Great pictures! I only passed through Jasper once; what I most remember is the traffic being stopped several times on the Jasper-Banff highway by flocks of those sheep wandering out on the road. I didn't get to see any of the spectacular eroded rock formations that you posted there - or the horses in the fields. I would have enjoyed those, so thank you for the pictures!

Hanne, Your garden is so lush and lovely. Very, very lovely! What a beautiful setting for a pond. Thanks much for sharing your photos with us. I'm drooling with envy at all of your beautiful flowers. Beth, who lives in arid Utah :)

Simple way to prevent a problem with that switch.What it does is shuts the cruise control off when applying the breaks.Simply turn the cruise off from the drivers controls like you probably should anyway? As for Import brands not having recalls?They have problems also. As for greedy workers being the GM Ford problem.I disagree there retiring.When they replace they hire lower scale paid workers that are called casual partimers.So they do not recieve benefits.Caterpilliar tractor co.Has also done this.Yes UAW workers.I worked for them several winters ago.As a seasonal job while waiting for spring season at my regular job.At the end of the winter I told them I would not be interested in staying or coming back the next winter. Reason they hire anyone who walks in off the street.Some I wondered how they manage to get dressed in the morning.They worked on the assembly line along with my self.Who had this type experence and I did not stay because I felt I was under paid.They were happy and could not fix a sandwich. My point is there are not over paid workers working in these factories making to much money.There gone or soon will be.The problem is the same as who builds the import brands made here in the USA.There who ever walks in off the street.They stay off the drugs a few weeks before walking in.So they pass the drug test.Then there building tractors and cars.Making 8 to 14 dollar per hour with limited to no benifits.Just like the Toyota and Nissan and Mitsubishi workers. Some said YOUR NUTS!For not staying at Cat and paying the UAW dues.Why I make as much doing what I do.There not the over paid greedy UNION workers that so many think they are.There mostly untrained working for a pay check to feed there familys and doing better then they could any place else with out a college degree.Some acctually many can hardly speak english.So comunication can be a problem and at times makes for a dangerous work environment when working together and can not understand each other. So dont blame the overpaid greedy UAW workers.My brother worked for Cat for 30 years as did many others I know very well.There retired now but still working different jobs.Example Walmart Car salesmen helping farmers or truck drivers or carpenters.Why work if your retired?Simple to pay for the health insurance benefits that were taken from them.Also to compinsate for the smaller pension then they were promised. Why are cars tractors appliances any thing made in the USA not made like they use to be.Why all the recalls?Because the workers today are not the over paid group so many think work at these Sweat Shops.There the same workers same scale that work at the import brands made here.They build as much junk and the so called domestic brands.Just that Americans are on the Ego trip they must drive a Import brand.Its the style. We did it to are self.We have only our selves to blame.We wanted Walmart and lower prices.The heck with the Mom and Pop uptown stores.We wanted to go throw away.So now we can just live with it.Grandpa said this was going to happen.Grandpa was a wise ole man.

Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence. Sandra, I tend to be a less is more person, but the black pillow alone seems too dark. My thinking with the monogrammed pillow is to add a little brightness to the dark pillow and dark bench. I found a few fabrics today that are closer to the wall color, but I don't want to get too matchy-matchy. I'm on the hunt for something for the umbrellas, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg. There are some gorgeous vintage pottery umbrella stands on eBay, but at $200 and more, they are WAY out of my price range. I found a ceramic umbrella stand at Home Goods over the weekend and brought it home, but I think it's going back. Even tho it was only $15, it's blue and white, has a little bit of an Asian feel and doesn't really fit in with my decor. I had to try it, tho.