Here is a short file on making a horse plaque to hang on your barn. Maybe make two and hang them on each side of the door. If these are going to be outdoors use concrete.

You could cast these in plaster if they will not be outdoors.

To get started you should organize your materials. I always get my cement and sand measured out before I start. First fill your mold with water, then pour the water into a measure of some kind. An empty margarine container is Ok for this. This will give you a rough idea how much concrete to mix.

I would use a 3 sand to 1 cement for this, as it brings out detail nicely.

set your mold up in your sandbox. After you have it settled in nicely carefully take it out and coat the inside with whatever you use for a release agent. When you have coated it put it back in the sandbox.

Now mix your concrete adding water to get a "pancake mix" that will pour out of the container. When you are happy with your mix, pour it into the mold. I fill about ‘half way and wait 5 minutes or so. This lets any air out. Then I fill to the top.

Let it sit about 15 minutes and then put in your hanger. I put a stick under the hanger so it will not sink. You can take it out when the concrete is cured. Once the hanger is in I cover with a cloth and put a piece of plastic over that.

Now comes the hard part! Waiting! Wait at least 24 -36 hours. If it is cold then 48 would not be to long. You cannot rush this part. I have tried! I have a terrible time with this part. I always want to see how it looks. Do not be like me. You will have a huge pile of useless, broken concrete if you look to soon. Believe me, I know!

After you wait, de mold your casting and keep damp for another week. After that you can let it dry and paint it if you want. If you have a big enough container, fill it with water and put the casting in. This is easier than spraying water on it every day. You could also put it in a plastic bag, that will keep it from drying out. Be sure to store in a cool place, not out in the sun where it will get hot.

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

You have probably seen those big planters and troughs in pictures of old English gardens. They are most likely made of Tufa rock. You can learn all you need to know about this and get an interesting geology lesson at the same time if you click this - http://www.tufa.bc.ca/index.htm

A source I always reccomend for instructions and outstanding ideas is http://www.rlstore.com/ Hyprtufa is fake. You can read the article about mixes to find out how to make it.

It is fun to play with. You can shape it, file it, form it, add to it the next day as long as you do not let it dry out. (just cover with a piece of plastic) It can withstand the coldest winters and loves the rain. The longer you have it the more character it gains.

If you want to make something big, this is the stuff to use.

It is not waterproof so no ponds. You can try to seal it but would be better off to use concrete. It would be cheaper and far less aggravation.

You can use it for fountains that do not have to hold water. What I mean is that the water will not be sitting in, just passing through.

It is relatively light compared to concrete so makes great trough style planters. If you have ever wanted to make a "Giant Head" statue it is great for this because you can take your time molding and add to it as you see your statue taking shape. If you do not like what you see, it is easy to knock off a bit and change it. When you are done it will, unless it is 3 or 4 feet high, be possible to move it without a forklift or crane.

Like the natural Tufa, it supports the growth of Moss and Lichen. This gives it an aged look in one growing season.

Once you get started with this you will be hooked. It is great for use in molds, you mix as usual and press it into the mold. In a couple of days, when it is cured, you can take it out and you will have a light, textured looking casting. These are nice when lightly stained, or given the moss growth formula.

Mix up a batch and try it!

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to as time passes, so please click for updates.

To get an excellent book on this go here - http://www.rlstore.com/ I will give a short lesson here but recommend you get the book. It is money well spent.

Lets get going!

You will need a couple of heavy-duty cardboard boxes. One should fit inside the other with at least 3" between them.

Line the big box with plastic. Don’t worry if it is not smooth, just do the best you can.

Mix up your ‘Tufa and fill the bottom of the box to about 3" deep. Now wrap your other box in plastic and set it inside the first box. Fill the space around it with more Tufa. If the little box wants to collapse as you press the Tufa into the gaps you should fill it with sand or cut pieces of Styrofoam to fit into it. If you have enough Tufa left over you could fill 4 foam cups to use for legs.

Cover and let it sit a couple of days.

If you see the outer box getting wet, don’t worry about it! After a couple of days take the inner box out. Let it sit another day and take off the outer box. If it is wet just tear it off. If it is dry, carefully cut it off. Now you can smooth all the corners and edges. Use a piece of steel or a wire brush. If you do not like the pattern the plastic left on the outside, wire brush there to.

