"Ole JL never passes an opportunity to make a condescending remark, don't know why he wastes his time on this obviously Creaton forum.... " First, a mechanical engineer by trade should be able to spell cretin. Second, no one on this or any other forum is a cretin. A cretin is a stupid, vulgar, or insensitive person. It was cretinous of you to make that remark. "Never passes an opportunity... really? If YOU do a search on this and other GardenWeb forums you'll find that I have quite a number of posts offering help and answers to questions only on rare occasion bite and then only when I am attacked. As a mechanical engineer by trade I would expect you to be more accurate in your criticism of me. My post was not condescending. It said EXACTLY what it said for the exact reason I posted it with no ambiguity whatsoever.. This is a self-help forum not a you look it up for me cause I'm too lazy to do it myself forum LawnJohnSilver seems a nice guy and in both this thread and a very lengthy thread he previously started http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tractor/msg051535173462.html continuously posts questions to which the answers are a few keystrokes away. He's done it again and again and again yet never seems to bother to get the answers himself and it has been pointed out to him before that the answers to his questions are at his fingertips but he continues to ask those questions and anticipates those answers. If you want to be a poster's secretary and do their grunt work then go right ahead. When he's asked a challenging question myself and others on this forum have been quick to give him the answer without reservation. No one will learn anything as long as they get other people do their work for them. Not knowing the answer to a question is one thing, but not getting the answer to that question when they can Google as well as anyone else is another entirely. It is abusing the forum and the people who take the time to help those who ask for help and appreciate that help. There is a difference between being ignorant and lazy.

The Melochia looks wonderful, Susan! I've tried S. darcyi, but it never thrived and never came back. I planted a S. darcyi hybrid last year that I ordered from Plant Delights - I paid a big price for it, but it didn't come back either. This is one reason I decided not to order Buddleia 'Orange Septre' from Plant Delights - just because a plant costs a lot and the owner of the nursery says they've "trialed" it doesn't mean it'll do here. One of last year's new salvias that has done real well for me is S. 'Hot Lips' - it continues to grow taller and thicker, and it's in continual bloom. I love the variations in the blooms - some pure red, some pure white, but most an interesting combination. I've got S. 'San Carlos Festival' (that I ordered from Plant Delights) that only blooms once a year, also, a S. microphylla that also only blooms once, and thinly at that. I'd highly recommend 'Hot Lips' - in addition to its beauty and vigor, the butterflies (sulphurs mostly) and hummers use it. Another vigorous salvia has been S. farinacea 'Henry Duelberg' - it's grown quickly to about ?3' tall, it's making beautiful blue flowers, but I haven't seen any butterflies or hummers using it. My S. coccineas didn't return, but they reseeded all over the place, so I transplanted the seedlings to spots where a small, red shrub is in order - they bloom continually, once they start, and the butterflies all flock to it. I also had two S. ?coccineas? that have coral pink buds which open to pale pink blooms, really beautiful! One died, but, surprisingly, one has returned and is now blooming. Makes me wonder if it's S. coccinea or something else, even though the leaves sure look like it. My Salvia guaraniticas are about to bloom - it is over all the best salvia in my garden - hummers and many types of butterflies LOVE it, and it's vigorous, the electric blue color is to die for and, with a dab of fertilizer and water, it'll thrive, come back each spring, and colonize. You can plant the sprouts in places where you want more S. guaranitica. The plant that's most interesting, though, is a Rudbeckia maxima/giant coneflower that I ordered from Bustani's last year. It floundered around, got browsed by rabbits (I think I've successfully sealed the gate where I think they were getting in, because nothing has been browsed in the garden this year, knock on wood!) and never grew much or bloomed. This year it's growing so fast you can practically see it, and the leaves are huge and healthy looking - I imagine it'll bloom, and I'll get to see those huge coneflowers! I've thought about ordering Liatris ligulistylis, but I think I'll pass. I have so many nectar plants already, and I sure don't need any more plants to take care of! I also planted two willows/Salix nigra, one in my garden and one close to the house and the well house. I'm keeping them wet at all times, they're not getting browsed by any critters, and the one by the pump house has red-spotted purple cats on it. Red-spotted purple cats are everywhere this year, most of them on wild black cherry. I planted the willows hoping that I may get viceroys some day. I got them in years past (before the hurricane) but I saw one last year in the fall and the year before, so there's hope for eggs and cats. Well, I think I better stop typing - my hands are sore! :) Sherry

Very cool! Did they do the flyover? Reminds me of the Tall Ships excitement during the Bicentennial.

The day has come and gone and installation finished late this afternoon. I wanted to check-in with the outcome. The guys were very nice -- which made it harder. I stayed out of the way mostly but could see problems. I'm happy with the marble itself but the craftsmanship is not there. Does anyone ever have a satisfactory install? I felt so sick after they left that I could not do a thorough inspection. I'll do it in the morning in natural light. One of the guys started applying epoxy as soon as they plopped the island down. I heeded advice and was nearby sitting on the stairs but not too close so they could do their job. They did not offer any info on what was going on. When they were done I asked about that spot (as no one offered any info about it) and asked if they chipped it during the install and he said, no, it was done during fabrication. So I have at least one chip, a problematic seam with a chip, an out of square island, and an out of square sink reveal. So weary from this DIY and so hoped this would go well. Very depressed right now. I'll start a new thread tomorrow with the details. I'll definitely need guidance.