Hi Wendy! Congrats on your mystery blooms! Those are good-looking white flowers. I think your best bet would be to contact Doug at MPG with a picture of the flowers and hopefully he can help you ID it. Mine appears to have rounder petals with a slight fragrance so I don't think they're cuttings from the same tree. Your mystery cutting looks very healthy! Hi Stuart, Glad my photos inspire you to get a Hilo Beauty! I think it's a very nice red cultivar. You should have no problem rooting it in the sunny Florida weather! I potted mine in the gritty mix 2 weeks ago and it seems to be taking off nicely. Here is what it looks like today, I love the dark color in the new foliage! Here are some pictures of my plumerias in the last few weeks Liz Taylor's live bouquet Lauren Michele Inca Gold The rest of the inflo pictures can be found in my Plumeria inflo album. Kenny

Roof racks, open windows, and junk-in-the-trunk all seem to contribute to poorer gas mileage. Using the A/C gulps gas. Keep the engine well-tuned and the oil changed. However, in most cases driving habits have the biggest influence on mpg. You can try it for yourself by keeping mpg records for with [and without] physical modifications; also by driving in your normal style as opposed to driving with forethought and care (no jackrabbiting, cruise the lights to go through on green, keep your speed between 45 and 55, etc.) Due to an old injury, I must drive an automatic shift, and have done so for the past 40 years. I consistently exceed the vehicle's expected/posted mpg for both city and highway driving, regardless of the vehicle. The one exception occurred on a vacation trip with 2 adults, 2 teenagers (can you imagine how much luggage teenaged girls require for 2 weeks?!!), in the northeastern mountains during a heat wave [meaning the A/C was constantly running]. A fully-loaded vehicle, A/C, and those mountain roads combined to cut my average mpg by almost 25%.

I appreciate everyone's input -- pro and con. That's why I asked. Part of the reason we are considering the pool is because there isn't a neighborhood pool nearby and we aren't really the country club type. We are members of a health club with pools (indoor and outdoor) but that means packing up and heading over there which can be a real hassle and that would be true with a neighborhood pool or country clue. Right now I work full time but when my daughter starts school next year I am contemplating switching to teaching ( I work for a community college) so I don't have to hassle with finding care for her during the summer. A pool would be a great way to get her outside and have fun. It would also make it easier to be the house where she and her friends want to hang out as she gets older. I would much rather have her at our house with her friends so I can be the one keeping an eye on things. That being said -- I know its a lot of money to spend and I do agree that it doesn't mean we will never take another vacation elsewhere. I do think it will cut out the mini-vacations to Texas beaches -- an easy thing to give up for me. I also am not counting on big bucks on resale -- that's why I think it is important that we don't plan on moving unless there is some unexpected career change. Another plus for us regarding resale is that we have a big enough lot that the pool won't be the entire backyard. That was one reason we didn't buy a house with a beautiful pool that we looked at -- you walked out the backdoor and were practically in the pool. We have almost 1 1/2 acres so we can have a pool and still have a yard. Maybe that only makes a difference to me but I have to think that factors into the purchasing decision for others as well. I also think it helps a bit from a safety standpoint. We will be able to fence a pool separately from the "play" area of the yard if we want to and not have it look strange. And no neighbors that can check us out from their backyards or the second story of their house. Finally -- I am married to a 50 year old kid so he will probably be the number one pool user -- whether our daughter is around or not! =) He is a SoCal native and misses the water. Of course he is no help with this -- he told me if I wanted a pool to get it -- he doesn't worry about the finances. He knows that I will spend all this time figuring things out and researching before I do anything. I guess opposites do attract. =) Keep the opinions coming. I really appreciate the input. I probably will post on one of the other boards as well. THANKS!

I just feel the sectional makes it feel so closed out. We are planning to put a fire place where the console table and tv is. Not sure if this will make it look good. I want the area to feel open and inviting.