Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo aka I'm Confused!

Vacation. Yep. That is the second most consuming thought currently in my mind. The first being "I wish I was well!" I'm abysmally sick. So, what with the broken and sprained ankle, the unrelenting rain, and now suffering with the mother of all kinds of respiratory flu, the day is leaving me with much time to think (probably waaay too much). And I am thinking about where in the world I'd like to go. To keep my travel agenda better organized i.e. so I don't forget, I've made a list of where I wish to go and why:

Germany - My mother immigrated from Germany at the nubile age of 19. My father valiantly fought there in World War II. Both would like to share their history and the history of the country with me. It is a beautiful place.

Turks and Caicos - The beaches are to die for, life is luxuriously laid back and there are areas in which to relax in virtual, if not total, seclusion. You know what that means ; ) Photography! Yep! ; ) Of the natural kind . . .

Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia/New Brunswick - The Bay of Fundy is known for its high tidal range and the bay is contested as having the highest vertical tidal range in the world with Ungava Bay in northern Quebec and The Severn Estuary in the UK. Facinating! It must be striking to watch the tide come in and depart.

Prince Edward Island - Being a voracious reader of the Ann of Green Gables series of books, it is a no brainer. I still reread the books. Faeries and wood nymphs anyone?

New England - This is an area I frequent and NEVER tire of, especially Boston, the Cape, the White Mountains, and the Bar Harbor area. I am in love with Mount Washington (I would marry it, if it could manage to say 'I do'!) and it's extreme conditions but because of my cold-induced urticaria, I can only visit in the summer. Super bummer.

The coast of Florida - I love beaches. Nuf said! One of the Florida areas I like the best is Destin/Ft. Walton. I love the feel of the sun on my skin! Basking in the heat. A cool, fruity drink. Mmmmm. My daddy says it will kill me but I think I'd rather go that way than "baconating" myself to death like he is.

Williamsburg/Yorktown, Virginia - Colonial history is one of my hot buttons (touch it and see what happens!) and I must see life as it was (or as close as I can get to it) and where the Revolutionary War essentially was won. I simply must! Autumn with it's crisp air or Christmas with it's colors of joy would be an awesome time to revel in history past!

Alaska - The cruises are out for me, bummer, but I could do Denali and the southeast rainforest in the summer. I would LOVE to do this: http://www.alaskacanopy.com/ !!!! Photography on this trip would be amazing! Wanna join me?! We could zip right on out there!

Hawaii - Loved the first time! But who says the first time is always the best? I yearn to go back to see another island such as Lanai. The less commercialized, the better. The Kona coast of the Big Island is fabulous! Arid, no rain!

Negril, Jamaica - It has an out-of-this-world beach! Cliff diving at Rick's Cafe is exciting to either do or watch. And no, I won't go back to the Hedonism II with you this time either.

Australia/New Zealand - A land of contrasts! The lushness of NZ and the starkness of parts of Austrailia make for a thrilling time spent in two very different places and cultures. Plus, my favorite physical therapist is from there and he made me curious. Again, great photography!

Europe - There are areas of this old continent that appeal to me more than others. I mentioned Germany already. Other areas of interest include the gardens of England and France, the Italian countryside, the coast of Greece and the city of Prague. Spain and Portugal are maybe's but my grandmother used to go there and she often touted the fact that their beaches are topless. Let's remember now, she got me a nose job, not a boob job. And I am now 46 : ) Blech! Somehow topless and my grandma don't go together that well in my mind.

Every other year Susie, one of my very best friends, and I take a "chick trip" together. 2010 is our next trip and we are thinking someplace in Europe. We need to figure it out yet. Send suggestions!

I have been to every U.S. state but Alaska and enjoy revisiting most of them. Would love to head back to the Rocky Mountains (anyplace along the range), Black Hills, Salt Lake or my home state of Nebraska (the panhandle portion).

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I am not sure yet where I am vacating to in the near future, but I will let you know when I get back! If you'd like to travel with me, drop me a line! I love to pal around!

I would love to hear where YOU would like to visit and why! Pick a place and let's dream together : )

Viva Las Vegas?

Originally, I envisioned my missive about the International Master Gardener Conference to be a daily posting of the happening of the previous day. BUT, something unexpected happened to change my plans which I will get to in just a bit.

