Nope, no mystical intervention of fate after all! When I saw the dates, I didn't check the year...Last years C&S show was on the dates just before this year's Brom conv. Ah well, the realist in me should have known better.

More digging-- it might just be one day later-- further thought & investigation are required.

Jen, you're cracking me up!

Do you mean to say, young lady, that you're almost certain you're going to be here?

FYI - our show (you know, the important one, the one you need to attend, the one where every succulent need of yours (and perhaps some none-succulent ones), will be met) is on the first weekend of June, no matter the date.

Even if you didn't buy a single plant at the show, the amount of cuttings you would take home would simply stagger the mind - in fact, I'm staggering now, and I've not even begun drinking yet.

Jeff- If you can talk Alicia into going with me, I'm there! (I don't think it'd take too many arm-twists.)

Shelly - heehee; I guess this post does reflect the preoccupied rambling of someone who's going to be leaving in ~30 hours, and who has done NOTHING yet to get ready, except cleaning the refrigerator.

Jen, I like the way this is sounding! I am thinking that this sounds like a BLAST! Oh,,, I can see the danger on the horizon, lol..... You're right, it probably won't take too many arm twists!

Alicia :~)))

WOOO-HOOOOO! I better start saving my pennies!

Oh POOP! You know what? DD's graduation is going to be right about then. I suppose it'd hurt her feelings if I missed it... Not sure how DH would do putting on the grad party by himself, either... (awful mom, awful mom!) I'll have to dbl check the date.

I guess I could catch a red-eye out after grad on Fri, cut the convention short, and have the party the following weekend.
Why does it always seem to work out that I have absolutely nothing important going on for weeks at a time, and then when there's something I want to do, there are other things goin on at the same time? Murphy's Law of scheduling

So what are you doing in Annaheim? I hear the weather is always good there. In SF, now is the green time my sister said. The rain is about over and every thing is coming alive.

There's a National Corn Growers convention, and we got free airfare plus 3 or 4 nights hotel from the seed company. We've also got friends (one is a relative of DH) in Burbank. They've got a converted garage guesthouse, so we'll visit them for a few more days. (They come up and stay with us sometimes, too. They'll be here in May, and I hope I'll have the guest room done!) The family we'll be staying with has organized quite a busy schedule of things they want to show us, and folks we haven't seen for a while that we need to touch base with. It should be fun. I said I want to take in the Huntington while I'm there, but other than that I guess I'll just go with the flow.

I believe in fate!

So do you think you'll make it to SD? You know, Jen, I'm starting to think that there might be benefits to being a farmer...

Shelly

I googled huntington and got the beach boys-what a hoot! Are you going to a beach! Man, I need a vacation so please keep us informed of all of your travels so we can live thru you! Not to put any pressure on you of course!

You betcha!
The Huntington I'm thinking of is an estate with an art collection and a Botanical Gardens. They have a fair sized desert garden. I'm also hoping they have some planty stuff for sale (they have a few things available online). Norma who posts on C&S does some volunteering there, I understand. I e'd a while back and asked her if she had any advice for a visitor, but she didn't answer, so I'm on my own. At least the website has visitor hours and such.

Other than seeds in the gift shop, the Huntington Gardens plant sales are on special weekends I believe.

That's too bad. I thought they might at least have the regular stuff that you can order from them online available.
Ugh-- I still gotta pack!

Well they might but when I was last there 3 or so years ago they didn't have anything out and I was really dissappointed!!!

Dear OooJen,

Julianna's correct - it's only on special events that the Huntington has plant sales.

Let me know if/when you will be out here - I'm already heaping high your plant carryall.

Re: Huntington. I would give Norma another email or phone call. Maybe you could meet her at HBG and get a behind the scene's tour. I once got such a tour from the director, who was a friend of my companion--Both were in the Nashville chapter of the gesneriad society twenty years ago. His name is Jim Folsom. They have plant sales on some Saturdays, but I don't know which. I got some great plants at one of their sales when I just happened to be visiting on the right Saturday. The ISI (International Succulent Introductions) is a program that operates at the Huntington. Every spring they put out a new list of offerings. You could always order from their list--its short but always has some great new C&S.

While in Annaheim it would be ashamed if you couldn't get down to Vista, not that far south. That is the rare plant capital of S. California. There, with appt. you could visit Kartuz (!!)& Griggsby's. I don't know who else is still in Vista--the number of nurseries there is less than in the past, when there were a dozen great places to tempt one.

