Thanks so much for all your wonderful suggestions. The soil is a sandy loam, not sand hills. It is a bit on the alkaline side as with much of the soil in our area needing a ton or so of lime every few years to maintain a good agricultural balance, so, should do well for the acid loving plants. Thank goodness the deer don't seem to like our roses and azaleas so far. They have not generally been a problem in our area. Of course, one never knows, they may very well take a liking to the roses and azaleas. We have quite a few wild muscadines and while the deer to love them, It would appear to me that we have plenty of wild ones that it won't be too bad sharing some cultivated ones as well. With the fruiting trees, they would really be more for the deer than for humans. Our consumption needs are very light but we do really love watching the deer and turkeys. BTW, I'm not so much seeking free advice as simply open discussion. I know the landscapers in our area (very limited) and I know their plant selections well. Mine tend to be a bit more diverse than theirs. Most of our landscapers, all 2 or 3 of them, tend to use primarily the old evergreen stuff. Not exactly to my liking. I am familiar with the problems associated with Bradford Pears and have seem some of them locally. However, the wife wants some so it is likely she will win that one. I will have to give the evergreen tree business some thought. Notice from the photos that the southern and western boundaries are Pine Tree plantations. We live in the heart of pine plantations. If I choose an evergreen, it will have to be something like leyland cypress (we have already planted several cypress on the north side of the pond) or maybe a different type pine. An uncle about 2 miles away has some which have a more northern or mountain look which have trived. I believe they are white pine, will have to check more into that. Again, with respect to the deer, I have lived in the area 50 years and they don't seem too partial to the roses, azaleas or camellias in our area. Who knows, they may wind up liking ours but if they do, we'll probably enjoy watching the deer. I like man of johnofsedona's suggestions and will continue to think about plant selection and group composition. As for as my goals, I like the varying heights, different forms and flowers for all the seasons. I like the varied island look. There are a few homes in the area which have similarly long drives with limited islands and there are ones which have long drives lined with pears or other plant material. I prefer the islands. I suspect we will include different varieties of naturalized daffodils as time goes on. We MAY also add wildflowers but probably not as we prefer a little more "clean" and organized look for the drive. We WILL have a wildflower meadow, probably near the pond on the north and east area there. I'll do some more thinking this weekend. Thanks for your contributions. The pictures in the link above should give you some idea to our tastes and the area. Sincerely, Joel

The shelves.... We originally wanted a 30" x 12" niche but when we opened up the wall, there was a septic vent smack in the middle. We decided on 2 niches instead, I wassn't about to mess around with those pipes. When figuring the tile layout for the design I wanted, our friend suggested that we oversize the niches so the tile would lay out nice - he suggested 18 x 18 niches and I freaked. But the 12x12 would not have been big enough for the 3 kids and all their stuff. He suggested a granite shelf on the bottom and then one above it to make a shelf for soap, razors, etc. We talked about the length and width of the shelves, but never the depth. When I picked up the shelves from the granite fabricator, I freaked - they were 1 1/4" thick just like the countertop was being made. Friend said, don't worry, they would be perfect. They are. I honestly wouldn't want them any thinner. When he laid the tile, the bottom shelf slid in tightly and then he cut the bullnose on the side and the back tiles so the top granite shelf sits on the cut tiles all around. The tiles abouve the top shelf are full 6 x 6 and as you can see, we have enough height for those huge oversized shampoo and conditioner bottles. There is kerdi behind so no worries about water issues and they were all caulked and all afterwards. Being the over-emotional one, I figured this design that had been in head my for 2 years was ruined when I saw how thick those shelves were, but I wouldn't want them any different. I think they 'fit' the design perfectly as is. And I just love the niches. Before, the kids had a tiny corner shelf and bottles were all over the place, now there is enough room for everything plus space for guests when they are here.

Good bike shops also sometimes have nice bikes that people have traded in when they upgrade. The staff goes over them to make sure everything works properly, and sell them for a very reduced price. So you might not get the exact color you want - you could always have it painted at an auto body shop (or bust out the spray paint) if it meant that much to you. Also, you can call the local police department and ask if they have a bike auction. Many jurisdictions auction off stolen bikes that were never reclaimed by their owners, with the money going to a police charity (like college scholarships for children of officers killed or disabled in the line of duty). A triathlete I know got a $1k+ racing bike for under $100 at a police auction... he was about the only one who knew what it was and snatched it up. All it needed was new tires from sitting in storage for months. I miss riding a bike, but my balance is shot. There are stabilizer wheels for adult bikes but I think they'd just look too goofy. My PT says adult trikes tend to be tippy.

Good morning, everyone! allison, The 1/2 bath might be considered a 'folly' down there! I do have a small area around it somewhat finished, but the rest of it will always be a spot to work on my many hobbies, like furniture refinishing, messy crafty stuff, you-name-it. I also have a doggie door in the opposite 'working' side of the cellar, that goes to a former garage under my office, which I made that into a wood working 'shop' years ago. Another doggie door in the shop takes them out to their fenced in area of the yard. The cellar and the shop are valuable real estate to me, just as they are. I do have 3 windows and a door with glass in that 'living' part of the cellar, as well as a wood stove, and an armoire with a TV it in. It's cozy in the winter with the stove, and cool in the summer and the couch down there is great for naps! These pics are of my former LR sofa down there and a 'reading' nook with big chair. Not much decorating has taken place yet! The door you see on the right in this pic is to the 1/2 bath. This is the reading nook which faces the wood stove. Being a dog lover, I got this original oil painting of a Springer from eBay for $21.49! His eyes are a perfect match to the Behr 'Cork' paint color. And this is Ikat fabric called Casbah, that I got at 1/2 price at Ballard Designs. I might make sill length panels for the 1/2 bath for fall and winter from it. The way it goes with that paisley wallpaper is the stuff that (my) dreams are made of. I'm happy to see so many paisley lovers here, as I have always been one, and I LOVE to mix patterns in a room, even a small one like this. I'm glad that others are inspired by my 're-cycled' bathroom! I'd never have done it if there hadn't been a rough one down there to start; but I just replaced that with one that even I'll use. No more storing tires and hoses in this one.