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Dear Friend,

There are four ways to experience this year's Idea Houses. First and foremost, you can turn to the special section in this issue, starting on page 109. Here you'll get a great overview of the ideas that our editors feel are the highlights of the houses in Atlanta, Georgia; DeLand, Florida; and Choudrant, Louisiana. The section also spotlights all of the national sponsors. Of course, the second way is to actually visit these houses now through October 2. Turn to page 182 for directions and times of operation. The third option is to visit southernlivingideahouse.com, and take a virtual tour. Robin Spooner, our Online Editor, always does an outstanding job of capturing and displaying special elements of these homes on our Web site. And finally, I am pleased to announce that a publication about the Idea Houses will appear on newsstands beginning September 13. This special edition, Southern Living Idea Houses 2005, will showcase the beauty of these homes in an even more dynamic and in-depth way.

I think the scope of our coverage on these houses reflects just how proud we are of this program. Pam and I have visited each of this year's houses and are amazed at the creativity of the architects, interior designers, and builders.

Now, there's a lot more to this issue that I hope you'll enjoy. As the summer wears on at our house, the idea of cooking a heavy meal doesn't interest Pam or me very much. In August, we've found that pasta is one easy option. I really like the way Associate Foods Editor Shirley Harrington offers 30-minute-or-so prep times for the tasty pasta dishes that start on page 202. Any of these recipes make great weeknight meals for us. Plus, the "Healthy & Light" column, starting on page 212, presents a complete meal with a hands-on prep time of about 45 minutes. Because the vegetables and meat are grilled, I took the liberty of excluding those minutes from the prep time count because you can cook them while enjoying a glass of iced tea and taking some time to de-stress. It's a meal few would think of as light, but it is.

Visiting and enjoying Idea Houses, preparing a quick meal, or simply taking a cool trip to the Blue Ridge, which we suggest beginning on page 12-all these things mean it's summertime across the South. What are your favorite things about summer? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Best regards,

John Alex Floyd, Jr., Editor

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Aug 2005
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