Letter from Carl Nelson.

2022.612.3104

Letter from Carl Nelson.

A letter to Polly Storey from Carl Nelson. It says "Nearly four score years have paled the happy memories of festive experience as a small child. The place was Sweden, where I was born, and the occasion was the building of a Christmas snow house. This was not to be an ordinary snow house, but one of architectural ingenuity and splendor. We started by making a generous circle of medium-sized balls of snow row, placed alternately, and so on, with each successive row tilted slightly towards the center. The end result was a filigreed rotunda of white lace. An opening was left as a doorway, and now was was carefully dashed over the entire structure to give it an icy strength and an appearance of glistening crystal. The undertaking was accomplished and the enthusiasm boundless. Now it was time for the celebration to begin. Lighted candles were moved in, and the rhythmic beating of a drum added an impressive air of festivity. Not until the afternoon light had faded did the fervorr slacken and surrender to a northern twilights blessing of opalescent magic to a child's palace and a fitting place to spend all the days of Christmas.

He sent this from his residence on Cranberry Island, a residence he named "Tosh Park."

1979

Paper