I vote nay as it conflicts with an event in Baltimore I am interested in. The swap would be a higher priority. I may be able to do both, but I may also have a 9-mo baby in tow, which will complicate things. :)

I vote for the 30th or the following weekend.

That weekend is good for me. After that, I begin traveling in October for business and won't be able to make a fall swap. Either the 29th or 30th is okay. I did notice many postings for the 29th though.

As for the place, I am agnostic. For sentimental reasons I would love it here at my place (either of those days), and I really appreciate your thinking of that, but I was kinda dreading the thought of figuring out how to organize it. Holding it up in Montgomery County is fine by me.

Christine, do you have thoughts on this?
Eric

I'm happy with either the 29 or 30. After that, I might be going to Morocco :-) My reward for organizing a big scientific meeting for the last 14 months or so. Ends at 2:45 September 8 (but who's counting?)

The weekend is good for me, but I prefer Eric's in Aquasco. The weekend is good for him, too. Call me sentimental, but I know how much Vlad wanted to hold the swap again, and how happy he'd be to know Eric was volunteering.

Christine

Would prefer another weekend than the Sept 29/30. Definitely would like Eric's, since Cathy would go for sure and I might be able to show up for the first hour or so if it was on the 29th.

Larry

I vote for Black Hill, purely for selfish reasons (not wanting to haul a small child and a baby 90 minutes each way). I could poobah the swap at Black Hill on September 29 or 30 or October 13 or 14.

While Jack (then 2 months old) and I really loved the visit to Vlad's gorgeous place last year, I vote for Black Hills as it IS much closer to me (in northern Carroll & Frederick counties)... In any case, I look forward to seeing everybody and will do my best to get to the swap, wherever/whenever!
:-) Leslie

I could get lost going to either destination. But since I've been lost finding Black Hills before, that's my comfort zone. So another vote for Black Hills on the 29th -Saturday swaps preferred.

I'm sure they're both equally far away for me, so it wouldn't really matter, although I kinda sorta know how to find my way to Eric's. So, I'll vote that way.

Actually, I'm not sure why I'm voting. I'm not sure if I'm even coming at this point. If anyone is in short supply of weeds or dead plants, I can bring those, but other than that, won't be contributing anything worthwhile.

Suja

I can't make Saturday but would be game for Sunday.

Well, the consensus seems to be headed toward the 29th at Black Hills. Does this process have actual rules, or is it handled like the House of Representatives: wait until you get the results you want and then close the vote?
Eric

Wow, I won't be back till Sept 24 but Black Hills on the 29th sounds ok to me. Steve in Baltimore County.

I'm for Black Hills- It wasn't too far to drive & as I remember it, it had a good place to park & to eat.
;-)

I was waiting for a few more of the "regulars" that I know to answer. Kimka, Lynn in Bowie, Bonnie, LynneT?? Are you out there?

Though, I agree that we are tending toward 9/29 in Black Hills.

And remember, it isn't just about the plants. Getting together and eating massive quantities of chocolate is equally as important. ;-)

Jen

I haven't responded yet because I have a tentative event with my family ,but I do plan to be at the swap.
I vote for Black Hills on the 29th. The 30th would be ok as well.

Bonnie

I'm open, either place. I;m better with a Saturday date than a Sunday date.

KimKa

I vote for Black Hills and 9/29 or 9/30 is ok with me.

I've never been able to go to one of the swaps because I work on Saturdays. So my vote is for any Sunday. I've got tons of huge plants that need new homes.
Ginny

Sunday would suck for me. Let me tell you how I feel, OK? I won't hold back.

I remember something about Black Hills, but not where or how I got there. May as well be in South Dakota. If it has to be up there, I submit a 2nd vote for the 29th.

I also submit a vote for making these swaps on a set date like Thanksgiving. i.e. the last Saturday in September, for example. We've got a good history of aiming for these dates for both Spring and Fall. This would help people plan ahead if they really wanted to come.

Anyway, I still prefer Eric's, but if we must go whereever the heck it is, I'll go. Alfie, you're voting, but are you actually going to come and stay awhile? [GD&R]

Christine

You betcha, Christine :-). (Unless the baby starts to yell. As the 4-year-old says, "Nobody wants to be around a yelling baby.")

Avoirgold, you started the thread, so my opinion is, you are entitled to make the decision.

The tally is as follows:

Black Hills: 7
Eric's: 4
Any Place: 2

9/29: 6
9/30: 3
Any Date: 6

Some voted for date but not place or place but not date so they didn't count for the one they didn't vote on. In the democratic vote, Black Hills on 9/29 seems to be the winner. Anyone who calls for a recount has to do it themselves! ;-) hehe

I'm with Christine on the set day. Last Saturday in September and First Saturday in May sound good to me. I like Saturday because then I can have Sunday to plant if needed. :-)

Christine, will you be posting the haves, wants, and food threads?

