Thanks Orrin and Alan, very kind of you to help. These birds love our pineapple guava tree and fruitless pear, because both are always full of enough twigs and leaves to offer protection from the kestrels that patrol here. I have seen bushtits or maybe wrentits, in the redwood forest, during the summer. They like shady creek bottoms and eating insects in the cobwebs of the tall trees. They are darker (brown and beige striped) and have upturned tails, and I rarely see them, but when I do it's a treat.

Annie, We had United install a light colored Caesarstone, Nougat. I was impressed. While the 2 seams are not "invisible" on a light colored material with pebbles, there is no visible gap and both adjoining slabs are level. While I can see the seam, it's not distracting. Actually, I've never seen a better seam job. They were very careful on protecting our maple plank floors during demolition and countertop install. I'd recommend them based on our experience. I don't recall any waivers we needed to sign ( could be wrong, DW handled this). You know, I've never heard of the warranty being waived due to the edge. However, I do remember some advice that it can be a bit more fragile at the corner because the material narrows down to a sharp point where it adjoins the other surface (also narrows down), but it wasn't a big deal or showstopper for us - the added expense was the major concern. We have set hot things on the surface for short times (e.g. boiling water, hot tea, maybe a fry pan that had cooled a bit), but nothing out of the roasting oven >350F without a trivet or something to protect it. It's just good practice - mitered edge or not - to keep really hot things off any surface to avoid any chance of cracking, scorching both pan and countertop if there is white stuff like sugar/flour left on the countertop, or burning yourself/others after you move the hot item away and the surface retains the heat when you lean over and put your hand down later (ouch!) I'd be more concerned with blunt, heavy objects impacting the corner causing it to chip, but then again, that would chip many other countertops materials, and since we don't have anywhere near an abusive environment (just us and dinner guests and occasional family visits), I'm not concerned. I think it's durable enough for us. As far as "is it worth it" - if you have a light colored material with pebbles like Nougat, it's going to show the laminated seam no matter how good the quality of gluing. Some people don't mind it or notice it much, others like me prefer the corner edge to hide the seam. It makes it look more substantial and elegant in my opinion which is important for us since our kitchen is very open to the dining/living area/room, and the countertops play a large role in overall appearance and feel. If the kitchen was more separated/enclosed, went with darker material, and/or we had teenage kids, I might not go with mitered edge. The finished job looks fabulous, no regrets paying extra. I hope this helps. -DH of gracesantacruz

I don't think the Santa Clara Valley has microclimates to the same extent as other parts of the Bay Area. If you want to see a microclimate in action, drive from Orinda to Oakland or better still Treasure Island. 15 minutes and 25 degrees. In San Jose and the rest of the county - the northern part nearest the Bay - a bit windier, a bit cooler sometimes (5-8 degrees on a summer day, not much), a bit less rain. To the south and near the hills - a bit warmer (as above) a bit more rain, a bit less wind. Near water is always windier than at a distance. SDGE (the power company) considers Del Cerro to be a mile or two at most out of its "coastal zone" that starts at the beach and ends around the 805 at that point for power pricing purposes). As I said, "Air conditioning, not all that common in coastal areas (where our place is) is now a standard feature in new construction and more frequently retrofit into older places that didn't have it. " So if you consider Del Cerro inland, that comment may not apply to your experience. But it's hotter there now too. Feeling argumentative?

You may be mistaking what the Master Gardener program is all about :-) The title itself is unfortunate as it gives an impression of a knowledge or skill level that is not necessarily present. 50 hours of training over a broad base of topics does not make one a 'master' anything!! I have a degree in horticulture that required 135 credit hours or about 1800 physical hours to achieve and I don't consider myself any kind of 'master' either! It has been proposed that the title be changed to that of 'Extension Volunteer' but that has not been uniformly accepted. In exchange for this training, Master Gardeners are required to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours in the first year and 25 hours each subsequent year. MG's must complete a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education per year, starting their second year. And the restrictions with the program are nationwide - Master Gardeners must not use their title in any form of commercial advertisement. The Master Gardener program is a public service community outreach program established to provide unbiased information, and the title “Master Gardener” is to be used only when conducting unpaid volunteer work in the program. It cannot be used in association with any paid garden-related activity. To do so is to risk removal from the program and a cancellation of any MG certification. I don't mean to imply that all MG's have only a moderate skill level. Some are extremely knowledgeable well beyond their limited training. But just having a title of Master Gardener does not translate into being a highly skilled garden professional. And again the program prohibits them from accepting any pay using that title. The 'expert' thing is hard to pin down :-) Most experts never refer to themselves as 'expert' as they are likely more aware than anyone that gardening is a constant learning experience and they never know all there is to know. But you may find a garden coach or mentor from referrals at local nurseries and garden centers. Or you can try here: California Garden Coaches