Sorry, but 1/8th is by far the most common royalty payment in the USA and is so by a huge margin. For certain, a 50% increase over that rate is very rare. Occasionally, I will see lease agreements that include 1% or 2% over-rides but not 6.25%. Only those private mineral rights owners who happen to own minerals in areas with very good potential or have control of large contiguous tracts of land will get more than 1/8th. By far, most who hold out for more than 1/8th royalty get to settle for zero instead, and that goes for the US government as well. For the Federal government, by far the largest mineral holder in the USA, to hold out for a substantially larger royalty than is considered standard by the industry would likely amount to excessive interference of the government in interstate commerce. In regard to Yellowstone Park and the grizzlies, no oil and gas drilling is currently active in the immeadiate vicinity of the park, that I am aware and that is the business I am in. In fact, I am not aware of any drilling having occurred in that area for many years. Sounds like environmentalist or wildlife activist scaremongering to me. Most drilling is at least 50 to 100 miles away, either to the south around Rock Springs or Wamsutter, Wyoming or to the east in the Big Horn basin. Neither of these areas is likely to be grizzly territory at this time. The immeadiate Yellowstone Park area itself is not likely to have conducive geologic structures or lithology for oil and gas accumulation. However, the average American is so geographically challenged today that mentioning drilling anywhere in Wyoming probably equates to drilling next to Yellowstone Park regardless of the fact that much of the state is hundreds of miles from the park.

I stopped tonight to get a "Coney dog" at the local "Coney and Swirl" which is the ice-cream/hotdog stand in my small town, very typical of what was in almost every small town in Michigan at one time. Anyway, while "suckin' on a chili dog outside the Tastee Freeze," I was reflecting on what someone told me once (from NY) that Michigan hot dogs were better than most other states because we had higher standards about what kind of meat could go into them. Not sure about the truth of that story though. When I got home, while googling "Michigan hot dogs" to find out more, I discovered this funny article from the Smithsonian magazine called, "The Annals of Geographically Confused Foods" lol! Apparently "coneys" in NY are called "michigans!" That really cracked me up! In my adopted hometown of Allentown, PA, apparently Mr. Yocco "invented" the chili dog too, and made it world famous to boot. ;) To me, a chili dog is just a chili dog, and little stands with root beer or ice cream and hotdogs do mean summer in Michigan, although for me coming home to MI will always mean, "let's have a lake fish fry!" There are three things I miss when I am away from my home state, one is all the fresh fruit, (but then my ancestors settled in an area just north of "Fruitport" Michigan), maple syrup and lake fish, either pan fish from the inland lakes or Great Lakes fish. I do miss walking down to the diary queen or root beer stand with my best friend and spending my allowance on some kind of junk food, but that kind of pleasure isn't quite what it used to me for me now. What can I say but, "Life goes on, long after the thrill of livin' is gone." Here is a link that might be useful: Michigan hot dogs from New York This post was edited by lpinkmountain on Fri, Jul 18, 14 at 10:09

Florida is a state as varied as it's residents. In the southern part, The Keys, you'll find the southernmost point in the U.S. It was also the home of Ernest Hemingway. You can tour his home and see the 5-toed cats (plenty of them), that have run of the place. The Keys are very laid back and relaxed. Maybe a little too much for some. Moving north are the Everglades, where I saw the biggest grasshopper I'd ever seen in my life. It was huge! Miami used to be "the" place for winter visitors, but it got too big, I think. Fort Myers, on the Gulf side is home to tons of winter visitors, including my DSis. Also on that coast is Sanibel Island, Long Boat Key, Anna Maria Island (my favorite) and Sarasota, winter home of Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. The east coast from Miami north the Cape Kennedy is pretty posh and called the Gold Coast, I believe. Haven't been there for years. Of course, there's NASA and the space shuttles launch. We can see them from our yard once they are in the air. It always gives me chills and I have to say a quick prayer to keep them safe. Of course, there's Disney World, too--and Epcot--and a lot of other stuff they've added. The middle of the state is mainly agriculture--strawberries, tomatoes, sweet corn and lots of citrus. It's not the prettiest area of the state, but it is our breadbasket and we're pretty darned proud of it. We also grow cane and make a good amount of sugar here. North of that is my area, and we're known as horse country. We have many huge horse farms surrounding our town and I like looking at the little foals, wondering if they'll be the next Triple Crown winner. Lots of the horses in the Kentucky Derby this year were either born/broken/trained here or just broken/trained. It's beautiful country with rolling hills and green, green grass. North and east of here is St. Augustine where DeSoto thought he found the fountain of youth. Been there, drank the water and I can tell you he was sooooo wrong! Interesting city with lots to see and do. Daytona Beach is home of NASCAR, but mostly known for "Bike Week", when thousands of motorcycles descend on the city and have a great time. The panhandle is a joy all in it's own. Pristine beaches and the whitest, silkiest sand you could ever walk on. It's just beautiful to drive across the top part of the state on US 98. It must be what "old" Florida was like. Tallahassee, also in the panhandle, is our capital and is a pretty town with a breath-taking view as you go down Monroe St. (I think) and see the Capitol straight ahead. There is so much more to Florida than I've written here. I moved here 29 years ago and never looked back. I don't know anyone famous from here except KC and the Sunshine Band and Credence Clearwater Revival--Oh and Sister Hazel. But in all probability, there weren't born here!! :-)

I went there once years ago but don't remember much about it. The grounds had been neglected and gotten very run down, and I think that at that time a group was still in the early stages of rehabilitating it. I do recall seeing R. banksiae 'Lutescens', which as I understand Sir Thomas Hanbury introduced from his Italian garden to England, and a lovely plant of 'General Schablikine'. In addition to his activities relating to gardening and botany, Sir Thomas was apparently a notable local philanthropist. My tremendously thorny 'La Mortola', a form or sport or hybrid of R. brunonii, originated there. These pergolas in the photos are lovely. Ours, made of rebar and bamboo, aren't, but they're respectable, in my eyes, and they hold up the roses just fine. We're in a period of pergola expansion right now, the effect of the still unrelenting sun. However, today's forecast finally includes a possibility of rain!! for two days! less than a week away! When I see such signs of commitment on the part of the weather service, I begin to hope. I was down in the big garden early this morning, and it looks like quite a few roses are in a state of extreme suffering. If they get killed in places, I'm not going to try to replace them with more roses, but will look for the kinds of plants that grow in the same condiitons as Italian cypresses and olives. The cypresses are among the very few plants that are happy down there. I'll take a survey once the weather allows me to get down there without my having to worry about heatstroke. I'm taking notes from people's suggestions. Thanks for all the ideas!