Reader Submitted Picture: Balloon Over The SL23B

From Camden McAndrews, "SL23B. Scientific curiosity tragically overwhelmed sanity as the intrepid explorers approached the plasma beam in the temporal distortion field of the Tapestry of Time in a hot air balloon."

 

 

SL Video: "2025 Balloon Flight over Relay For Life of Second Life 'Magic of Hope' Camps"

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From Cynthia Farshore on July 10, "Ride with Cynthia Farshore on the Sunbeamers balloon as she flies around all the campsites of the 2025 Relay For Life of Second Life in this year theme Magic of Hope. Second Life is a virtual world celebrating 21 years now. https://secondlife.com/ Relay For Life of Second life is supporting the American Cancer Society, since 2006 has raised more than $6 million."

 

Adagio Winterland

 

Christmas may be over. But winter continues. And Gemma Cleanslate took a look at one snowy location: Adagio Winterland. While the sim has multiple locations, Gemma was focused on just the Winterland. Open year round, it gets visitors who come for the skating, the karaoke, the balloon ride, a snowball fight, the horseback riding, or just to see the snowflakes fall.

 

Read Gemma's story in Places.

 

Cartoon of the Day: Light Treat

 

 

 Taken while on a shopping trip. Some of the items up for sale were, interesting, and got my sense of humor working.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Balloon Flight Over Relay For Life of Second Life Track 2024"

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

From Cynthia Farshore on June 15, "Come join the Sunbeamer teammates Cynthia Farshore and Shockwave Yareach for a balloon flight around the 2024 RFL track. While cruising along enjoy the gentle music of Kevin MacLeod Ambiment"

RFL Track Sneak Peek: Floaty Frog

 

 

 Taken at the RFL Weekend track. While walking down the brick road, I saw this huge frog balloon floating in the air over it's campsite. Apparently it wasn't just looking for flies, it was flying after them.

 

Addition: Kamida would say on Discord, "That frog is HUGE, you can see it from two sims away!" Someone else would make a Terry Pratchet reference.

Bixyl Shuftan

It Came From Bellisseria Chat: Balloon Rac-coup

 

 

Another one from Traci Quandry-Marabana (Traci Quandry), who posted this picture in the Bellisseria group chat. Here, the raccoons seem to have tied up the pilot of a balloon. Traci would call this "Mutiny on The Balloon-y."

 

It Came From Bellisseria Chat: Raccoon Balloon

 

 

From Traci Quandry-Marabana (Traci Quandry), who posted this picture in the Bellisseria group chat. The words on the big balloon are "enjoy every moment," and the two raccoons seem to be doing so by dropping water balloons. Traci would comment the working title was, "you bombed who and what do you mean Xia's home is next? Xia Xevious would respond, "Ooh lovely picture! And don't bomb anything on my roof. I have a live bird flying around, to keep my roof clean (grin)."

SL Video: "Balloon Flight Over 2023 Relay For Life Of Second Life Track Virtual World"

 

 (Click here if the video does not play)

From Cynthia Farshore on July 3, "In the virtual world of Second Life ride along as I fly a balloon over the 2023 Relay for life of Second life track. We start at the Team Sunbeamer camp and travel to the closing ceremony and then return."

 

SL20B Starts Tomorrow

 

 

 Taking a ride on a balloon over the grounds of the SL20B. We can't show any pictures of the ground just yet. So you'll have to wait until the event starts tomorrow, Thursday June 22 at 10 AM SL time. At 12 PM is Patch Linden's Opening Speech at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astound/118/135/23

 

 

 

Scenes From The Relay Track

 

 

Among the various camps, there is one item that two share. The Sunbeamer camp at RFL Advocacy and the "Roos With A Dream" one at  RFL Awareness share some water. This boat straddles both campsites, and has a flag at each end. As the teams have had a number of joint events, it does symbolize the cooperation between the two.

 

 "Relay Streaming Media" at RFL Acceptance had a Hope Lodge attached to a balloon, like in the movie "Up."

This year's theme of "Hope Floats" got all kinds of interpretations by the teams. Usually it was boats or balloons. Fiona Fei's designer sim used the song "Clouds." Then there was the "Meli's Maniacs" team. They had a 50's style diner, with ice cream floats, at their camp at RFL Hope. 

The camps will be intact until Thursday morning, which is takedown day. The "Flood Party" should be sometime on Wednesday, tomorrow.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Sunbeamers 9th Annual RFL Air Show Fly-in

 

Sat, May 21, 8am – 4pm

Teams Sunbeamers and Roos With A Dream welcomes you to the 9th Annual Sunbeamers RFL Air Show Fly-in.

