Quick note, since I also obtained some cuttings from the Alamo fig (being intrigued enough to write and ask last year) - lost a bunch of the best of them to root rot as cuttings, to my chagrin, but managed to have a couple keep going, just haven't gotten fruit yet. I'd definitely say it's *not* a Brunswick based on leaf shape, since my aunt's figs are almost assuredly Brunswick so I've got plenty of hers for comparison (that deeply-indented lobing and large open-eyed fruit). Their horticulturalist, Mark, hadn't been positive about what kind it was, either - he'd said, in an email last year: "I'm trying to remember the fruit description- seems it is a green exterior and a red interior. The variety would be a 'Green isischau'", but from yadda's pics, it doesn't seem as if the exterior is strongly green at maturity? would love to know what others think it is, I just have mine labeled "Alamo fig" for now. Sherry

I'm still leaning to the 1840s rather than the 1850s. Hannah White's cap is a lot more like this example from 1828 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harding_Mrs_Blake.jpg than the example from the 1850s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ingres_Princess_Albert_de_Broglie.jpg which as you can see is a mere wisp hardly visible at the front. By the late 1840s the earlier style would be getting rather old fashioned, though older women do tend to hang on to the styles of their youth. :-) Also, I don't think Hannah looks to be in her 50s in the portrait. Women of an earlier time tended to look older at a given age than they do today. Check out this tie from the 1840s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ludwig_des_Coudres_001.jpg Young people then as now tend to be "trendy" :-) Also this fashion plate from 1848 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mens_fashion_plate_1848.jpg The centre man's outfit from tie, shirt, vest, coat, hairstyle and even extended sideburns is _very_ similar to William White's younger portrait. So if the portrait was painted in the late 1840s then William would have been about 20 and Hannah in her late 40s, rather than well into her 50s.

Thank you for all the ideas. My DH probably would love people talking about him:) but I'm not going to go there at this point in the process. A simple toast and singing Happy Birthday could be fun though just to remind ourselves why we're there. I really want to do the photographer and the book. We live in a small town so no University but I'm going to call around and find someone. If not, I'll put a couple friends and their iphones on it to at least get something I can make into a book. I agree that the writing notes and sentiments is something that doesn't get done well on the spot. I remember being at a wedding where the videographer went around and asked that we talk about the bride and groom on camera. That was 20 years ago and I still remember not knowing what to say:) Thanks for all the thoughts!

Yes, I did briefly (and now even more) worry about overspending on one. At my local S.A tree they have sibling tree cards together. My gal Natie was not a combo. So, Tina, should I just not give the wish list part (camera or skates) but give the rest to my girl? Not give poor little Natie these very cool skates? Boo hoo. Really though, I have spent enough. Or, should I take what I have to the gift Tree volunteers, show them what I've got and ask if it should be split? Edited to add: strangely there were mostly boys left on my local angel tree. I'm wondering if it's because their wish list had some expensive things on it. Not much under $140. I know this because my squeaky butt husband was standing at the tree looking stuff up on his phone and then being embarrassingly loud about it. Or, maybe people just prefer to buy for girls? I did ask the volunteers about the many boys on the tree and she did say that every year they have all been taken up by givers. I'm thinking with all the money in my area of Florida combined with the large percent of snowbird wealthy retired people that angel tree kids around here tend to get overspent on. I do think it's a bit more normal. My husband along with others does a toy drive every year and just off that one place three large truck loads of toys will go out. There are hundreds maybe thousands of such toy drives in my county. Mtn, I have always in the past just given money to different causes at Christmas. This is my first time actually getting a kid, a kid with a name and sizes and wants. It's so very addicting!!! In fact it's even more than that as I'm an empty nester. I don't have any kids to buy for and that bites.