Surf, remember, I'm north of you so there are a lot of plants you can grow that won't grow here. Right now my gardens contain the following: Cabbage, Queen and Roebelenii palms (you can do better than these) Masses of different Bromeliads Amaryllis--tall and miniature--lubber's favorite food Various Crotons--(hurt with the frost last winter) Spider lilies (hymenocallis latifolia) Peacock ginger Blood lily Red shrimp plant Large landscape begonia Three different kinds of walking iris--especially love the Brazilian walking iris 'Regina' that is 4 ft tall Desert roses Ground orchids Vietnamese hollyhocks Hibiscus Epihyllum Oxpetalum (night blooming cereus) Helitrope Colocasia--teacups and the common Elephant Ear Alocasia 'Polly' Tibuchina Semidecandra (tree form) Kalanchoe thyrisflora 'Flapjack' really cool looking! Can't forget 120 different cultivars of daylilies Bulbine Frutescens 8 different colored unnamed frangipani Mandevilla 'Giant Crimson' Clerodendrum incisum (Musical Note Plant) Philodendrons Xanadu and Sellum Stoke's Asters Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' Of course, native live oaks that form the shade garden Small herb garden Cybidium orchids Different phals and cats that live on the patio I know I've missed a couple of things! All of these plants survive in salt-laden air and well water heavily intruded with salt. I do experiment a lot with varying success. My lot is 80 ft wide and the backyard is 35 ft deep. The garden is packed in with a shoehorn, obviously. My own feeling is that I wound not plant right now--too hot and the hurricane season is in full swing. Come about Oct or Nov when temperatures start moderating, that's when things get moved around, tossed, and purchased. Good luck with your garden! It's a strong learning curve for all of us!

Well, we had a good week. Let's see, what about the eating part . . . we had ginger-garlic stirfry chicken w/ candied walnuts, classic hot and sour soup, abondigas (Mexican meatball) soup, pesto both normal/basil and tomato/trapanese, seared salmon with sweet sauce that I'd call ''semi-sashimi'', broiled beef short ribs w/ hoisin/BBQ sauce, miso soup, slow-cooked beef brisket, tomatoes baked and broiled w/ cheese and mayo, some excellent couscous in a great chicken broth, lots of tangy salads, orange cake, peach cobbler, spicy marinated and grilled steaks which put me in a food coma, two chicken and chorizo paellas which worked out even though we used long-grain rice, and some other stuff that I forget. Poor dishwasher worked overtime. Even though we dined like, well, oinkers, the total food and wine bill for the whole week was probably the equivalent of a couple of group dinners out. Doing your own cooking just beats restaurants all day long. Took a five hour kayak trip, mis-timed the wind (lake wind advisories the last couple of days) and paddled our arms off to get home before the whitecaps and waves got too bad. Some mild sunburns. A cigar and scotch night, which basically means me and W_____ being banished to chairs way far downwind, out where the coyotes prowl. Lots of ''stitch and b*tch'' circles, there was quite an obsessive knitting group - which is why we resorted to the cigars in the first place. Fixed some plumbing leaks - it is a very old cabin, and something always has to be mended. Some serious napping. Got caught up on our friend's lives, mid-life menopauses, growing kids, and how everyone is coping w/ the current economy - lots of ''re-inventing oneself'', ''consulting'' and ''living more simply'' going on, but things are okay. The BP oil spill cleanup looks to be a surprise positive for one guy's research funding, glad someone I know is benefiting from that. 13 y/o R_____ has become quite the jazz pianist. 11 y/o C____ does a mean Michael Jackson dance routine. Found a quirkly old-time gun and blade store that had a particular discontinued Forschner Chinese vegetable cleaver that I've been looking for. Then a 12 hour drive back to Portland, kayaks on the roof killing the fuel economy, and back to work today. The best thing is that we are all getting together in a month to rebuild a rotten deck at another cabin. And there's an excellent little oyster farm just five miles down the road . . .

Every show is different. Some are run by guilds (usually volunteers) and they can show any quilts that members want to share. Of course, there must be insurance, and if there are prizes, they must have impartial judges, and at least break even on expenses. Quilt shows that are professionally run have to make a profit to keep the show running; vendors, classes, admission, entry fees, etc. To offer prizes, they must have a jury process, hire professional judges and other staff, insurance; lots of overhead. Big shows usually also include a non-juried exhibits, to add balance. Now picture yourself as a quilter who has a quilt you want to enter, and maybe even win a prize. You will likely have to ship your quilt. OMG! Now thatÂs really scary. So, you will want to have an appraisal, read all the rules carefully (remember, all shows are different) and take the risk and expense of packing and shipping your quilt. Maybe your only reward will be the pleasure of seeing your quilt hang in a show. If you have a quilt business (teaching, designing, selling books, patterns, longarm quilting, etc.) you can probably write off your expenses. For an individual who just loves to make beautiful quilts, would you still enter, and compete against the proÂs? Would the risk and expense be worth it to you? And of course, your quilt must be original enough that nobody can claim you copied something. Just some things to think about when you visit a quilt show. BlueBars

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Maddielee, I am so happy that we will be there for part of the SB Food and Wine Festival and will get busy buying tickets for that event! That is perfect for what we are looking to do. Thank you! Mitchdesj, Casa Tua looks perfect. I hope we can get an outside table. DD will really enjoy the European vibe, having lived in Italy, while in college and beyond. Thank you! ljr, Both Primes look great. Hmmm....how do we choose, or do we plan on both? Thank you! Runninginplace, you have given us excellent suggestions and we are certainly willing to stretch our local a bit for a fine dining experience. Thank you! Holly-kay-Your post sends shivers down my spine. With 3 children, no signs of cardiac trouble....I can't begin to imagine how you coped with all of that. Thank you for sharing your story. One of the things I tell DD is that we now know this was inevitable and nothing could have been done to stop it. Had they married and had children, she would be walking in your shoes. It isn't much consolation, but it does rid her of some of the guilt she feels. "If I hadn't gone to the office that Saturday, I would have been there and could have called 911". NO! Everyone has told her that he had the type of heart attack that occurs in otherwise healthy young male athletes. It took a solid year for the autopsy results (due to a scandal in the coroner's office in Boston over a year ago), and despite the findings, there really isn't any consolation. She knew he did not do drugs or engage in any self-abuse. She is now processing the findings, which make it official, and close the door on other possibilities. Unlike your late DH, her BF did have high blood pressure and a strong family history of heart disease. However, he was an athlete in high school, college and beyond. He had just run a half-marathon in Disney. He was 28 and full of promise. DD says she will probably never find someone who loved her the way he did. I hate the expression "time heals"--hell no! Not when you endure this type of suffering. What you went through is forever woven into your (and your children's) being: an unforgettable, tragic event with long-term pain and suffering. I'm glad you poured out your story. Thank you for sharing it and for your thoughtful insights. "Tried to enjoy myself doubly....." Such words of wisdom from only one who has been there. I wish I could give you a big hug!