Nandina, thank you. And thank you for your previous comments and insights. This was very difficult for me. I simply could NOT visualize how it would look when done, so I spent many weeks agonizing over what it would look like. I love the result! We are mostly DIYers, but yes, this was a project that we did not even consider doing ourselves. To clarify - the engineer was used for consultation, he recommended a wall of this sort. The wall was actually done by a landscaping company (with experience in flood protection). A few points that are not apparent from the pictures I posted - there are two places, in addition to the front walk and the back yard patio where they put steps in. This provides us access to the other regions of the yard, and looks very nice. The other point is that in one back corner, the wall is about four feet high. This was astonishing to us that it needed to be that high! Now we are protected from any flood up to one foot less than the biggest flood in the valley (1997). If we have one of 1997's magnitude, we would have to sandbag BUT a wall two sandbags high would be sufficient. Prior to this wall, we would have had to build a dike that came up to where we are not PLUS the two more sandbags! What a difference. We just pray that we don't have a flood of that size again. Of course, now they are saying we are heading into a drought .... Brent, thank you. Like you, I was very unsure how it would look. No I don't have picture of during, and I really can't say how much dirt except a lot. And a lot of big equipment driving around tearing up our lawn. In addition to the wall, we had our propane tank and our electrical panel moved to higher ground - more big equipment. At one point I said to DH, let's just tear out ALL the lawn and start over! We did sod the areas that were destroyed (seeding large areas of lawn with three dogs doesn't work particularly well). laceyvail, thank you for the compliments. Two matched trees does make it look more formal I agree. The crabapples, however, were chosen very carefully. I am very familiar with the trees that do well in our area and chose these not soley for their spring blossoms (which I do adore). This variety (Red Splendor) has burgundy leaves, thus providing interest throughout the summer. It is also somewhat resistant to foliar disease, which is not really a major problem for us anyway. In the 11 years I've lived in the area, only one summer did the crabs have serious problems. And then of course the red berried provide interest in the late summer, fall, and into winter and are the primary reason these trees were chosen. Red Splendor holds its fruit into the winter, providing food for birds. The waxwings and pileated woodpeckers love the fruit and they provide ample winter interest in those trees until the fruit is gone! Most of my plant choices (not all, but most) are made with consideration of bird/butterfly/hummingbird food or shelter. Ah well, others definitely would have made different choices there!

I've done the slide thing on each side of my house over the 3 years I've lived here. I feel your pain. One slide resulted in a nasty sprain that took months to heal. I learned to stay off of the grass when wet and to stay off the leaves completely. Both conditions are hazardous. I live on the side of a mountain, really steep. And I'm on the north side so there is a fair amount of shade. I am slowly replacing the weeds with flowers. I use a lot of ground covers. Along side the driveway I've put fruit trees on one side and the veggie bed on the other side using 6 inch logs to create the tiers. Then I haul the compost up to them. That's been quite a job lately. The hill is clay and rocks so I dig a hole (hard work) place the compost and clay mixture in the hole use the stones from the hole to build a little edging and then plant my plants. Over all I have a ten year plan for getting the property to the place I want it. So far I'm not doing to badly at staying on schedule. I love the look of the uphill view from my livingroom. And it gets better every year. I'm no where near where others are but I'm enjoying the journey.

I'd be with the 7yr old and I hate crying in public. I'd go anyway. No pics allowed!! I read this while checking up on this link with snopes. Check it out! It's a true story I checked! LOL! Weary Travelers Support Operation Iraqi Freedom Troops at BWI By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2003 Nearly everyone has experienced it at one time or another: an airport bogged down by bad weather, delayed and cancelled flights, and cranky, overtired travelers wanting nothing more than to get to their destinations. That's exactly what Will Ross, an administrative judge for the Defense Department's Office of Hearings and Appeals in Los Angeles, encountered Oct. 27 at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. But what he witnessed that day, he said, "made me proud to be an American, and also told me why we will win this war (on terrorism)." Like many of his fellow passengers, Ross had been forced to spend the night in Baltimore. His outbound flight, scheduled for the night before, had been cancelled due to the California wildfires. They had forced the Los Angeles International Airport to close, and the ripple effect drove domestic travel nationwide into a tailspin. When Ross reported to the United Airlines counter the following morning for the next scheduled flight to Los Angeles, bad weather and aircraft mechanical problems made the prospect of a timely trip even more grim. As he waited in the terminal, Ross noticed many soldiers in their desert camouflage uniforms, newly arrived from Southwest Asia. All, like Ross and the other passengers at the airport, were awaiting connecting flights but in the soldiers' case, it was to begin two weeks of rest and recuperation leave. Flight delays continued and the airport had become, in Ross's words, "a zoo." By the afternoon, one flight to Denver had been delayed several hours. United Airlines agents kept asking for volunteers to give up their seats and take another flight, but Ross said they weren't getting many takers. Finally, Ross said a United Airlines spokeswoman got on the public address system and made a desperate plea. "Folks, as you can see, there are a lot of soldiers in the waiting area," the agent said. "They only have 14 days of leave and we're trying to get them where they need to go without spending any more time in an airport than they have to. "We sold them all tickets knowing we would oversell the flight. If we can, we want to get them all on this flight. We want all the soldiers to know we respect what you're doing, we are here for you and we love you," the agent continued. "The entire terminal of cranky, tired, travel-weary people -- a cross-section of America -- broke into sustained and heartfelt applause," Ross said. "We're talking about several hundred people applauding, a whole terminal. "The soldiers looked surprised and very modest," he continued. "Most of them just looked at their boots." Many of the travelers in the terminal wiped away tears. "And, yes," Ross said, "people lined up to take the later flight and all the soldiers went to Denver on that flight." Ross said he figured that 30 or 40 people had suddenly jumped at the chance to offer their seats to U.S. soldiers. That moment, he said, reinforced his patriotism and his heartfelt belief that the United States will prevail in the war on terror. "I think people realized that this fight is going to be long and drawn-out, and these kids are in the thick of it," he said. "It was heartwarming to see their outpouring of support."

I still have a 90 Maxima with approx. 250K miles (odometer intermittant) and it still runs great. Only normal wear and tear items have had to be replaced. Plenty of power still (it's fun to "race" some of the newer sports cars and beat or at least keep up with them and watch their faces - I just laugh at them and pi** them off). Paint and trim and interior still look really good. Everything works. Gas could be going up to $4 in near future, so keep that in mind. I still get about 29 mph on hwy (checked when odometer is working) - not sure about city. Also not sure about 2000/2001 year for either model. Overall, I think they've both done well for all years. My timing belt change interval is 60K miles. Can't remember it it has the "interference" type engine that can be damaged if timing belt breaks (there's a web site of a timing belt manufacturer that lists this for all car - Gates Rubber, maybe?). I usually do the water pump at same time since they have it opened up - about $400 here to have independent mechanic do both). Good luck on your purchase, whatever you buy. I'm hoping to get another year or two from mine, before buying another good reliable used vehicle.