IM kind of a pretty big weather buff myself, and I used to get the farmers Almanac every year when I was a kid as well. I still read it for its interesting articles and such, but really, I think that NOAA is more accurate as its more science based rather than on oak trees "MASTING", and other natural phenomena. For those who don't know, "MASTING" is when Oak trees overproduce acorns to an extreme amount. It happens from time to time some reigons, and from what I understand is more of a survival insurance than anything else. It happend here several years ago, and it was truly incredible just how much acorns were produced. Never seen anything like it. I think it only occurs once in like every 50 or 100 years or something. Anyway...Im still hoping for ( and thinking that it will be) a very mild winter here in the Mid Atlantic. We have the same saying here... " if you don't like the weather in D.C., wait 5 minutes". While its not that volatile all the time, we do get fairly changing weather for large portions of the year, especially spring and fall, we were can see 40 degree differences in temps in sometimes as little as 12 hours. The D.C. Metro just does not have the same winters it had regularly up until about 1995 or so. The last true "blizzard" we had here was in 1996. The rivers and bay almost NEVER freeze over anymore in the last 10-12 years here, and seeing teens and low 20's in the city is fairly uncommon anymore. Were also very hurricane prone here as well, although most are usually strong to medium tropical storms by the time they get here. Although, a few have come through at a category 1 hurricane, like Isabel in 2003. IIRC, it was finally downgraded to a Tropical Storm once it moved just north of the D.C. Metro. Its center passed about 50 miles due west of downtown D.C., putting most of the metro area, and most of VA/MD in the worst / strongest quadrant of the storm. What a trying 24 hours that was. I rode it out in my east facing 14th floor apt at the time, and we had sustained winds up there of 82 MPH for several hours at the hight of it, with a gust to 106. That was the gust that blew the anomometer off of the balcony railing. I can tell you the vines that I could not get down, and the 10' river birch in a large half whisky barrel were all defoliated by the winds, and quite a few of the windows were blown out on the east and south facing windows of the high rises we lived in. Im glad we heavily tapped our large plate glass windows up, because those were the ones that were breaking into peoples apts. Anyway, lots of varied weather here. It keeps things very interesting. I just wish we were 1 zone warmer! Who knows, in the close in dowtown areas of NoVA and DC we have moved into a zone 8 in the last 10-14 years, maybe a zone 9 is coming? Im not for "global warming" but man it would be nice to have even milder winters than we do now.

Here are links to some of the earlier threads . . . http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0708180218905.html - unique/favorite features in your build.... http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg051803107471.html - Things you couldn't live without or wish you had added http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg012331272427.html - What things did you find needed adjusting or changed? http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg052337148911.html - is there anything you wish you had done http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg1011400927581.html - What about your new build makes your life easier; what doesn't ? http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0913570232282.html - Brands/Products That I'd Use Again http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0321442732113.html - Share your best sites for deals on supplies! http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0818041222629.html - To help others - Things I would do different and things i love! http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg021705141306.html - Things I wish I'd specified on my plans http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0120301431285.html - It's been two years...what I've learned, would change, etc... http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0901543214301.html - Biggest Mistakes? http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0521381417863.html - Help!!! Have I forgotten anything? http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg122305046544.html - designing electrical in house http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0316075322256.html - doing whole house audio

There is a lot of confusion about the style which I would say lasted from about 1940-1970 and mixed and encompassed styles from deco to colonial revival to 18th century French and American in with midcentury modern. I place it in this extended period because I consider William Haines, Dorothy Draper, James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, Karl Springer, Michael Taylor and Tony Duquette all to have worked in this style, to some degree. Does anybody want to add any designers to the list of the originals? (I think Kelly Wearstler revived it and Jonathan Adler cashed in by copying individual pieces of their work verbatim, but I will really try to reference original period. I think as with other styles we have worked in, Hollywood Regency will pretty much be an application of the style to a kitchen since the typical HR house would have had a period kitchen of 1940-1970, and it would have likely been a pastel Saint Charles kitchen with a big Chambers or Tappan Fabulous 400. So I think we are going to be applying Hollywood Regency furniture styles to a current kitchen rather than recreating kitchen that would be in a Hollywood Regency era house--which goes back to a "period kitchen" design. So any designers to add to the list? Any comments on my thought process on this?

Tamara, yes that drop down does pop up, but when I'm typing in something to search I type it very quickly and hit "enter". The drop down doesn't show up in time to remind that I have to click something before hitting "enter". That mistakes causes me to have to either hit the back button or get lost and have to restart by finding the roses forum and try again. One example: When I'm in the Roses forum I search "memories" and hit enter. Many threads from many different forums pop up, and I realize that I forgot to wait for the drop down. I erase the "s" to force the drop down to show up and all that shows up is search in Gardenweb and Advice - no Roses option. I find it incredibly annoying to have to wait for the drop down and select the forum every single time I want to search something new - an extra step that I nearly always forget, especially when I'm engrossed in my research. That is why I'm still struggling with the search. If I'm coming off as irritated or angry I don't mean to be; I'm just tired at the moment. Thank you for responding and sorry I waited so long to answer back!