New Old Photos

After I published Nelson's biography, The Island and i, people continued to send me photos and other memorabilia that I would likely have included in the book. Here are a few of the more interesting photos I received (click to enlarge):

Many visitors took photos of Nelson's iconic first house on Copper Island. This is how a photo-of-a-photo was sent to me. The perspective is easily corrected, but I found it intriguing.

Two more shots of the original house. Notice that in this photo, the uprights that form the breakwater extend below the walkway (partially constructed by me at the age of 19).

A new old photo of "Ye Hermitage," the tiny cabin—once a floating outhouse—where Nelson would escape if his visitors were too much for him. Equipped with a narrow bed and a coffee tin stove, Nelson's Hermitage was all he needed in a pinch.

Nelson's main activity in Ye Hermitage was writing letters. Here is an envelope that was apparently carried by the Greek god Hermes—or some friend of Nelson's whose beautiful feet brought good news.

Two newly acquired photos of Nelson, one on a pre-haircut day, and the other with Snuggles as a puppy. I realized as I was researching Nelson's story that when I first met him, he was only four years older than I am now. But he always seemed quite old in appearance to me, while being young and energetic by nature.

Finally, appropriate to this Easter season, a candlestick that Nelson carved in the form of a celtic cross. The cross has the words, "Jesus—Saviour—King—Lord" and the base reads, "God so loved the world." As Nelson might say on Easter Sunday morning, "He is risen indeed!"