I have that book and I think it helped a little bit and it is nice to look at. I learned about the different types of brugs and there are charts on which ones will cross, what the pods/seed looks like. The only other book I know about that deals with brugs is Engelstrompeten by Monkia Gottschalk, I don't have this one but it is available at the Karchesk Canna website I think. But to be honest with you I got most of my brug knowledge here on gardenweb. Shawn

Thank you all for helping to make this a Merry Christmas to ME..and my dh. lol. We ordered from the Apple Store an Ipad 2, 32 gi, with wi-fi. It will be here on Thursday, the day after our anniversary. We got the internet speed figured out thank goodness. I am so excited! Although I downloaded Itunes, I still can't figure out why I'm supposed to. Is it to download app's? Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Tina, I do have a laptop but I want something smaller to use. I won't necessarily be typing on the Ipad, but generally surfing the web and playing games and maybe skyping. Question. If we lose power, can we still use the Ipad since it will be wireless? I always used the laptop through dial-up when we'd lose power, and boy it would suck the battery dry.

What makes me chuckle when reading this thread is how often book clubs are reading the same books. Fall to Your Knees, The Memory-Keeper's Daughter, Wicked, A Fine Balance (which I loved) Water for Elephants, etc. and I've noticed this in other bookclub-themed threads. My club is 5-6 years old; most of us make a sometimes herculean effort to finish the book out of respect for the person who chose it (though every book we read has been voted on) as well as knowing that the discussion doesn't have a snowball's chance of success if the book hasn't been read. Personally, I could not finish "Seabiscuit" to save my life as I kept falling asleep while reading it. "A Beautiful Mind" was our inaugural book and nearly did our club in as almost noone could finish it. "Wicked" was also an unpopular choice with a number of members not finishing it and so was almost impossible to discuss which I found disapointing. We all read "Crossing to Safety" and enjoyed trashing it, unlike most other clubs who loved it. By and large, our best discussion come when any or all of these factors come into play: most, if not all, members have read the book; the designated discussion leader has come PREPARED with questions, background info, etc.; the book actually has some meat to discuss (please don't ever make me read Sophie Kinsella again); and the book isn't universally liked by the members. My club just had a terrific discussion using "TMKD." Even though I didn't find it well-written, it resonated with our group and had some grist for the mill. So--yes, I usually try to finish up the book, even if it is just a cursory and skimming read. I also thought "The Little Children" was an awful book with flat characters and a nonsense story line and I would have to be "locked in" somewhere to re-read and discuss it. On the other hand, my clubs meets in restaurants for dinner and drinks and I have no doubt that some late nights, the restauranteur would like to lock us out...

I'd also check out Yountville and St. Helena, if you wanted to stay in Napa. Auberge du Soleil. Recommendations on food and lodging will vary on budget -- the skies the limit in Napa and Sonoma -- and regarding wineries, depending on varietal. Cabs? Chardonnay? Sparkling? Pinot? A little of everything? Recommendations on where to dine en route would vary on what time you are set to arrive. Davis is pretty much en route -- of note there are a couple new regional Chinese restaurants that are reportedly pretty good (eg Chengdu Style), Village Bakery (with pizza), Osteria Fasulo. That might be a counterbalance to what you might expect in Napa or Sonoma. Or you could just drive directly and stop at a place in Napa proper (Oenetri, Kenzo) or near Yountville (Bouchon, Redd Wood, Mustard's, Brix).