Chris, when I started reading your post for a second there I thought it was mine.....lol! ! I too started when I got a job at a nursery and collected what few hostas we sold. Yes, about 8 varieties, but it was closer to 25 yrs ago. I didn't go on to start my own plant business, however, I retired after 16 years and went into the bead business, taking a hiatus from plants, even though I still bought some hostas and other plants on a casual basis. I didn't get into really collecting hostas until about 2003, when I got married to my former boss and best friend, the garden center owner, who had by that time sold the business and went to work in the garden center of a local big box store. And I was retired by then, also. When he sold his house and we moved his small hosta collection to my garden, we started making more beds and developing the rest of our wooded acre, collecting more and more hostas along the way, dividing the ones we had already. We are still at it, ripping out that godawful Japanese honeysuckle and replacing it with hostas! As I am an artist, a garden is just another medium to explore, and I haven't finished with it, yet. I have to create, and I have to have my hands in the soil. I've actually been a gardener since about age 3, following my dad's heels when he worked our farm when I was growing up. There were always huge vegetable gardens and flowers. Two new big beds last year and one smaller one this year have been added, and I still get that little tingle when I see an awesome new hosta, so I guess the honeymoon continues! In spite of the deer, and the voles, and the groundhogs, drought, cutworms, pillbugs and the heat, I'm still making wish lists, checking every garden center, planting seeds, yanking out more honeysuckle, looking at online catalogs and reading every post on here. Hope springs eternal, I KNOW next year is gonna be wonderful! Sandy

Welcome to the club and like everyone has said, don't lose heart. I'm in the same boat and there are days where I wonder why I bought this old house with decades of problems. Then I go outside and look at it from my meadow and something just clicks, and I smile. I have a colonial 1911 house with a 1930's addition. The original house was built very, very well. The addition, not so well. It is where my little galley kitchen is, my laundry room, and a small mud room is located - all used everyday. I just had it gutted and I can't tell you what an amazing adverture it has been. I've resigned myself to doing laundry at my brother's house for the next month, cooking off a hotplate in the dining room, and using the main entrance instead of the mudroom entrance. Luckily for me, the workers who are gutting it are taking the time to show me the progression of work and re-work through the years that was done to that addition...old paneling ripped out to reveal beautiful old wallpaper, and older wall paper behind that; a time capsule of old newspapers from the 1930's that are in mint condition that someone stuffed in the walls; a pile of coal near the fireplace that indicated at some point, there was a chute to the basement and coal was burned for fuel, etc. They are just as giddy with excitement of finding the next "clue" to how the room was used over the last 80 years as I am. Not everyone can do this. It takes alot of patience, and I wouldn't advise having people over that don't get it while you are doing big projects such as what I'm doing, unless you can deal with being met by sour faces that say "You must be crazy, this is a mess!". And there are days (since I'm taking this slow and as money allows), that I look into my ripped up, gutted addition and cringe at how much work it will take to do it right, to bring it back to a functional, but period-correct room again. Lots of money. But, luckily I'm working with craftsmen that do this on the side and agree to work slow as money allows. Then I see all the wires that were buried in the wall (as well as a cast iron (working) radiator and think "thank God I have unvielded these potential catastrophes." So, we all go through the range of emotions from shock to fear to "how am I going to pay for this?!" to "wow, this is mine and it is great." It is an emotional rollercoaster. But, when it all comes together, you will treasure - beyond your wildest dreams - how you preserved a piece of history and it is yours to add to its legendary testament of time. Best wishes for you! We are always here to listen! :)

Personally I find most places in Italy too touristy, but still worth checking out - particularly on honeymoon. I have attached a link to some cheap accomodations in southern Germany. This is actually where I am from and whenever I go back I'll get an apartment there. You'll find it is a lot cheaper than going with a hotel - usually you get a one or two bedroom apartment with bathroom and kitchen. No roomservice, though. However, you get to shop and cook at home - and it is quite cheap. This place is only 40 min from the Austrian border, so you could make this your main stay and adventure from there. At least that is what I always do. I definitely would recommend a car. You don't want to be stuck in big cities only, but rather explore the countryside. If you are dependent on public transportation - it is possible - but, definitely not convenient and or enjoyable. You want to stay flexible. http://www.kochel.de/tourismus/html/englisch.html Once you are at the link, choose "Unterkunft" which means accomodations and it will show you a lot of options. Let us know what you'll decide. And, yes, I agree with the ones who said plan to do less than you think you can. Otherwise, you'll be exhausted coming back, needing a vacation :) Marie

I also live in Washington, and I am leaving for Utah in mid-April for a vacation. I would think that Utah would be a photographer's paradise. We are going to stay at Bryce and Zion. Kodachrome state park is supposed to be wonderful. If you don't want to go that far south, go back through Mitchell, Oregon. There is a clean and relatively inexpensive motel there. You will want to see the Painted Hills unit of the John Day National Monument at both sunset and sunrise so Michell is the logical stopping place. Next you can drive northeast to the Sheep rock or blue unit" and do a little hiking. From there travel up to Fossil. If you like to collect fossils, you are invited by the city to go up behind the high school and have a go. We found a flat pointed "bricklayer's?" trowel to be the best tool for removal. There is no place in Fossil you would want to stay. Travel west to the Clarno unit of the John Day monument. It is best seen at sunset and is a nice hike, but the closest nice place to stay is Shaniko, which will be a bit far if you have spent much time in Fossil. From Shaniko I would go west to 197 and then take that to the Dalles. We are going to do that because we are hoping the orchards will be in bloom. Take the Oregon side of the river home so that you can stop at several of the falls. Get out of the car and do a little hiking. YOu will see some grand falls that way. Multnomah isn't the only one worth seeing. That's one idea anyway. OF course all of that may be old news to you.