here are the top 5 tropical fruit trees i would like to successfully grow and try, not necessarily taste wise as they are so rare i have yet to try them, but would excite me to see all the names are linked to relevant articles Lodoicea maldivica Coco De Mar "Densuke" black Watermelon Levins Black Pomegranate (not sure if the pic is accurate) Musa Kluay Namwah Nuan Jan (they are the white ones) Garcinia mangostana Durio Dulcis

We are in Drenthe now for 4 days. This is a very forested area and then open veld lands. There are boards placed in different areas showing the flora and fauna that lives there. I took pics of two small lakes..one has a beach and lots of people go there to swim, the other was just a beautiful natural lake. Drenthe is known for the hundebed here. These are boulders that were pushed here by the Ice Age upheaval. The people of that time were able to stack them and make burial grounds with these huge boulders. I don't have a good pick of any as there were too many people around this AM...sigh...kids climbing on them which I personally do not like...also adults. I remember when we saw them 25 yrs ago it was frowned upon to climb on them as it was disrespectful...times change I guess. They are scattered everywhere in this country and others of Europe. Our B and B is a 100 yr old thatch roofed farmhouse in an apple orchard. It is amazing. The redo inside is incredible but we are in our own little apt. so I have no pics of her home. She has an Ikea kitchen too ! Every single home we have been to has had one. They love Ikea here. All bed linens and towels even the napkins come from there. Here are some pics of the B and B and from our bike ride this AM. We went 35 km to Borger and back here to Anderen. Oh also in one small village there was a man having part of his roof re-thatched. What a lost art and amazing work. I took some photos. The part you see that is done toward the right of the picture took 2 days...he said it would be a week to get the whole rear done. You see more thatched roofs here in Drenthe than you do anywhere else in Holland. It is VERY expensive to have it done . You can see in the next pics what new thatch and old look like. It fairly glows in the sun. I just love it. our garden seating area...we have several ! breakfast and dinner are here under the walnut tree another lovely breakfast..love the egg cozy! garden horse farm next door gardens views one of the many apple trees..they don't pick or use them anymore...both folks have had this B and B for 25 yrs and quite elderly now. there house...note the low huge windows..they are near the ground but are perfect for looking out from inside...a way of keeping the style of the house intact and yet making soaring ceilings inside..wish I could show you pics..I will perhaps ask if I can take some . another garden " room" ...all the Dutch garden in small rooms..I love love love it..so intimate small beachy lake wild natural one..you can guess which I like best ! nature board at the largest hundebed in the Netherlands thatching process bunches first up on the roof where he uses wire to tie it all together note the ladders used to ascend the roof a new one nearby see how light and an old one unusual detail I spotted on the way out of town... more on other days...thanks for looking and hope you enjoy.

I should mention that there was an excursion we could have purchased on the ship that only went to the sea turtle release center, where you name and release a turtle yourself. It was something like $50 for that tour. I told DH that I liked turtles and all but that was a bit pricey for what they had to offer. So we bought the "Tropical Aviary and Botanical Garden" tour for about the same price. Below is a photo of me waiting for the tour group to gather and leave. The guy holding the sign was our guide. Even though he looks a little serious, he was amazing...and very funny! So, we go on the Tropical Aviary part of the tour (the lagoon and river/canal pics I showed earlier) and the botanical garden portion (also posted pics) several miles away and then, just on a whim (probably an economically driven whim) we drop by the turtle release center (which was not on our itinerary) and given that tour. If you wanted to release a baby turtle into the sea, it cost $5 ... not $50! Three for the price of two, I like that kind of deal. We did get back later than planned but still have plenty of time to "enjoy" Acapulco which consisted of us shopping for makeup and good hair conditioner (which I forgot to pack). I swear, it's always something. Jodi-

Thank you for all the lovely responses. Sjerin - thank you very much for your comments about my writing. I am so pleased because while I'm not a writer, I do enjoy the written word so much. Chisue - Congratulations on your soon-to-be 50th wedding anniversary. Perhaps a trip to Paris would be a great 50th wedding anniversary gift for you and your DH to give to each other!