Oh Mary, it looks like you all had such a great time. And I can tell you were thinking of us. These pictures include all the Idylls favorite things: bum shot, pedicure shot, lots of beautiful flowers and even a couple of the local birds. I looked up the Nene, I didn't realize they were the state bird. And to top it off you even gave us a glimpse of both Annie and David enjoying their vacation. Thanks, I really enjoyed seeing these and I'm so glad you had a wonderful vacation. Eden

Aloha farmfreedom First; the best place to grow most everything is from 1500 foot elevation to 2000. That would include Poinsetia that will not grow and bloom at sea level. It would also include Singapore Plumeria that grows at sea level but not above 2000 feet. That would still not be good for Peaches or other cold weather fruit. In other words no place grows everything. Second; The most economical places are on the Big Island. Mostly on the east side, Hilo side, or the south end. There are a lot of lava fields that land can be cheap but very expensive to develop. The best way to find out would be to visit Hilo and start researching. Seeds of most plants can be imported. Cacao seeds can be imported. They have to clear agriculture. Cacao is a tropical tree that would grow almost anywhere on the islands up to 2000 ft. On the leeward side they would have to be watered. There are a lot of variables to what you are asking. A Hawaiian Atlas from Amazon or Barnes and Noble has a lot of research information. Good luck. phil

I used to Freecycle here, but it's gotten full of flakes who want something for nothing--they post endless "WANTEDs" then don't show up when you make arrangements with them. Not really trenches; long paths where the rock is broken up. To plant, you move some rocks to make a hole, and fill with mulch and amendments. There are lots of natural cracks in lava, so drainage isn't generally an issue. The only pig I've seen on our property was our neighbor's pet. Haven't seen him in a while, think he got eaten. But there are wild pigs here, and many gardens are ravaged. The only other mammals are rats, mice, and mongoose (brought here to control the rats, but rats come out at night and mongoose are daytime animals, so it didn't work out). A mouse ate all my sprouting seeds in the greenhouse once, but that's the only garden-rodent problem we've had. Our cats think it's great fun to bring mice into the house for a nice chase, but that's a whole other issue. We garden in patches, a little bit here and there, couldn't say how big. Haven't tried rice or grain, have heard some people grow amaranth. Yes, organic, yes, fewer pests in the cooler areas. It hasn't gotten below about 45 degrees F while I've been here at our house, and my weather-nut husband says 40 is as low as it goes, but there are stories that it actually snowed here once many years ago. Might be true, maybe not. More likely to frost in Volcano, but I don't actually know. It is too cold up there for me. VOG (acidic Volcanic smOG) is more of an issue around the park than it is here. The VOG seems to flow down the mountain through natural low channels, so if you're in one of those, you'll have it worse (we aren't). Lottta pigs in the forest reserve. Where there are pigs, there are hunters, who not only bring their guns, but fire them. Gunshots are common here. Incidentally, this area (well, much of Puna) is referred to as the Wild West. Police response time is slow (like half an hour or so) and some people here don't believe laws apply to them. Loose dogs, pilfering (and stealing!), loud music, ATVs, speeders, abandoned cars and dumped garbage (c'mon, people, the dump is free!) are all issues around here. Oh, and the $&$%##!!! helicopters taking tourists up to the volcano. Sometimes I can see three or four at one time, and they're noisy. Some of the larger subdivisions have discussion groups and websites with great info. On the groups, lots of people have already posted "tell me everything there is to know" type questions, so you'll get more info if you join the group, then search the archives. Fern Acres discussion is on y@hoo groups (this site won't let me post that) and website www.fernacres.org/ Hawaiian Acres hawaiianacres.org group link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Hawaiian Acres

Bump this up. I grew up in MI, lived in CT, CA and currently in NW Illinois. Naperville is 15 min. from me and it's voted as #1 safest city in America. I laughed since it's so cold here, thus the low crime rate. I like CT the most (small town South Windsor near Hartford). People grow old in that town and are super friendly. Neighbors gave me veggies from their garden. Nice scenery with trees shading the streets. Lots of places to enjoy: herb farms with swarms of birds, Elizabeth rose park, Mystic Seaport, Gilette Castle State park, and nice lakes for swimming. Next in my liking is MI (small country town with farms) ... people stay put long and get to know neighbors. The stench of cow farm across the street was the only negative. Nearby shopping was Grand Rapids, MI .. traffic was NOT bad like Chicago. I barely tolerate IL (suburb of Chicago & too congested but shopping & health care are minutes away), neighbors are too close together and I'm bothered by loud wind chines and barking dogs. Last is CA (San Jose area), too crowed and neighbors don't care to get to know one another due to high mobility ... people don't stay put in one place long. Traffic congestion is bad and long, long lines at grocery stores. I stayed with my sister (the doc.) in a rich Northern CA area, also another sister's middle-class area, and neighbors never care to talk to one another in both places.