shrublover, thanks for reviving this topic! I didn't knew there was such topic, so after almost a year it's time to introduce myself too. :) My name is Alexander, I'm currently 19 years old and I'm from Belgium, somewhere near Antwerp. My nickname (a giant sea reptile which is extincted for 155 million yrs or so) may seem weird for use on a gardening forum, but it's a relict of me watching "Walking with Dinosaurs" more than ten years ago; and now I got quite used to it. And best of all: that nickname seems to be always available! ;) I started liking conifers as a small boy when walking through spruce forests in Wallonia and Germany. Since a few years, that "liking" developed itself into a fascination; beginning with mostly spruces and firs, and now for all conifers, especially the Pinaceae. Living in one of the most densely populated regions in one of the most densely populated countries in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, I sadly lack space to plant all trees I would like to plant. Driven by the eagerness to still have as many as possible I'm currently exploring the world of the dwarf conifers. I'm also occupying myself (in a very amateuristic manner I must confess) with growing conifers from seeds extracted from cones I found in the wild. Disadvantage is that all those species are regular forest species, and thus will get too big too soon, so I'll have to find a way to get rid of most (give them away, plant them somewhere where I'm allowed to), but that's one of the things you don't think about when having fun! :)

I personally don't think buying seeds for someone else is necessary. Nor is it expected. If you want to, I guess that is fine. I look through other's lists and some are getting 3 things and others are not getting any (from me). But as I see it, others that have things that I don't have, and will have some for them (the person I din't have any for) and perhaps none for someone else. If someone has a short want list they might not get much of anything since we can't fill their wants if they don't want anything. The host will have to fill in the gaps for them with extras seeds, and hope there is something in there that might please this person. If the person with a short list is not sure what they want, perhaps they can be vague and say I like blue flowers that like the shade. Or any flowers, I am new and I have no clue what will grow here yet. Then maybe someone can toss in something that fits that requirement. Personally, I am tossing my extra veggie seeds in the extras baggie. So, if someone that asks for any veggie or any tomato, Fran can fill in with my extra veggies in a fair way. I have no way of knowing if one person needs more seeds and another has an overflowing amount already. But really, I think this should be fun, and as Fran said it is not a one for one thing, just share what you have, and it will all be ok. (really) For example: I once participated in the give to a newbie thing as a newbie gardener. I really did not receive much of anything I could use (mostly flowers). But is was still fun. I kept what I could use and SASE'ed what I did not need. So the seeds found nice homes, even if not mine. All is good. Surprises are fun. Giving is good for the heart, and sole. I hope my interpretation of this Swap is not not way off. Yes I should try starting seeds inside in early spring. I found out out that natural beginnings seeds starter mix is a very good all natural mix from gardens alive. My rutabagas did very well in this mix. I had always thought of starting seeds inside as a northern thing to do. But I guess it is not. We are trying to beat heat and the northerners are trying to beat the frost. I have some soup peas in damp paper towels now to try to give them a early go for it this spring. Last spring direct sowed peas took 3 weeks to come up. So by the time they matured, it was too hot. I'm learning. My garden is on the side of the house were veggies get shade after 2 pm. First year I made the mistake of thinking full sun, I will plant on west of the house. UG. Learned that, that is too much sun for Texas! So this year all will hopefully be better due to: water ditches starting some things under pop bottle cloches Sprouting peas inside living mulch verses dead mulch cover crops over winter reorienting garden beds so sorghum and sunflowers can help shade off the rest of the garden. avoiding overly thirsty crops smaller tomato varieties trying beany things along ground But anyway, time to go to the dentist. I have to realize I am not the only one having garden woes. It is just that since I am a new gardener, all years have been extreme weather years. I have nothing to compare it to. Hope every has some fun with this SWAP. Mary

Alek, I enjoyed looking at all the info on your web site. Recently I saw a NG Y0660 that had been returned to Sam's Club because the buyer really needed the LPG version. It was a bit dented-up in the front, and missing the rotisserie parts. Sam's wanted $700 for it. I started the task of trying to figure out just what it would take to convert it to propane and to repair the cosmetic damage. When I realized that the valves would have to be replaced, as well as the orifices, both doors and one drawer, as well as all the missing rotisserie parts, I almost bagged the idea, but decided to call Grand Hall and check on parts prices anyway. Am I ever glad that I did! The prices were so reasonable that the total cost to convert to LPG and restore the grill to new condition was only $270.00 including shipping. When my offer of $500.00 was accepted by the manager at Sam's I picked up the grill and ordered the parts. I've installed them all, with the exception of one valve that was not correct, a missing bracket to mount the rotisserie motor, and slides for the tank drawer ... basically just "noise-level" problems. Haven't had a chance to use the grill yet, as the weather hasn't been too cooperative, but I'm looking forward to it. My total cost for an "almost new" Y0660 grill is now $770.00. ! ! ! ! ! ! S C O R E ! ! ! ! ! ! There are a few things that I've learned from this exercise that I'd like to pass along: 1) Grand Hall's customer service folks are great! Their policies are pretty good too ... with the incorrect part it was "Oh, we'll get a replacement out today", not "Send it back and we'll see ...". 2) If you know what you need, and how to ask for it, you *CAN* buy the parts to convert these grills from NG to LPG and from LPG to NG. 3) The parts costs are ludicrously low ... the main valves, which include the orifice are only $5.00 each, and the side burner and rotisserie valves are $8.00 each, as they include a little more hardware. It probably makes more sense to just buy the darned things than to do the drilling for the LPG to NG conversion, and it's WAYYY better to buy for the NG to LPG conversion than to try filling and redrilling with smaller holes. 4) Rather than actually replacing the valves, which can be difficult to get off the manifold of the Y0660, it's better to just swap the valve cores and the orifices. I don't know for sure if the valves are common between the Y0660 and the smaller Y0101XC, but the conversion pictures on your site look identical. For example, the main burner gas valve part number is P03222007A for LPG. Also, the valve bodies have the number "0404A" cast into the side. This is the same for the NG and the LPG valves. How does this compare to the part number & valves for the Y0101XC? I have a full set of parts for anyone wanting to convert from LPG to NG. I'd also be interested in that guage that you've got left over from your conversion,...

Thanks for all your hard work Karen! Can't wait to read it in its entirety. Jodi-