area, suitable for a gathering over cocktails or wine and cheese.

The emphasis on this floor is on the visual arts, but this poster offers an overview of writers who have shaped literature in the German-speaking world and beyond. Let's see, I can recognize Anne Franck and Hermann Hesse ... Karl Marx ... Berthold Brecht ... Johanna Spiri .... hmmmmm.... If you get tired of guessing, you can click the bookcase here and get a list of all of them. You can get the poster too.

I have always enjoyed paintings by Gustav Klimt. This one, a portrait of Emile Flöge, is one of my favorites. She looks very elegant indeed. Do you think there is a resemblance ..... ?

Other artwork here by Dürer, Klee, and Kollwitz, for example, may be familiar to you. Here's one that you may not know, though.

It's a very nice late Renaissance painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, entitled "Rest on the Flight to Egypt." I had never heard of Cranach, but I discovered that I could get a lengthy biography on him by just clicking on the painting. That's true of any painting on this floor, by the way.

I truly love the second floor, which is where you find the Musik Salon. There is comfortable seating here for a seminar or a small performance, and the walls are lined with portraits of composers and performers. As with the paintings downstairs, each portrait is designed to offer a long biographical sketch of the person.

This is an impressive collection of men and women. Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms are here, of course, and so are Strauss, Schubert, and Handel. The 20th century is represented by Schonberg, Berg, Klemperer, and Weil, among others. One of my favorites, and the only woman among the crowd, is Clara Wieck Schumann. She was not only an accomplished composer, but a highly regarded performing pianist.

Speaking of performance, this is also a place to do a little performing of your own. I do not have Clara Schumann's talent, of course, but in SL anything is possible. All I have to do is sit on the piano bench, touch the keys gently, and ....

it's amazing! I can play Für Elise almost effortlessly! Oh, I knew all those piano lessons would come in handy some day.

I hope you enjoyed this visit. Please come back again, and bring a friend, or maybe a whole group of friends.

A Home for Stateless People

Hi! It's good to see you again. Are you ready for another short visit to Info Island International? I want to show you someplace special today.

Before you say anything ..... yes, I'm blonde. When I got up this morning, I decided to wear this nice green dress, which you haven't seen before, and it just felt like a dress to wear with blonde hair. I don't know why ... it just did. I love the way you can make decisions like that in SL.

Anyway, here's the special place. It's the Bridge of Stateless People.

My good friend Hypatia developed the concept. It is a magnificent suspension bridge, spanning a quiet lake in the extreme northwestern corner of the island. In a sense, it is an architectural metaphor for the challenge of reaching across the gap between people, or perhaps connecting people who have no home to the lands on either end of it. However you want to interpret it, Hypatia designed it as an homage to that people who have no nation or lands to call their own.


Let me back off a distance and let you see the whole thing from the air.


That's the welcoming area just beyond the far end of the bridge. It has changed a lot since our visit there a little over a month ago, so I'll have to take you back again. Beyond it is a new social center, where we will also need to visit some day. To the right, next to the ALS headquarters building, is the large Fusion Stage, which we use for performances. And out of the picture to the left is Info Island, where the main libraries are.


So, let's walk across. Walk slowly, though, because every few meters there is a conspicuous blue ball, begging for our attention. This one says "Resources on the Stateless." If you click on it, you will get a bibliography of articles and URLs where you can explore the topic of stateless people carefully.


The next ball offers information about the Hill People of Thailand. Beyond that are similar balls for the Roma, Palestinians, Kurds, and other people who have no uncontested homelands in the world.


Other balls on the bridge explore the concept of statelessness itself. "What does it mean to be stateless?" "Can a stateless person be a refugee also?" "How many stateless people are there?"


On this island, where we celebrate the many languages and cultures of the world, this bridge reminds us not to forget that there are cultures and languages that have a shadow existence, and whose people are often ignored or rejected by the world community.


Looking back from the east end of the bridge, we see the China Cafe and, beyond it, the sim owned by San Jose State University.


It's an impressive park, don't you think? When I lead people on a walking tour of the island, I like to end here. More than any other single region on Info Island International, this park makes me contemplate what it means to have a culture, and to belong to the world community.


As I said when you arrived today, this is a special place.



