You are a meanie. Or as my daughter would say when she was 2, a "mean-iac."

Well... I couldn't do a bike tour... I can't afford diamonds... but the Amsterdam night life, with a detour in the Red Light District, sounds like a hoot! LOL!

Too bad there's no chance I could go! It's just not in the cards... maybe someday...

I would really enjoy the bike tour. Ben doesn't think diamonds are necessary. I have my wedding set and a pair of solitaire earrings and that's all I'm getting from him FOREVER. I would love to take a detour through the party districts in Amsterdam. I never thought drugs were all that fab but I sure do love a drinky or two. I would love to live up the night life there!

I just want to see that the Amsterdam everyone talks about really does exist! I'm not a drinker, but a nice glass of vino every once in a while is nice.

I've got my 1/2 carat flawless engagement ring, and that's it until our 15th anniversary... Larry says if we're still an item, I get a bigger stone. He chooses the stone separate, designs the setting, and then has the whole thing put together by a gemologist we know. He says it's a big investment and he'd never think of buying from the glass cases at any jewelry store!

As a smoker, I wouldn't make a quarter mile on a bike! I'd drop! I'd be ok on a scooter with a motor, though!

I don't buy jewelry retail! When I was at Gassan, I bought a 3/4 ct champagne diamond and had it set in a white and yellow gold bezel mount ring. Total cost was $1100. It appraised at over 3k. Gassan gives a great course on diamond colors and grading. You are locked in a vault-tight room with an expert and glassine envelopes start coming from the auto-teller bank type tube system. It was a blast!

Well...we still have plenty of time to plan for those who want to and can travel. Whether it's 1 or 10 people, it will be fun.
K

Lets see, what month are we going? Wan't it in the fall? Bulb fields would not look like much but maybe we could purchase some wonderful things to bring home with us! Anyone know how that works?

My interests run more to history and culture then partying...sorry folks. You go do your party tours and I will find a nice book to read after dinner. I am strictly a daytime gal, but don't mind the rest of you doing your thing!

When I was in HOlland last year the little town where I stayed on the border of Germany was a center of the fashion industry, and I LOVED window shopping! After I redeem my body doing the "Hippy HIPS AWAY Program", I would love the chance to go shopping there! (And lets hope the American Dollar is UP by then!)

Anything to do with gardening is high on my list. And the more landscaping, plant, bulb, seed oriented the better!

And I have my little plug in coffee pot bought there to heat water for quick cups of tea or coffee, which will save a bundle! Coffee there is served in tiny little cups, not big mugs like we have here, but costs like a big mug, and I travel on caffeine! I feel about coffee like others feel about fine wines! (I DO live near Seattle, LOL).

Lizalily has LOST it! We're going in March for the Amaryllis show!!
:-)
K

Dates of Show are March 18-23, 2010. Don't care when/where others travel as long as we are all in Lisse the night of the 17th (or Amsterdam with the intent of getting to Keukenhof for the opening the next morning!).

Sounds like there are just a couple who are really interested. Hope others will join in on the fun! No set agenda other than the show for the 18th!

Kristi

I'm REALLY interested... it's just that my pocketbook is REALLY empty! If some miracle occurs between now and then, I'm in! I would love to travel and get some culture! And traveling with you guys would be the cats pajamas! :-)

Lizalily, I absolutely LIVE on coffee! I don't own a double burner Bunn because it looks cool on my counter top! LOL! We'd have to figure out some way of always having a pot on! I'm a Folgers freak... how about you?

Kristi... the diamond tour sounds very interesting and educational! I'd be very much into doing that! We never buy jewelry retail, either... my wedding set was designed by Larry, and made by our gemologist friend in Canada. It's platinum, rather plain by anyone's standards, but I love it... and the stone is gloriously clear and sparkly! Larry won't tell me what it appraised at, and he won't tell me how much he paid... all he'll say is, "You don't want to know!" It's probably better this way... or I'd never wear it!

Your ring sounds gorgeous... champagne diamonds are so beautiful! The mixed metal colors must really show it off! White and yellow gold look so expensive together! Good jewelry is a nice investment.

I'm not quite the party girl I used to be, so I'm all for absorbing a bit of daytime culture! One evening to see the night life sights would be more than enough for me!

