Naturegirl: Excellent planI donÂt think you could do better. Of course you will see the Mariposa grove of sequoias. They are a bit out of the way from the other park attractions, but I would say they are a "MUST." A couple of things to look for: By all means stop to see the "Grizzly Giant" tree. This is one truly spectacular tree and in its way as amazing a giant sequoia as you can see anywhere. The diameter is truly massive, but overall it is technically not one of the largest because it is not so tall as othersÂjust a bit over 200 feet--, but no matter. The crown of this tree is truly grizzled and gnarled, suggesting that has been growing there forever. Depending on how much time you have, a couple of suggestions: Try to see one of the fallen trees. There is one called "The Fallen Monarch," but I canÂt remember how far one has to walk to see it. And since I was last there, the Wawona Tunnel tree has fallen. You might want to make a point of seeing that--it should be right next to the road. One of the finest trees is the Galen Clark treeÂgiven that name because that is supposedly the first tree he saw when he discovered the grove. It is not unusually large, but perfect in its formÂat least the last time I was there. Also, I understand there is a kind of tram ride that has been built. Maybe you could get around more easily that way to see the grove. But anywhere you stand in this grove you will see wonderful trees. And if you see this grove, and Big Basin, you will really have more than just a "taste" of the most amazing trees in the world. I would recommend that you get up early, very earlyÂand get to Yosemite early enough to see the Mariposa grove the first day. Then you would not have to break up your stay in the valley area the next day. Two recommendations: first, for a hike in the valley, the vernal falls trail is nice. I canÂt remember exactly how far it is to get to the top of the falls, but it may not be too far. Some of the other falls in November may not have much water. Bridal Veil may be dry, and Yosemite falls itself will be at a low ebb. But Vernal Falls should still be very nice. Second, Glacier Point should be a must. It is a bit of a drive, but not much walking required once you get there. One bummer for you is the days are so short in Nov. Well, have fun!!

Here's a directory page to some Bay Area gardening resources http://www.parentspress.com/ffgardenresources.html I haven't checked out all the pages, but the one to the master gardeners of Santa Clara is good, and I'm a member of the Yahoo Group where there are quite a few nice people. The Los Altos garden club is huge, active and has a great annual plant swap. Here is a link that might be useful: Resources to Bay Area Gardening

Thanks, Daisy, for the gorgeous pictures! I'd have been standing in place with my jaw on the floor, unable to move until I'd taken in all of the details! I have a friend-of-a-friend who bought an old Victorian row house in San Francisco 2 years ago for 2.1 million dollars. There's no garage, so when they come home from work or the grocery store, they may have to park blocks away and walk. What some homeowners in the neighborhood have done is given up a garden-level bedroom and made it into a tuck-under garage. This guy is negotiating with the owner next door to purchase what's essentially the dead end of an old alley, now with a roof over the top, for a tiny one-car garage. Asking price? $65,000.00. EEEEK! A nice place to visit, but......!

"Blaming the poor school results and poor quality of services to not collecting enough taxes is crazy." " In 2007, The New York Times reported the average property tax in California was .68 percent." No making such a statement from the wilds of NC is crazy. From folks that live there, the consensus is that Prop 13 is the victim of unintended consequences. California Schools went from among the best in the USA in the late 1970s to among the worst. The infrastructure went from one of the top rated to a situation that has become somewhat desperate. The fact of the matter is that 0.68% Property tax is unfair when the new purchaser pays 1.0% and the guy next door pays .34% for property identical in value. 1.0% is not an unreasonable tax rate for all to pay - higher in most areas - but 0.68% is not a reasonable base across all properties. You repeatedly apply your parochial experience in a Southrn State and generalize to apply it broad brush to rel estate practices, property taxes, weather impacts, etc, etc, etc. Read and learn from the folks above that have lived the actual experience. Denying the impact of a failure to collect adequate taxes on the quality schools shows a certain lack of knowledge of the real World. One of my favorite examples, and be careful this is a specific case. The Town of Lakehurst, NJ, in the 1980s was a very poor town. One nearly deserted Navy Base (Think Von Hindenburg Fire), lots of wooded and deserted farm lands, and a largely poor, minority population clustered in a "downtown" area. A huge Retirement Community (55+)called Leisure Knolls was constructed, including Single Family Detached, and high rise apartments. Pricey properties all and largely retired, wealthy owners. (Leisure is a developer with properties located all ovr the USA. NJ Schools are largely funded by Local Property Taxes, which is the case in many states. The problem in Lakehurst was the Tax Base was overwhelmingly comprised of older people that felt they had already paid for good (read expensive) schools while their Children were attending schools and darned if they'd pay for a ton of schooling for other people's children also. The tax base remained depressed, the schools got poorer and poorer. Finally the State of NJ stepped in and took over the Lakehurst Schools and funded them to higher minimum performance standard. My late parents were residents of Leisure Knoll. The same school situation existed in virtually every State in which I bought home. Shop around for jurisdictions that had seemingly good schools and inevitably you'd find a higher tax base - a meld of property values and tax rate. Essentially, locally you could group together and collect more taxes and fund better schools if so motivated. In both CA and Lakehurst in 1978 an later those jurisdictions acted to preclude this choice. In CA the Property Tax was mandated by Statewide Initiative. In Lakehurs the choice was precluded by annual voter mandate. Not blaming the poor school results and poor quality of services to not collecting enough taxes is crazy - particularly if basing that opinion on local NC experience.