The flight, albeit long was fairly uneventful as flights go and in spite of a four hour layover, managed to end without crashing in the strong winds we encountered upon landing. Frankly, I wanted to kiss the pilot and would have, if not for that whole locked cockpit door thing they have going now. Unexpectedly, the desert air felt as if it had a recent infusion of arctic air and to think I packed shorts, halter tops and bikinis :(

Monday was the first full day of the conference. It consisted of the traditional welcome to the community and some interesting statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed by a keynote speaker, Jeff Lowenfels, who spoke on a topic I've been curious about for some time now: mycorrhizae. I also bought his book "Teaming With Microbes" in order to attempt to understand the science behind his lecture. Although I did not realize it at the time, I realized later that he is not a scientist and so I must look closely to make sure his assertions are backed up by science. I look forward to the read.

The second half of the morning was taken up presenting various awards to MG groups for their projects. Among them: a children's garden in Lafayette, LA, a series of backyard ecosystem workshops in New Castle, DE, an inmate veggie garden in Kane Co., IL, organic gardening brochures in Toronto, ON, a waterwise garden in Sandoval Co., NM, a gardener's companion calender in Placer Co., CA and Junior MG awards for Menard, TX.

A choice could be had for either lectures or tours for the afternoon. When attending a conference of any kind, I pretty much choose lectures/learning over tours/visiting. The first session was on Latin names of plants. Although I picked up some trivia, it wasn't what I'd thought it would be and was mildly disappointed. Clearly the presenter was knowledgeable but did not share with us much as to how to understand the latin names and finished in only 30 minutes of the 60 minute session.

My second session was "Art From Found Objects". It sounded fun! It was entertaining and inspiring. While I am not a person who likes mega amounts of ornamentation in my garden space, I did come away inspired and amused. The photos are not the best since I took them of the powerpoint screen but I am going to post them so all can see some of what she collected. You may see them here as soon as I get them posted this evening.

The third and final session for the day was "Community Gardens 101". I had been anticipating this lecture for awhile! Some gardeners in my community are interested in starting a community garden here in Newport for those that are being hit hardest by the economic crisis. This HAD to be filled with information and resources! Right? Wrong! Some parts were dry and the others were inspirational (the guy HAD to be a preacher in his off time) but in the end, we did not come away with any nuts and bolts to build our gardens with.

Truly, I wish I had gone on the tours this time. Oh well, Tuesday morning would bring those! Breaking with my usual habit, I did decide to go on two tours to four different gardens instead of lectures on Tuesday. I was jazzed! Then dinner and a show that night!

Tuesday dawned cold and windy, what I was coming to expect from Las Vegas in March (*sigh*). I dressed warm but very snazzy and accompanied my fellow gardeners to the waiting tour buses. First stop, a home in a subdivision where all the homes look alike. You definitely don't want to try to make your way home on your own if you are drunk because you'll end up in someone else's bed!

Driving into the neighborhood, we all looked at each other because, surely, these tiny lots could NOT house a garden for a tour. The space was very small indeed. Surprisingly, it showed what you can do with a small space but we were still puzzled about it being a tour stop at an international conference. I will mention, the hosts were wonderful, the gardens were impeccable and the plants were well-labeled!

On to the next stop: a two acre garden. My juices were flowing in anticipation of THIS one! About all I can tell you about this garden is: nothing was labeled and what we had been told should take an hour to cover, only took 30 minutes. BUT, that was just fine with me. For upon arrival at this garden, the bus driver did not lower the bus for my exit after I'd had to reboard to retrieve something resulting in my falling off the bus, not expecting the long drop-off. Making a long story short, my right ankle broke and sustained significant tearing of a number of ligaments. Hence, why I was glad the tour only took 30 minutes instead of the aforementioned 60 expected minutes. I felt shocky but didn't want to be any trouble so I waited on the tour bus. (Shhhhhh! This is my story and I'm sticking to it! My dad doesn't need to know it happened table dancing!)

After returning to the resort, my state coordinator Janet Carson took me to the emergency clinic for treatment. Traveling alone, I have no idea how I would have managed without her assistance i.e. getting my meals, helping me pack, and transporting me. She was a Godsend! The new perspective I have gained as a 'handicapped' person was enlightening. Many a kind stranger helped me all the way back to Arkansas and for them I am extremely thankful!

Needless to say, I cancelled the rest of my trip and conference attendance to return home. Not exactly a stellar time, nor what I'd expected. Numerous comments were made regarding how much better the Little Rock conference was two years ago compared to this one. The accomodations were a disappointment in Vegas. For less money, I could have stayed at the Bellagio and will when I return next time.

The Neon Lights Tour on Monday night was fun! Take it if you end up in Sin City.

The changes which have taken place over the 20 years since my last visit were phenomenal! And while I did not have the vacation of my dreams, I met some terrific people. I look forward to seeing more of Las Vegas and doing the photography I missed upon my return . . . someday.