Welcome to Charlotte. If you live in town, one of your best resources is Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary in Myers Park. It's a three-acre garden of densely planted bird-attracting plants and trees with formal and informal garden 'rooms,'and it's open to the public. Been there 80 years. Many of us learned to garden in this region by becoming volunteers there. You can also be a member without volunteering; you get a regular newsletter and discounts on their popular symposiums. Also,there are two big plants sales there, in April & October, and members get to shop on members-only day. Take a break from packing and visit there, hours are Wednesday 10-12 and Sunday afternoons. Info is available on www.winghavengardens.com There is a Charlotte Hosta Club. Sponsors a garden tour, heavy on the hostas, every summer. For info, e-mail royal2227@aol.com

Oh yeah! I forgot about the boat trip from Polasek. Charming and very, very "Orlando". At Merritt Island you'll want to take the Black Point Wildlife Refuge drive. It's only a couple miles long but it's a gravel road (more like a path) with a 15mph limit. If you like birding you'll love this and will see birds you probably don't get to see where you live. March will be close to the end of the winter birding season here but you'll still see a lot, including bald eagles that don't usually leave until May. I was just there a couple weekends ago. It's a real mental health getaway drive for us. About 2/3 of the way through there's a parking spot with a 5 mile hiking loop off of it. Restrooms too. Bring your camera, sunscreen, mosquito spray and a bottle of water! From there you can follow the signs to a manatee viewing spot just a couple miles away. Not too exciting but since you'll be close it's another nice Discovery Channel moment. You'll also be very close to Canaveral National Seashore. Go there to walk on the beach. You'll pass right by one of the shuttle launch pads! This beach is usually quiet and you'll see very few people here. Since it's a national park the only amenities you'll find are restrooms. (If you have kids with you, you should know that sometimes the far end gets 'natural'; if that would offend you just stop at one of the first 3 or 4 parking areas. ) If you want a great beach experience with lots more people, restaurants, beach volleyball and surfers then go to Cocoa Beach. There are fun restaurants on the pier and usually live music, at least on weekends. There's a parking lot right at the pier too. Both of these beaches are great for walking, either on the sand or in the surf if it's not too rough. I like the Atlantic side beaches better than the Gulf side because I would rather walk and watch the waves than sit on a beach towel all day. The Gulf side sand is very soft and the beaches are better for sunbathing and 'bathwater warm' swimming. Both sides are beautiful though. If you hit the beaches, wear sunscreen and bring dark glasses! The sun is much stronger here and a bad sunburn can quickly ruin a vacation. ___________________________ Tom, if you come over for the Leu sale, be sure to let me know! I'll be there and it would be fun to gather a group of gardenwebbers, at least to say 'hi'. I still think we need t-shirts so we can all find one another in a crowd. Kate

Silvia - thanks, I'll post pictures as things develop. Are those the same Mexican Sunflower seeds you sent me? Michael - oh boy, now I have to Google/Wiki chaya and learn everything I can about it...you know I'll have to have some :-) Julie - I'm working at least half-days that weekend but I think I'll make the trip Saturday afternoon. I've always wanted to check them out since everyone gives them such high praise...thanks for the info. John - I agree. Cathy will be 2-3 years behind me before she retires so it also looks like I'll be doing the laundry and cooking, but the weekly house-cleaning service is NEVER going away :-) I received your seeds yesterday, thanks! Tom

Thanks so much, Eric, for the heads-up. I like how you described Leu Gardens as a "living musuem". What an incredibly beautiful place you have there! It was a great day, Silvia, and we thought of you often as we looked around and took pictures. Here's a couple that show a little of the awesomeness....many times during our visit Bridget and I would just stand there amazed with our mouths open. So many amazing things to try and focus on, but pics didn't always give the right perspective. I think we got a lot better ones on Bridget's phone. We also took the tour of the Leu's house and our guide, Judy, was very entertaining with the stories of the early days in Orlando. Then before we left - when we thought we had seen it all - we got a wonderful guided tour of the gardens and discovered we still had alot to see. Somehow, we missed a couple of pathways that really looked that we have to go there again someday soon!