Piers were a critical component to life on the lake - not just a cosmetic feature. They were a functional, practical and necessary part of life.

It was understood back then everybody needed a pier. Now there's a perception of a value change. There's a sensitivity to the scenic impacts of piers.

They'd want to get fresh milk, so it would be nothing to be on the lake and there's a cow on a boat. You have to remember - if you came out (to the lake) in the Victorian era, you'd have to have three trunks of clothes. Women changed their clothes three times a day.

I judged my mother much too harshly for her dating life. Being her only child, I wanted her completely to myself.

Nothing is more conservative than a bacterium.

For me, going away to work is the hardest part of my life and career.