There are two houses around here that ended up having descended to warring
factions of the same family. Their recent history is edifying to anyone
considering how thinks could work out on Ellis.

The first house is a very early cape with real interest to
preservationists, but not, unfortunately, to the two families involved.
Early on they agreed to split the house, figuratively, down the middle,
each responsible for all maintenance for his side. since then their tactics
are to avoid any communication whatsoever and each treats his/her half as
if it were a single undivided property. One side of the roof has been
recently reshingled, unfortunately not the weather side, which desperately
needs it. The other side has had some sill work done, although both needed
it equally. etc. etc. Any number of concerned oldhouse people have
attempted to wrest the property away from the families and into saner
hands. But both parties seem to be deriving some perverse joy from the
affair, and will not get out of the way, even though there may not be a
house to fight over for much longer, and some of the offers were quite
acceptable for a house in its condition.

The second is not so splendid, but the acrimony between families was even
more bitter; that is until the grandchildren of the warring cousins, who
had never before met,  ended up, serendipitously, at the same
small college, where they promptly fell in love. They held up their
respective families with threats of abandonment unless they patched things
up and turned the property over to them as a wedding gift. Happy ending.

The moral, obviously, is that, for the good of the island and its great
historical structures (all four of my grandp's hung out there)  Christie
and Rudi better get it on soon.

Bruce