You may want to put drain holes in. do it while it is still "green", just use an electric drill and a 1/2" drill bit. I don’t bother, the Tufa soaks up water and even if filled to the top it seems to disappear in a 1/2 day or so. If you live where it is really rainy I guess you should put them in. It is nice not having them. I fill the planter to the top with water and do not have to water again for 2 or 3 days.

Another thing you should do before you put in your plants is plug the drain holes if you decide to make them and fill with water. Do this daily for a week. You want to leach out some of the acidity from the cement. Once this is done it is ready for use.

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to as time passes, so please click for updates.

I am going to try to tell you in as few words as possible, how vacuum formed molds are made.

The first step is making the "buck". This is the name of the piece that the forming will be done over.

This has to be smooth, strong, heat resistant, and free of undercuts.

The smooth part is self explanatory.

The strong part is so that it will not be crushed when the plastic is being formed over it.

The heat resistant part is because the plastic is at about 300 degrees F.

And no undercuts is so that you will be able to get your piece out of the mold without having to cut the mold off.

All these are of equal importance. They all must be done, and done right!

This is the time consuming part of making the molds.

Once this has been done the buck is placed on he table of the vacuum forming machine. The blank piece of plastic is clamped into its frame and heated.

As soon as the plastic has reached it flow temperature it is pressed down onto the buck and vacuum is applied at the same time.

The plastic forms over the buck and cools. This takes about 15 seconds!

Once it has cooled (about 30 seconds) you pop the buck out, take the plastic out of its clamp frame and trim out the mold!

That’s it!!

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to as time passes, so please click for updates.

Lets walk through the process.

1 - Buy or make a mold. 3 or 4 would be better, you will finish quickly and not loose momentum.

2 - Estimate the amount of concrete you will have to mix to fill the mold. I fill the mold with water and pour it into a 2 liter container to do this. You can use sand if your form will not hold water.

3 - Set up your mold so that it will be level and secure when you pour.

4 - Coat the inside of the mold with release agent. This is a trick way of saying oil. I use 10w engine oil. Buy the cheapest you can get. Don’t use to much. If it puddles you may get pitting on the surface of your paver.

5 - Mix your concrete. I would use a 1 - of cement, 2 - of sand, 3 - of 1/2" aggregate mix for this. This is called a 1 2 3 mix, and is the mix most often used for these types of jobs.

Another way would be to buy redi-mixed concrete, but if you need a lot of these that would be expensive.

You should your concrete mix heavy enough that it will just pour. If you have to help it out of the container that is ok. You do not want a pourable mix like you would use for making decorative castings.

6- Dump the concrete into the mold and Wait at least 48 hours. De mold and place in a cool area to cure for another week. Keep the casting damp during this time. At the end of the week the paver can be set out to dry and use.

7 - Start to build your pathway! Brag to your friends about how you made the paving stones yourself!

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to, so sign up for email updates

Choosing a Pond or Fountain Light: LED or Halogen?

Basically, there are two kinds of lights available for ponds, halogen lights (which have been around for quite a while), and LED, which are more recent developments. Here are some differences between the two. Note that here we are addressing 12volt systems only.

Some advantages of LED:

Focused light
Solidly built and hard to break, durable
Last twice as long as best fluorescent bulbs and 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs LEDs also are more efficient per watt, produce greater lumens per watt than incandescents or halogen bulbs. LEDs can be built in a number of colors so do not require a filter, which greatly reduces efficiency of light. Finally, LEDs run cooler and are less likely to warm the pond or for their seals to get damaged because of the cooler running temperatures.

Some Disadvantages:

LED lights are still quite expensive and it is taking a while for the price to drop. Also, it is difficult to find an LED system that produces high wattage. Fountain Tech produces the highest pond light wattage we know of at 8 watts per light fixture. And a total of 130 separate LEDs are used in the fixture to do this!

Halogen:

Some Advantages

These are good lights, not as durable as LEDs but pretty durable all in all. The most common sizes are 10 watt, 20 watt, 35 and 50, though you can also find 75 watt lights. You can usually buy lens covers to change the color of the light, though lens filters do reduce the luminosity a great deal. In general, it is more efficient to use colored bulbs. Still, you will find less light from a colored bulb than a clear one. LED is the way to keep luminosity efficient when using colored light. You can find a good selection of both at Cheap Pumps. Some Disadvantages:

These light bulbs don’t last nearly as long as LEDs, though they still last a long time. They burn quite hot and sometimes the high temperatures burn the O-rings and the fixtures leak.

