Helen, thanks..speaking of pieces Ida has rcvd, at my retirement ceremony in October I lastly thanked my bride for all her support (over almost 32 yrs Army service) as she was the reason for my success) and handed her a gardenia plant vs roses (she loves to plant/garden)..asked her to look inside and she pulled out her wedding ring (I hoodwinked her in to believing we were just fixing the setting) and had upgraded her heart-shaped diamond to 2+ karats...the woman at the ceremony all loved it, my peers (fellow Colonels) hate me (but I was sure lucky for the next month :) )...ps..will tell Ida of the Dali Museum for a visit in Nov, 2010.

r/wes