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You can find this strapless dress in my shop on Elysian Isle. It's called, simply, "Ivy Sun Dress." I went a little nuts creating the fabric. It's a soft spring green, covered with ivy ... very restful ... just the dress for a bright, spring afternoon. What you're going to love most, though, is the way the skirt flows. It's actually two skirts: a solid flexi underskirt and a filmy overskirt that almost move together, but not quite. They look wonderfully soft as you walk and ... oh, you have to see what this dress looks like when you dance! Very feminine. ;-)

Konichiwa!

The Japanese Garden on Info Island International is our destination today. It's a lovely, walled garden on the west side of the sim, just south of the China Cafe.

You may enter the garden from the China Cafe or through gates in either its east or south side. The walls, as you see in this photo, are traditional wood stake constructions. I love the sheltered, private feeling that they generate. The world outside seems so distant, and the garden so peaceful.

Some of the beauty in a Japanese garden comes from the planting. The trees here look as if they have been tended lovingly by generations of gardeners, skilled in the art of bonzai and having a sensitive eye for balance. Each one has been carefully placed for maximum visual effect.

There is also magic in the use of water to define space. The heart of this garden is a grouping of landscaped islands, surrounded by a shallow koi pool.

You step from one to another across arched bridges or patterned stepping stones like these.

This would be a very nice spot to hold a seminar or meet with a few friends for tea. The ring of benches here on the central island would be just the place to discuss the code of Bushido, or perhaps share ideas about ikebana, the Zen-inspired art of floral arrangement.

There is also a ring of cushions in another corner of the garden, and a tatami mat in yet another spot where you can sit quietly and meditate.

Or if you are inspired by less philosophical thoughts, perhaps it can simply be a place to escape from the busy world for a few moments. If you are at all like me, you treasure small, quiet places where you can hide and forget the pressures of daily life.

I like to dress to fit the mood of places we visit together. For today's visit, I made this lovely oriental outfit, which I have called "Japanese Garden," in honor of this special place. The fabric of the blouse is a bold, floral print on cream-colored silk. I did not design it myself, as I usually do, but found it among a wonderful collection by designer Adaarye Shikami, and could not resist. Isn't it beautiful?




The trim around the collar and sleeves is gold silk, bordered by a narrow line of deep red piping. I also used that red for the delicate buttons that close the blouse and, of course, for the long flexi skirt. That skirt, which drops almost straight from the waist, flows sinuously when you walk in it. The effect is marvelous!

I am going to rush now to get it in my shop on Elysian Isle before you get there. Sayonara!

Blog Index

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that it's not just about the fine women's clothes I design. It's my chance to show off some of the places in Second Life that I enjoy. It's also a way to post a little poetry from time to time, and to be philosophical.

Titles don't always tell you what's in a post, so I thought you might appreciate a guide. Here's what you can find in this blog:

THE SHOP and ME

Welcome to my World
Grand Opening
New Shop on Rich Idiot
Notes on Fitting and Style
Free items for YOU!
BIG Change!


PLACES TO VISIT

Info Island International

China Café
Dutch
English
French
German House
German House again!
International House
Italian
Japanese Garden
Mi Pueblo (Spanish)
Mi Pueblo again!
The Orchard
Park areas
Scandinavian House
Stateless People
Welcoming/Reference area


Land of Lincoln

Mr. Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball

Infotainment

Jazz Cat

Rich Idiot now Only Yesterday

My second shop!
More new shops!
Free items for YOU!
The Depot -- Only Yesterday
Fashion on Display -- For the 1930s

Athena Isle

Athena Wares

Other Cool Places

San Francesco Assisi

CLOTHES

Dresses

April Garden dress
Bluebird! cotton dress
Confetti dress
Flowered Sun Dress
Gold Leaves formal gown
Hyacinth dress
Ivy Sun Dress
Japanese Garden skirt and blouse
Little Black Dress
Simply Elegant gown
Sophisticated Night Out cocktail dress
Spring Flowers dress
Sunrise dress
Summer Butterflies dress
Yellow Sun Dress (free!)

Separates

Autumn Leaves skirt and keyhole blouse
Country Lace skirt and blouse
Field of Flowers skirt
Floral Spring skirt
Floral Spring skirt and keyhole blouse
Harvest Colors skirt
Lovely in Lavender skirt and blouse
Romantic Daydreams skirt and blouse
Snowflakes skirt and cardigan
Summer Grasses skirt and blouse
White Cotton Blouse and sweater

Other Items

Bathing Suits
Personal Safety Area

Accessories

Katt Tomsen Jewelry
Katt House

POEMS

Commitment
The World As I know It

TUTORIALS

Dressmaking the "Subtractive" way

Mr. Lincoln's Inaugural Ball

Yesterday was quite a day! I was invited to the inaugural ball for Mr. Abraham Lincoln, held on the portico of the White House at the new Land of Lincoln sim. Well, OK, everyone was invited, but I went. ;-)

I worked all day on a new gown for the occasion. Here it is. It's a full-length, pure white satin gown. The brocade and lace bodice is covered with a delicate pattern of gold leaves and bordered with a band of gold satin. For something as formal as a presidential inaugural, I had to wear white gloves, of course.

