Just got back from a three-day symposium on native plants and prairies in Georgetown, Texas, jointly sponsored by the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Native Prairie Association of Texas. Over 400 people attended the event which was chock-full of great speakers and great ideas, about which I will have more to say later.

Although I have zoomed through Georgetown on the interstate countless numbers of times, this was the first I’d stopped to see what it was actually like. It turned out to be a neat little college town, with a lively town square, and lots of beautiful restored old houses. Unfortunately its also got a busy interstate highway and uncontrolled growth.

It’s said to be the most popular retirement spot in Texas and a good part of the reason is that it has it’s own little suburb called Sun City, which is a planned retirement community. Our symposium was actually held in the facilities at Sun City and they are first-rate. They have their own auditorium, activity center, sports facility, and hiking trails. It looks like a great place to live if you like a lot of planned activities and don’t mind living…