I wish all of you could have joined us! It was fun to tour with another touchy-feely plant nut - I even caught Chelone pulling a tiny weed and skimming aphids off of a rosebud. Thanks for the shrub ID ladies, I knew our Idyll friends would have the answer, as usual. The sculpture of the linked figures is called "A Circle of Friends" by Fred Meyers. Below is a link to the website for the rental of the smaller house on the first property we viewed, the one the first 5 pics are from. Here is a link that might be useful: Rent a Piece of the Atlantic

Someone's bound to come on and chastise me, but...About the annuals thing: there was a time 20 yrs ago when your 2nd teeshirt would have been most appropriate in my book. I'll NEVER forget when, 20 yrs ago,3 yrs. after moving here, I met the local garden club president, standing in line at the bank. And I swear to you, I am not kidding, that after I told her about our gardens,she asked me, "What's a perennial?"* But now annuals are yet another extension (along w/ tropicals etc.) of the vast world of "the advanced gardener". My version of your annuals tshirt would say "Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Impatiens" (but then again there ARE some exquisite exotic impatiens...!)and I bet many gardeners have their own fill-in-the-blank dislikes. best, mindy www.cottonarboretum.com/ * I am NOT saying that garden club presidents are all like this.That experience was mine, in my particular town, in 1990.

I did a taco bar for my daughter's graduation party - it went over well and most of the food could be prepped in advance. Here's a couple of recipes for meat fillings for you - both can be done in advance. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * Kathy's Carnitas Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4) -- cubed and trimmed of visible fat 1 can or bottle beer tequila (couple of turns around the pan) 5 garlic cloves 1 onion -- chunked 1 teaspoon ground cumin (1-2) 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 limes (2-3) -- juiced cilantro springs chicken broth or boullion cubes Place meat, garlic and onions in large pot. Sprinkle with cumin and brown sugar. Add beer, tequila, lime juice. Add enough water to cover meat. Add one boullion cube for each cup of water. Or use chicken broth to cover meat. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Remove lid and increase heat to completely reduce liquid. Remove meat fron the pot and fry up in a large skillet. Source: "Kathy Boehm" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Chicken Taco Filling Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 package taco seasoning mix (4 Tablespoons) 1 cup chicken broth 1 pound boned and skinned chicken breast halves Dissolve taco seasoning into chicken broth. Place chicken breasts in crockpot and pour chicken broth over. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. With two forks, shred the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. Use in soft tacos, hard tacos, burritos, nachos, etc. To Freeze, place shredded meat into freezer bags with the juices. Press out all the air and seal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"If you can't cancel and get your money back for the flight, book a room in a hotel nearby before you leave and explain to her that you don't think you can live up to her rules in her house." Well, I don't think that is necessary--why fight rudeness with rudeness? Because that's really what your friend is; being that demanding and intrusive to guests is simply rude. However I agree completely with the advice not to stay at your friend's house. If the tickets were a great deal, and you are going to a sublimely beautiful and relaxing place like Hawaii...make it a restful and enjoyable visit, not a dreaded chore! Hotels are discounting madly these days. If you phrase it that 'we would feel more comfortable staying at the [name of hotel] and that way we can spend time together without putting you to so much trouble' and then *stick to that*, you may end up having a grand time. At least you'll have a better time than madly scurrying around trying to avoid actually touching or using anything in your friend's home ;). Ann