Hi Everyone - we just had our Neolith Calcacutta counters in silk finish installed in our kitchen. I DO NOT recommend going with this product unless you are okay with a number of downsides. We utilized a certified Neolith fabricator who has lot of experience in working with this material. We did the mitered edges so that they were not white as well. Not only was this by far the most expensive product, but it was disappointing as well. You can see the white edges where it was mitered and there are defects from the moment of installation from which I was told are "normal" and acceptable. My seams (only two, that is nice) are VERY obvious and not what I would have expected. The material itself marks up when ANYTHING touches it basically. Put a cookie sheet on it and you have horrible black / gray marks everywhere that do not come out. I have been told you have to be willing to scrub it for that to happen and they recommended using acetone to get them out. Um....so now i am left with counters that cost me over $13k that I am not happy with from how they look (they look great from afar) and that mark up when anything touches it and I have to use a special something to try and get them out and that is not easy. If I could do it again, I would go with quartz or quartzite. These are not worth the pain and suffering along with the high cost and disappointing outcome. I went to some friend's house over the weekend where they had their new quartz counters installed, by the same fabricators we used and they look far superior to ours and they do not have the same issues. I read the reviews on here and chose it anyway and am devastated I did. I wish I had taken these reviews to heart and not listened to the fabricator's comments that these were one off experiences.

First time I went, we flew into Vancouver and got to experience Canada Day. As well as Fourth of July during cruise. Here's pic of me meeting Karla, a KT'er, in Anchorage, for lunch. We just finished eating reindeer hot dogs. You can see short sleeves. Never experience cold temps, except at Glacier Bay, and I had a nice raincoat which was suffice. Denali, remember sitting out on patio at lodge, evening without a jacket. Friend did Mt McKinley and thoroughly enjoyed the plane trip. Only experienced mosquitoes once, in Denali, and I did have repellant. Never felt the need to layer. July was nice weather, at least when we went.

Our trip was quick, only 7 days. I'm unable to give you day by day detail as I did not keep a diary. (sorry) We visited shrines, temples, took a Tokyo harbor tour in a boat (Symphony). Hiroshima was meaningful, but not sure if that would work for you with your plan to go to Okinawa. If your kids are older (like teens at least), it would be educational for them. We arrived in Japan by flying into Haneda and took the train to the Via Inn/Ooimachi. It was a fine place for our first night. The rooms were a bit on the small side, but not a problem. Next morning we went to a restaurant downstairs which had a wide range of breakfast items which was good for that first morning. After that first night in Tokyo, we transferred to the ryokan Tsurugata in Kurashiki, Okayama, mentioned above where we spent two nights. It really is a charming place. I recall it was a little pricey but included breakfast and dinner. We spent two nights there. Other places we stayed were less expensive, so it evened out somewhat, and it was worth the expense to be in that traditional setting. After that we went to the thatched roof village, Miyama, for one night. We then stayed one night at the Granvia Hotel in Kyoto, which is at the train station. Very nice hotel. From there we went to the Disneyland resort (Hilton Tokyo Bay) so the Disney-lovers could get their fill of Disney Sea theme park. Maybe not too interesting to you, but I must share with you that we visited an elementary school since one of us had a contact there. It was really fun to see a Japanese classroom, and the kids were thrilled to have us as visitors. If you are out shopping and see a Daiso store, it's a good place to stop in to pick up odds and ends affordably, maybe little souvenirs. Not joking here: check 7-11 for affordable food. They have fresh, good food available, meals. (I know, sounds wrong, but they are better in Japan than in the US.) It can save you quite a bit if you can pick up some meals there. If anyone in your group cannot function without coffee, take a couple of packets of instant coffee. Every place but one had coffee. Here's the Fushimi-Inari shrine with over 1,000 gates. It's reachable from Kyoto and is very interesting, amazing actually. The fox is significant to Shinto believers, so there are a few statues at the Fushimi-Inari shrine. Very charming. Bullet train (shinkansen). Comfortable, clean, well maintained. (Local trains are more crowded, often packed. When you think no more can fit in the car, many more come in and everyone bunches up! You get to know your fellow travelers!) The shrines offer an opportunity to write a special message like a prayer on these small wood plaques. At shrines you can purchase inexpensively small, beautiful charms of all sorts to help you get a wife, heal your knee, make more money--anything you want. Fabric with the message inside. I bought several as gifts but neglected to make a note of what each one was for and so never gifted them. Last, the Golden Pavilion, near Kyoto

ravencajun, haven't you previously said you most often use tablets? I encounter more website problems on all kinds of sites with tablets (and we have both Android and iPad varities), and more consistently and frequently so, than I ever do with a PC. Maybe there is site-producing software that's more android/IOS friendly, and some that is less so? Or more Firefox friendly and less so for others? I know for my employer's website, you can't use Chrome. Don't even think of it. I've asked and they just suggest using anything other than Chrome. A few years ago, before they restructured (and re-coded?) the site, Chrome worked great but you couldn't use Firefox. Now, they've switched, Firefox works fine.