Colleen, It may surprise you - it did me - that many that are named candicans are actually v. fallax. I wouldn't say that it's wrong, but if loving big Agaves is wrong, do you want to be right? Mara, Too right you are. I am, sometimes. Greg, Each time I go I have that feeling - you got to bend a knee. Chad, Yes, it's really nice as I look at it for a sixth time. Paul, I'm with you there. Rosemarie, Yes, that's it - I think they'll have me again, because I amuse their puppy. hoov, And they let me operate tools this time, but I was a willing participant. Mathew, That's not the real hidden Ariocarpus, either. Christopher, They actually try to give you more plants than one has pockets for. Plus they're such good growers that they always have two or three of one plant. Gay, Me, too (it will be in May). So that's where they got to - I know I was missing them, but I thought Scott confiscated them on account of my rooting ineptitude. I was really wondering about the Agave on the right, since we took so much care in getting it. I can't wait to grow it (again!).

Hey, joe, When you get tired of the heat and want to take a trip up into the mountains I'd suggest Silver City, New Mexico. It's about 3 and a half hours east on I-10. (exit at Lordsburg) I lived there for 16 years and could give you a list of great places to hike. A lot of them off the beaten path that most people never hear about. Ron

Hey, Leslie, usually it's just me that misses something so obvious. Those cliff Dwellings are a National Monument within the Gila National Forest. There are others scattered around the southwest. Some only a handful of people are aware of. This is a very small one in a remote canyon in the middle of nowhere that I stumbled across one day. Ron

I know, I don't think either of the CafePress designs are as nice as your old ones. I still think something similar must be out there, somewhere... I think the Mimbres collection at the Western NM University in Silver City is the largest one in existence. On our last visit, they told us they rotate different pieces through the display routinely (too many items to display all at once.) It's just fabulous, so if you get back out this way, maybe pencil that in! I had to get comfy with bats in my last home, because they lived in the attic of our old detached rock garage. That building also housed our washer and dryer. I will admit there were a few evenings I did a U-turn with the laundry basket, when I saw a bat flitting around the light bulb over the washer. I don't mind them, but don't really want them flying around my head! But they never gave me any trouble. Interesting little critters.