I just found this thread and am very impressed with the construction of your shade house. Since I am also in the middle of a big project I know what you mean by the little circumstances that change everything. My new structure must meet hurricane standards and so it goes. Let me know how the 75 percent shade cloth works out.

Jim

I just found this thread, too- it looks great! I love your Epi, I've never seen a pink one. I've had one for years and it's huge, but has never flowered.

Thanks Kathy...

I know what you mean. I left for work one day and had to turn around and go home because I forgot to spray my one mounted orchid. Having mostly Phals, who like to be a little moist and Catts, who like to dry between waterings, works pretty well because I generally have just two routines and I can handle that. My Onc. hangs out and behaves like a Catt, and seems very happy. If I had many who needed different care, I'd be challenged. I am sure that I will go full on crazy when I retire (but I have awhile). I already worry about what to do when I go on vacations. I will have to get a house sitter who can handle a cat, possibly a dog (if she cannot be with us) and now orchids. I thought that life was supposed to get LESS complicated as kids leave...

That's when you start Living!!

That was my mistake when I first start growing orchids... I thought I can handle anything, therefore I can grow anything... the mistake was trying to grow too many different genera at the beginning... stick with just a couple genera with similar needs and you'll be fine... for example grow catts and den. to start...

As for vacations, let me tell you how I did it... we used to take very long summer vacations, after I acquired a few hundred orchids, I didn't want to admit to my husband, but we suddenly only take a week vacation in the summer, and have much longer vacation in the winter... why? because most orchids need a winter rest!!!

I hate to tell you this, but the kids NEVER really leave.

Jim, I'm sure you get it. These southern climes are not very stable. Last week it was pushing 90, with DRY conditions. This week it's 60s and drizzle. A couple of years ago, I had just finished planting some rather expensive plants when we broke the national heat record with 103...in April. Our Santa Ana winds aren't usually hurricane force, but they can last for several days. Oh ya, needless to say the new plants fried. It a' int all a bed of roses, which usually suffer from mildew all spring.. I would love to find a climate that has seasons, without the snow and ice, tornadoes, or hurricanes. Ah well, I can't afford to move anyway.

We have yet another obstacle to work around...sinkholes. All of a sudden a hole can open up in the yard, or under the house. My neighbor woke up one morning and the 12 foot shrub outside his front window was only two feet tall; no pruning required. When it is around the house, they come in and inject concrete into the ground. Sometimes it takes a hundred trucks worth of concrete to do the job and then it is not guaranteed. There are stories of entire houses falling into them and streets are often closed for sinkhole repair. Concrete patios and driveways are subject to cracking thanks to the unstable ground. That's why I am going with pavers on the new lanai.

Jim

How bizarre!

It sure is, good grief! Not a good thing!
You don't have by any chance a 2 ton- Vole making your yard its home?

Florida is all limestone so it just has no stability. It was a big mistake to not live in teepees there!

OMG! And I worry about sinking in to the ant's nests.

I wonder if there are any caves there. I just visited Mammoth Cave in KY which is all in limestone. They found some of the caves due to sinkholes.

I remember when there was a big sinkhole on the freeway in FL and some dummy decided he could jump it in his car, just like in the movies. He didn't make it, to say the least.

No caves and not even basements. The water table is way too high for that. That's why we have so many swimming pools.

Jim

Sinkholes sound like payback for being able to turn your A/C on in Feb.

Bill

Bill, I think the power company is taking care of the payback aspect. Looking at my daily log for the past few years, we're about three weeks ahead of the normal heat curve. I try to get as much yard work accomplished in the early morning as I can and then find something cooler to do in the afternoons. Today I went shopping and came home with a nice rain barrel. I'll show pics on my lanai project thread when I get it set up.

Jim

Well you all are making me feel better about the obsticles of the Northeast (namely Nov. Jan., Feb, Mar. and April). I am still looking for the perfect environment for people and plants. Sinkholes do not sound like they are for me, and certainly hurricanes and tornadoes would not be my choice. I do not care so much about seasons. We have a condo at Killington, that I'd keep so that I could have a week of winter if I wanted it (and to keep the skiers in the family happy). We also have a family retreat on the coast of Maine if I were desperate for some seasonal action. So if anyone finds that perfect spot, let me know.

Clementine, thanks for sharing your experience and your solutions. We go to Maine in the summer for about a month, and the sailors in the family would be rather put out if we changed it to winter, but I am thinking that the rest of the family can go for an extended time (my son is there from late May through early September) and I can make it up for shorter visits. My husband can stay as long as he likes as well. My daughter is working in Boston this summer. With kids doing their own thing, I am not needed up there for the duration. My orchids need me, and I am more of a homebody anyhow.

Jim, I hope that your project remains sinkhole free!

I believe there is good and bad every where you go. If you are lucky, you get to pick what suits you and then be aware of and prepare for the pitfalls. The nicest climate I have ever lived in is Medellin, Colombia. Eternal springtime there but lots of crime and poverty.

Jim

I can't help but laughing when I read your post Jo... I too, have been searching for an ideal place to move to... since I have lots of friends in CA, I thought that would be a perfect place for me, and I can grow everything outside... and then there's FL, where the beach is so inviting... then there's pretty Chapel Hill or Asheville in NC but NC couldn't escape the hurricanes and tornadoes recently... well, you get the picture... the more I read, the more I have to think twice... being in NJ, I'm good through Dec., but Jan and Feb are the worst months...

I'm a homebody too Jo, I love being home to care for plants and cook... and my kids are grown now, so we are good if we can arrange to take 1 vacation together every year... everybody's schedule is so tight and hectic... I love the beach, so for me to escape down to the Caribbean every winter is a delight, and now more reasons to be there a bit longer:)

Jim, you're right, there's good and bad everywhere, but what suits you best is where you want to be...

Great thoughts everyone. I have lived other places but I am happiest in New England. Suits me best.