Fall Travel Specials from Expedia
Posted September 30, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Travel Deals
Celebrate glorious autumn weather with a trip—and save when you book on Expedia.
Explore the great outdoors, take the kids on a cultural visit to a museum or historical area, or slip away for a romantic cruise.
Book by October 12; travel by November 15, 2007.
- Nightlife Escapes: Hotel From $41, Air + 3 nights from $253
- Beach Escapes: Hotel From $64, Air + 3 nights from $322
- Romantic Escapes: Hotel From $55, Air + 3 nights from $302
- Cruise Escapes from $199
- Family Escapes: Hotel From $50, Air + 3 nights from $248
- Cultural Escapes: Hotel From $49, Air + 3 nights from $294
- Fall Escapes Sale:Save on Hotels & Packages in Popular destinations worldwide. Book by 10/12/07.
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Hey! Where’s the Shampoo?
Posted September 30, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Rants
Ed and I were overnighting at the Holiday Inn Express in Kelowna, B.C. after going to Just for Laugh’s ComedyFest awhile back. There were no surprises about the hotel or the room until I went to hop in the shower the next morning.
I normally bring shampoo and conditioner with me, however, over recent years packing that stuff has just meant added weight and wasted space in my bag, so this time I figured I’d be smart and save the space for some of the shopping that we planned to pick up while we were in the ‘big city’.
Conditioner, check. Lotion, check. But hey! Where’s the shampoo?
I called the desk to mention the ommission and rather than say “Someone will be right up with your shampoo, Ms. Gardner” the clerk told me to come down to the front desk to get some.
Seeing that I was just about to jump in the shower, what were the chances that I would have been half-clad while making that call?
Gee, but I was tempted.
Fortunately, Ed was handy and made the run.
OK, Holiday Inn, buck up. There were 3 people on the desk. Surely ONE of them could have spared 3 minutes to deliver shampoo.
Anyway, I’ll be back to packing the BED HEAD TIGI Dumb Blonde Shampoo which Holiday Inn doesn’t exactly carry.
Technorati Tags: Holiday Inn Express, Kelowna, shampoo
Hotel Fires: Planning Ahead Could Save Your Life!
Posted September 30, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Safety
The time to plan your escape from a hotel fire is before you get caught in one. Here are tips that will help you plan ahead and deal with such an emergency.
When making reservations, ask if the hotel or motel has smoke detectors and fire sprinklers.
When checking into your room, familiarize yourself with the locations of the fire exits nearest your room. These are generally shown on a map posted on the back of the room door or in a closet. Use the map to locate the two exits nearest your room. Take a trip to the nearest exit and count the number of doorways you pass to get there. Make sure the stairway door is opened and that the stairs are unobstructed. Locate fire alarms and fire fighting equipment.
Figure out how to turn off the fan that delivers air into my room. Find the location of both the entry and return air vents and make a mental note of how to seal them if you were trapped in my room during a hotel fire.
Practice unlocking and opening the windows in your room. Look outside to see if you could escape without injury.
If you suspect fire, call the hotel operator immediately. Give your name, room number, and a brief description of the situation.
Having a small flashlight in your suitcase may prove invaluable as there are no guarantees that lighting will always work.
Never use an elevator as a fire exit. Elevator mechanisms can easily malfunction during a fire, causing persons to be transported to the exact location of the fire.
Leaving Your Room
Feel the door with the back of your hand if you use your palm it could get burnt and make using it difficult. If the door or knob is warm, do not open it. If the door is not warm, drop to your knees and slowly open the door, but be ready to slam it should a cloud of smoke roll in.
If the hallway is clear, head for the exit, not the elevator.
Close your door behind you. Take your key with you, if you encounter trouble you may have to return to your room. If you have a plastic key card and the power has failed the card may not work.
Do not stand upright, but crawl or keep low to the floor to avoid smoke and odorless carbon monoxide.
Stay on the same side of the hall as your exit, counting the number of doors to the exit.
When you reach the exit, walk quickly, but cautiously down the stairs, and hold on to the handrail as you go, it will prevent you from being knocked down from behind.
Smoke will sometimes get into an exit stairwell. If you encounter smoke, do not try to run through it. Turn around and walk up. Proceed to a smoke free corridor and cross the building to an alternate exit.
Staying in Your Room
If you are unable to leave your room, make every effort to notify someone that you are in your room. If you cannot reach the hotel operator, call the local fire department and identify your exact location. Signal to them by hanging a bed sheet from your window. If there is smoke in your room, open the window. Do not break the glass unless it is absolutely necessary because heavier smoke may begin to enter from outside.
