Winchester Mystery House

When I was, oh, nine years old or so, my parents took me to San Jose to see some relatives. On the plane, I read my first not-necessarily-for-kids book, *The Source of Magic*, by Piers Anthony, given to me by my brother-in-law and mentor-in-geekishness. The book began my 24-book relationship with Piers Anthony in particular, and vaulted me into my reading habit in general. On that trip, we visited the Winchester Mystery House, which was fascinating to my weirdness-addicted brain at the time, and remained legendary in my mind for all the years since. Back in San Jose for my cousin Chris’s wedding, we had a chance to visit the House again. It was just as enchanting as I remembered, and this time I got a nice mug.