It sounds like your adventure is proceeding nicely. I planted some strep seeds in April and most have 5" leaf spans and one is coming into bloom. The main thing to remember in planting any strep, adult or seedling, is to make sure the crown is slightly above the soil line or they might rot. I grew mine under a dome & started to gradually remove it for an hour & then more until the seedlings were older. For the last month, they have been growing in the open. By the way, it is good to transplant any gesneriad seedling at a young age as it speeds up development. As far as careful watering, did you know some growers wick water their streps? I have done this by necessity and came home to robust plants covered in bloom. I think you can find threads on this forum about wicking streps and other watering concerns. As far as temperature, I'm not certain modern strep hybrids are as demanding as older ones or the species. I believe the ideal temp for a strep is about 72 degrees. My plant room in the summer runs about 75 to 80 & I have a fan running 24/7. Temperature drops at night aren't much & certainly not 10 degrees. With temps over 80, streps are uncomfortable. They don't really like it chilly either. . . when I grew them in a greenhouse, the night temps would drop into the low 60's or even less. They did not do well. Have fun growing out these seedlings! Terri

Thanks, guys! Yeah, the barn is very old, but the interior isn't your average barn, I don't think. My husband used this space as a laboratory and drafting room, and now my son uses it for various purposes. There's also an old darkroom in the barn, thanks to a former owner who was a filmmaker. And upstairs is the big room where my DH once made 1,500 pounds of tofu every week. These are the cabinets that Mickey could easily get behind. Glad I remembered that before he did. And here's the rest of the window wall. The heater doesn't fire up much when sun streams in those windows (southern exposure). Linda, I'd love to keep Mickey in the house. He's terrified of the dog, Wolfy, who cooperates by lunging at the cats every so often, arthritis or no arthritis. But an even bigger problem is Annie, my calico. She is so mean to other cats, including her son (Pogo).

Our trip was quick, only 7 days. I'm unable to give you day by day detail as I did not keep a diary. (sorry) We visited shrines, temples, took a Tokyo harbor tour in a boat (Symphony). Hiroshima was meaningful, but not sure if that would work for you with your plan to go to Okinawa. If your kids are older (like teens at least), it would be educational for them. We arrived in Japan by flying into Haneda and took the train to the Via Inn/Ooimachi. It was a fine place for our first night. The rooms were a bit on the small side, but not a problem. Next morning we went to a restaurant downstairs which had a wide range of breakfast items which was good for that first morning. After that first night in Tokyo, we transferred to the ryokan Tsurugata in Kurashiki, Okayama, mentioned above where we spent two nights. It really is a charming place. I recall it was a little pricey but included breakfast and dinner. We spent two nights there. Other places we stayed were less expensive, so it evened out somewhat, and it was worth the expense to be in that traditional setting. After that we went to the thatched roof village, Miyama, for one night. We then stayed one night at the Granvia Hotel in Kyoto, which is at the train station. Very nice hotel. From there we went to the Disneyland resort (Hilton Tokyo Bay) so the Disney-lovers could get their fill of Disney Sea theme park. Maybe not too interesting to you, but I must share with you that we visited an elementary school since one of us had a contact there. It was really fun to see a Japanese classroom, and the kids were thrilled to have us as visitors. If you are out shopping and see a Daiso store, it's a good place to stop in to pick up odds and ends affordably, maybe little souvenirs. Not joking here: check 7-11 for affordable food. They have fresh, good food available, meals. (I know, sounds wrong, but they are better in Japan than in the US.) It can save you quite a bit if you can pick up some meals there. If anyone in your group cannot function without coffee, take a couple of packets of instant coffee. Every place but one had coffee. Here's the Fushimi-Inari shrine with over 1,000 gates. It's reachable from Kyoto and is very interesting, amazing actually. The fox is significant to Shinto believers, so there are a few statues at the Fushimi-Inari shrine. Very charming. Bullet train (shinkansen). Comfortable, clean, well maintained. (Local trains are more crowded, often packed. When you think no more can fit in the car, many more come in and everyone bunches up! You get to know your fellow travelers!) The shrines offer an opportunity to write a special message like a prayer on these small wood plaques. At shrines you can purchase inexpensively small, beautiful charms of all sorts to help you get a wife, heal your knee, make more money--anything you want. Fabric with the message inside. I bought several as gifts but neglected to make a note of what each one was for and so never gifted them. Last, the Golden Pavilion, near Kyoto

Thanks, Bonnie! I had to go investigate that one. Apparently it's Swiss, made between 1875 and 1900, but is a replica of the style of stove from the 1500's. That makes sense, looking at it's decoration. I do love all the varieties of them. I've noticed sometimes the German or Czech versions have a seat like the one you shared. The Russian ones sometimes even incorporate a sleeping platform. That sounds toasty! Still looking forward to getting started when we get all the kinks worked out. Like Becky, the longer I'm forced into a holding pattern, the more "good ideas" I have. :-) Even if my builder is starting to get something of a "now what?" reaction. Heh, bless him, I think he'd love to get going, too. He's now met my kids and would like to get us all settled into our new digs, too. In the meantime, Pinterest is my friend... (check my profile and look for the "Posts" link for some discussions of some of the other details)