Hi Howard, I'm in Birmingham. I've gotten tired of the big nurseries that bring seasonal stock in and out, but I do go to "English Gardens" to get a quick fix. "Telly's" is fairly close to the Bordine's you mentioned (on John R between 16 and 17 mile.) It started as a small family business, but has done well (if that can be judged by the price increases year after year). "WoJo's" might not be too far from you (on 24 off of I-69 - Lapeer area). I do search out old family businesses of which there aren't too many. There's "Young's" in Warren - small shop, but when searching though their greenhouse you might find a real gem. Saw some nice crassulas including a "Tricolor" and bought this epiphyllum the other day. Probably not too impressive to most people, but these are impossible to find in this area. The bark is at Bordines's. This is a quote from Al - "...you can (at least last year you could) get GREAT PBFs at any of the Bordine's locations. Clear bag - blue label w/white lettering that says "Royal Gardens Landscape Mulch). It's great for the 5:1:1 as is, and you can easily screen it and get a high % of usable product for the gritty mix." Let me know how you make out. Gail

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

tigerdunes Thanks for the reply. The current furnace is a 58SXA100-101JG, sticker says 110,000BTU. The HP is two piece. The compressor unit is 3880130300. If I recall it's a 2 1/2 ton unit. With the current system the furnace was used only for the coldest months. The HP ran from March through November. It gets up to a 130 degrees at work in the summer, so I gatta have my AC. I guess I'm trying to see if I should upgrade/s above the quoted items or stay with the quote. Since I plan on moving in 5-10 years is it worth going to the Performance line, both furnace and HP? The estimator used the house figures from original equipment estimate. But it looks like the old furnace is 110,000 BTU and the new is 80,000 BTU. Am I looking at the specs wrong on the new furnace? Are N-coils now acceptable to use in the 58HDX080? If going to the Performance line furnace is the 95 or the 96 or ? a better choice? Will the tax credit still apply to both? Is the Performance HP worth the upgrade? Is there a specific White Rodgers thermostat that I should request? The old thermostat is a mercury switched unit. If I go with the Performance line should I go with an Edge programmable thermostat? It's not listed as a supported control for the Performance HP. Should I go to the Thermidistat model? I don't mind spending more than the current quote, just under $6k. Just trying to figure out my best options. You're right about the "ACA" evap coil, I will request that. Since the cost, by what I've seen on this board, shouldn't be that much more in price. Again thanks for the reply! Mark

What a wonderful weekend I had in MI! Cathy and I told Sherry not to go to any trouble, just toss some clean sheet on the bed. Beds were made nice and comfy, but the food! Cherry pie, rhubarb pie, carrot cake, Kalhua chocolate mousse cake, pecan cinnamon rolls, molasses cookies, chicken salad, quiche, pizza, brats, breakfast soufflé, lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberry syrup. I gained 5 pounds just typing this. We had nice long visits, great times shopping, relaxing and playing with Dexter, the snuggledog. And dear, sweet Roger, he is a trooper. Wise man that he is would just roll his eyes and go with the flow. It was so good to see Annie and Elery again. And Annie surprised us with the new 100th Anniversary Edition of the Ball Blue book. That is one hard to find book. Thanks again Annie for keeping us safe when canning. I wholeheartedly second Sherrys statement. Meet CFers when and where you can. You will not regret it Peppi And I did like the chocolate cover bacon. Sort of a sweet/salty/crunchy thing with the little bits of bacon. Not sure I would go out of my way for it, but not offensive either.