Janis Joplin's assertion: 'Don't compromise
yourself. You're all you've got,' is also the mantra of
the best country seats. Such places are thoroughly
passionate realizations which house amateur pursuits
as well as a professional level of dedication to gracious
living.
The house, if grand enough, might be casually called
a manse, although that term is a touch ironic, as its
original use is in describing the house of a presbyterian
minister, an official charged with overseeing adherence
to group sanctioned beliefs. What we mean by manse,
of course, is almost the opposite: a place dedicated
to one's individual passions. Here is a house called