About transformers:

Transformers that will be used outside (as almost all will!) really need a 3-prong plug. Beware of the “for indoor use only” transformer as, in order to find an indoor plug and then run the cable to your fixture outdoors these are often more trouble than the price savings is worth. Find a UL-approved transformer that can be used in or out of doors. That’s our recommendation.

Michael Guista is president of Fountain Mountain and has published two books. You can see some of his company’s products at http://www.fountainmountain.com

The Use Of Color. Color can capture and hold your attention almost more than anything else in your landscape. It also gives landscapes definition and interest and adds another dimension to the landscape. By knowing a few facts about how the human eye relates to color, you can make it work to your advantage in your landscape. A color wheel is helpful to understand the relationship between colors.

1. Red, red-orange and yellow are considered to be warm colors.
2. Green, blue, blue-green, blue-violet, and violet are considered to be cool colors.
3. To the eye, warm colors tend to advance and cool colors tend to recede. If planted side by side at a distance, the warm colors will appear closer and the cool colors further away. You can use these effects to create spatial illusions. Planting cool colored flowers at the rear of your garden will make the yard seem larger, warm colors will make the yard seem smaller.
4. Spot plantings can have similar effects seeming to deepen a part of the yard or bring it closer.
5. Cool colored plants are good for close-up viewing, warm colors are good for dramatic displays.
6. Cool colors can easily be overwhelmed by warm colors.

There are different ways that color can be worked into the landscape. Some of the most common color schemes are as follows:

• Monochromatic: Using flowers of various tints and shades of one color.
• Analogous: Using colors that are closely related to one another on the color wheel.
• Complementary colors: Combine colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel. These can be powerful combinations ? bold, that some people may find vibrant, however, others may feel that these colors clash.

If you want to try and blend strong colors, arrange them so that they intermingle, rather than being clearly defined. You can tone down colors by including silvery leaf or white flower plants. If you mix bright reds with bright yellows, try leading up to the mixture with plants of similar but less intense colors.

• Polychromatic: This includes a mixture of all colors. These combinations often produce a carnival type atmosphere. These are often the result of random plantings. Although it sounds foreboding, these can produce pleasing combinations.

Before planting, take note of your background and surroundings:

• Anything you plant will blend in or stand out against the surrounding vegetation, scenery and buildings.
• Note the colors of your existing house and landscape. Almost any color will look good with white, cream or gray, but it is harder to choose plants that go well with more vivid colors.
• Use colored foliage carefully. Although the plants will have color all season, plants with gold, blue, purple or silver-gray leaves are uncommon in nature and can look like they are out of place.
• Vividly colored plants (purples, reds) may look fake in a rural or informal setting.
• A single plant of a different color may stand out from its surroundings - watch the effect; it may look like a focal point or like something that is out of place. To blend in the plant, try adding different plants of the same color in the area to repeat a theme.
• Variegated plants have leaves that are stripped, rimmed or spotted, generally with white. These plants are either loved or hated. They may have a subtle effect in your landscaping, but because of the foliage it may also look like you have a "sick" plant in your landscape.

Be willing to experiment with color, especially when using annuals. A great way to try mixing colors is by mixing up your plants in container plantings. Containers can be easily moved around and adjusted so you can see the effect that your colors have in your landscape.

Color in a landscape will be the first thing that catches your eye and can also stand out like a sore thumb. By taking some time planning your gardens, your landscape can be the envy of the neighborhood.

Donna Evans is a freelance writer, website designer and landscape designer. She is co-owner of Gizmo Creations LLC, a landscape and website design firm, http://www.gizmocreations.com, located in Merrifield, Minnesota.

When planning a garden of heather, begin by making an outline of your area first. If you’re planning a border, start from the back of the bed with the taller plants and work forward; if the bed is to be viewed from all sides, begin sketching your design from the center out. If you have room, planting varieties in odd-numbered groups is most effective. Even numbers of plants often make a new garden look too balanced and unnatural. Draw circles outlining the area that the plants will fill out at maturity (about 3-5 years) growing into a weed smothering mass. Roughly figure 18" spacing when determining how many plants you will need (sq. ft. x .44 is the formula) for a large bed. Choose the taller growing varieties for the back or center of the bed and work your way to the edges, keeping in mind that the plants will grow into a solid mass of foliage leaving little bare ground exposed. Grays and dark greens absorb light; reds, gold and glossy foliage reflect. You want contrasting foliage to define each grouping, so choose a gold or other colored foliage variety, then choose a silver, gray or dark green for the next grouping. Flower color is not as important as you may think but offset the mauves with white or light pinks if the plants are to bloom at the same time. Use the winter blooming Erica’s’ glossy green foliage as a buffer between a lot of Calluna with colored foliage.

