is the city game, especially since they are pushing waterfront development (or they were)? I know that there are communities in Staten Island that want a federal buyout (they don’t want to rebuild). People are moving out of some of the areas where I live.

i am hardening our building insteadvenice and amsterdam have dealt with this for a long timewe can too

Well, and then there’s Gauguin, especially as interpreted by Somerset Maugham. I would never encourage anyone to endure the hardships of life on the road, but it seems to have been an essential component in the Boulliabaisse that has produced great art. Not all the stories can be believed.

As the Realtors say, “location, location, location.” Hard work and a great house don’t add up without “location. Fred and Joanne have created the “location” that they carry with them, and, yes, they’ve earned it. No envy and lots of respect.At the same time, a lot of people have 99.9% of what Fred and Joanne have in terms of native talent and even education, but are missing something that means the wannabees are a non-starter. It’s not just about who does the work. I don’t mean to dismiss anything from what Fred and Joanne have accomplished, and all that they do to give back.If you are just living on the wrong end of town and on the wrong football team when the Friday Night Lights fire up, the scouts just won’t see you.I respect your opinion, but I add to it that even hard work and genius won’t overcome some limitations.

On the road I carry a French press coffee maker along with pre-ground coffee of my favorite brand and blend, water boiler (good for ramen as well as other late-night provisions), balsam-scented candles to overcome the numbing smell of industrial cleaner, and a few little goodies that spell “home” to me.Certain jobs require that we spend time on the road. I think sanity hangs on our ability to maintain a connectedness to “home” while on the road.When I drove north (far north), the ferry guys loved me because I had the tiniest RV they had ever seen. They’d tuck me into a corner on the ferry, while they were turning away everyone else.I could stay sane during the 3 continuous months on the road/sea because I had a vehicle that held my library, my favorite spices, and a small refrigerator with enough to make the next night’s edible (gourmet) meal.Being uprooted and at the mercy of even the best of friends or the best of hotels is destabilizing in ways that are hard to calculate. I know how I dealt with some of them. I salute the Wilsons for getting back home and still presenting a good facade of sanity!

FAKE GRIMLOCK — YOU’RE MINE! REMEMBER? YOU SCALY BEAST!!!THE NIGHT BY THE FIRE YOU LIT, WITHOUT MATCHES? WHO NEEDS “MATCH.COM” WHEN THEY’VE GOT YOU! YOU’RE WATERPROOF, AND MATCHLESS!XXXOOO. (I forgot. We were going to keep this quiet.)

When I was totally lost and had nothing to say, Farmville and Farm Town helped me have a “place.” I had no strength to write, let alone maintain a website, but I had a regimen, and friends showed up.Zynga is more powerful that it/they know. Telluride, Colorado, is known as a place where gold was being mined but no one knew what it was. It didn’t look right. Zynga may have gold in the “pan,” but not know what it is or what to do with it. For the sake of the well-being of the potential customers, I hope they figure it out.