I expected a lot of lag at the ball, so I made sure to design the skirt on this dress so that it wouldn't be hard to control. Many prim skirts get carried away by the wind, or swirl into a tangle when you start to dance, but not this one.

Isn't it lovely?

The ball was underway precisely at 7 p.m. Quite a crowd had already arrived by the time I got there ten minutes later, and the dancing had started.

The White House is a fairly faithful reproduction of the RL original, and it is white. I spent some time wandering inside, because I have never taken the tour of the real White House. It's really nicely done, though sparsely furnished so far.

The other ladies wore elegant period gowns -- very colorful and nicely textured. It was quite a spectacle watching everyone on the dance floor. The gentlemen were nicely dressed too, of course. Many wore long frock coats that made them look very distinguished.

The organizing committee for the ball had thoughtfully arranged to have a professional photographer present so that we could each have a daguerrotype taken with Mr. Lincoln. That's the camera in the background. Many of the guests took advantage of the opportunity, but I decided that it would be more fun to dance with Mr. Lincoln and take my own pictures.

And there we are! You can tell it's him because of the beard and the hat. ;-) He's a good dancer, or at least he chose nimbly-scripted poseballs for our dance. It was a waltz, played by a small string ensemble. Mr. Lincoln doesn't smile much, I'm afraid, but he is gracious and a good conversationalist. I enjoyed dancing with him, and I got some good photos too.

I danced with other gentlemen too, of course, including this handsome Australian. What would be the fun of going to a ball at the White House and not dancing as much as you could?

I never did dance with that Confederate officer, however, even though he did look dashing in uniform. (I wonder how he got in past security?)

So that was my evening at Mr. Lincoln's inaugural ball. It was glorious! And it was all over by 9 p.m., and I went home to bed.

I was thinking of donating this gown to the Smithsonian collection, but I decided that they already have enough gowns. Instead, I have put it in my shop on Elysian Isle. If you are invited to someplace formal and need the perfect dress, just look for "Gold Leaves."

Villa Villekulla

Did you read the Pippi Longstocking books when you were young? They were written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and have been translated into nearly fifty languages, including Thai, Macedonian, and Hindi. Well, if you read the books, perhaps you recognize this house.


It's Villa Villekulla, the unconventional house where Pippi lived with her horse and her monkey, Mr. Nilsson. It's also the focal point of the Scandinavian language and culture area on Info Island International, where we are going today. Notice the national flags of Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden out in front.

The first thing I notice as I walk up the front steps is that the house looks a little bigger than normal. Maybe this is how the world looks to a child.






Just inside the door is a little photo of Astrid Lindgren, taken when she was an old woman.











The house is managed by librarians from the Scandinavian countries. If you have a reference question, you can submit it to Finnish or Swedish library services by following directions on one of these signs.

Scandinavia has been home to many notable scientists, engineers, and inventors. To the left in this photo is Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who devised the system that is now used to name all living things. On the far wall are two Danish scientists: Niels Bohr, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research on the structure of the atom, and Tycho Brahe, whose careful observations of planetary motion opened the way for modern astronomy.

There are many other portraits here, including Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux), Inge Lehmann (discoverer of the Earth's solid core) and, of course, Alfred Nobel. Each portait offers curious visitors a notecard biography, so you can learn more about these remarkable people.

You have to use your ingenuity to go upstairs, where you will find Pippi's sparse bedroom. You can only get there by TP. The bed is comfortable (I know -- I took a nap earlier!). At the south end of the room, you can sit on a big, soft pillow, read a book by Hans Christian Anderson, and gaze out the window at Cybrary City, our neighbor sim.

If you are very clever, you can figure out how to find Pippi's secret room. When I was little, I used to wish I had one. Here it is, but I won't spoil the secret by telling you how to get there.

Finally, what kind of storybook house doesn't have a balcony? This one, over the front door, looks to the north. The huge building in this photo is the ALS headquarters, at the center of the island. Behind it you can see the flags of English Square, where we went on our last visit.

