Happy July 4th to everyone: I am going on vacation from California to Washington State and wanted to know if anybody knows of a good, inexpensive place to stay along the California Northern Coast?

Marine currents affect the weather such as el niño phenomena ’cause of the different temperatures , but what gives these currents their direction and different temperature?

Top Destinations for Traveling Nurses

The great thing about being a traveling nurse boils down to one key component – it’s about the travel!  For those of us who love moving around and seeing the world, travel nursing is the profession of our dreams.  There are many travel destinations available, based on weather, activities, cost of living, and salary.  Therefore, I have gathered a list of my “Top Ten” destinations that nurses choose, based on the number of travelers who inquire about each location every month.  Are you a travel RN scouting a new assignment?  Then I’d like to suggest the following ten “Hot Spots”:

HAWAII – It’s no shock that Hawaii generates over 500 travel nursing inquiries per month.  The wide range of outdoor activities from snow-capped mountains to snow-white sandy beaches elevates Hawaii to one of those meccas where you can build a snowman or a sand castle all in one day.  Nurses tell me that you’ll discover virtually every type of outdoor activity imaginable-hiking trails that wind through erupting volcanoes, secret beaches, and lush green ranchlands.  Many travelers also hunt, mountain bike, go rafting, and golf on some of the world’s most extravagant courses.

ALASKA – Travel nurses are intrigued by the possibilities of Alaska’s rugged mystery.  Alaska is a huge wilderness with beautiful scenery, and travel nursing assignments offer plenty of time to see and do everything you want, whether in winter’s darkness under northern lights, or the glorious spring and summer where it’s light most of the time.  Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy Alaska for its’ wildlife, spectacular natural landscape, and fishing expeditions where the fish really are as big as the stories about which they’re told.  Countless day cruises and sightseeing expeditions abound, as well as opportunities to hike, kayak, canoe, ski… Need we say more?

MONTANA – Whether photographer, adventurer, or both, Montana is truly a state that beckons with open arms.  River trips, fishing and camping, history, snowy mountain ranges, and waterfalls are what you’ll encounter, along with plenty of open space to explore.  Assignments in Montana appeal to those travel nurses who just need some time to break away from their city grind to enjoy marching to the beat of an entirely different drummer.  The Big Sky Country boasts some of America’s most famous mountains, canyons, river valleys, forests, grassy plains, badlands, and caverns, and many travelers find it just irresistible enough to keep coming back.

MAINE – Maine’s splendor has inspired artists like Georgia O’Keefe and three generations of the Wyeth family, since the mid-nineteenth century.   Travel nurses can’t resist at least one adventure in this charming getaway.  Whether you embark on outdoor adventures like skiing and snowmobiling, or if you prefer the cozy ambience of antiquing through charming villages or just strolling or riding horseback on miles of sandy beaches in the smell of salt air, Maine is legendary and offers some wonderful travel nursing experiences.  Its’ unique culture is outdoorsy and quaint, and of course you get to enjoy lobster as the locals do-fresh from the ocean!

CALIFORNIA – Warm weather and world-famous beaches make California a favorite choice for traveling nurses.  Nine-hundred miles of coastline gives nurses in all locations the chance to spend many hours near the waves; and for nature lovers, California is home to many wildlife parks, remote wilderness areas, and safe-havens for endangered animals.  If you’re an excitement junkie, you can scout out a wide selection of theme parks; and no matter what your taste in music, concerts abound in every type of venue. Historic sites and museums invite, as do five-star restaurants and clubs in which to see and be seen. The shopping is unparalleled, whether it’s trendy Melrose Place, La Jolla, or the strand in Venice Beach; and of course it’s home to Hollywood, and, yes, movie stars.  Whether northern, southern, or coastal locations, traveling nurses return to California time and again.

WASHINGTON – The Evergreen State boasts the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, the Cascade Mountains, desert experiences, rain forests, towering volcanoes, glaciers, and lush wine country.  Washington State rates high on the list of many nurse travelers.  Must-sees are the Space Needle and Coulee Dam.  The culture here is incredibly diverse; sophisticated, outdoorsy, and loaded with resorts, history, parks, museums, and botanical gardens.  Whether touring downtown Seattle for cozy antique and book stores, exploring ancient Indian grounds, or hiking and biking mountains or trails, Washington holds a strong allure for many nurse travelers.

