Fran 'The Title Man' Gaspari Title Insurance-PA & NJ

The area of Pennsylvania I live in is prolific with magificent vistas...You can look in any direction and be wowed by some part of God's magnificent creation...

But like life itself, there is an element of imperfection or taint noticeable in just about every 'natural canvas'..."Adam, why did you have to go ahead and eat that fruit...you couldn't have been hungry..."

This year, what taints our area's countryside, are those God forsaken tent caterpillars...you see them everywhere...it's almost as if high fuel prices have a cause and effect relationship with tent caterpillars...both are ugly and reprehensible...and both share center stage right now...

Will tent caterpillars just slowly go away like slowly declining fuel prices...or will nature's demand for them increase their supply?

Whatever the case I hope they go away never to return...and quickly...certainly before the upcoming election...before a winning party has a chance to legislate their protection as an endangered species!!!

Does anyone know what 'good' they do...what redemptive act sustains their existence...and what about all the vegetation they destroy!

And whatever happened to the tent caterpillars 'natural enemy'...isn't there supposed to be some bird, or bat, or owl, or some other much more admirable species that is a 'natural predator' of tent caterpillars...and if so, where the heck have they been...

Their 'natural enemies' seem to have gone the way of the 'no doc' or 'stated income' loan...they're nowhere to be found!

Whatever the case may be, I have had my fill of them and I get rid of them whenever possible...I hope you'll do the same...

Oh, and by the way, please remember to vote this November!

As a kid...I remember once a year the circus coming to town...and a highlight of the event was watching the circus elephants erecting the tents bright and early in the morning...this was almost as exciting as what went on INSIDE the tent! The clowns, the acrobats, the jugglers, the fire eaters, the magicians, etc...all set the pace for every weekend beginning in early spring and going through Labor Day!  

Then there were the 'firehouse' carnivals...these would last a week or more near the end of the school year or closely thereafter...and would supply side shows, games of chance, lots of fast food, kiddie & adult rides and raffle tickets for just about anything from Afghans to Chevrolets...  

Of course, the Country Fairs or County Fairs or State Fairs occurred all throughout the year and combined many of the activities from the circus, carnivals, etc...into elaborate displays intended to excite children and adults of all ages...there was something for everyone it seemed at these events...!  

But the most unusual and memorable and enjoyable of events were the 'Feasts'...these were small, concentrated, mini-celebrations celebrated by many ethnic, religious, and fraternal organizations..of course the distinctive character of each event derived from whatever hosts were sponsoring it or putting it on...specialty foods and dishes, culinary delights, picnic style events, horseshoe contests, quoits, ball games, and other family activities...  

These 'feasts' for the most part would revolve around a particular 'Saints' feast day or a day celebrated by a specific church or fraternal organization's name sake...and boy were these a good time...funnel cakes, pork sandwiches and roast beef sandwiches served on special Italian rolls, fried dough, potato blintzes, and other ethnic delicacies...mmmmmgood!  

Usually these would wind up as the summer heat was winding up...but in my area of Pennsylvania, there was something to celebrate nearly every weekend!!! Or at least until Eagles Football began in September!

Now, if you were lucky enough to be raised in the same town I was, and you were of Italian/American descent, and you went to one of these events sponsored by the local Italian/American fraternal organizations or 'clubs' as they were called, and it was winding down and everyone was letting their hair down and expressing their deepest ethnic 'soul'...you would likely hear something like this played by local musicians...

Summer's winding down, school here officially starts next week, and football practices are heating up...!!!

SUMMER IS WINDING DOWN

As the August evening shadows lengthen, and the twilight air adopts a cool edge, there are those who wait for this time of year to close on a home purchase...what with the beginning of a new school year, the end of summer vacations, and the attempt of many to 'conclude' the year on a positive note! Get out and enjoy this optimum weather period...fresh air is as important to our health as good nutrition...!

SCHOOL IS OPEN

I know school starts are a local phenomenon...just like real estate and title insurance!...

Traffic will pick up...school buses will return to the landscape...children may be apprehensive about starting a new grade or entering a new school...drive carefully, and affirm those kids in their endeavors as much as possible...they're our greatest assets, and getting them off to a good start can assure they have a great year!!!