This may all sound a bit confusing on the printed page, but don’t let it be because they are all compatible with each other. Arrange them until the placement looks right to you. You may want to plant other types of plants in the heather garden. Dwarf conifers are natural companions with interesting foliage and habit of growth. The vertical forms they achieve are welcome in the heather garden. Other companion plants are: low growing Sedum’s, Iberis, Hypericum, Lavender, Sempervivum, Allium, Arabis, Artemisia, Dianthus, Nepeta, Santolina, and Thyme to name a few perennials. Compact Cotoneaster, Vaccinum, Cytisus and other leafy shrubs can also be interesting companion plants in a garden of heather.

FOUNDATION PLANTINGS - Use heather in a foundation planting to eliminate the straight lines and formality that is often created with more typical plants. In the Northeast, Taxus, Rhododendron and Juniper are commonly used; heather is a natural companion to these evergreens. Use them to hide bare branches at the base of shrubs, to fill voids between larger shrubs, and to bring entire plantings away from the house. A long, curving line is more natural and can be creatively designed with the different heights and foliage colors of heather. The evergreen foliage can be the finishing touch needed to bring a foundation planting together.

PERENNIAL BEDS AND BORDERS - Gardens of perennials often lack visual interest during the winter months when the herbaceous species are dormant, waiting for spring’s call of warmer temperatures. In the late summer months when many perennials are waning, many of the Callunas are flowering heaviest. The structure and foliage color of these evergreens can also be used to an advantage. The winter blooming Ericas are natural selections for winter color. Erica carnea and E. x darlyensis start forming buds in early summer, that open as early as November in shades of pink, rose or white. These long lasting flowers are colorful all winter until the first of May when many of the spring bulbs are in full bloom. The soil requirements are a bit different than those of some perennials but you may be able to provide them with a site that has a well drained soil that has not had a lot of fertilizer and manure added.

NATIVE AND WILD GARDENS - Fifteen plants of Calluna vulgaris were originally planted some 80 years ago at the edge of a pine barren here on Cape Cod. Over the years, seedlings have taken a foothold in the sandy native soil and have naturalized . Little care has been given to this area that is now over 80 feet long and 30 feet wide. The natural succession that has occurred has left this area with 3-4 dominant natural cultivars which bloom in August and is spectacular. The same effect can be achieved by planting some of the taller cultivars we offer, spaced about 2′ apart. Prune heavily the first 3-4 springs to obtain a broad sweep of thick foliage and heavy flowering.

Happy Gardening!

David and Alissa Dewitt are the owners of Rock Spray Nursery, the largest US grower of the hardy Heath and Heather plants. Visit their informative website at http://rockspray.com

Aloe Vera , known as the healing plant, is easy to care for indoors or in the garden. It is a drought tolerant succulent which grows well in dry shade to part sun. Its bright green stalks grow up to 1 foot long and up to 2 inches thick They usually have creamy white stripes or dots along the leaves. Aloe plants grow upright and spread with time by creating clumping offsets. Perennial aloe produces dramatic, bright orange flowers on long stalks in the spring and summer. Used medicinally aloe vera gel is beneficial for burns, minor cuts, scrapes, insect bites and other skin irritations.

Water-wise aloe is great for xeriscaping in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. They don’t mind heat as long as they don’t get too much sun. Aloe does best in light or dappled shade on the porch or on the windowsill. It is even reliable in dry shade. One to two hours of direct sun is plenty. Dark brown or orange spots on the leaves is a sign of sunburn. Aloe vera is easy to care for and only needs water once a month or when the stalks become shriveled. Planted in the ground, it can tolerate more drought and will grow slightly larger. Aloes are cold hardy to about 45 degrees. Mine have survived a light dusting of frost, but they have overhead protection. I wouldn’t leave them outdoor in the open if Jack Frost visits your area frequently. Indoors, they are suited to the hot dry conditions of the average home. They will tolerate a few hours of sun a day, but should be fine anywhere with lots of bright, indirect sunlight.

