I remember when Governor Linden's Mansion in Second Life was a deserted, out-of-the-way heritage home with not many visitors. I'd camp in the basement, but since autoreturn was on, my stuff would get sent back to me. So I'd just sit, and feel the spirit of avatars past talk to me, sharing their knowledge of the early days, the protoculture that's uniquely created… and the roots I never ever want to forget.

For it is in the guided eye-in-hands of early content creators like Steller Sunshine, who handcrafted the Governor's Mansion, who laid the foundation for what would grow into a massive landscape of naked emotions. Future generations are being rezzed daily, and those who are curious about history should seek out the SL History Wiki, including its own article on the Gov's Mansion.

I've seen the Gov lately — she of many forms is doing well, ebony skin and eyes still wide with curiosity. She continues to not be a politician, her title a seeming misnomer… legends live.

And as for the mansion itself? Racking in more traffic than all but the most massive clubs and hotspots, it's a well-frequented Linden Location, a point of destination off the Orientation and Help Islands, perhaps the first place on the mainland a new Resi shall ever chance upon.

And thus it goes, with its inherent comfort… bring me your huddled masses of pixels… who knows what intrepid explorers will essentially begin their Second Lives here, achieve great things, and return to where they were born, sharing advice and helping newcomers race past the starting line.

If you visit, do this one thing: travel into the basement and say hello to history.