[HairOfTheDog]

I am also someone who needs hills and trees. Though we have few hardwoods here, we are the land of the Douglas fir and cedar. We have Oaks and Maples, but the Maples are not that common, and I think the Oaks were imported. Don't quote me on that, I only believe that because there are very specific pockets of them around here.

And I do like having four seasons, but I have to admit that now that I have horses, I don't look forward to snow. Here the snow comes in a day or two a year and is then usually followed by rain. It triples my work where the horses are concerned while the snow is here, and leads to mud and slop that I think will never dry out again when the rains come.

[RMDupree]

We used to have a real nice section here called Horse Country. It's still called that, but the small farms that used to be so prevalent are now boxed in with residential housing.

There are a few places left though. One that I love to drive by is the Guadalupe - they breed and raise the most beautiful Paso Finos there. Sometimes you can catch them practicing for competitions and that is a sight to see.

I've always wondered if that high leg trot ( the prancing ponies - lol) was natural or if the horses are taught to move like that. Do you know?

[Corin Stormhands]

We have Oaks and Maples, but the Maples are not that common, and I think the Oaks were imported.

Freepmail me your street address. I have about a dozen Oaks in my yard that I'd be happy to ship to ya...

[Sam Cree]

"we are the land of the Douglas fir and cedar."

I like cedars. My family always used one as a Christmas tree when I was a kid growing up. You can even use them to predict weather, if they have alot of berries, you're supposed to have a bad winter. I'm wondering if the berries are related to the ones used to flavor gin, since the latin name is very similar.

The things are everywhere in central Virginia, but are beautiful and smell lovely. Once a big one got struck by lightning and split open...you'd have thought the terrorists had bombed a perfume factory, the scent from the shattered tree was unbelievably overpowering.