Ah-h-h-h-h, The Coastal South. Land of Gulf Breezes, Mardi Gras, Francais' country homes, and spring flowers. Am I right "cher"? The place where Hossfly plays only two kinds of music, "Country or Western". Where children walk gravel roads and trails barefoot without flinching and mud puddles are opportunities to catch crawfish with their hands. An area where a violin becomes a whinnin' fiddle and is automatically accompanied by a smile from all who are within hearing distance. A land of weeping willows that cool you down with their tears on hot summer afternoons. Enjoy your Spring Flowers. Pick a Dandelion for me. Hope all is well. Susie

Zebra striped tomatoes are tasty. But even better is a variety called Yellow Sausage (or something like that. Sausage is definitely in the name, though.) It's weird looking, basically does look like a tomato shaped like a lumpy sausage, but it is incredibly flavorful. It's kind of stripey too, and ripens to a yellow color. My roommate likes to do weekly dinner parties, and people would fight over the slices of the Yellow Sausage tomatoes when we would make salads with our backyard tomatoes. We are definitely growing that one again this year. My peppermint tried to take over the world. I have a concrete backyard, very small. I think the peppermint actually rooted to the concrete. It smells fantastic though. Made a peppermint syrup at the end of the season that was delicious. We'll see if it comes back. I'm assuming it will, but I'm not certain. I gotta figure out how to repel the mosquitoes in a big way this summer though. I did NOT enjoy my yard starting in August, because I could not even go out there for 5 seconds without ending up with 6-10 mosquito bites. And I'm really allergic to mosquito bites; they swell up to at least half dollar size spots. Ugh.

I found this on the condo's location...Harleston Village. As always, real estate prices are profoundly influenced by location, location, location. "Originally developed in 1770, Harleston village is a convenient , historic address in peninsular Charleston. This pleasant mix of antebellum houses and upscale modern townhouses is situated on the site of the first golf club in America, and a congenial community atmosphere still prevails. Surrounding the shady blocks of Harleston Village are the prestigious College of Charleston, South CarolinaÂs Medical University complex, and historic Cannon park and Colonial Lake. Many of the old homes were built from the wealth of early 19th century rice mills that lined nearby Ashley River, and some of CharlestonÂs finest Italianate, Regency and Georgian architecture is featured in such noteworthy examples as the Blacklocke and Jenkins-Mikell houses and the College of CharlestonÂs Randolph Hall. The sidewalk stroll is the preferred means of transportation along these quiet streets, where neighbors gather for morning cappuccino at corner cafes or late -afternoon cocktails on garden piazzas. Only a few blocks from the King Street retail district, the stylish restaurants of the City market, and the yachts and sailboats of the Charleston Marina, Harleston Village offers easy access to all the pleasures and necessities of the good life." /tricia

Yes, my ceilings are 8 feet. I would have to leave off the glass part at the top. We are opeing up the wall which is where the penninsula will be, then a few feet out from the penninsula my ceilings raise to 16 feet in the living room with 2 skylights in the celing and lots of natural light. I really thought this would prevent the darks wood from becoming to heavy, also combining it with the lighter elemtns it helps brighten things up. I do want to put in handscraped hickory hardwood floors. This would be throughout the kitchen, dining room, and living room. I like the tile but I want the flow of having the floors all the same. I knew there would be people who don't like this kitchen. It's definitely not for eveyone, and I respect that. It makes a very strong statement. You can correct me on the eclectic if you like. I call that mixing the different elements, details, finishes, and embellishments. I do agree it's tuscan, antique looking. I am worried about using it in "my smaller space" That is why I posted here to get ideas. I appreciate all suggestions and all thoughts negative or positive. I do think not having enough space is a huge concern. One reason I thought this style would work is because we are opening this space up and removing a wall. Our living room is large. There are only two of us living here. Empty nesters. I can't see the expense of expanding. Not in this econmic climate and the area I live in. I was hoping by opening up the space it would give us a nice entertaining area. It is a load bearing wall so a support column is needed at the end of the penninsula. For this reason I really can't have an island. I am limited, I do have to be realistic. That's not always easy!