FOOTBALL IS KING

Although I myself am a baseball nut, there is no doubt that football, in America, is king! And not only Pro Football, but College, semi-pro football, high school, junior high school, youth football, flag football, and even European Football (soccer)...!

Over the next few months, we will digest so much football, that by Super Bowl Sunday, we will have had our fill...most of us, that is!!! Personally, I will be enjoying watching my 10 year old and 13 year old play on their respective teams as much as I enjoy TV sports! Let's try to keep a balance...be a good fan, but don't be fanatical!!! It's only a sport! Balance, we have learned, is valuable in all our endeavors! Aim for it!

FRAN'S WEEKEND

Football practice, team pictures, watch some olympics, mow some lawn, finish up some outdoor painting, church, and...oh of course...blogging...!!!

The Search Is On...!!!

In our earlier days, to acknowledge receipt and appreciation for a title insurance application or referral, we sent out a post card with the prominent phrase, "THE SEARCH IS ON"...

Actually, there were some selfish and self serving reasons for sending such a post card!

They kept our name and phone numbers in front of our customers, they provided the file number assigned to that matter for easy reference, and they established an open line of communication between us and those others having an interest in the property...

Now, with the onset of the Internet and e-mail, snail mail practices such as this have fallen by the wayside! Thus we have lost some of our 'clout' and advertising capabilities...

Of course, Google Juice has carried the day and taken up the slack, but it's somewhat unnerving experiencing the transition from almost 100% referral based from prior customers to new customers finding us through blogging and SEO...

The challenge for title insurers like us, who pride themselves in quality of work product, is to balance this new found avenue of initiating business with the time tested and more slowly evolving practices necessary to generate a reliable title commitment and a subsequent pleasant and efficient closing...and still yield a quality work product...it is being done...as this is being written...

Just to digress for a moment...it occurred to me while listening to a midget footballer recently ask a question which one would assume such a player would already know the answer to, after 5 years of participation and active play in this sport...how much in life itself is TAKEN FOR GRANTED...

After closing tens of thousands of real estate transactions, it can be easy to TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED...like saying a simple 'thank you for your business', or staying in touch with a source of referrals, or wishing one the best after a closing, or following up with post closing matters in a timely fashion, etc...

We cannot throw the baby out with the bath water as we evolve our businesses to conform with modern day electronic techniques and improvements...we must use the same utmost care in our business dealings...

Yes, it is real estate we insure, and locally based to be sure, but ultimately it is families that we're protecting...and that WE CAN NEVER TAKE FOR GRANTED...!!!

Every year for the last 6 years I have had at least one son playing what we call 'Midget Football'...

The season starts with rigorous 4 days a week practices lasting 2 hours...the kids whose ages range from 7 through 13 are sorted out by age and assigned to appropriate teams...

The practices are from 6PM to 8PM so as to avoid the usual intense heat of the day and take advantage of an early evening breeze which occurs most everyday in our area!

The practices consist of a series of calesthenics, stretching, and warming up activities and then break up into smaller groups to run through play drills and special skills exercises!

There are about 8 or 9 teams covering three age groups...not counting 'flag football' for the really young and football eager kids!

At the same time all this practicing and perspiring and hard work and tackling and getting tackled are going on there are about 150 cheerleading aspirants practicing with about the same intensity as the footballers...

At any given time it is not unusual to see close to 500 kids, parents, and younger siblings taking advantage of this late summer into autumn sporting activity...which truly makes it a family event...and it does a heart good to see the new facilities provided by the local township to make this all possible...

Now, I love football, almost as much as I like baseball, and I and several of my kids have been involved in youth football over the years in a couple different organizations, but I must admit to you I've struggled seriously with the merits of allowing kids to engage in a sport which seems to expose children at a relatively young age to a higher level of body stress than nature intended...but, having said that, I have deferred to my kids wishes to participate and so they have...!

Again, there seems to be a healthy balance that is so challenging and elusive to master in life, that it occupies our every waking moment and desire to be great parents...that 'juggling act' I so often talk about!

I would personally like to thank Amity Township, Daniel Boone School District, and The Blazer Midget Football Organization and its volunteers for allowing so many children and families to engage in this fun and healthy activity...!