We're here in my mother-in-law's former home in Lakeside Park, Kentucky (a Cincinnati suburb, between Covington and Erlanger). She moved to an assisted living apartment several months ago, and now my wife and her relatives are clearing out the house to get it ready for sale. Yesterday, an avuncular real estate agent came to look over the place. When he was told that there were hardwood floors under the wall-to-wall carpeting, he nodded knowingly, and said "yeah, old houses always have hardwood floors." Apparently this Kentucky realtor had never seen a shotgun shack. But more startling was the concept that a suburban Colonial from 1968 is now an "old house," in the same category with hip-roof Foursquares and Italianate villas. I mean, the original historic fabric of this particular landmark includes plastic snap-in muntins! If I had been in the vicinity, I would have been, at age 13, old enough to make snarky comments about it during construction. Next thing you know, Bob Vila is going to demonstrate how to preserve thin brick and Dryvit. Larry --- Lawrence Kestenbaum, [log in to unmask] Washtenaw County Clerk & Register of Deeds, http://ewashtenaw.org The Political Graveyard, http://politicalgraveyard.com P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>