Hello PF... Since you are on target for this summer, have you decided on a town? I just discovered this post, because I always wanted to move to Maine too. I guess we are all looking for the perfect place and at least for me, I am sure I tend to romanticize it. I think I developed my sense of 'Maine' from books that I read growing up mixed together with a little dash of trips to Maine. :-) Then when our children were small, I seemed to keep finding books for children set in Maine and that just kept the dream alive. lol Blueberries for Sal for some reason sticks in my memory. I have a feeling that the Maine I imagine, doesn't exist any more, if it ever did. I would love the opportunity to visit Maine more and hopefully find that at least some of my imaginings about Maine are on target. I enjoyed reading about the different towns in Maine that have some of the qualities you are looking for. Great thread. :-)

I've given up on vermiculite. The so-called "coarse" stuff these days is always medium grade, whenever I come across it. I use bark mulch instead. If you can get it graded and delivered, that's probably your best bet, but I've had to use the bagged stuff from Home Despot - not the dyed stuff, this is Mountain Magic Premium grind. There is a good bit of wood chips in there but it hasn't caused a problem. If you have the space, aging it for a few months before use is a good idea for any bark mulch you are going to use for raised beds or potting soil. I live in a desert, there isn't a lot of choice for mulch here.

Hello, Remember me? I am sorry to be MIA and I don't even have a good excuse! Just busy I guess. I have new hours at work and it has messed me up a little time wise. I am a creature of habit! I actually have a great work schedule now and am finding I am getting a lot more done and not spending much time on the computer. But I have missed you all. I know that I have missed alot and will try to catch up.... Happy Belated Birthday Joanne! John (((HUGS))) I don't know how you feel about this, and please don't just roll your eyes when I make this suggestion, but have you tried Feng Shui? I have dabbled in it a little over the years, but this past spring I bought a book called "Move your stuff, change your life" by Karen Rauch Carter. I started taking it very seriously this summer and it has made some interesting changes in my life and my husbands, financially, socially, and in our relationship. It may sound crazy to some, but I really believe in it and it does work. The changes it suggests are simple things to add to your home and nothing that will cost lots of money. I even bought the book from half.com and saved $$ there. She has a website also, that I will post below if you are interested in checking it out. Please know that you are in my thoughts and I wish you nothing but the best. I am still doing WW. I think I must be doing maintenance though, because I have not lost anything else, but have not gained either. I need to spiff up my exercise a little more to get things moving. The holidays are coming! TTFN! Love, Besh Here is a link that might be useful: Move your stuff, change your life!

I agree that the use of big rocks and boulders around pools where they are not a natural part of the landscape gives a Disneyesque appearance to a backyard. Smaller rocks used in landscaping would be lovely, though. Love the idea of a boardwalk type of decking that could tie into a path to the beach! When we built a pool in a former house the designer told us that we should have three times the amount of decking than the surface area of the pool. I don't know if that is a known metric, but we followed it and were glad we did, as we had enough lounge chairs, tables and chairs for everyone to hang out between dips. Our kids (and their friends) also loved the hot tub. We have a half acre pond DH wanted to turn into one of those natural pools when we first moved here. They are more common in Europe than the states, and we couldn't find anyone within several hours who advises, evaluates and sets up natural pools. Which was perfectly fine by me, as even the IDEA of swimming with a cottonmouth is enough to keep me out of the water forever! I like our pond just as it is, and I prefer the swim spa for swimming, although that would not have been a good solution for a younger family. Mtn, I think you are on the right track with your ideas. Our pool was also salt water and it was easier to care for and much easier on the eyes. Looking forward to construction pix on this new project!