Fill the bathtub with water. Wet towels and sheets and stuff them around the door and vent which is allowing smoke to enter the room.
If the door and walls are hot, bail water on them with your ice bucket to keep them cool. Place the mattress up against the door and hold it in place with the dresser. Keep it wet. Keep everything wet.
A wet towel tied around your nose and mouth will help filter out smoke if you fold it into a triangle and put the corner in your mouth.
If there is a fire outside of the window, pull down the drapes and move everything that is flammable away from the window.
You can avoid panic by having a specific plan of action to employ should you be involved in a fire.
Technorati Tags: smoke detectors, hotel fire
Gerry’s Good Gourds
Posted September 28, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Food
Ed and I were greeted by a dazzling display of fall colour as we dropped down into west Keremeos off the Keremeos Bypass.
So captured by the sight of a mountain of gorgeous gourds piled high and gleaming in the early morning sunlight outside Gerry’s Fruit Stand, I had to stop and record the scene with my new Sony Cybershot DSC-T100 8 megapixel digital camera.
While clicking away, a man who appeared to be the owner emerged from inside the store and greeted us. “You must be Gerry” I said.
He responded lightly, “They call me Gerry, but my name is actually Dan“. Dan Zacharias and his wife Sheryl have been operating Gerry’s Fruit Stand - located at 3045 Highway 3 in Keremeos, B.C. - for the last four years, and Dan admits that he’s still learning the gourd game.
“Those are Blue Hubbards” he told me when I asked him the name of the large, light blue-green colored monsters. “I don’t have any Green Hubbards or Duck-Neck Squash this year. I looked for them [in the field], but I guess I didn’t plant any” he continued.
OK, we weren’t going to say anything - but things just didn’t seem quite right at the stand without the Green Hubbards and Duck Necks. Ya right.
Good Gourd, Dan! Only the most fanatical squash and gourd aficionado’s might have noticed have noticed Dan’s ‘gourd gaff’. Besides, according to my research, NatureHills online nursery doesn’t carry seeds for either, so they couldn’t be that great.
You will find seeds for Winter Delicata, Black Beauty Squash, Straightneck Squash, Luffa gourds, Crookneck, Pattypan Scallop. There’s also Baby Round, Black Beauty and Lebanese Summer Zucchini; Acornh, Butternut and Spaghetti and more squash seeds at NatureHills though.
Anyway, if you’re passing through Keremeos, stop in at Gerry’s and say hi to Dan. Then just for fun, ask him where the Green Hubbards are…
Technorati Tags: squash, gourds, seeds, Keremeos, BC, fruit stand,
Conde Nast Chooses the Top 86 Travel Books of All Time
Posted September 25, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Travel Guides
September’s Conde Nast Traveller lists the top 86 travel books of all time, as chosen by a star-studded panel (including Paul Theroux, Monica Ali, Jared Diamond, Geraldine Brooks, and Gore Vidal).
Here’s a small sample of those selected:
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
- The Great Railway Bazaar
- The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition)
- Roughing It by Mark Twain
- The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910-1913
Oh, wouldn’t it be absolutely lovely to have the time to read them all? 
BTW, I could have added about 30 more to their list.
Technorati Tags: Conde Nast, travel books, travel magazines, travel
It’s Time to Break Out the Patio Heaters!
Posted September 24, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under At Home
With temperatures now dipping to between 5 and 7 Celcius (41 to 44.6F) and forecast as low as 2C (35.6F) next Saturday it was time to break out the patio heater at Rosalind’s Resort, aka my house.
Patio heaters used to be a luxury item that you would only see at high-end restaurants and hotel patio bars, yet today they are becoming commonplace to patios, screened in porches and decks at homes and cottages.
Having used and researched multiple brands of patio heaters it became obvious when I was searching for a new patio heater last year, that Yardiac.com was the best online supplier of industry-leading Endless Summer Line of patio heaters.
With vast knowledge and experience of propane gas tanks, not to mention style, performance and price, these full size heaters can be warm up to 20
foot radius, and provide the right atmosphere for outdoor gatherings at anytime of the year.
Features & Benefits of all Endless Summer Patio Heaters:
- Safety Tilt Switch. (gas automatically shuts off if heater leans more than
18 degrees) - 40,000BTU/Hr (Except for table top version)
- AGA and CGA Approved.
- Ideal for patio, restaurant, swimming pool, outdoor entertainment, etc.
- 18′ to 25′ circle of sun-like radiant heat.
- Raises temperatures 10-30° F.
- No electrical connections needed.
- Low maintenance - weather resistant construction.
- Will operate 10 hours from common 20 lb barbecue type propane tank. (tank
not included) - Multiple heaters may be used to heat large areas.
