You may have noticed that things look a little different around here. Okay, a lot different. Why? Well, the easy answer is it was just time for a little sprucing up. I couldn't make over my living room, so I did the web site.

Technology has advanced enough that most people are no longer using a 800 pixel wide monitor, so the old theme was wasting a lot of space. With the wider format, you will have to do a lot less scrolling to see all the content. I also used fewer images so the site will load faster. I changed the navigation a bit to be more intuitive. I also updated the linking to use more sensible URLs instead of those long, confusing, impossible to remember or type addresses that were here before.

Of course, if you miss the old look, you can still have it. When you are logged in, click on my account, and then on select theme. Choose paradise from the drop down list and then click on save changes. You will then have the old look back.

I took the opportunity while updating to add a few new features. There is now an Events Calendar to help everyone stay up to date on things to do. Any member can add items to the calendar, just click on the plus sign on any date and you will get a form to fill in with information about the event you would like to post. Just a note: all events are held for approval, so they won't show up immediately.

I've been meaning to delete the classifieds section for awhile for lack of interest, but with the redesign, I've decided to give them awhile longer. Posting in the classifieds is also free for members.

I also want to remind everyone that members can also add comments to almost anything on the site: reviews, posts, recipes, web links. I love hearing your opinion. If you don't have an account, you can register for free. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the makeover.