It was very nice meeting all of you in person - it's a shame I didn't have more time to head out on any of your other pomological excursions, but my job schedule is brutal. Plummy, I realized on my way home that the Fruit and Spice Park greenhouse plant I had mistakenly identified as a durian (and which you cleverly pointed out was an Annona) was, in fact, a posh-te. Kudos on recognizing the genus immediately. NTM, I noticed the same thing about the leaf burn on the rambutans at Fairchild - of course, mine seem to have the same problem. I was there earlier today and found ripe cherapus and ripening mangosteens on the trees - very cool.

dedtired, Hints for seasickness... 1.) Look off the stern instead of the bow; 2.) Fix your eyes on the horizon instead of looking a few feet ahead of the boat (you'll be out of sight of land); 3.) Sip on cold Diet 7-Up; 4.) Many people do fine underway; but when drifting they start feeling queasy. Whale watch boats stop frequently for whale sightings. While drifting, stand at the gunnel stanchions & hold on to a rail if it's rough rather than sitting down...much better. Actually, more people get seasick in calm water than in rough seas (within limits, of course!) When there's good wave action your body gets into a rhythem. In calm seas, there's just a slight up/down, up/down that gets to some people. Beam seas are the worst! That side-to-side motion can do in even the saltiest of seamen! Since I've been a boater, I can't imagine WHY people stick babies in cradles! Inhumane punishment, IMO! Also, if you're focused on looking for the blow spouts of whales your body won't notice the rolling sensation nearly as much. We need Lori. She's more local to Newport...I'm about an hour away. But here's a place to start...a fun lunch spot in Newport is the Red Parrot. Allow about an hour just to read the menu & make your selection. It's also a great place to people watch. And go hungry! Parking is tricky. Don't be a hero & try to find a parking spot on one of the side streets...it's mostly "Residents Only". Just pay your $15 & chock it up to a good day in Newport. You can also rent the most adorable two-seater scooters in Newport. The shopping is one of two things...either touristy or very expensive boutiques, gallery quality art, designer jewelry, home decor, etc. There are also some great bookstores. History lesson on Newport: Did you know that most of early Newport was built with slave labor? Most people don't realize the extent Newport relied on slaves. The wonderful granite cobblestone roads, the houses, the ships...all slave labor. By 1770, the entire workforce was slaves mostly from Ghana. They came as children & were different than the southern plantation slaves. In Newport, most slaves lived in the same house as their owners often slept in the same bedroom as the owner's kids. They were taught skills & became highly trained. By 1830, most Newporters had freed their slaves. They went on to found businesses, become councilmen, teachers, policeman, fireman, & held high offices. But they came to America as slaves. End of history lesson. Follow the signs for Ocean Drive/Mansions & go to Brenton Park. It's right on Ocean Drive. On weekends, it's a popular place to fly those huge kites in different shapes. The water is right across from the parking (free). Actually, you could just sit in your car & stare at Newport Channel for hours watching the boats. You'll see many huge international & corporate yachts. The rocks at Brenton Park are also a popular dive spot. Look for small boats with a red flag floating in the water near the boat. The red flag means, "Diver Down". When's your trip? /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: The Red Parrot

Rosewitch, England was definitely one of my favorite places I have ever visited. My folks took me there when I was 14, and I remember bits and pieces the Crown jewels, walking amongst the Stonehenge stones (roped off now, vandalism), Stratford upon Avon. Time for me to take my own 14YO. Im trying to think how I can get over there for a whole summer, LOL. Dlynn, I could have worked so much more. I didnt really look at night time stuff and there was loads to do. Greece: cant help you, but shoot Yasou a line, she went a few years ago. LOL Annie! Teresa, well go together. I wanted to explore more cooking and food shops/stores but didnt get to. Terri, here is more a link to Pictures of England, a website pointed out to me by Denise. I started it on Bourton on the Water, where we stayed for a few days. Thanks Sharon, I was actually thinking how can I even come close to posting her quality of travel guides, I dont do the pictures she does LOL. We might have sat at the same table in the Cheshire Cheeses dining room! Sawdust still there, but we didnt make it to the cellar. I missed a lot of the British Museum. It has changed.check out the new atrium. I couldnt keep up with DH and DS16. Afternoons, when I planned museums, I crashed. Next time! Pam, lots of people did more than we did per day! Theater every night, more attractions, I cant imagine. Gina heh heh yeah I need another vacation like a hole in my head. Speaking of whichDH has another week off in August. Nooooooooo! Kathleen, DH says he took an average of 200 pictures a day. Yup. Me, I just buy the post cards or Google the images, same thing (DARFC from the photo bugs here) Cathy, thanks for giving me the War and Peace moniker heh heh. Next time I go with CF friends! LindaC, I know. Im still exhausted. Speaking of the V&A, did you know there was a Dale Chihuly chandelier in the entrance room?

May I make one suggestion that has nothing to do with certification, nor the question you actually asked? PLEASE impress upon the attendees the importance of LISTENING to the consumer as well as CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING? It may not play into the certification process, but if you're going to take time out for entertainment, at least spend 5 minutes on how important it is to design a kitchen that's right for each consumer. Let me tell you my experience--we had an old (early 50's if not earlier) kitchen--complete the double drainboard/double sink and only 15" of useable counterspace, and not nearly enough storage. 20 years ago, when we decided to redo it, I went to several kitchen design places and home centers. I knew what would work efficiently for my kitchen needs, as a home ec teacher who had also helped redesign a large classroom kitchen, I was familiar with a lot of the principles involved. NOT ONE designer would listen to me. They all just tried to push their own ideas. In the end, they all lost out--we opted to use MY design, and were our own general contractors. The kitchen is amazing--2 decades later, I wouldn't change a thing in it. I've had dozens and dozens of compliments over the years about how great it is to work in. It was one of the big attractions that helped sell our house quickly when we listed this winter. I will be sad to leave 'my' kitchen behind when we move. The principles of kitchen design are important, but they mean nothing if the designer cannot customize a plan that will work for the customer. Oh, I should probably mention that my design? I have 10.5 feet of counter space--in the same kitchen that used to have only 15" and loads more storage. Your goal is to get these people certified and that involves the facts, figures, principles, rules, etc--but I'd love it if you could at least mention the importance of the human factor. Thanks--I only posted this because I was SO frustrated that NO ONE was willing to put aside the so-called kitchen planning 'principles' to help me design the right kitchen for me.