- Propane tank is hidden inside patio heaters base.
- Assembles in less than 2 hours with common household tools!
Industry Rated #1 –Here’s Why:
Endless
Summer Vs. The Competition
|
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| $499 - $1,000 | $239*(Only at Yardiac.com) and up | More features, style, durability and performance for less money. Plus you get a $20 mail in rebate offer on any model. |
| Vertical emitter | Angled emitter | Directs heat output down for better efficiency and improves overall aesthetics. |
| Single emitter screen | 2 heavy gauge emitters | Solid inside emitter adds structural strength, amplifies burner output, reduces wind blowout and reduces heat loss through center. Heavy duty outside emitter enhances performance and retains good look longer. |
| — | Ceramic cone insulator | Provides a more consistent output over 360 degrees, improves output by reducing heat loss through center, helps heater warm up faster & stay hot longer. |
| Standard stainless | High temperature stainless | Increases engine and burner life expectancy, improves appearance, efficiency and safety. |
| — | Whisper quiet burner | Runs quietly even in the wind to enhance atmosphere. |
| Solid engine housing | Engine body with access door | Provides easy access to engine components for maintenance and repairs. |
| Lightweight dome | Heavy gauge aluminum dome | Retains good looks longer and is designed for easy removal for storage and transport. |
| Sheet metal structure | Structural frame system | Makes assembly easier and faster, retains perpendicularity longer, makes cleaning easier and saves carton space. |
| Sheet metal base | Steel Base & Counterweight | Heavy weight base plate improves safety by reducing wobble & tilt. |
| — | Trimmed base edge | Protects wooden decks from scratches, makes moving easier and quiet. |
| — | Tilt control | Increases safety by shutting off gas flow in the event that the unit is tilted more than 35 ° . |
| Removable cylinder door | Sliding cylinder cover | Provides quickest and easiest access to cylinder for changes without damaging finishes and ensures the cover is not misplaced. |
| — | Cylinder access slot | Allows easy access to cylinder valve to encourage complete shutdown after every use. |
| Single large carton | 2 carton system | Allows single person carry, fits in almost any size vehicle, reduces packaging scrap. |
| — | Quick & easy assembly | Assembles in less than 1 hour with common household tools. |
| — | User friendly owner?s manual | Informative illustrations with easy to understand instructions make assembly, maintenance, repairs and trouble shooting easy. |
Warranty Period - Heater’s warranty extends for 1 year from date of purchase by original purchase.
Click
Here to return to the Product Selection Page
Technorati Tags: patio heater review, patio heaters, Endless Summer, Yardiac
Afraid to Fly? Relax, There’s Help!
Posted September 20, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Travel Tips
Does the fear of flying stop you from enjoying all that life has to offer?
Well, fear no more!
Captain Tom Bunn, a United Airlines pilot and licensed therapist offers a four part audio course called Complete Relief - The Complete Audio Course To Conquer Your Fear of Flying that will help you manage your thoughts and understand why you have difficulty controlling anxiety.
Every aspect of traveling by air is covered in the course - from going to the airport right through until landing. He tells you how aircraft work and explains the sounds you will hear during a flight. The course also contains “Take Me Along” tracks that you can take with you on your flight.
Here’s what Niki C. had to say about the course..
“My claustrophobia disappeared the second we pushed away from the gate and I finally took my first flight after 6 long years!!! What an amazing feeling to no longer be trapped by my own fears… I now feel that I can go anywhere and do almost anything…the way I used to feel before my phobias took over my life… I have spent thousands of dollars visiting psychiatrists, psychologists, hypnotists, and just on unused airline tickets. Your method really worked!!!”
Read what people are saying about this course
Last but not least, the course is guaranteed. Cancel within 30 days and you’ll get your money back. So, there’s nothing to lose - except your fear of flying. Learn more about Complete Relief - The Complete Audio Course To Conquer Your Fear of Flying
Technorati Tags: fear of flying, Captain Tom Bunn, United Airlines
Discount Car and Truck Rentals: How NOT to Respond to Your Customers
Posted September 7, 2007 by Rosalind Gardner · Filed Under Rants
On Friday, August 31st, a tractor trailer made an unsafe right turn on North Queen Street in Toronto and rammed into my rental car.
The damage was considerable and the vehicle was no longer driveable.
(See the full set of pictures in larger detail.)
After filing a police report and getting the car towed to an auto body shop, I phoned Discount Car and Truck Rentals at the Kelfield depot in Toronto to report the accident.
Here’s a snippet of how my conversation with Andrew, the Discount representative, went…
