To everyone: Thank you for all of the feed back and trip tips... GREATLY appreciated! Quite a few other people recommended that I visit Ceder Point when I was living in Michigan, but I never got around to going... we'll definitely try to make it there, especially since we've decided to add a few more days to the trip. We don't want to be in a rush the entire time. This is, afer all, our vacation. I'll add Put in bay to the list as well. Bonebloodyidle: I couldn't tell you how many times I've driven a long distance, only to turn around and come back home the next day. My jaunts to New Orleans (which is a 700 mile one-way drive) are usually no more than a weekend long... leave home Friday night after work, arrive in New Orleans on Saturday morning and leave Sunday afternoon to return home for work on Monday morning. There have also been many trips that had no destination... I'd just drive until I decided that it was time to turn around and head back. I've actually done that a few times recently on my days off, now that fuel prices have come down. Gives me a chance to be alone, unwind and think. Casey: Is your car the 4 or 6-cylinder engine? I have the 4-cylinder... but it moves the car quite well with the i-Vtec, dual over head cam and 5-speed automatic combo. I have no problems merging into highway traffic or passing someone at highway speeds. The engine is only running at 2500 rpms at 75 mph. No timing belt to replace, either... although I will have the chain and chain guide inspected at the 120k mile shceduled tune-up. What is the mileage on your car and what problems (if any) have you encountered? I'm at 61,000 on the 06 and it's only been back to the shop for basic maintenance so far. Gas mileage has actually gradually increased along with the mileage. My best average so far has been 38 mpg on the highway.

From NFPA: Fire causes "Problems with the electrical system within the home is the number-one cause of manufactured home fires. (For dwellings overall, cooking equipment is the leading cause and problems with the electrical system within the home is fourth.) Other significant causes of fires in pre- and post-1976 manufactured homes are heating equipment, intentionally set fires, and cooking equipment, which are also the three leading causes of fires in dwellings generally". From my experience, manufactured home owners in the Northeast are more likely to have space heaters, electric water heaters, heat tape and more likely to avoid maintenance, repairs, replacements or hiring professionals. Our manufactured home customers often let there fuel oil, kerosene or propane run out, and are much more likely to skip service, and more likely to service their own electrical, plumbing and heating equipment without permits & inspections. We walk away from a lot of dangerous manufactured home heating service, repair and replacement jobs since the customers sometimes don't have the money for furnace repairs, or replacement of heat exchangers, furnaces and roof jacks. I wouldn't expect that a one or two piece structure that had to meet size, and weight requirements of over-the-road transport, and had to work within a limited budget would be comparable in quality to other site built, or modular structures. When we build a home, rehab a home or install a heating system, some of the inspectors are fussy, fussy, fussy. Did I mention they were fussy? Some of the things I see when I open walls would never fly on a site built home unless the inspector was blind, sleeping or drunk. If anyone has a suggestion about a manufactured home brand with consistently above average construction quality, I'd like to know since the "What's the best.." question is often asked by our customers in parks.

johnatemp, thank you so much for letting me know that you used Vista Film which I think will be good for me to use also since as it is I do not get that much sun so this should help a lot. I love the Brazilian Kempas. I could hardly find any companies that made this in an engineered wood except for Hartco Valenza Collection by Armstrong's Commercial line (very nice and thick with such a gorgeous grain) and some unknown companies. That is when I went back to Brazilian Cherry as a floor I loved. If I had a sub-floor and a basement below my home (my home was built in the beautiful preserved wetlands with woods around me... country like but close to all the stores and highways), I would have more options with solid wood. I am looking for thick sawn layers on top of the plywood so I will have an engineered wood that can be refinished if I ever need to. My client just drove me around to some homes to show me the hardwood floors in my area and these homes are gorgeous. I am back and needing to work but feeling I really love the grain and rich coloring and the semi-gloss finish that is so nice without being too shiny on the BR-111 Triangulo Engineered 3.25" Brazilian Cherry planks. I also love the longer boards that are 5" wide with more grain showing but I think the 3.25" looks better in my home office so I will have more variations in the color showing that I love. I still love the Pradoo but this morning the glossy finish is smudgy while the BR-111 is not. I also love the way the Pradoo looks in the family room but in my office the Brazilian Cherry looks so much nicer with my cherry wood furniture and putty file cabinets. I think you are right that buyers will recognize quality and there will be buyers that will love the style and the choices I made in my home. For now I am not nervous anymore going with an exotic wood that has no stain. I will try to send in some pics of the samples a little bit later on since these are very beautiful big samples and not little boards to give me a much better idea how much I love the look of this wood and color variation.

The Edenton Plan which is slightly smaller than Altadena Park features a side load garage and will fit on a 114' wide lot. (Assuming 10' side setback and 30' on garage side) http://houseplans.southernliving.com/plans/SL2042?index=1&search%5Bplan%5D=edenton&search%5Butf8%5D=%E2%9C%93&search%5Bvendor%5D=