In the LA area there is the Huntington, which is huge and takes all day. Also, nearby is the LA arboretum, which may have a few plants for sale. I can't think of any rare plant type nurseries down there. There is a little botanical garden at UCLA, which I saw about 20 years ago. It had some interesting mysterious subtropicals. Have fun with the corn.

Jon

Obviously I should have had the good sense to inquire here a couple weeks before I was ready to leave. We all had fun-- much to see and not nearly enough time. A return trip in a couple months sounds like a very good idea.
Funny thing (as in strange- definitely NOT "ha-ha" funny)-- Apparently our Minnesota constitutions couldn't take sunny so-cal weather. We had to haul older DD into the ER in Burbank; she got pneumonia (for the second time in her 17 years!) Little DD and I both have bronchial infections, plus she has an earache, and I've got a sinus infection on one side (I'll skip the Dr if possible). I guess DH was the only one who could take the weather! Luckily, little DD and I only got sick near the end of the trip. Poor older DD was pretty miserable much of the time.

I didn't see a single "for sale" succulent the whole time. I did have the closest call ever -- car accident-wise. I'm glad I wasn't driving (DH was)! Somebody turned directly in front of us and slid sideways down the freeway and across 5 lanes... Sunday morning, light traffic, but it's a miracle things weren't worse! We missed them literally by inches (less than a foot, for sure.) The car was right there in front of us, sideways, and then it spun on past. If we'd have hit, we'd have gone into a spin too, and I bet there'd have been a multi-car pile up. Luckily the car had enough speed going to get all the way across our path, sideways without our hitting it. How it didn't roll, I can't imagine. It was a bug, with a low center of gravity, but still...sliding sideways at 75 mph... Hard to figure what went on. DH said maybe they blew a front tire and slammed on the brakes -- no obvious reason to lose it suddenly like that. It hit the guardrail/barrier on the rider's side (no passenger, fortunately) and luckily a B&W was pretty close behind. (That's one thing that surprised me-- cop's haven't driven black & whites around here in ages! To my eye, they look kind of Mayberry 60's.) I would guess the driver came out ok, though I'm sure he's at the very least pretty stiff and sore.
I already wasn't sure I'd want to drive the LA freeway without a co-pilot to read the map. That didn't help. Co-pilot wouldn't (didn't) see it coming!

The plus side-- Exploring tidepools; touring an orchid nursery that specializes in the corsage industry; poking through another nursery with unusual, if unafordable, stuff; great seats at the Ahmanson Theatre for "The Importance of Being Earnest" (with Lynn Redgrave & Miriam Margolyes among others); a private guided studio tour with a chance to poke our noses into places the public generally can't get near; let's see, I already mentioned the morning in the ER with DD...afternoon at the Huntington, including gorgeous plants galore and a Gainsborough exhibit in the gallery; scenic coastal views; NCGA (corn, not golf) convention with enough free pens to take us through the next couple years; Disneyland (no teacups!); wonderful food and enough exercise to wear it off-- I probably had 2 quarts of fresh strawberries during the week! Illness excepted, it was a good time indeed!

ooojen,
Winters in SOCA can be tricky, they are just warm enough for you to think you don't need a jacket, but then it's still moist, so it gets into your lungs. For your repeat performance, remember the vitamin c. Every time I go down to LA for a shriners appt, or up to SF I get sick. I mean a really bad sinus infection that has me in bed for days. Hubby's smoking doesn't help matters much, but the last time I wet to SF I got smart, I took along a bag of Halls vitamin c and kept popping them every time I could feel the smog infecting my sinuses, and I didn't get sick.
I hate driving in LA, but may brave the drive through for Epicon.

Fresh strawberries? sigh... it's been so long...

Glad you had fun, Jen! Trips are the best, aren't they?

It's a shame illness had to be part of your trip but it sounds like you had a great time inspite of that. I was worried you might get rained on as my sister said it rained all week in San Francisco. Coastal views-that's my favorite-especially if it includes a sunset and maybe a glass of wine! Oh how I love vacations.

Where did you stay?

It rained two of the days we were there -- actually more like one and a half (two nights.) What you said reminds me-- I didn't list wine tasting, or the tar pits...which don't go together at all!

Yeah, Shelly, they are the best! I just wish I could cut out that long slow day of driving and flying, and transport myself like (I Dream of) Jeannie.