Here is CLOWNS IN WASHINGTON as it grows here. The name makes me laugh whenever I pass by it! I sent Bret a name which he will hopefully use next year. It will be a perfect companion daylily for CIW!! I like several of his names for cultivars, such as DESPERATE HOUSECATS. Don't grow that one but do grow ONE CAT TOO MANY.

I did the same research last year and got pretty good feedback from Francois and Company (http://www.francoisandco.com/). I liked their french oak and was able to negotiate the flooring price down to $13/sqft (Le Bec, Le Chatel, and Turenne). Since this was still over our $10/sqft budget they proposed Montmartre ($13), Orangerie ($10), Lutece ($10). They send me samples promptly and followed up by both phone and email. I haven't ordered from there yet. I like their french oak collection. Potentially Riverhead Building supply - heritage flooring (http://www.rbscorp.com/products/flooring.aspx) has competitive select and non select white oak that come in comparison for about $8sqft, they cut their own planks and can make them as wide as you want, but they will likely charge premium over 5-6". They compete directly with Carlisle wide plank flooring which are more expensive(http://www.wideplankflooring.com/) but their tobacco leaf stain on wide plank is amazing. Good luck

Was not an issue for me in San Jose. Gut and rebuild of our kitchen with a 1600cfm hood added. The inspector, who was so picky that he wanted to see the specs on our faucet to make sure it had proper check valves.. the faucet was a Kohler bought from Home Depot and carries multiple certifications all with identical check valve requirements as the city.. well he didn't bat an eye at the hood. Never even asked what the air flow rating was on it.

Well, my house has been overrun with guests...sorry I let this slip to page two. Emmatux, my DH has mentioned Muir Woods. We may have gone there together on the last trip, almost two decades ago. (It's strange how little I remember of that trip.) I will look for Stinson Beach and a cheese factory. We live in New England, so variable weather is something we're used to. And cold is a relative thing... :-) Another Linda, I just discovered Yelp. It's pretty amazing. I have to dig a bit deeper and will do that with SF. Thanks for the tip on Capitola. That's just the kind of info I need And I will put your resto suggestions in my notes. Ann, that trip sounds just divine. Lucky women, both of you! I am embarrassed to say I didn't know Alcatraz was an NPS site. That changes everything. We are Passholders and have never been anything but thrilled with our NPS experiences. I am glad your DD enjoyed it. We will try to watch Birdman before we go. All your other suggestions are right up our alley, including the Beat Museum. DH was in Berkeley from 1959-64 and was inspired by that scene. DD read Kerouac this year. Perfect! So sorry you missed the Avedon show. I was a big fan as a teenager and have not yet introduced him to my budding photographer/fashionista. We won't get to see the show, but I think I will get her a big coffee table book for her next b'day. bestyears, jason, terriks...thanks for the additional tidbits. Renting bikes is a great idea, though the hills might be intimidating. We'll look for Sears (ring boloney and mac and cheese?!). Terri, we live to layer here! No problem. Thanks again everyone! This will all go into my SF file.