Raleigh, NC, Here I Come for the Convention in '10!!

I just checked the map and Raleigh is only 1420 miles. That really is not a bad drive getting to hug the coast line until you turn north. Louisiana and states along the way have great nurseries!

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Taft&1s=TX&2c=Raleigh&2s=NC

Just let me know when you plan to come and I will meet all of you!! It's gonna be so much fun!! Are they going to have it at the New RBC Convention Center?

It's going to be at the Hilton North in Raleigh: http://www.avsa.org/NationalConvention.html

... gee, if I still drove long distances on the Interstate it would be a straight shot up I-95 for me!

Lin, you are soooooo close!!!! I am older than you are by a good bit!! If I can drive it, so can you!!

I want to look at the map real closely and see if I might pick up Jan when I go through Alabama...........

I'm gonna try to go! My son has already told me to call my mom and tell her to take that week off work so he can stay with her! LOL

I looked at the convention info above and if you're planning to fill out registration forms and such, take notice that the forms available right now are still for the '09 show. I'll keep a watch for the '10 stuff. ^_^

Gail, you could totally pick up Jan! She doesn't have her city or state listed her on DG under her name like a lot of people do, so don't mention where she lives, but I looked at the map and it wouldn't be an issue for you! ^_^

I am so looking forward to meeting all of you!! It's going to be great!!

Gail, no unfortunately I could not drive. Even though I am only about five or six years younger than you, I am a very nervous traveler by car. I haven't driven on the interstate in more than 15 years ... makes me a nervous wreck, especially when other cars go zooming by at 80+ mph! My sister and her family are only about 3 1/2 hours south of us and my husband does the driving when we go to visit them. He has to stop at least once during that trip too so that I can walk around, or I am so stiff and achy by the time we get there that I can hardly move.

I would definitely fly, that's my preferred way to travel! I could fly from Daytona to Atlanta to Raleigh. I went to Raleigh/Durham once years ago and I remember it being a nice area. My youngest niece is doing some sort of seminary/mission thing through a church in Raleigh until next May, so I could see her while I'm there too! She graduated from Furman University in S.C. this past spring and is taking a year off before going to grad school at University of Tennessee in Knoxville where her Father and grandparents are Alum's. She is fluent in German and Spanish, having taken both languages through both HS & 4 years of college. I think her degree was in economics or business but she has now decided she wants to become a teacher of High School Spanish! Who knows, she may end up changing her mind entirely before she even gets to grad school.

Well, this is sure something to think about for next April! I see the convention runs from the 11th through the 18th, how long would y'all plan on being there? It sure would be a fun trip!

Everyone is different, Lin and I don't blame you one bit for not liking to drive on the interstates. And.......then there is me in my old car driving the 80mph like you are talking about!!!! The only place I can't drive is when I get into places like LA or New York..........real metropolitan areas. Although I know Houston like the back of my hand, get me out of Texas and I want wide open spaces on the highways..........

Darn it, I wish I could post pictures of all my grandchildren at the UT vs Texas Tech football game. It was a family divided. (My girls said I couldn't post pics of my grands anymore) Some had on Texas Tech shirts (their daddy went to undergraduate school there) and the others all had on UT shirts.

My daughter said people really got a kick out of the 'divided family' and one man even said to a grandchild, "I am sure glad you let your daddy dress you today"!

But here are my girls...........they said it was so hot and they had walked from a downtown hotel to get to the game.........no taxis available and no parking. They were over 100,000 people at the game.

I am just going to put one picture of the oldest daughter's family.......half UT and half Texas Tech................hope she never sees this....Look at the masses of people in the stadium!

You have a lovely family Gail!!

I posted because I am not afraid of the daughter with her kids.........the other daughter I would never post pics of her kids..........she would kill me!!!!!

Gail, you do have a beautiful family! Your daughters look just like you!

Lin, I adore my daughters as good friends. I am no longer the parent............so I feel very lucky that I talk with them each several times a day. Now......sons..........they are different from daughters. When a son is in love, his mom is lucky to hear from him once a week (LOL)..........he would do anything for me but we don't call one another every day or several times a day!!!

By the way.........my daughters look more like their dad I think than me......but thank you very much!!
Let me see if I can find the baby of the family at 37 who is madly in love right now......never been married but I am hoping some day!!!

Can't even find a picture of him! The girls send pictures every week...........none from my son (LOL)

Gail, I do remember seeing a photo you posted last year of your handsome son! Now, is the one he's madly in love with the same one he brought to visit you last year?

And, I agree with you .. from experience with my own dear mom who had six kids (4 girls 2 boys) - generally girls are much better about keeping in closer contact with mom.

Same girl......................and I just found a picture of him in the tree at my house taken recently........(of course he had his girlfriend with him)

I think I am feeling sentimental about my kids today...........as I know we all do!

He does take care of trees for a living!! He fell 70 feet up about a month ago with a chain saw and was hurt, but he is fine now. (The safety thing caught him but didn't save him from the chain saw)

Gail, Oh my goodness ... he fell from 70'?? That could have been a tragedy, so glad the Angel's were looking out for him!

Oh, and by the way ... I think he is what the young ladies would call a Hunk! And, another name I heard for the first time about a year ago "Eye Candy"! He is a handsome young man.

You do have a beautiful family Gail. So nice to see a mom close to her kids and proud of them all.

BTW, Gail, that would be a nice road trip for you and a friend. Nursery hopping along the way and all. How wonderful!!!

That is cute, Lin. (Eye Candy). Yes, he was lucky.......only took about an inch of flesh off his wrist and arm............could have been much worse.

GrowHappy, I have always traveled the roads across the USA with friends. In our 30's we looked for antiques and would stop with our motor home and trailer to ship what we had back home. Then we would continue..............

In my late 40's it changed to nursery hopping and has continued to be nursery hopping trips.

That sounds like so much fun! I would love to have done that. I unfortunately moved away from all my friends and we all got married, kids, e.t.c, you know the story! Besides, I would have most likely chose to go nursery hopping and NOBODY is into plants like I am. In fact, none of my friends grow plants. My stepfather is the only gardener in my family. He's mostly into outdoor plants, annuals and some perennials(tulips and things). But, he and I have one thing in common with re: to plants: a love for amaryllis! In fact, he was the one who turned me on to amaryllis when he sent me a beautiful one from Logee's several years ago. Now, I have several that won't re-bloom for me. Thinking of getting rid of them. If anyone is interested in amaryllis, please let me know. I will include some bulbs in the RR.

I love amaryllis bulbs and they naturalize where I live..........put them in the round robin for sure.

What RR??

I always buy them to force and then put them in the yard.........

LIN..........the round robin Nichole is starting for October...........

This message was edited Sep 21, 2009 8:35 PM

I have a few Amaryllis too ... some in the ground and some in containers. Mine only seem to bloom in Jan/Feb time frame. I ordered a few in the co-op last fall and gave some as Christmas gifts. My sister and brother in law in South Florida had never heard of them and fell in love with theirs. I ended up giving her four or five different ones.

This is Pasadena and Aphrodite from last January

Lin, ours don't bloom outside until about April..................
Here is another one I loved last year.........pink, of course......

Now I have lost the file that had all the amaryllis in it!!! going to bed!