Thank you both. I feel silly not knowing a crape myrtle. I bought this house late last August and thinking back now remember that the foliage was a beautiful deep orange-red. I didn't realize they got so tall. These must be about 30' tall. I can't wait to see what color blooms they have. Thank you both again.

That was fun! Thanks! I had never seen it before....

I have been impressed by your combination of practicality, creativity and willingness to work within a budget. I'm kinda allergic to KD's because of local experiences, but I have appreciated your comments of the years. You know I'm a serial kitchen offender. 1. What are the most important things you are looking for when visiting a kitchen dealer's website??? (ie. portfolio, testimonials, prices, product info?) Very simple things - Where is the show room, what are its hours, if I have questions, who do I call? The company is a dealer for which manufacturers, links to those manufacturers? If you have special certifications or did something like work on a local landmark. I like portfolios of the company's own work, but testimonials not so much. The problem being the internet is the land of make-believe and its difficult to recognize what is actually true - even the word testimonial makes me suspicious. Photos, renderings and floor plans are your best testimonial for me. 2. What bothers you about most sites you visit? I mean, I need to watch this too - but the tone of some sites! Some speak like customers are puppies. Some give the impression that I am not worthy of design services if I ain't buying a Subzero. On the other hand, I think its fine to say that you only do high end kitchens or state a minimum job. That saves me the drive without offense. Any flashing, popping, neon, blinking and sounds. Things like excessive offers to chat or register just to become your lead - particularly in a popup or something that stays in the same relative position on the screen as it scrolls. Slow transitions of photos is fine, but moving banners are not. 3. What do you like best about some sites you have seen? They are clear about their identity and their customers. They appear simple and easy to use. The information is organized with low clutter (let me stick a faucet in there just cause I like it). 4. Do sites give you enough info or sometimes overwhelm with too much info? It's not possible to provide tmi. It is possible to provide too much per page or lead with detail instead of a summary - ok, I'd actually still read it all. Other thoughts... I think "What does a kitchen cost?" can be addressed with low, middle, high mini-case studies highlighting differences in materials and extent of remodel. Better cost information would manage expectations a bit. Too many people have no idea of what kitchens cost and I remember being that green and having no way to find out. Bizarrely, if you ask most kds roughly what it costs, they answer by asking your budget. This has the unfortunate effect of making me feel that they will deliver whatever uses it all up. I don't think I'd react the same way to being asked if I was thinking modest, moderate or high-end.

The Finished Kitchen Blog?