3rd Annual SO CAL RU MAY 19, 07

Hi there

I have been out of commission for the last month - I am super excited about this and have marked it on my calendar. Just tell me what to bring and I will be there !!!!

~Sherri~

For me, don`t take this the wrong way, but The california forum is very slow, not a lot of intereaction, compared to other forums. I have talked to others about it and maybe it is because we are such a big and well spread out state with far too many zones to be as helpful to eachother as easily as other regional threads, SO I am looking forward to meeting people from our area. I don`t get near enough of you and it is my first year on DG in July. I met most of the people that i do know that are coming to the RU from other threads and forums. I would hope The California forum would get much more action before the RU so we can know eachother. I don`t know most of you. I will start a thread so I can put my money where my mouth is. Dawn

hiya gang!

Just thought I'd pop in and comment on how excited both Pam and I are to be able to host this clambake for the third year running. We've met so many amazing people at each of the previous two RUs here and as I see some new names on the list as well as some of our cherished friends, I'm getting even more excited. To finally meet some of you whom I've admired and respected is a great treat. HaroldS!, I'm so jazzed that you're coming! And I know that our pals from east, north, west and south of us who will attend again or for the first time will be treated to a super day filled with laughter, conversation, horses, cool plants, lots of roses in bloom, horses, good food, horses, oh yeah......did I mention horses?

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank SoCal and her planning posse for really making this year's RU possible as it is coming right in the middle of breeding season and the craziness of trying to get a bunch of mares pregnant can really be time consuming.....by the way, we have horses here.....lol.

Welcome to all who attend and note that when Pam and I say Mi Casa es su Casa.......we mean it.

As usual, our ranch hands will be available to assist all attendees to and from your cars. Parking will be in the same place it has always been, bathrooms, tables, chairs and shade will be provided, and this year we hope to have some live entertainment in line with the fiesta atmosphere. Once again, there will be silly prizes and I hope George wears his Miss Cogeniality sash.....lol.

No one should ever feel like they "must" bring something to trade in order to participate, and I assure you that everyone always goes home with something fun to grow. This year I'm propagating a whole gob of collector's items from the family Convolvulacaea, and the ubiquitious Salvia collections will once again be offered, as well as a few more tropicals and some rare goodies grown here when it's not a frozen tundra. We really got our butts kicked by the weather this winter, but thanks to the greenhouse(s) we've been able to save the rare stuff and will hopefully be able to have the gardens looking good by the time May rolls around.

Once again, we look forward to seeing all of you and are truly honored to be able to host such a great event.

best to all,
don

Hey Don...It's SOOOO good to hear from you...

What's this? You a "cave man" now.?

Looking forward to seeing all of you again this year...I have my ticket and ready to FLY.

Pssst....give me a margaretia and I'll dance to the band!

Hugs

Jo

hiya Jo!

huge hug....

Yes, I-am-a-caveman.......lol. Pam took that pic of me doing some exploring of the Mayan ruins at Becan. Soon after that pic was shot I found a carving that said "Kilroy was here". I'm not sure if the Mayans knew or possibly even invented Kilroy, but apparently he/she beat me to those ruins....lol.

I'm going to try to be a little more active here as the days close in on RU day. Yet the horses and the ranch will dictate my ability to log into DG...

I'm a slave to horse digestion.....lol.

best,
don

HE'S ALIVE !!! HE'S ALIVE !!! LOL

Thanks for all the great information Don. See folks, I told you it was going to be another great RU.

I will be sending out some dmails shortly to many of the folks who haven't posted here yet. I hope some of them just haven't seen this thread or just haven't made a commitment to post. :-)

Off to spend the day with my grandson....

Donna

Thanks Don! We are "jazzed" to be able to come this year too and really looking forward to finally meeting you and of course everyone else. Your other RUs occurred in July when Ann had other commitments so was glad to see this one in May. The African Violet convention starts the next day in Denver, but she doesn't want to get there until Wednesday or Thursday so that isn't a problem. Take care. Harold

Wow, I thought you were one of those guys who`s picture is in the wallet when you buy it and everyone says, this is my great dg friend drdon.. You really exhist. I am very greatful that you are having this at your ranch, I love Temecula and I don`t mind the drive from the Antelope Valley. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone. Thanks again for making it a reality for me to meet people that i talk to and those I have yet. Dawn

Good to hear from you, drdon! We're looking forward to seeing everyone and also what's up at the ranch. We always feel so welcome and enjoy ourselves at the roundup. John is a 'ponder' now, so he has a more rounded interest in gardening/landscaping - still keeping the rusticity factor up, of course!

Cheers,
Kathleen

May 19th, I can't make that one, bummer. WE have a graduation in Arizona to go to. Have fun everyone, maybe we can make next years.
Mark

Mark, you will be missed!

Kathleen

Indeed!

Tell WE that there's nothing quite as independent as missing one's graduation...lol.

you have a great time amigo,
don

How many came last year drdon?

Two years ago I think we had somewhere around sixty and last year was something around the same. Jo (roadrunner) had the exact counts, but they were/are well attended by a variety of fabulous gardeners. This year, as last we have folks from all over coming, and it will be a bunch of fun.. I think so far we've got five states and several of our friends from northern California, which is kind of like another state...where thinking is allowed....lol (Berkeley grad).

It would seem from the accelerated level of interest in this year's festivities that we'll possibly beat both of the previous events. It's become one of those DG "big ones" that always attracts wonderfully knowledgeable and friendly fellow chlorophyllians.

looking forward to meeting you,
don

I'm not Drdon (but I played him on TV ...LOL)...but if memory serves me correctly....and a quick peek at my sign-in records...we had 62....not counting Eunice...and all the ranchg hands that were so helpful! Jo

Edited to say that "Himself" posted while I was looking up my stats~! Jo

This message was edited Mar 1, 2007 9:12 PM

lol@ "Himself"....

