Have a fun visit! Berridge Nursery and Baker Nursery are both very much worth visiting (both are in Phoenix, just do a quick search on google for their websites). The Phoenician Resort is definitely worth a tour if you're a gardener (there is a guard at the entrance but you can just truthfully say you're there to see the cactus garden, or to grab lunch etc). I LOVE the landscaping at the Gainey Hyatt resort in Scottsdale--the landscaping is out of control beautiful and the lobby is one of those great indoor/outdoor spaces with a view over one of their many pools, their golf course, and a great view of Pinnacle Peak Mountain. Parking is super easy and there's a bar and a couple of restaurants there too. Nice for a quick stop. I also love to tour the plantings (and grab a bite or a coffee) at the Biltmore Resort (very old Hollywood and tons of neat lush landscaping) and the charming boutique and mostly tropical old world Royal Palms resort--both in Phoenix. For shoppinng there's no nicer mall in the US than Scottsdale Fashion Square (maybe Alamoana Mall in Honolulu comes close), and again, if you're a plant lover, Kierland Commons is a WONDERFUL place to stroll and shop--it's a nicely planted indoor/outdoor shopping district on the Scottsdale/Phoenix border. Huge date palms, a lawn area, fountains, and excellent large planters and a ton of great retailers and restaurants. I go there at least once a week. Definitely visit the Desert Botanical Garden too. It's a wonderful place to see some really nice specimens of desert plants from around the world. If you like sort of tacky but sort of fun things, Dolly the Steam Boat tour of Canyon Lake is fun and a nice drive (again just search on google). There are also a ton of Jeep tours and horse tours you can do too. Let us know what you do, and how you like the activities. We all get a lot of winter and spring visitors so some feedback would be great. Have a lovely visit! Safe travels, Grant

I just want to caution you to tread carefully when interfering with teen love. Studies have been done on this topic, and it is NOT true that loves from your 20s are stronger or more important than young/teen loves. In fact, the opposite is true. Young, teen loves often form the strongest bonds of any love relationship in your life. Scientists believe that there is a hormonal "imprint" that these early loves have on one another's brains very similar to the "imprint" that babies and mothers experience. When these loves are disrupted because of parental interference/disapproval, it can have devastating lifelong effects on the couples' ability to form lasting and fulfilling love relationships in their adult years because they are haunted by unfinished business. Don't diss young love. It IS the real thing. I'm attaching a link to the website of Dr. Nancy Kalish, who has done a lot of research on young love, and the effects of reunions between teen lovers in adulthood. Although my children are both very young, I believe very strongly that you must allow your children enough freedom to form these attachments and see them through to their own natural course. Some WILL end up happily married right out of high school. Some will break up because they're not getting along. But the most important thing we can do as parents is talk to our children about the importance of love, what real love looks like, and make sure they are safe. Make sure your children know their values, are prepared and know what they need to and want to do when it comes to s*x, and encourage them to bring their girlfriends and boyfriends home so that you can keep an eye on the situation without making them feel like star-crossed lovers. I'm not looking forward to this period in my children's lives because it makes me nervous, but I do hope they find and know real romantic love. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Nancy Kalish

Another who prefers renting condos, houses, etc. rather than a motel. We've had great luck and wonderful owners to rent from. Just this year we rented a cottage that had been in the owner's family for many years. It was FILLED with antiques and lots of family items. Gourmet kitchen with many nice items. That was the one where I LOVED the sheets LOL. I could not imagine having all that stuff out - both expensive and sentimental, but apparently they don't have a problem. We've rented for years in Seabrook Island from a couple who live in NJ. And next month we rented a cottage in the mountains of Alabama which is a stone cottage - again filled with antiques, etc. I know we take care of things - but I'm sure there are people who don't and walk off with things. All the places we have stayed, except one in Cashiers, NC, had cleaning services. The couple in NJ keep in touch with us and I am often their "spy" on the cleaning services at that condo. LOL About bedbugs - you can get them anywhere and everywhere. You can even get them in old pieces of furniture. And the fanciest of hotels. It has nothing to do with cleanliness. If you travel anywhere, you are at risk. Many people bring them home in their luggage. NEVER put your luggage on the floor. tina

Yes, I do still have the seed pod from the black pepper tree, but I will not try to germinate it until early next year, when I germinate my chili seeds. Here are some more photos:Hagar, 1971, by Jacques LipchitzI have another photo of this horse with Annie in it, but it is not a flattering view of the horse.Kevin sitting with the Meijers.Kevin sitting at the lakeMadagascar Palm, quite expensive, even in Los Angeles, but I have one in my front yard and a cluster in my back yard, but none of them have bloomed yet. I did not even know they made flowers.Richard Hunt, 2000, Column of the Free SpiritWaterfall, into the pond.