Hi Byron, I'm Patrick in the Seattle area. Until recently, I was a member of both the Gesneriad Society and the Puget Sound Gesneriad Society (which has/had a few members in the PDX area). The main GS is sometimes referred to as the Mother Ship, to differentiate between it and any of the regional "clubs" or subgroups, such as the PSGS. You might consider joining the GS's Hybridizers' Group, where you can not only get fresher seeds but also newer hybrid seeds. Altho some Gessie seeds have a long shelf life, not all of them do. And I don't believe the GS seed banks keep track of the age of the seeds. I hope you enjoy your membership...Gessies can be really addictive! I've had fluorescent lights set up in the dining room, living room and 2 bedrooms and ran out of room everywhere. I'm looking forward to seeing pics when your Sinn. speciose seedlings bloom.

Woot! A positive ID, and such a lovely one too! I look forward to it flowering all summer for many years to come. Interestingly, this is the second potential link I've found to Portland. I do wonder who the rose lover was. On to pink rose #3. This rose is about 6' tall, upright, and shows no signs of pruning. It's quite vigorous and is pushing new canes up from the ground. It's growing in the roots of a Western Red Cedar that is at least 100 years old (we've seen it in aerial photos from the 1920s, and it wasn't small then). Quite thorny, this one is a repeat bloomer that bloomed continually all summer last year and has no hips. It's growing in a different area than the majority of the roses, so it could be from a different era, although so far they all seem to be from around the same time period. The buds are a coral pink, but it blooms out to a somewhat shocking bright pink. Someone who gardened here was a pink lover - the majority of roses are pink as are most of my 30' tall rhododendrons.

I would not put the dishwasher between the sink and range. It would work better on the opposite side of the sink. If someone is cooking and using pots/pans to the right of the range, someone else could be cleaning up at the sink with the dishwasher to the right of the sink. It's our new set up and I honestly love it. Hubby can load/unload the dishwasher while I cook without tripping over each other. Pictures are here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4212346/reveal-before-and-after-nyc-kitchen-basically-done#19305396 I recommend a pocket door for the pantry. Otherwise, it would be tight for someone trying to enter the pantry while someone else is opening the frig. I thought about a prep sink too, but it wasn't an option for us due to plumbing limitations. I find that we use the island more for serving meals than for prep. The only time I use the island for "prep" is when serving meals from take out containers. lol If you take out the prep sink, you can add more seating on the island if you install an overhang.

It's been awhile since I made an update, but this is where I'm at now: Crown moulding is installed and painted. Double-curtain rods and sheer curtains are up, but talked to my aunt who mentioned that I should consider reinstalling them above the window to give the windows a longer sleeker look. Took down the art deco chandelier to have it cleaned and fixed, but I accidentally tipped it over while it was on the floor and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Turns out it was made of cheap pewter. So I found and installed a Turkish style chandelier I received from a seller in Turkey on Etsy. I also installed similar styled Turkish sconces (I'll be replacing the globes with more colorful ones soon). I pulled up the carpet from both rooms. I painted the fireplace insert black. I painted the ugly gold lamp stands black, and added new shades. Things still left to do: I'm still looking for a chandelier for the living room. Repair and refinish the floors (the floor needs a number of boards refilled). Figure out what to do about the gap between the floor and the quarter-round/baseboard that was revealed after I pulled the carpet up. Replace current projector screen with a floor-rising one so that I'm no longer covering 80% of the front window at all times. Install a picture rail about an inch and a half under the crown moulding. Update/add electrical outlets (which will include an upgrade to my breaker). replace carpet in the living room with a Persian style carpet that's approx. 9' x 12'. Replace couch and coffee table. Retile the front of the fire-place. Have a number of the cracks in the plaster repaired. Acquire and hang paintings and framed posters on the walls. And that's just the Living Room and Dining Room. Sigh...