Woody, about being rich enough, Getty's choice to make a re-creation of an ancient villa was, in architectural circles, thought to be quite cheesy and not the best use of all his dough. I'll leave such debates to the experts. Mitch even mentioned the crowd he runs with disdains the Getty as an elite "white man's" enthusiasm, not representative of other cultures, etc. If a guilty pleasure, so be it... PM, the Italian cypress is often planted near cemetaries and holy sites in Italy, which is in large part due to their nondisruptive root systems. Re the photos, when I sharpened the image through Picassa, the water drops came into focus. I like these simple fountains too, that could easily reside at a private residence. (And Mitch is a tad over 6 feet!) Kathy, it was a beautiful day. I don't get out to Malibu much anymore, since the drive through the westside and Santa Monica is always so jammed, and PCH backs up. But the drive was easy, no traffic, the ocean was full of surfers bobbing in the waves. Back in high school, I drove out to Malibu quite often with my buddies (occasionally during weekdays! ahem...)

Chase - You're in for a marvelous time! I hire out (cheap!) as a tour guide :) Ok, first, do everything that mustangs said. She's exactly right! Here are a few more thoughts: - Don't have a car in Rome or any other major city. When you do drive to many of the wonderful Tuscan hill towns, park outside the city walls, always. Otherwise, you could get stuck in permit parking, pedestrian only areas really easy (ask me how I know). - If you want to dine with Italians instead of Americans, don't even think about going to dinner until 10 pm, even later in Rome. It's easy to make the shift if you take a nice break in the middle of the day, start up again about 5 or 6 pm, stop for an aperitif and a small bite, participate in "la passeggiata". The pace works well because many/most shops are closed in the afternoon for 3-4 hours anyway. - Instead of pottery, look for linens to bring home. There are such beautiful table runners, napkins, etc. found throughout Tuscany. (much lighter to carry too!) Also, to find cool Italian designed kitchen gadgets, you don't need to go into fancy shops, check out the small town hardware stores. - Check out www.bbc.co.uk languages to learn a bit of conversational Italian. Really good. I'm going through "Italian Steps" right now. In Rome: - The Trastevere area across the river is great for evening people watching - street performers, open air concerts, restaurants, very lively. A really great, casual pizza place in that area is Dar Poeta (vicolo del Bologna 45) - tiny tables, jam packed, really fun. The restaurants around the piazzas tend to be really so-so foodwise, but good for people watching. - Campo dei Fiori market - best fresh fruits and vegetables and olive oil tasting and salami and... - Salumeria Roscioli and Roscioli Restaurant - "450 different kinds of cheeses, more than 100 different kinds of cured meats, a wine list of 2200 labels, 20 different types of homemade breads and a professional team of sommeliers and chefs." - right near the Campo dei Fiori (via dei Giubonnari 21 & via dei Chiavari 34) - In general, eat at restaurants that are not directly on the main piazzas. They're often tourist traps. - Purchase the Roma Pass (you can do so at the subway station closest to the Colosseum). Not only do you get good value, you also get to go in a special line to get in to the Colosseum, saving hours of wait time. (And stay away from those "gladiators" taking photos. Major trap, many horror stories about them.) On the way from Rome to Tuscany: - If you have the time to stop over for a night or two on your way to Tuscany, you must stay at Castello di Proceno. (www.castellodiproceno.it) A true castle in the same family for generations. You can stay in apartments within or attached to the castle. The owner, Cecilia, will take you on a private tour of the tower which is like a private museum. The food at the restaurant in the restored stable - amazing. And she's an expert on Etruscan history if you are interested. Very reasonably priced. Beds and pillows, not great but the experience is worth it. In Tuscany: - Siena, DH's favorite small city in the world - Chiusi: great underground museum Etruscan history, Roman waterways. Osteria la Solita Zuppa: really small place, no written menu, just let them take care of you, expect to spend hours there - slow food at its very best. - Terme Bagno Vignoni (thermal baths): go to the baths for the day, soak away your aches and pains. - Definitely go to hear the chanting at Santa Maria Maggiore. - Florence: If you stay overnight, I highly recommend Antica Torre Tornabuoni - great location. We had a suite with a small private patio overlooking the Arno. Go for drinks on the rooftop deck. Worth the splurge. Don't get gelato from any place on the Pontevecchio - lots of ripoffs. Plenty of gelato places everywhere otherwise. The Galileo Museum - small and wonderful. Mercato Centrale - yes! If you do wander the flea markets all around the market, and are interested in Italian leather, make sure it's real Italian leather - lots of fakes. I could go on, let me know if you have particular questions or interests. Since you're there for a month, if you do decide on a side trip further out, such as Venice or the Amalfi Coast, I can offer suggestions there as well. www.slowtrav.com is a good source of info. I have not been disappointed with recommendations I found there. I like using Rick Steves' books as the best source for general areas of interest, and tips on museum and transportation passes, but if you use them for restaurant and hotel suggestions, be aware you'll run into lots of other people carrying his book. Hope this helps. Ann

bri29... Are you sure you can't tack on an extra couple of vacation days on those work trips? That's what I used to do when I traveled for work (drove my boss nuts!). I don't know if it would work for your schedule, but, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend staying overnight in Venice. The evening stroll along the canals, when the large tour groups are gone, is magical. Compumom... You're WAYYYY overdue for a visit. The apartment stays are not as difficult to arrange as you might think. Though some require a week stay, especially in the high season, there are many more apartment owners who will rent for 3 or 4 nights. It does take much more planning time to find the right place though. As for the agriturismos, many of these are run like a small hotel or B&B, so you can stay even one night if that's all you can allow for your schedule, but to really get the experience, again 3-4 nights to me is about minimum. What we do is pick a place based on location that allows us to do day-trips from that spot. It really saves on the wear and tear of packing and unpacking, and too much hotel/restaurant food. Eileen...there's always a 20th anniversary trip?! ;) Barnmom... I think it's a combination of tons of walking and numerous espressos. That might be the true key to the "mediterranean diet" Dlynn... That's one thing I like about Italy; there are plenty of options that are a great alternative to fast food, even if you're not a gourmet eater. Annie... Hand gestures, shrugs, smiles all go a long way toward communication. And people are mre than happy to communicate in whatever language works. Grazie, everyone for the kind words!

The white flowered shrub is Carpenteria. I've seen the dove tree at Sonoma Hort. and it is tiny - I have to wonder if it really is the original seedling as that is supposed to date from 1952 or earlier. Also something years ago - maybe a picture from their web site or a comment there - gave me the impression I was going to be greeted by a large, tetraploid-looking (hence the jumbo bracts) specimen instead of what they have now. Which as can be seen in your picture looks like a dwarfed orchard fruit tree. Presumably grafted propagules on the market here, although maintaining the early flowering habit, seem to have too much horsepower to end up being still so small after so many years. One I planted on Camano Island at most several years ago is probably already above roof height. Another, unlabeled tree that really appeared to be the same selection, in a garden near Portland looked to be as tall as or taller than the supposed original. Of course, if the production nurseries that have picked this one up are in fact grafting onto seedlings of normal habit than those may be invigorating the scions, as often happens with grafted dwarf and slow-growing conifers. When I was there Sonoma themselves had flats of planted or recently sprouted seeds from the tree there labeled something like "Sonoma dove tree seedlings". If many of those get planted around and they do not come out consistently true to type that should muddle things nicely. Same as with 'Bloodgood' maple and 'Royal Purple' smoke-bush.