Enjoying Your Summer Staycation

 

Vacation dollars do not always extend to the costs of airline tickets, rental cars, or even daily refills for the gas tank-- especially if you have a large or blended family.  Don't despair!  Travel agencies, fugal friends gave me ideas, and I've included ventures of my own.

"it's all about attitude, says Teresa Mears editor-in-chief of LivingontheCheap.com.  "If you treat a Staycation as a true vacation, then it will feel like one."  No chores, no errands, no work.  Let the office know you are off.  Take photos and treasure the time you have together.  

Plan ahead.  Make a list of attractions, events and festivals.  I enjoy local and small theater.  Give every family member a chance to select something.  Living in SoCal, we can drive to San Diego in less than two hours.  The morning can be spent at Mission Bay where we enjoy a picnic lunch.  Sea World and the San Diego Zoo offer discount tickets online or via media promos.  A walk around Old Town is no/ low coat with numerous restaurants or street fare.  

A trek in to L.A. Is low cost via the Metrolink weekend pass.  Universal City Walk is free (the park charges admission.  If you pack a thermos of coffee, bottled water and snacks, the family can window shop, celebrity hunt, and experience L.A.

Orange County offers Dosneyland and Knotts Berry Farm-- both of which have areas to walk, eat, shop and just soak up the sunshine and atmosphere without entrance fees ( free!).

 

History buffs can always locate an adventure.  Locally, there is Route 66.  This a vertical treasure of ways to spend your vacation:  movie Stars of old stayed, traveled and ate at local establishments. (Sycamore Inn was mobster's fav place to dine when at his Etawanda hideout, the Black Dalia's last meal was consumed there).  While The Magic Lamp hosted The Rat Pack, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

Local libraries have events: Coffee Tasting and paring ( like a wine tasting event), story time and movie night, craft classes and the summer reading program.  

Remember to snag local hotel deals.  Many hotels offer Staycation deals for locals. Call the hotel the day you want to go ans ask for the manager's dis punt or offers.  Don't forget to check AAA or AARP.

Mastering the "Selfie"

Chances are you have seen, or have tried to take a "selfie"--a self-portrait head shot shared on social media sites. Is there a way to make smartphone pics more flattering?  Trial and error, as well as conversations with avid smartphone photographers netted some useful tips.

• Flash you pearly whites.  Smile with your eyes and you will look energetic.
• Face the light. This is particularly helpful if you have a scar or less than perfect skin.
• Use editing apps. Filters and enhancements can create different moods.  A "selfie" for a professional website will look different than a "selfie" for fun fashion blog.
• Play with angles. My personal fav is the 'tilt' by tilting your head down to create the illusion of larger eyes and a smaller jaw. 

Everyone has an idea of her/his best feature.  Experiment.  Discover what works best for you.

Huge Sale at Smashwords for all of July!

Ebooks Improve Vision

Trade your print book for an eBook and you'll read faster!

For people with eye diseases like macular degeneration, digital tablets increased reading speed by as much as 42 words per minute, compared with that of print books or newspapers, so where the findings in a recent study at Robert Wood Johnston in New Jersey.

Why it Works

"The illuminated screens of tablets computers offer sharper resolution than printed materials and help readers discern words more easily," says Daniel B. Roth, MD, study leader.

Tablet Tips

Set brightness to maximum, avoiding places with strong back-ground glare (such as fluorescent lighting or sunshine). And increasing font size.

Happy Reading!

 

Star Trek Tech

Since the pop-culture phenomenon premiered 46 years ago, Star Trek has offered a glimpse of our tech future.  On TV in the 1960s, Captain Kirk used a personal digital assistant, looking remarkably like today's tablet, and Mr. Spock talked to the ship's computer just as we do our smartphones. 

3-D printers bring to mind the replicator that processed food and other items in the 80s and 90s Star Trek "The Next Generation".  Designers of the first portable cellphones credited Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry's, vision.  "it became the flip phone."  While Scandu sensor will read temperature  and heart functions ( remember Dr. McCoy's tricorder?).

Google Glass glasses will let those with sight see more by keeping their heads up, rather than glued to a smartphone screen.  It will be available later this year.

And Microsoft is taking the first experimental steps to put a holodeck in your home.   

It appears that the 23rd-century is materializing at warp speed!

Hair Loss on Your Feet Can Spell Heart Trouble

Really?
Dr. Oz shared this intriguing red flag for heart disease:

• Losing hair on your feet or toes is actually a red flag for vascular disease, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks. 
• Beneath the skin, hair follicles are kept alive by the blood flowing through your veins and arteries.  When you gain weight, over time your cholesterol level rises and plague builds up in your arteries, clogging them up and cutting off the blood flow.
• As a result, the blood vessels under the skin die off, killing hair follicles.  So shiny, hairless skin on your feet may indicate plaque buildup, which could eventually lead to a deadly heart condition.
• But you can often stop or even reverse the buildup of plaque in your arteries with proper diet and exercise.  Be sure to consult with your doctor if you suspect a plague problem.

(I am assuming this applies to men.  I was unable to find an 'female' specific finding by Dr. Oz for this blog article).

When I Grow up I Want a Pony

        After a few inquisitives nuzzles at my pockets to make certainall the carrots pilfered from the garden were gone, Tulsa rested her chin on mybare shoulder. The bristles under her muzzle were thick and warm, tickling my skin.

   I watched her nostrils twitch, and her breath was white in thecold mountain air. She gave a soft whinny, patting her long lashes fringing herdark expressive eyes. I glanced over the wooden fence and out into the distance.

#

     I have found women and horses have a connection that most cannotexplain. It often begins when we are little girls and grows and grows. I recallan old quote, "The falling hooves are my heartbeat and free my soul tofly."
     Yes, this explains the way a girl, or woman, feels when sherides her horse.
     And sometimes, in the stillness of a warm afternoon, I willrecall those sun soaked days and long for the comfort of Tulsa's warm breathupon my neck. Or the soft nickers she made when she watched me toss alfalfainto her stall each morning.
     I remember. And I smile.

     Thank you for blogging with me.  Cassandra G, Ontario Canada was the winner of my Coffee TimeRomance Contest!

     Watch for Brede, Romance Book 2.

      Happy Reading,

      Connie Vines