The Sunbeamer's and Roos With A Dream teams welcomes you to the 9th Annual Sunbeamer RFL Air Show Fly-in on the 21st of May between the hours of 8AM to 4PM SLT. Our partner team Roos With A Dream will be performing on stage with DJ Kayla and The Roos at 10am to 12pm!

This year we are bringing back the Balloon Bicycle Race! Upon a donation to the American Cancer Society kiosk you then acquire a free bicycle powered balloon provided for each entry. You can not use one of your own in the contest, yes that means YOU too Professor Elemental! This makes for an even playing field. The course runs through the sky were you must pass through rings spaced at intervals that vary in height and direction. Missing a ring causes a disqualified time. You may run the course as many times as you like hopefully bettering your time. Contest runs through the air show hours and the prize of a Aerial Outfitters Sky Skiff Airship will be sent to the winner at the air shows end at 4PM.

There will be planes on display with information about them. Some Pilots will be on hand to give rides and flight demonstrations or you can just BYOP [Bring Your Own Plane] and stunt around yourself.

During the show there will be Carnival Midway a number of activities to participate in. These activities we ask for a donation to the Relay For Life kiosk located at each. These include being shot out of a cannons where a provided parachute gently brings you back down. You keep the special RFL 2022 textured parachute for free. There will be one cannon that will shoot you straight up to the moon where a transporter will bring you back. Then you can take turns dunking either your partner, a Sunbeamer or anyone in a dunk tank, Just one little detail, instead of a beanbag you fire a German 88mm shell into its target!! There will be lots of other activities so come explore.

SLURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunlight%20Bay/152/99/22
 

Cartoon of the Day: High Team Member

Taken at Team Sunbeamer's camp at the Relaystock. Shockwave Yareach is a "High Sunbeamer" on the team, among the higher ranked ones below team captain Rita Mariner. He took a seat on a balloon, making his title literal. This being a 60s-themed event, though, "high" could mean something else.

By Bixyl Shuftan

  

Cartoon of the Day: Balloon Buster

 

 Taken at Club Cutlass. In the past, mass balloon releases were a part of celebrations. Today, they're not done as much out of concern for the environment, notably sea life. While a Gatling gun might be one solution, there's one obvious problem.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day: Floating Cat

 

 Taken at the One Billion Rising

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Balloon Festival in Lavender Lake

 

I heard there was a Balloon Festival in the Lavender Lake area. So I headed over, and was surprised by the number of them in the air around me. There were dozens of them in the air. There were a couple on the ground that had directions to click on the rezz another. They didn't work for me, but they did work for others. 

Supposedly, the festival ends after Sunday, so if you like balloons, hurry on over.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tonal%20Destination/8/251/28

Hat Tip: Daniel Voyager

CDS Oktoberfest This Weekend

Let's end our 15th Anniversary Month with a rousing OKTOBERFEST.

^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ + ^ +

Explore CDS by balloon (all weekend)

10/5: Maggi696 live! 12-1pm @Rhenus Docks

10/5: DJ Patricio 1-2 pm @Venus Cafe

10/6: Paintball with Lilith 10am - Meet @NFS Platz

10/6: Party on the Platz with DJ Calli 12:20-2:30pm

Note: Originally Jaynine Scarborough was performing Saturday, but canceled due to illness.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Club Cutlass. Now what would this vixen be doing with a balloon?

By Bixyl Shuftan

Calas – The Hot Air Balloon Ride

Deaflegacy recently went to a noted area, Calas Galadhon Park. What got her attention was the balloon ride. So what happens when a pony gets on a hot air balloon? She wrote about her experience.

Read Deaflegacy's story in Places.

SL14B Sneak Peeks

The SL14B is just a couple days away. Before the sims were closed to exhibitors, I did some last minute adjustments on the Newser exhibit with Silvia Ametza. Then I went about the sims some. At one point, I went about in this balloon ride over the area.

 A stairway just inside the entrance of the SL14B Auditorium, where a number of discussions will take place, including some "Meet the Lindens" events.

Among the exhibits in the SL14B grounds is "Cassini's Grand Finale," by the Leeward Cruising Club, showing the Cassini Saturn probe in the final part of it's mission, "This exhibit shows the Cassini orbiter in the final part of its 19-year Saturn exploration mission. "Come explore the full-scale model then explore the seas of Second Life ...." In September, assuming the spacecraft is still operational, it will plunge into Saturn's atmosphere.

All these, and much more, await visitors this Sunday, June 17.

Bixyl Shuftan