A nice alternative to an evergreen backdrop for hamamellis is to site it where it will be back-lit by the rising or setting sun. In my garden, Arnold is planted just off the west side of the house, and the entire living room is filled with its color in the late afternoons in February and March. Diane is also to the west of the house and lights up like a torch late in the day. Poor old Jelena, may she rest in peace, was to the west of the street, and passers-by would stop and gawk on their afternoon strolls. I'd like to say that it was also stunning from the house at dawn, but I'm a late sleeper so I have no clue if that's true.

Toni & willsgram....I loved the Mimslyn Inn!! Here's a great story for you. I worked there in the late 80's. One weekend I had to do a cocktail party for 250 people, for an art show there. The artist was P. Buckley Moss-a famous artist who does alot of PA Dutch children in her paintings as well as alot of seascape scenes. (I have 2 of her prints of Sanibel Island.) Anyhow, she kept coming into the kitchen to sneak some of my dried beef rollups..tee hee-she said they'd be gone every time the waiter came around to her! When I moved down here to Largo back in 1998, I went down to her studio & apartment right on the Bay in downtown St Pete. She was doing signings that day, if you bought anything from her gallery, you could go upstairs into her studio to have her sign it. I did & as I walked up to her I said "Hi Pat..long time no see." She said 'I know that voice' to which I said "I really doubt you'd remember me as it was 10 yrs ago I met you when I did your art show at the Mimslyn in Luray." She lit up & blurted out..."OH-those dried beef rollups!" Thought I'd die laughing that she'd recall them. Needless to say-she personally signed my 2 Sanibel prints, to me. ANYWAY..she told me her SON bought the place back in '89. If he still owns it-I bet alot of her artwork is hanging all over the place! If you stop in Toni..(you can go up & just see the awesome lobby, as well as the 2nd floor atrium-gorgeous!!...If it's still used as an atrium). If you see any of her paintings there? Then he still owns it. 5 years ago my DD from NC-came for a visit & I took her down to the Pat's gallery. She was in the rear of the place & came rushing up to me & said "Mom-come here-you have to see this". I went back & there was a painting of...The Mimslyn Inn & PA Dutch children sledding & frolicing in the lawns! My daughter surprised me that Xmas with the signed, framed painting..she said-not only did you work there, but you fed the artist there! One of my treasure pieces.

Carol, I really like how your "ocean motion" turned out, but you're right, the water's edge needs to move in and out. Just to see if I could do it I used PSPX and AS using the Morph transition. The image is 252KB so rather than post it here I'm using a link. Whadda' ya think... What I did was isolate the lower part of the water (from the rocks down) on a layer by itself, duplicate that layer and deform one of them to make it look like the water had ebbed. From these parts (blurred background, upper image, water flowing in, water ebbing out) I created 2 complete image frames, one with the water flowing in (original water) and one with the water ebbing out (deformed water). Took those 2 frames to AS and used the Effects / Insert Image Transition... / Morph to create the inbetween frames. As this is just a sample I only created 2 transition frames, but to make a smooth ebb and flow sequence I duplicated the 2 trans. frames and reversed them so it goes Flow, Trans1, Trans2, Ebb, Trans2, Trans1. Now, tell me about this Squirlz you used, I don't think I heard of it. I'm thinking a patchwork from the Squirlz frames and the AS Morph frames would make an awesome animation. Jill P.S. If you want to really make yourself crazy, add a gentle bobbing motion to the boat. :D

Looks like Peperomia obtusifolia that is suffering in water and no light. Commonly called Pepper Face, I think...for reasons I can't comprehend. I'd recommend getting the plant into a very loose soil IMMEDIATELY and keep it dry for awhile. They go a pretty long time without water, and can be treated somewhat like a succulent, to a degree. They like bright light indoors or mostly bright shade outdoors. If it is the Peperomia I'm thinking of, then it should be this color when you get it back to healthy: Here is more information