Ahhh Eunice......she gave her life to be a part of the RU. So as you can see beings are dying to be a part of this roundup.

The entrance to the new outdoor oven...

Wow ! That's some oven. Great to see you back Don.

don't believe him...it's just a fancy front to hide that huge compost heap !!!

All the better to cook you with, my dear.....lol.

Ty amigo, it's good to have some time to hang out.

I'll bet a few Mayans were composted there..

That is the main building at the ruins of Hochob in Campeche, Mexico.

I love the Zoomorphic monster mouth that is the door to these places. Great place for cooking.....lol.

best,
don

It all sounds spectacular. You are going to regret this one. What did you get yourselves into? lol

Ok, I got the date wrong on the graduation, it is the week before so I can go. woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who do I tell that we'll be there???
Mark

hiya zostropz,

Tell SoCal so she can make it official, and Woohoo! is right amigo. It will be great to see you again.

best to you,
don

Yippee Mark, glad to hear you can make it now. I will put you on the list above in the first post. Are you coming alone or bringing your girlfriend again?

Donna

Hooray! Hi Don and all. Can I tell you all how excited Miss Fiona is..........? Jasperdale, I told her that you would be there!! The Prince is disgruntled though, I told him that he was staying on his valence and not attending the ball. Here he is in all of his glory.
Janice

hiya frogsrus!

great to see you!

Ahhh, the Prince, formally known as "symbol"...lol.

So glad Miss Fiona will be attending again. Boy this one is going to be a marvelous time.

best to you,
don

I told her she had to bring the flute and play for her supper. She has not decided if I am serious or not. Does Elliot like classical music? She plays Mozart tomorrow but can do Bach or Beethoven if he prefers Lol! Beatles too!
Love
Janice

There is an inside joke in that somewhere, the frog? Hey just to put it out there, anyone who has to divide bulbs or thin out anything that could survive in zone 8b. I have a whole entire side of my yard that has not a thing but 2 big trees and 4 half dead Roses. Feel free to throw your burden my way. I have a lasagna garden and wire everywhere under it because of gophers, that i am starting, so I am begging, if you want or need to get rid of something, I am not too proud. I`ll even take your suckered weed trees. lol

hiya frogrus,

I'm sure she could play over Elliot's grave here on the ranch. He passed in November of last year after 27 years of a joyful horse life. Actually back in July Fiona was the last person to ride him. He was a very happy horse that day. She could ride Wildflower when you guys come, and she's a big fan of jazz....lol.

She should bring her flute and see if the Mariachi band will let her sit in......lol. La Bamba on flute?......why not?

hellnzn11, when people know each other for a while, everything is an inside joke...lol. I'm sure you'll find lots of stuff at this RU as it is almost always loaded with lots and lots of super plant material.

best,
don

I'd love to come, but would like to carpool with someone up here to save on gas money. Unless I missed someone, so far Zuzu and Kachinagirl are the only ones who've committed themselves (HEHEHEHE) to going. Where's everyone else? I WANT TO GOOOOOOOO TOOOOOO............

Marilyn

Awesome, I look forward to some inside jokes of our own. This year everyone can bring all their mushy dead , freeze killed plants for composting. lol It will bring a whole new meaning to the trade. I personally want to hear La Bamba on the flute. I should get a room so I don`t have to drive both ways in the same day, not that it is a big deal. It might be fun, maybe some folks would want to go to the casino the night before?

Is Darius going? He lives that way doesn`t he? He talks to everyone.

Dawn,
Darius is a she and she lives back east.....not sure who else you might be thinking of....?
Sherry

No inside joke intended. I my "baby" is a 5'11" 14 yr old girl who plays flute and loves classical music and horses and flowers and roundups and boys.........LOL! I will wait to tell her about Elliot until after her performance this morning. One set of tears at a time for the old guy.

Sir Frog was a gift from Don and Pam that came to me in paper form at the roundup and was delivered later in the summer. He shares his oak valence with several pieces of Nourot glass.

Going out to check the mater plants. Got them in before the rain earlier this week and danged if it did not frost 2-3 mornings. I feel like I am back in northern ca this winter.
Have a great day all.
Janice

Thanks guys, I don`t know why I thought Darius was a guy. lol I will look to see who i thought it was that lives your way, It was someone I use to see all the time when I first joined. hmmm. Thanks for the frog story, i thought the name of your dd was the name of the frog. I am so confused. goodness.

Janice...looking forward to seeing you and Fiona ! This will be fun ! We can all swap frozen plant stories !

lol

There are a million stories in the big city..................

Don-Fiona wants to know in what key the band is playing La Bamba.

Mike, we will be there with bells (or in Fiona's case, boots) on! She had so much fun last year. She was so surprised that people really liked her. Funny kid. All teenagers should be as horrible as that one LOL! Wait till you see her! She's a young woman now. If she ever really gets a clue from the mirror I am sunk for sure. Good thing her personality does not run to being so self centered.

Hellnzn11, do you want things like mexican sage, red hot pokers, and lavender too. All of my bulbs are up already and blooming this time of year.

Did someone say casino?
I know this is going to sound like some old granny, but I love the Wheel of Fortune slots!

Everyone is in for a big treat, being able to meet Fiona ! She will give all who need it renewed hope in teenagers. I think MOM deserves a lot of credit for this !!! OK, Dad too !

Dovey...just wait til you discover BINGO !!!