There are always lots of things to do and places to see out there. If you also like dahlias, Point Defiance Park in Tacoma has a dahlia display and test garden along with roses and fuchsias on display. As previously noted, in June there is the Portland Rose Festival, and many rose shows are held in June on weekends. Some are also in July. You may want to check listings on the American Rose Society pages if they have them yet. In August, there is the big Seattle Seafair festival and torchlight parade complete with pirates. Especially these days, if you are going to the PNW, please book your flights early. If you are traveling in Oregon, and you are feeding the car, the gas station attendants are required to pump the gas. Oregon has held on to those gas station jobs. There is also no sales tax as of this date in Oregon, so, shoppers can have a little break with that. Worthwhile stops are the Saturday Market in Portland and the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Also, in Seattle is the much expanded Boeing Museum of Flight. It is well worth the trip to see that. They put a lot of effort into their displays, and they have an old Air Force One presidential plane and a Concorde SST. Then, on clear days, there are the drives up to Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, the Steven's Pass road over to Leavenworth, WA, and I think there are roads to Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls, some Columbia River cruises, cruises around Puget Sound, and the trip from downtown Seattle to Blake Island for the Native American displays. Some of these are a little pricey, but most are not. The roses in Washington Park in Portland and Woodland Park in Seattle are wonderful. If you go, please take some pictures to post for the rest of us to drool over. Have fun.

Found this posted on another board I frequent and thought it was interesting. I made a campfire tonight and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows all by my lonesome - plus my one dog. She became frightened when the neighbors began shooting off fire crackers so we had to come in. Happy 4th. everyone. 4TH OF JULY Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wifeÂs bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldnÂt. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. ItÂs not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! ItÂs time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics and baseball. City Henry Whitney

1) When did you first become aware of subway tile in NEW kitchen remodels? (Not historical). When did you first SEE it used in person? I started to see it around 1999/2000 in magazines. IRL, around 2000. 2) When did you first become aware of granite countertops in NEW kitchen remodels? When did you first SEE it used in person? I have seen it in homes remodeled in early 1990s by going to homes for open houses for sale. I saw it in a home built by our friend around 1997-9. After that, I started to see it in many homes. 3)When did you first become aware of Stainless Steel RANGES being placed in residential kitchens? When did you SEE your first stainless steel range used in person? Again, my guess is late 1990s. 4) When did you first become aware of Stainless Steel REFRIGERATORS being placed in residential kitchens? When did you first see one used in person? Mid to late 1990s 5)And slightly OT, when did you first become aware of VESSEL SINKS? When did you see your first one in person? I started to see it in magazines around 2002-4 I guess. Please include where you are from, generally. This is not about being more savvy or "with it" because you've seen it earlier, either. Some people will have seen these much earlier than others, that's clear. I live in Seattle, WA in a relatively affluent area and people spend a lot of money in their homes. Many homes I have walked into are worth many millions of $. (not mine) Late 1990s, many people I know redid their homes because that was a particular time in their lives when these things happen: very young kids, new homes etc. Because of that, many people I know have redone their homes in the past 5 to 15 years. We are all approaching an age where we have to save money for college tuition. I think home remodeling will go on the back burner for a while. Before mid 1990s, I did NOT pay much attention to what people had. I was working too hard to look at other people's kitchens. Even if I saw it, I would not have noticed.

Hi - I am in Arlington & just went through locating soapstone in the DC area. Here is what I found... - Expo now carries soapstone and their fabricator/ supplier is in Chantilly - Granite source or Granetech I believe. Expo will have you go there to choose a stone so no problem asking who they use and just going there- what I saw there as very green AND they quoted more to work directly through them than what Expo quoted. - The Great Outdoors in Rockville/ Gaithersburg carries soapstone - looked gray/ black but I forget their source - Marbletex in Fairfax also has some but I when I went there was very limited and very green - the stone yard/ fabricator in Vienna, near the downtown area just north of Maple Ave (123) on Mill St or Park St was starting to carry soapstone from Alberene and MTex - Green Mountain has a fabricator in the Rockville area - GM could get you the number -- sorry I forget the name - Alberene about 3 hours south near Walton Mountain I believe is operating again - but I did not go there as I heard conflicting info about if they were operating and I had the impression they did not install. But the their sample were definitely the darkest I saw including samples from Mtex I purchased from Old Mill Soapstone in Gordonsville, VA (on the web) which is about 30 minutes past Culpeper from DC and about 45 minutes closer than Alberene. Old Mill carries Green Mountain. Very happy with the results. I went down there to choose the stones. They came to me to measure and then installed 1 week later. I expected to want a very quite charcoal color stone. Ended up with GM "Ice Flower" that is mostly charcoal but has some great veining with deep green. it was installed about 4 weeks ago - I love it and almost wish it had more veining :-) Old Mill fabricates by hand and while they have some LARGE slabs I used smaller ones ~ 4-5 feet long. The seams are invisible. Sally is the owner. Good luck