I thought it was a Wilton but when I got it out of the box it says Nostalgia on the actual fountain. It was in the Kohl's circular 40% as a Wilton model, but I don't see anything saying Wilton on the actual machine. I would say if you're not opposed to heating in the microwave, buy one like I have. I have since learned of a couple of friends who have them and they have the same idea. Small, melt the chocolate in the microwave. It is more convenient if you can melt it in the actual fountain, but you are definitely paying 3x as much. As for the chocolate I have to respectfully disagree about the craft chocolate. I used 1/2 craft, 1/2 Williams Sonoma fondue chips and it was delicious. I did have to use twice the amount of recommended chocolate to come up to close the rim of the bowl of the fountain which is recommended and the fountain didn't work properly until I added more chocolate, it didn't flow right, spaces where there was no chocolate flowing if you know what I mean. I would think if the craft chocolates were that bad, I wouldn't have gotten as good of a result. I will say that if I were doing a party focusing on the fountain I would use dark chocolate for all adults. Williams-Sonoma chips were $14 a pound and I used 2 pounds of W/S and 2 pounds of milk chocolate craft. Post if you buy one and use it. I think the above posts probably avoided some problems for me. I set it up on a glass topped tea cart. I had plenty of plates. We talked to the two youngest kids about using the plate plus they had a fountain at a wedding they participated in as attendants. No chocolate on clothing. I bought the W/S extra long skewers. Make sure your fruit is dry. I cleaned the strawberries in the morning and sat them on paper towels, changing them 2x in order to get them dry and to let them come to room temperature for serving. I think if your guests have never experienced a fountain you do have to let them know that the chocolate takes a minute to set up, thus holding it over a plate or napkin - don't try and eat it the second you pull it out of the fountain. I am actually going to try the cheese despite the bad experience of the guy at W/S. We occasionally have cheese and fruit for dinner as a treat with a good bottle of wine. I think I might give it a whirl some Sunday afternoon when the game is on. Sounds kind of crazy tho. Football game with a cheese fountain:-,) That I definitely would do a dry run on before I spring on a group of friends...

On Amazon and eBay, type in these two words: Sink Grid Then, you get a few results. You click on those and scroll down. At the bottom you get others, similar. e.g. InterDesign Sink Grid Oxo Sink Grid These cost a few peanuts, but not enough to worry. $10 and up. A grid can be smaller than the sink floor and no harm is done. I've used a "trivet" as a sink grid, holding a few dishes upright to dry them in the sink, instead of on the counter or on a wall hung dish drying rack. The trivet was an Ikea find. Less than $10. Here is a link that might be useful: the trivet at Ikea. Called Lamplig.

Don't you dare even think of leaving the table Dottie!!! You are a warm, wonderful and valued person here. I love your posts, and more importantly, "you laugh at my jokes that I post!" Hahaha I lurk at another forum, mostly the recipe site and would *never* think of joining. They snipe at one another constantly. Heaven forbid if someone asks them to re-post a recipe they missed! Here, when one of us here tries another member's recipe and gives it good reviews and others ask for the recipe; it gets posted, either by the member that tried it or another member. On that site, they quickly get told to use the Search button! Anyway, I joined here because of the warm and caring things that get talked about. Also the speed of getting answers to questions! I love that. Time is of the essence, you know! :-) What ticks me off royally, is that a lurker will make a snide response. Someone who doesn't post on a regular basis. It happened to me recently, and of course she didn't read everything that I had to say. Did she post on the birthday, sympathy, good wishes, recipe, picture, opinion threads? Nope just comes in to slam. She's not the only one of course. Some people post just post to be negative, or holier-than-thou. I'm not leaving, as I think this forum the best of any I've seen. Hot Topics scares the beejeebers outta me. I'd love to be able to have a normal discussion about things happening North America without it turning into a battle. So everyone, post away!

A little late to the game, but in case you're still looking... here's an idea: have you looked at adjustable louvered roofs? They might be more expensive than what you're looking for b/c they're more than awnings for sure. BUT they last forever, unlike the awning and are a true investment in your home. They're like a pergola but the louvers adjust via remote control 160 degrees to open for sun or close for shade and rain protection. They're super durable and can be clad to fit design styles. But, like I said, they're a significant jump in price from an awning. BUT they're a lot less than a porch (unless you add all the whistles and bells like screening, heaters, speakers, PVC cladding, lighting, fans, etc...in that case, it might come a bit closer to a porch cost) A basic one for your size deck, w/ a fan, would prob cost you anywhere between $7K-15K depending on size of the Equinox and other variables and such. Here's a pic of a basic one from Core Outdoor Living in DC Metro region. You can probably search adjustable louvered roof or Equinox Adjustable Louvered Roof and find dealer/installers in your area. You can check out Core's portfolio too to get ideas. http://www.coreoutdoor.com/equinox/