I think the Crepe Myrtle is in your heart, so you should go with it. You must post photos of your new yard when it is completed! It sounds like a lovely lay-out.
Renee

I must say I love my three Crape Mytrles in my frony yard. The flowers arent too messy, as they kinda fly away when they drop. The leaves are fairly small and not too intusive when they fall.
I prune mine back every Demember to the main growing branches. IMO, this leaves the best looking tree for the winter, and gives you a nice compact buchy tree come Spring/Summer.
Here is a pic of i and 1./ of them :) from last year when they were just coming into bloom
{{gwi:531713}}

Brian

Renee, we love the Crape Myrtle but we want to be sure it's the best tree for the final plan. We're setting up appointments for estimates this week, and we'll see what they have to say.

Brian: Lovely!

If you want shade, crepe myrtles aren't really fast growers and are kinda smallish trees. Ficus Benjamina or Podacarpus would be my choice for nice shade and less mess. But Ficus has those roots...

Jenn- you defined a fig tree with your specifications. Can't get much more Spanish than a Black Mission Fig. Prunable to any form you desire, and two crops a year. Plenty drought resistant once established. I think figs are one of the most exotic looking trees around, but tastes vary. Throw in some pomegranates and you've got some beautiful edible landscaping that's tougher than about anything else you could put in.

desertdance: Some Crape Myrtles get large enough to be shade trees.... the Natchez is one of them. Ficus is nice but yes, the roots.... one of the reasons we want to get rid of the Mimosa.

fruithack: Nice suggestions..... thank you. We'll add them to the list.