A not so short explanation...

Naming conventions...

When we bought our first house, we took on a boarder. Being young and freaked out by an enormous $127,000 loan (!!), our very good friend Mat moved in. Well, it's too much of a mouthful for visiting friends to call it, "Harmony, Derek and Mat's house" -- and so it was named, "Bob." (Though, I would have wholly supported Damon's suggestion when Mat moved out and got married that it be renamed "B.O.O." for, "Base of operations.") Anyway...

Bob was the host of many, many memory-making gatherings.

Then we bought the land upon which we married. Five wooded fern-rich acres in the North Cascades. It had whole outdoor "rooms" to be named..."Chapel," the clearing where we were married, "Avalon," the driveway where guests parked, "Bacchus," where we drank, danced, held the reception and built a bonfire...all part of, "The Realm."

Then we moved to the in-laws in preparation for our 3-month trip to Mexico (see: www.webbjuniors.blogspot.com) and the father-in-law asked what would we name their house while we were living and housesitting there? I paused not a beat and responded, "Frances." I have no idea where this came from, (other than that Bob and Frances seemed to go nicely together) however, upon further reflection and looking up of the name, it's perfect! "Frances" means "free" -- and, appropriately so, as she has been the way point for many of the Webb family and friends gathering their wits and resources, seeking their next adventure.

So...when the in-laws visited this new house...this house of many rooms, strange cubbies, multitudes of doors, stairways, closets, crooked hallways, undiscovered rooms and confusing layout -- it reminded them of The Winchester Mystery House. And pretty much everyone else who has visited both made the same connection. Though far from the same vastness, and, likely not built as such for the same reason, the name stuck. And, Winchester became, "The Chesterton Manor," or, less officially, "Chester."