So, there's the Scandinavian area. I have special feelings for this place. My name, Rolig, means "funny" in Swedish, as in a funny story. In Danish and Norwegian, it means "calm" or "peaceful." I'm not sure that either word fits me exactly, but they do help me feel a connection to the land and people this house represents.

Because I was planning to come here today, I made a new skirt and blouse to match the decor. The marbled lavender fabric of the blouse is the same color as the trim on Villa Villekulla. I decided that a yellow skirt might be a little too much, so I chose to make a soft, knee-length white skirt instead. They look gentle and spring-like together, don't you think? Here's a closer look.

I'm selling the skirt and blouse together at my shop on Elysian Isle. The name of the outfit? ... It's "Lovely in Lavender."

Hej, då! Tack för att ha kommit idag. Så länge!

English Spoken Here

I finally got it! I've tried making this skirt for months, but it never seemed to turn out the way I saw it in my mind. Has that ever happened to you? I mean, being able to imagine something you want to create, but having a mental block about how to get there?

I made this fabric back in October, as you can guess from the colors, and I wanted to use it in a skirt that flared at the hem -- something that swished gently as I walked but didn't fly away like so many flexi skirts do.





Well here it is, finally.

It has two tiers of panels. Only the lower tier is flexi, so each panel around the hem responds gently as you change position while the upper tier follows the movement of your hips. It's very smooth. And there's an extra bonus .... it almost behaves when you sit down on the right poseball.



Almost. :D

I am so pleased. If you are too, you can find this skirt, "Harvest Colors," in my shop on Elysian Isle. Oh, don't forget to look upstairs. I expanded the shop last week and moved all the blouses and skirts up there.

Enough about skirts.

Today I want to show you the English Square on Info Island International. It's a nice, bricked public square just outside the south entrance to the huge ALS Headquarters building.





English is spoken by almost 2 billion people around the world. In this area, we display the flags of six countries where English is spoken by the majority of citizens as a first language: The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. As in every other language area on the island, you can get a notecard with information about any flag by clicking on the colored band on its flagpole.

I expect to see pigeons when I visit here, flocking around that large fountain, but the only bird here is a lonely blackbird who sings to himself all day. By the way, the fountain also hands out a notecard with all manner of interesting information about the spread of English in the world today. It's fascinating to me to read how quickly English became a major world language and how many regional variants are spoken today.



This is a fine place for a group to meet, maybe for an open-air discussion or a seminar. Plenty of room for dancing, too, if that's what you'd rather do. Or, if you're like me, you can just stand and stare into the fountain.

Dutch Treat

My friend, Christi Janus, is an archivist in the Netherlands who does many things in Second Life. He's the one who created the Dutch language and culture area on Info Island International, where we're going today.


Dutch is spoken in many places around the world, but mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium. When Christi made this area, therefore, he designed it like a town square that you might find in one of those countries. Those are the national flags of Holland and Belgium in the background.

Too bad that we can't smell things in SL. These tulips and irises are beautiful.





In a square like this in RL, you would expect to find street vendors selling regional foods. The Belgians are fond of fried potatoes -- what we call "French Fries" in North America -- and the Dutch enjoy pickled herring. Hmmmmm .... I think I'll wait, thank you.







Instead, I'll stand here and feed the ducks and the swans. The swans are peaceful enough, but ducks look really hungry. There's duck food in the box next to me (or maybe I could throw them a herring?).


Not long ago, this pond was frozen over, so Christi used the ice for a special art exhibit. You could rent ice skates and glide around, enjoying each painting and learning a little about it.





There are many Dutch-speaking communities in Second Life, and there are some amazing art museums as well. You probably recognize Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Christi has thoughtfully provided reproductions here, and landmarks to places in SL where you can see more of the Dutch masters' paintings.









The centerpiece of the area, I think, is this gigantic oak tree. There's a blackbird nesting here somewhere, and a bluebird that flies over from the park around the pond. This would be a fine place to sit with a friend and watch the world go by.




My dress today, by the way, is a new one I just put in the shop on Elysian Isle. I'm calling it simply "Spring Flowers." I designed it for you to wear to an outdoor lunch or if you decided to stroll through any of the beautiful park areas in SL, but it could just be a "relax on the patio" dress. Maybe with a margarita? Here it is, close up.




I think I'll stay for a while. You go on ahead. I'll catch up.