Aloe vera plants form offset pups and will eventually become a clump. Mine started out in a small 4" pot from the nursery. Normally, you should repot plants in a slightly larger pot. But I planted my aloe in a huge 12" pot, knowing it would fill in. Who has time to repot their plants all the time? To keep the pot from looking empty, I planted a small trailing succulent around the edges. They have similar cultivation needs, so they get along great and look terrific. You can see an aloe vera picture and even download the wallpaper on my succulent webpage at theGardenPages.com. After the first year, my aloe created lots of offsets and filled in the pot nicely. The new shoots are easy to tease out from the main plant so I can repot them or give them to friends.

Aloe vera is famous for its healing benefits and is commonly grown in kitchen gardens to help with minor burns and other skin problems. To use aloe, work with one inch chunks cut from the tips of the leaves. Peel off the spines and cut open the chunk. Squeeze out the aloe juice and pulp onto sunburns or other skin irritations. Spread it around with your fingers or the aloe peel. It will feel cold on burns. The juice may feel sticky at first, but will eventually dry out, leaving a slight green tint. Apply 1 - 2 times a day to cool off burns and help heal skin. I was amazed at how well it worked on my baby’s diaper rash when nothing else helped. First, I’d slather the skin with aloe gel, then put the remaining pulp into his diaper and wrap it all up like a little burrito. Usually the rash was cleared up in a few hours. Fresh is best, studies suggest aloe starts to loose its properties within an hour of picking.

Healing aloe vera is an easy to grow plant indoors or out, with outstanding health benefits and makes a great addition to any garden.

Laura Zinkan tends a gardening website at http://www.theGardenPages.com where you can read growing tips and lore about succulents and native plants. Drop by to smell the flowers, see lots of photos and even download garden wallpapers. Laura is a busy mom with a small yard in southern California so she expects a lot out of her plants. She also has a site called http://www.AngelCityArt.com where you can share her vision of Los Angeles and California with photos and essays. Copyright © 2005 by Laura Zinkan. Proper credit must be given with reprints of this article. All rights reserved under U.S. and international law.

Cocoa trees can grow as tall as fifty feet although they are usually kept pruned and kept much shorter to make it easier to harvest the cocoa bean pods.

The trees reach their maximum productivity when they are thirty to forty years old. A cocoa tree will live approximately sixty years.

The bean pods grow directly off the trunk and thicker main branches of the tree, not off the leaves as many people think. This is because the pods are heavy. The fragile leaf systems of the tree couldn’t support the weight of the pods.

A cocoa tree can have up to one hundred thousand baby-pink and white blossoms every year. The blossoms have no scent. The leaves of the tree vary in color. Young leaves can be pale green, lavender, or purple in color. Mature leaves are dark green. The pods start out green but turn yellow or red when ripe, depending on what type of cocoa tree it is.

There are two main types of cocoa trees. There is the native Central American cocoa tree called the Criollo, and a type called Forastero which is grown mostly in West Africa and Brazil. The Forastero trees produces approximately ninety percent of the world’s crop of cocoa beans. The beans from the Criollo are more expensive and are used in high quality chocolate.

Cocoa trees like shade so other tropical trees such as banana trees are planted right next to the cocoa trees. These larger trees that provide shade for the cocoa trees are often called “cocoa mother trees.”

The cocoa trees start producing cocoa bean pods after three or four years and continue producing pods for approximately another thirty five years. In most areas, harvesting of the cocoa pods is done twice a year. Ripe pods are approximately eight inches long and three to four inches in diameter. The ripe pods are cut by hand in order to protect the younger pods that are still ripening.

After the pods are cut from the tree they are taken to a fermenting area. There the pods are split open to reveal the pulp and cocoa beans. There are up to forty cocoa beans in every pod. The pulp and beans are scooped out of the pod, placed on banana leaves that are usually laid on the ground (fermenting is also done in baskets and also in large sloping boxes), and then covered with more banana leaves. The pods are left to ferment for several days.

As the beans ferment they lose some of their bitterness and change from a lavender or white color to brown. The fermenting process is important because that is when the beans take on the chocolate taste we are accustomed to. During the fermenting process the beans lose some of their moisture. By the time the beans are ready to be packed in bags for shipping, the moisture content in them is somewhere around five to seven percent.

Dorrie Ruplinger is the publisher of http://www.chocolateistheanswer.com which provides information and resources about Door County Wisconsin parks.