Hi neighbor! We are from Minnesota, and do a lot of camping. One place you may want to consider is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area... Beautiful! It's up in the northernmost part of MN. We go to a lot of state campgrounds... some of our favorites are St. Croix State Park, Interstate Park (I prefer the Wisconsin side), and Lake Itasca. Try the MN DNR site for good descriptions of each park; you can even reserve camping on the site. We like the walk-in or backpack sites- more privacy, and usually they really in the middle of nature. In Wisconsin, we like Big Bay State Park (Apostle Islands- in Lake Superior.) You take a ferry from Bayfield, WI out to the island (Madeline). Amnicon Falls Park is also a winner. Really... there are so many, I can't name them all. Northern MN or WI are the best locations- you really can't lose there. Have fun!

dedtired, Hints for seasickness... 1.) Look off the stern instead of the bow; 2.) Fix your eyes on the horizon instead of looking a few feet ahead of the boat (you'll be out of sight of land); 3.) Sip on cold Diet 7-Up; 4.) Many people do fine underway; but when drifting they start feeling queasy. Whale watch boats stop frequently for whale sightings. While drifting, stand at the gunnel stanchions & hold on to a rail if it's rough rather than sitting down...much better. Actually, more people get seasick in calm water than in rough seas (within limits, of course!) When there's good wave action your body gets into a rhythem. In calm seas, there's just a slight up/down, up/down that gets to some people. Beam seas are the worst! That side-to-side motion can do in even the saltiest of seamen! Since I've been a boater, I can't imagine WHY people stick babies in cradles! Inhumane punishment, IMO! Also, if you're focused on looking for the blow spouts of whales your body won't notice the rolling sensation nearly as much. We need Lori. She's more local to Newport...I'm about an hour away. But here's a place to start...a fun lunch spot in Newport is the Red Parrot. Allow about an hour just to read the menu & make your selection. It's also a great place to people watch. And go hungry! Parking is tricky. Don't be a hero & try to find a parking spot on one of the side streets...it's mostly "Residents Only". Just pay your $15 & chock it up to a good day in Newport. You can also rent the most adorable two-seater scooters in Newport. The shopping is one of two things...either touristy or very expensive boutiques, gallery quality art, designer jewelry, home decor, etc. There are also some great bookstores. History lesson on Newport: Did you know that most of early Newport was built with slave labor? Most people don't realize the extent Newport relied on slaves. The wonderful granite cobblestone roads, the houses, the ships...all slave labor. By 1770, the entire workforce was slaves mostly from Ghana. They came as children & were different than the southern plantation slaves. In Newport, most slaves lived in the same house as their owners often slept in the same bedroom as the owner's kids. They were taught skills & became highly trained. By 1830, most Newporters had freed their slaves. They went on to found businesses, become councilmen, teachers, policeman, fireman, & held high offices. But they came to America as slaves. End of history lesson. Follow the signs for Ocean Drive/Mansions & go to Brenton Park. It's right on Ocean Drive. On weekends, it's a popular place to fly those huge kites in different shapes. The water is right across from the parking (free). Actually, you could just sit in your car & stare at Newport Channel for hours watching the boats. You'll see many huge international & corporate yachts. The rocks at Brenton Park are also a popular dive spot. Look for small boats with a red flag floating in the water near the boat. The red flag means, "Diver Down". When's your trip? /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: The Red Parrot

Well I am way behind you Annie...and always will be. Don't think I'll ever graduate to pressure canning, heck it's a battle to get me to HWB! Been at the cottage for three weeks but came down to make 24 jars of dills. Hope I can find more dill sized cukes 'cause that won't do it. Also did a bunch of Carol's, without an e, (Readinglady) Bread and Butters, excellent recipe and a bunch of Linda Lou's Sweet pickles. My 10 year old nieces helped me can Linda's pickles and took some home as a reward for their efforts. Both girls loved them but Sara really, really loved them. She was pulling an "Ashley" and eating them out of the container as they brined, even hot!!! LOL She says she wants to make them herself next year...that would make me smile.

"Again -- I am CLEARLY no expert and have no idea what I'm doing." In your posts above you keep saying you plead ignorance, you didn't know, etc. But it's been, what, 3 years? Each of the items you said you didn't know about can be googled. For example, the range vs. cooktop/wall ovens has been discussed a ton on the Kitchens and Appliances Forums. Windows - there's a forum on the Gardenweb just about windows, and there are windows contractors on there who are very generous with their advice. You could peruse the threads there and get educated. Then you could say to the remodeling company, e.g., "I want double-pane casements, wood-clad, by Marvin", or whatever. The question about shelves and dishes - how can the designer know what dishes you have and how many? Couldn't you look at your dishes currently and see what depth of shelves you need and how many shelves? Appliances - I've done several remodels and picked out my own appliances, and gave the KD the model numbers and specs. But I was willing to do th research. It sounds odd that after 3 years you continue to say you're ignorant. There are remodelers and designers who will do "turnkey" type jobs. They will do everything soup to nuts and you only have to give basic preferences on colors you like. It sounds like that would be a relief for you. But those are the kinds that cost $100k+. If you are not in that category, you need to make an effort to research and educate yourself so that you can be decisive and then KDs will give you their attention.