With our svelte new figures, we'd HAVE to do some fashion shopping while there! :-)

I think it sounds like the trip of a lifetime! I can't even imagine the time we'd have, the fun, the beauty of the flower fields, the bulbs, the architecture, the people, the everything! I've never even been on a big plane!

Honestly, I doubt I can save the required amount of cash to make the trip a reality... but you never know. Life has a funny way of working out for the best. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. But, pray for me, anyway! :-)

Liliana, my diamond educator, even had them send up a glass of champagne so we could check the color. It was soooo much fun! Other than that, the most exciting things I brought home were a Sensi seed catalog (LOOK IT UP) just as a souvenier, a pair of wooden shoes, a lace panel for the bathroom with windmills, and a whole lot of great photos and memories!

:-)
K

OK, think I can remember the date now...it ends on my wedding anniversary! Besides, you can't "Loose" what you never had :-)!

Bulb fields...we have those in Washington State. I went once...too crowded and its just stripes of color from the road. Any chance we could find some good educational bulb growers tours rather then the regular bus load tourist deal? Especially for unusual bulbs.

I would love to find different dahlias there too if they are for sale anywhere! I wonder if we can find things other then what is usually imported here in quantity?

Diamonds...oh my! You make me hungry for sparkles! Now if my garden business would just do well this year...last year was rather short of energy for it with the surgeries! It would be nice to actually MAKE money, LOL.

Larry and I have a few friends in that area of the world... one couple in Denmark, and another in The Netherlands... they've both been here, for dog shows. Bram brought Larry a very nice pair of wooden shoes, and I've got a silver bracelet with moonstones... gorgeous! The other couple from Denmark brought the kids a bunch of Danish candy, which is so different than what we're used to here in the States!

I think I can guess at your souvenier seed catalog! ;-) The lace curtain sounds lovely, and wooden shoes are really cool!

Hopefully, Lizalily, you and me, both, can make a little money selling flowers... this is the year we begin our perennial sales! We spent last year planting and gathering materials and product, and this spring we open for business! I hope we're both successful!

I'm sure there must be other grower tours, or at least places you could buy bulbs and tubers... between now and then, I'm sure we can find out a lot about what's available for tourists.

Ugh. All this talk about work is making me dread the coming weeks. We put our seed order in a couple of days ago. Ouch. Soon lots and lots of seeds and plugs with be finding their way to our door. I can't wait to share pics with you all.

All of this diamond talk is making me want to "upgrade." My wedding set is pretty but I would really like a bigger stone. Gosh, I'm so greedy. I have a .50 ct with 3 stones on either side. They are 1/8 ct stones if I remember right. The wedding band is an eternity band with 1/8 ct stones. Not very big but it was so much money to us at the time! I want a .75 ct. Or bigger. My aunt has a 3 ct marquise. It is heavenly.

I've got a half carat, but I'd love a whole carat! I actually prefer the plain bands that I have... they show off the stone really well... plus, I don't have to worry about losing any stones or getting the wedding band caught on anything... my stone is the regular round cut.

I have the huge job coming up of starting tons of seeds, and then we'll have some plugs arriving, too... not a lot, though... thank god! We're just starting, so I don't want to go too big too soon... I'll lose my mind! LOL!

I can't wait to see pics of your progress with the business! I love watching things grow :-) I have a round cut diamond, as well. I snag it all the time. I actually scratched the bejesus out of my elbow yesterday. Marriage is dangerous!

You're telling me! LOL! I keep my engagement ring locked away, and I wear the wedding band only. I'm so afraid of losing the stone, even though I know it's secure in its setting. The last thing I want to happen is having the stone get knocked out while cleaning the kennel, and accidentally flush it down the gutter to the septic system! I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to my rings! I know insurance would replace them, but it wouldn't be the same!

I'll try to keep a photo log of what we do and what we grow... don't laugh, though... we're amateurs! Right now, we have lots of potted perennials wintering over in an unheated garage... they're all dormant, so they don't need light. I've got flats of potted Daylilies, Iris, Crepe Myrtle, Heuchera in different leaf colors, Ferns of different types, Hostas, etc... we've been collecting young stock and rootstock for the last two years, growing them on.

It should be an exciting spring and summer! I've got to get my butt in gear, though... I still need to get the basement set up finished for seed growing. Larry needs to hang my lights... I worry, but it'll all come together.