Cameron- you can credit me as Tammy Kennedy. I should start watermarking all the photos i post online since i hope to sell some someday. It's just a hassle and i haven't gotten into the habit or that paranoid yet. I don't mind if you mention i'm tamelask on GW- it's no big secret. I'll email you a pdf of the plot board and you can get all the info you want off it. I had 130 varieties/species of plants or so in there, so you'll probably want to pare it down to the big stuff. I was tickled when we went out today to discover no mud from the 1.25" of rain we had fri eve! I adore silkies. Growing up, we had a flock of show banties and a few big ones for selling eggs- we ate the banty eggs ourselves, as well as the duck eggs. We had a few black and white silkies, among other types. It was my job before the chicken shows to wash and blow dry them to get them ready for the show. Some folks would using old fashioned blueing for the grey (so called blue) and white ones, but we never did. We were involved to have fun, show a little, meet like minded folks and get fresh eggs, never to just win. Silkies are incredibly sweet birds. Chickens in general are much smarter and lots funnier than most people give them credit for. We had one that liked to watch TV, one that liked to ride on our shoulders and 'fly' around on our hands (we'd hold her under her keel, with her legs hanging between our fingers & she'd spread her wings as we flew her like a kid does a toy airplane- it was very cute), and some other funny ones. I think most of the time the flock numbered around 40, 70 or so at the top end. I'd have chickens in a heartbeat now, but we have parrots and there are certain diseases that pass back & forth, so we don't. I do miss really fresh eggs, though. Brian- rootbeer plant, huh? I'll have to ck that out. hadn't heard of that. I have the plant/vine that makes black peppercorns, but so far it's not too impressive.

Wow! Great info. I know that I can't go treasure hunting for too much for the build given that we now live in Houston, but I'd love to hit an architectural salavage place to find some door knobs, hinges for French doors and old tiles for the fireplace. I'd be happy of I could just have some old door knobs & not just reproductions. Of course, they may not match up with the way the modern doors are drilled, so it may be a pipe dream for a new house. I think y'all are convincing me to hold off on doing conventional built-ins by the fireplace and hope I can find some unique pieces to be fitted in, later. Eastern European really piqued my interest because I have a collection of Matryoshka dolls, lacquerd boxes and "laser" crystal pieces that I picked up on my trips to Moscow (in a famous flea market on the outskirts) which I would like to display. Have any of you used soapstone & where did you find it? The websites for Slabco, Classic Granite & G&L Marble show pretty slim pickings. I know there is a place up in VA where some is still mined & they have imports. Is there anywhere closer than that? I forgot about the rock slide, but it should be cleared by the time we would do any serious hunting for items. If anyone thinks of a neat place I should look at, just pop it on the thread. Ummm, I looked at Mapquest & Knoxville is only about 150 miles from TR, so that is a fairly easy daytrip (plus, traveling through the mountains should be lovely.) We're only finishing the main level and my sewing/crafts room on the lower level for now. Once we get there, I can take my time to find stuff for the rest of the lower level. Good to know that one can buy furniture at High Point and not have to take immediate delivery. Years ago, DH & I took a little day trip down there when we were up to Raleigh for Thanksgiving. DH grew up in Wadesboro, NC & went to school at NC State. Mom lived in Raleigh before she passed in 2006. We've been to Winston-Salem a few times to visit Reynolda House and to go hiking in the general area. As a matter of fact, several of the daughters of my 6 times great grandfather moved with their families from PA to NC to help found the Moravian settlement in Wachovia, so I must have distant kin in the Carolinas. OK, its late & I'm rambling. We talk to two more builders tomorrow to go over their preliminary bids. Its finally starting to seem real & we could be in our "forever" home by the end of the summer.

Hi Johanna, I'm in Burlington - smack between the Triad (Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem) and the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill). Took a family trip up to Asheville, Canton, Waynesville, and the area just a few weeks ago. It was lovely as always! My grown son #1 said he would love to rent a cabin for a month and "work from home." But he needs internet service and that is difficult to find in vacation rentals. Teresa

Here's a quote from Florida_Joshua from yet another old thread: "OK, so here goes. I caught up on this thread [the thread linked to below] a little late but I think I have an explanation. How your soapstone patinas in your home depends on a couple of variables. One important variable is how much talc is in your stone. The second and I think this is extremely important to mention, is how the countertops are finished. Over the last couple of years I think Ive learned a delicate balance between polished up too much vs. not enough. Thirdly, what environment the soapstone is going to be placed into plays a role to. For example, does your ac duct point directly onto your countertops, or do you have a window that directs a lot of sunlight in your kitchen - both will evaporate the oil off quicker. Hard water would be lumped into this category along with how your soapstone is finished. How much you use your kitchen (introducing oils) will also play a part in this. For me soapstone is a balance between how each of us act in our own kitchen and what type of soapstone you choose how its finished plays a big role too, (hopefully I get this point across. . lol). Soapstone is like a chameleon changing with each owner. It just fits right in . . . Hope this makes a bit of sense." . Taken from... Life with soapstone--patina pictures galore http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2683491/life-with-soapstone-patina-pictures-galore . There's also discussion about water spots, etc.