Later!

Jen

Wait a minute, Charlotte is four years old and there's another baby at Alfies? That means it's been 4 years since we had a swap at Black Hills. Christine, I think that was one of the first swaps you attended and we used the trunk of your car to get rid of our extras.

Careful Avoirgold, Alfie's delegating the whole shi-bang to you with that 'your decision' command. Now we did come up with set dates a few years ago. Something about the week-end before or after Mother's Day and the week-end before or after Columbus Day. I can't remember, and then new people come along and take a poll! So it's a fine idea to have a set date each year but the players change, so hard to enforce....

OK, the 29th is on my calendar now. Not much to bring, though; my yard was baked, and now it's flooded -- looks like a piecrust with cream poured over it.

It's hard to peg out any weekend in May that isn't already staked for a nifty garden event. The first Saturday in May has worked pretty well for us (though I have had to beat feet/leave early in past years since that afternoon is the DC Gay Men's Garden Club swap, and I've been their token female straight member for more than 15 years.) The weekend before Mother's Day is the Paca House sale (and the second Beltsville sale, which didn't have much of interest this year) and the Saturday after Mom's Day is the Green Springs sale. Sometime in there is also the Londontown Gardens sale.

September is easier. This year Green Spring is doing a Fall Fling on the 15th, and Londontown is doing a fall sale on the same day. Here's a good list of events the Post put out a couple weeks back.

L

Here is a link that might be useful: Fall Garden Events in DC area

No, no, I'm not delegating the whole thing to Avoirgold.

Christine, could you start the haves, wants, and food threads, please?

(I learned about delegating from a master (Cynthia).)

(I had the baby instead of going to last fall's swap; it was a tough decision, but Vlad said it was ok.)

Dang! I see I am forever going to hear about all the fun of the swaps without ever getting to participate because I work on Saturdays!

Are there any other Saturday worker bees (retailers, hairdressers, etc) that are feeling left out? I'd be willing to host a small swap at my house in North Arlington on some Sunday if there's any interest.

Ginny

looks like 9/29 at black Hills this time. christine, I agree -- there should be set days, such as last Saturday of September -- to let people plan more easily. If we do one on a Saturday, how about doing the spring swap on a Sunday, such as last Sunday of April or first in May, as long as holidays on't intervene?
Eric

I'd prefer Black Hills, since I've actually been there and therefore would be less likely to get lost! But isn't that where the cops stopped us that one year?

Have we stopped considering Sandy Spring for the fall swaps? I always thought that (and Henrietta's for the spring swap) were great locations because they are more central for those of us coming from either direction.

I think the last swap at Black Hills was a spring one and the cops came because we overflowed the parking lot and just started parking on the shoulder of the road, an apparent no-no. They may have also been called because people saw all those pots of green leaf things being handed around and may have thought it was some hippy drug group with pots plants. Watch out for those aralia plants.

Now that we know the parking rules, I don't think we will have a police problem. Beside we've had the police show up at Gardengranma's, although one of them turned out to have a gardener in the family and we gave them a bunch of plants to take home.

The 29th at Black Hills is fine with me, sorry I've been out of the loop for so long! Apparently I can't multitask with hobbies/obsessions... =)

There is a chance I will be going up to Vermont for a few days sometime before Oct 3rd, but that's all up in the air at the moment, so I'll plan on the swap until things change. My gram fell and broke her hip this week and I thought I'd go up and spend a couple of days hanging out with her (and feed the genealogy hobby... umm...obsession).

I will also have/collect Christine's goodies at the swap, or that's the last I heard.

The hummingbirds have been loving the vines I planted on the chainlink. I may have seeds but if not, they are cardinal climber vine and cypress flower vine. I also have morning glories, black eyed susan vine, and a very stubborn or slow-growing trumpet creeper vine, but the cardinal climber and cypress flower are where I can see them from the computer..

What a gorgeous day! I've been waiting for the weather to cool down before I go back out to play in the dirt, and I think today's the day!

Lynne in Bowie MD

I might like to attend the plant swap on the 29th. How exactly does it work? What kind of plants are there? Which road into the park is the best one to take? Thanks!

Jake, if you switch to the Exchanges page you'll see the HAVES, WANTS and FOOD threads. The swap is explained on there and the HAVES will give you an idea of what plants people will be bringing. There are also some of us who don't post so there will be surprises. If there are things you want post it. It doesn't hurt to ask. No one has posted directions to the park yet but I assume they will before the swap.

Yes, sorry, I am behind on posting directions. I'll try to do that today or tomorrow. Are we starting at 10 am?

I can see how to get to Black Hills Regional Park, but it looks pretty big. Once we get there, where do we hold the swap?

See everyone at 10 AM on the 29th.

Eric