Dr. Larry: Hi,this is Bob,and I feel that I know you from your 'Consultation''s in the CSJ. Thanks for the ID confirmation on the 'fosterianus'. As one of the'northern'collectors you refered to,it was good news to read that you and Michael K. are going to be able to expand the cryptanthus offerings. We on GW think highly of Michael and his operation,and order from him often. Additionally,as mentioned in earlier postings,I assist the Staff at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens with the bromeliad collection procurement and maintenance,and currently are preparing an order for him that will be quite extensive.These new broms will be used to establish an all new display in a soon to be completed 'Epiphyte House'remodeling.I will post a few photos,to give all my friends here an idea of the building size,an also some pics of the damage that occured around the property during the surprise early October snowstorm this week. The report is that 80% of our areas trees were badly damaged by the wet 18" snowfall and winds,as the leaves were still on them,and the weight was just too much. This freak storm was caused by a 40deg.difference in the Lake Erie water temp. and the freezing air temp.,resulting in just the perfect conditions to give us so much snow in just 12 hours.Ironically,after it passed,the temperatures were in the high 60's,and all the snow melted away. Good to see you on GW,and hope to hear from you and enjoy any photo posts you may have for us. Some BBG pics; Front view of the Main Dome and the Fern house and right Dome building,housing the bromeliad collection .The left Dome [not in picture] is the one being remodled for the bromeliad and epiphyte collections. View from the South side,showing the Dome bldg.for the epiphytes nearing the completion of the new glass installation. Back side view of the 3 Domes...and a few snow piles. Typical tree damage in the last three photos

That is a fairly common Hosta also; watch craigslist or look around and I bet you will find more. Once in a while I find a huge mature hosta, normally in one of the common ones like that one that someone just doesn't want, I usually pay $5 or $10 at the most for a large common hosta. That one (Undulata Albomarginata) grows pretty fast also. I have a hosta, I'm pretty sure it is Undulata Albomarginata sitting in a neglected area back by my rabbits, only half buried, and I swear it about doubled in size sine last summer. If they look too crappy, you can always cut them down and wait till next year. I'd wait till later in the summer though before you chop them, they do need to store up some energy. I mowed over about 30 hosta last year some time in August because I didn't like the weeds and grass growing around them and was too lazy to do anything else. They came back just fine this year. Also; try other varieties, some are much more pest resistant than others. Jamie

Melissa - thanks for the tour of your gardens. Good luck finding room, I will have same problem - lol. Paul H took care of the hosta and swapped it for Reptilian. Also noticed Red Snapper was labeled by Harvey as Red Stepper and I think that Red Stepper is probably correct. Paul

Easy to read plans show good functional flow of food within kitchen. However, I would nix the two-level island. It seems like it would be an expensive, inefficient, space waster. (And raised-height seating is so uncomfortable!) Having the raised bar may appeal because it seems to "conceal" the cooking function of that end of the room, but it doesn't really. If you are set on having an all-in-one space, then embrace it, don't try to fudge it. Those two-level islands are very vogue-ish right now and I think will be one of things that prompt renos in the future. You can't really go wrong with a generous flat surface. Much more likely to give satisfaction over the long haul, I think. You mention wanting to maximise your work space -and I agree that would be important to me with your plan as drawn. If the island is all on one level you have more convenient eating space (the raised area is narrow) and more effective working area for big projects when you weren't using the seating/eating area. I'd put the saved money into a real exhaust hood. Perhaps also adding a few inches on the sink end of the island to slightly narrow the aisle space and provide room for an undercounter MW that opens toward the sink (either a "drawer" one or a regular one on a shelf). If the choice was a MW at hood height or below counter, I'd choose the lower one. I have one mounted slightly below normal counter height and I don't find it inconvenient at all. Placing it as I suggest would make the opening convenient for the cook to use as well (MW are pretty much always hinged one the left side, opening on the right as you face them.) It would also be very convenient to have one just across the aisle from the fridge where a lot of the MW-able stuff is stored. As I study your plan further, I noticed the two flanking 27" counters on the stove wall. That would bug me as 27" is not all that useful as prep space. (Counters that length tend to become small appliance-parking positions, further constricting the work space.) I'd be tempted to make one smaller and make the other larger - and symmetry be damned! The small size of those two spaces reinforces my recommendation to make the island one-level. If you keep any frequent-use appliances (coffee machine comes to mind) on the counter you put it on the left (as you stand at the rangetop) counter so non-cooks could access it w/o entering the "hot-zone". If symmetry rules your design, then a place for a prep sink would also be on the left-hand counter. Drains for sinks don't have to occupy the entire vertical space below. You can get a "handicapped" drain assembly which goes down a few inches, and then sharply backwards (or some other horizontal direction, as needed), before turning down again. This allows for better drawer space below, even if the top one is slightly truncated and the lowers are a bit shortened. It looks to me as if you could opt for deeper than normal counters (30") on that run to increase room for drain assembly behind the stack. I don't think you can have a GD on a handicapped plumbing assembly. In fact by making the island one level and enlarging it towards the sink wall by 6"-9", you might have enough space for a prep sink on the island , which would be a good place, too. Having a prep sink (in either position) would allow the cook to operate largely within the cooking aisle/cockpit area, leaving the rest of the kitchen circulation space free for clean-up/DW and table setting activities. Fierce growling and sharp-knives-in-hand would eventually retrain the non-cooking inhabitants (two- and four-footed) to go around the island not through that aisle. Hope these thoughts are useful to you. Keep thinking of functional work paths, until the best layout that can be eeked out of your space is clear. Then go back and fine tune the "what's stored where" level of decisions. At that point some critical issues may emerge and force slight re-jiggering on the main plan outlines. But don't start re-arranging the big-picture bones to accommodate every storage placement conundrum. As a final step, populate your plan with style choices that make your heart go pitty-pat. Have fun! L.