what's in a name?

I remember in 1986 what a big deal it was to be able to purchase 2 bound volumes (about 1700 pages) of my family's history just after my son Alexander Pierce was born... Of course it's always easier to research your Dad's side of the family, and when I lived in my hometown we would go to refresh the plantings around the gravesites. My grandfather Earl Walter Munson died before I was born, so he couldn't relate more of his family's history. My grandmother Marian Knapp Pierce lived to be 94, and we used to spend weekends talking about stuff like that.

Well, here's a little bit about my Great Great Grandfather on my grandmother's side... pretty cool, huh? No wonder I take such a strong interest in helping people with their real estate needs. It may also explain why I'm not afraid of tackling home improvement projects!

Being the firstborn son, my given middle name is Pierce, handed down through generations as my g-g-grandfather's name was S.K. Pierce. He was a furniture tycoon in my hometown, still celebrated as New England's furniture capital. He built this 3-story house in 1875, and President Calvin Coolidge, Norman Rockwell and P.T. Barnum all enjoyed stays here. While it fell into disrepair Pierce's son lost the house in a high-stakes card game, it has been significantly restored in the past few years with its original woodwork and fixtures.

Getting the most out of 2016...

Boy, does this bring back memories. When I went halfway across the country to college, I had to stretch my food dollars... Fortunately, a few quick steps behind my fraternity house, there was an accommodating restaurant - IHOP. I was not as interested in its "multi-cultural" menu, as I was of their standing food offering - unlimited stacks of pancakes! Of course that was 40 years ago, when I was "thin as a rail" and could consume amazing quantities of food without regret.

Well, Happy New Year...and for those of you who have made resolutions to better manage the nutrition in your diet or your food intake, here we go: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ihop-restaurants-the-brand-that-brought-you-breakfast-all-day-brings-back-all-you-can-eat-pancakes-beginning-january-4-300198450.html

(40 years of living has taught me that smaller, nutritionally balanced portions throughout the day is a better approach. I don't think the restaurant would appreciate my suggestion, but... I guess you could stay at the restaurant all day and order a stack every few hours???)

My life experience tells me that doing an occasional "stuff yourself" binge of eating is not in itself a crippling blow. And yes, IHOP makes a delicious stack of buttermilk pancakes. For the next month, they further promise to keep it coming...