One night, he and Suzie went out together to a party at the house of some friends, beside the lake in one of the old city parks.

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The couple were hosting family and friends at their house when Daniel Fanning and a relative went into a bedroom to check out some of Fanning's guns, Helm said.

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While he made visits to the island and brought friends to stay at his new house, his career as a documentary and drama film maker was beginning to soar.

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Then I heard about a house-swapping site, Homelink, through friends at an Italian language school.

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The founder of the company, Mounir Shita, envisions a network of connected devices that use so-called smart software agents to track your friends, suggest food at a restaurant and even find someone to paint your house.

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It's not rare for the kids' friends to be found hanging at the house, and every Thursday, the family hosts a group of local Mormon missionaries for dinner.

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Mr. Engmann, now a securities trader and an entrepreneur, says he and his wife, Barbara, will miss entertaining at the house, which can easily accommodate 500 guests and a band for a reception or 100 friends at an Easter-egg hunt.

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