Charlottesville trip

Today I attended a seminar in Charlottesville, VA, which focused on landscapes. The Piedmont Landscape Association sponsored it, of which I am a member. There was a dusting of snow when I left at 6:15 this morning, but the roads were okay. I was to meet my friend Susan, near Lovingston, and we would ride together. I love plants and have some design background, so I was looking forward to the day. Great speakers, new ideas, sustainable is the new buzz word. We've tried to do that since moving to VA. However it is not a very hospitable place to grow things: clay soil, lots of sucking and chewing insects, below average rainfall; its been a challenge. It's gotten better by adding manure and compost into the ground, using drip irrigation for cut flower production, and growing plants that can handle these situations. I've always envied gardeners in the Northwest-it appears so much easier. Anyway, enjoyed the conference, plus had a great lunch at Mono Loco ( I think), and afterwards bought a dijjeredoo, because you never know when you'll need a different sound. I had a great time visiting the big city.