We bought an old house, a fixer-upper, in 2007. The 1901 farm house had been adandoned for more than four years and needed an immense amount of work. But, it had character, great exposure to the west, old exotic trees, and bordered open space. We bought it from the Newport National Golf Course. That’s the open space we are adjacent to, about 180 acres of yet-to-be developed land. The most impressive aspect, however, was learning the history of the property and area. The house had been a home to three generations of Murphy’s, their kids and kin, and then many tenants occupied it afterward. The historical highlights have been learning the life of Colonel George Waring a man famous in his time for many farming and engineering feats. And Grace Thomas who wrote an informal book titled, “Memories of Growing up on the Farm“.