Oh, thank you every one for such nice comments,i really wanted to take more pic's today, but had a lot of running to do, AND ----------------------- Are you all ready for a good laugh? Ok, here it is! I was working around the pond,pulling weeds and trying to move a few plants,when- All of a Sudden!,I lost my footing,ya know how you kind of stumble around hoping to regain you footing,looking all funny like,and then you just loose it? Yep, head first,in I went,shot up like a bullet!,gasping for breath,trying to gain my footing,not easy on a slippery rubber bottom,lol,lol,lol Oh, if only some one would have had a camara,it would have made Funniest Videos for sure!Man did I smell awful! ha ha ha Since I was already wet-no-Soaked!I went ahead and moved my water lilies more into what little sun i have. Go ahead,have a good laugh,it,s on me. I will try to post again tomorrow, after that, I showered and called it a day. Hope your day was better than mine.lol Carol

I am trying to understand why you want to view garden pictures on a tiny phone screen, when I can see it much larger on my PC. How can you appreciate nature on a tiny screen? I have a fast DELL PC and RoadRunner Broadband, no problems here. We happily got rid of cellphone plans many years ago, now have Tracphones only in our cars for emergencies. (In my past work life I was in high speed controls). Bernd

Wow, Greendesigns & hollysprings- you make the industry sound…. well awful. Largely the kitchen design industry is an unregulated one (by state or federal government). You need no formal training of any kind to begin working in the industry, just a useful skill set that will encourage an employer to hire you. Kitchen designers often have a wide diversity of backgrounds in architecture, interior design, decoration or construction and there are even a few wonderful designers, whom I have had the pleasure to work with, who have a natural talent, but no formal education. There are two types of business structures, a designer who sells and does all the work (design, drawing, field measure, pricing, ordering, manages delivery and final completion) or a designer who only sells and has a support staff who does all the other work. The former structure is far more popular here in the New England states. Often the showrooms here are small & owner operated by family. The larger companies focus on volume work. (Each sales person is expected to sell about $500K of product per year to start- these companies provide the most basic of services, limited design, drawing and delivery- limited follow thru during the installation process. Lowes & HD are examples of this type of shop. A volume shop can have each designer ordering 6-12 kitchens per week) There are two ways to get into the industry, one is start low and work your way up or to come in as a sales person. In order to sell you need to understand the products (cabinetry, appliances, how things go together and why). A good sales person can sell anything, furniture, tile, appliances, construction, plumbing fixtures etc. When starting at the bottom you could be doing anything from administration, greeting, bookkeeping and working it into deign assistant or draftsperson. Now in order to gain the knowledge base to successfully design kitchens there are several places to start- you could join the NKBA, order the Professional Learning Library (which is $700 hard cover or $600 e-book) "it is about $100 less if you join a study group (another $350 there)) and read it completely. You wont be able to sit for any of the exams without experience, but you certainly can read the books. I recently ran a study group through our local chapter and I must say that in the 7 years I have been a CKD, the material you need to know has doubled. Is it impossible to learn as a novice? No- but you need to be able to put in the time. The trick is that the academic knowledge is good, but you need hands on to become proficient. (I will get to the NKBA certifications shortly) The other option is to pick up and read every book you can find not only on design, but also construction, architecture and interior design. Our industry is very very broad, you could learn to design with cabinetry and know nothing about construction. Or know everything about construction but not have the creativity to design a kitchen beyond placing boxes. Now- to become a certified kitchen designer there are two tests you have to take through the NKBA. The first is the AKBD ( Academic Kitchen & Bath Designer) you need (2) years of documented experience & (2) professional references. This test is very difficult and you need to read & comprehend the complete PRL books. This test cannot be passed without proper preparation. The second part is the CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer), you need (7) years industry experience to be eligible to take the part + (2) professional references & (2) client references. (The first and second parts can be taken together once you meet the latter criteria) The CKD exam is a design exam and is 4 hours. You are given a design problem that you must solve. You have to produce a floor plan, elevation, construction plan, mechanical plan and a design statement explaining what and why you have made your design decisions. The exam is graded on the proficiency of the design solution, including adhering to the client survey (ie listening to the clients wants and the site constraints), the design guidelines and the interpretation of the design solution and the assessment of health and safety guidelines. You mentioned that your friend wants to only design- to accomplish this she would need to become a draftsperson. Often a draftsperson or technical designer as I call them, has to know everything. The products, appliances and their requirements, construction… A good draftsperson can draft by hand or by computer and can draw perspective or do computer renderings. Draftspersons are subject to the tools that the showroom supplies. I will tell you that high end shops do not use 2020, they either hand draft or use more sophisticated CAD programs such as AutoCad or ChiefArchitect. (2020 does not have the capability to do custom cabinets with any level of accuracy) Draftspeople are responsible to support the sales designer and make the design & product work. We do not only drafting, but also cabinet estimates and orders, we can order appliances, hardware & countertops, we also do tile takeoffs. Would your friend be comfortable ordering kitchens? Cabinet orders are easily $10K to $120K, it is a lot of responsibility. This industry is known for the potential of errors and omissions and each person has to step up and be responsible for their portion. This is a very detail orientated industry. I have been working in this industry since 1990, mostly as a technical designer. If your friend wants a fun design job, this could work for her if she can put in the time. The advantage of the K&B industry is that you get the start designing a lot sooner than in architecture or interior design. But if your friend wants to make money, or needs to make a living wage to survive, then she may be better off as a sales person or even in interior designer. As a last note, many people come into the K&B industry from a parallel course. They may start in related industries, not limited to interior design, architecture or construction, but also thru tile, appliances or cabinet manufacturing companies. There are a lot of factors that contribute to becoming a successful K&B designer, I hope to have touched on a few for you.

You are having problems posting at The Test Forum? I just posted there and it was fine. What are you getting and where are you posting? Are you attempting to start a thread, or to reply to an existing thread? Here is a link that might be useful: GW Test Forum.