SOUTH CAROLINA – Endless adventure, excitement, fun and exploration represent why South Carolina is always a favorite destination for travel nurses.  America’s oldest landscaped gardens frame mansions rife with historical heritage, in addition to pristine beaches and legendary marshy wetlands.  For all you golfers, with over 330 golf courses, there’s always a new place to swing your clubs.  But what fascinates many traveling nurses is the rich heritage in which South Carolina has paved the roads of culture, art, and folklore in our past.  You can visit several historical areas and discovery centers of American history, including the American Revolution and the Civil War.

COLORADO – World-class winter skiing and summer music festivals in the mountains are just two reasons that nurses love traveling to Colorado.  Boasting four spectacular seasons, Colorado is where travel nurses get to explore the state’s 18 million acres of state and national parks, forests, and monuments for biking, hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, and kayaking, to name a few.  Colorado has many cultural treasures, including ancient Native American sites and dinosaur fossil exhibits, historic ghost towns, and even award-winning vineyards in Grand Junction.  And for those who enjoy city life, amid all this natural beauty lie wonderful metropolitan areas like Denver and Boulder, full of shopping, performing arts, and professional sports.

TENNESSEE – From energetic nights of blues on Beale Street, to gorgeous rolling acres of Tennessee Walker horse country, to peaceful Smoky Mountain sunsets, Tennessee is a vacation that offers many world-renowned attractions.  Nurse travelers who visit Tennessee will find that they’re within a day’s drive of 75-percent of the U.S. population via quality interstates and highways.  Attractions in Tennessee include the Jack Daniels’ distillery, Elvis’s Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and lots of southern hospitality.  And don’t forget the crown jewel of the southern Appalachians, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
ARIZONA – If you adore the outdoors, then the Grand Canyon State might just be for you.  The nurses who go there just rave about Arizona’s landscape which takes in tall mountain ranges, swift rivers, grasslands, sand dunes, and cactus forests all set against a beautiful sky that glows pink in the sunset.  The traveler nurses who enjoy history will find plenty of it here, including Old West reformations, Native American nations, and Spanish-influenced areas all in one state.  Arizona is also home to the nation’s greatest golf courses, resorts, spas, cabins, and ranches.
As you can see, limitless possibilities exist for those nurses who want travel, fun, and adventure to be part of their daily lives.  If  you’re a nurse who travels and it’s time for you to move on to a new location, try one of these top travel nursing destinations and see what new experiences lie ahead.

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Bloody Water-The Bay Area Red Triangle

Northern California is home to a plethora of famous cities, such as San Francisco, Sausalito, Napa, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Oakland, and other lesser-known cities. The weather is always pleasurable, never getting too hot in the summer, and never getting too cold in the winter. The Bay Area is a popular vacation destination with local tourist attractions, such as the infamous prison Alcatraz, cable cars and trolleys, the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk, Wine Country, and many, many more.

Perhaps one of the things a visitor must do before leaving San Francisco is see the beautiful expanse of beaches that line the west coast of San Francisco city. Baker Beach is no doubt the most scenic beach with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County just across the bridge. With all the beauty the Bay Area possesses, it’s hard to swallow that the waters in this area are also one of the most dangerous.

Danger lurks underneath the surface of the tumultuous waters of the Pacific Ocean. Stretching up from Bodega Bay, which is north of San Francisco and Marin County, out past the Farallon Islands and down to Point Sur, which is below Monterey Bay, lays an area called the Red Triangle. This area has been nicknamed so because of the blood that turns the waters red after a shark has attacked.

Due to a very large population of marine wildlife, great white sharks flock to the area to feast on their flesh. Great white sharks are carnivorous and eat all sorts of marine wildlife, including fish, smaller sharks, and even dolphins. The Red Triangle is home to elephant seals and sea lions, which are a particular favorite of the great white sharks. Of all the documented human attacks in the world, over half have occurred within the Red Triangle.

There are many myths about when a shark would attack, but most have proven to be false. It is widely believed that if you swim where there is kelp, the shark will not attack you, but a large white shark was seen attacking a sea otter in a kelp forest. Surface swimming is said to increase your chances of being attacked; in fact, it may decrease those chances because of a shark’s preferred hunting method, which is to attack its prey that is fully submerged.

It’s tempting to get in the water, more so for surfers who want to challenge the boisterous waves and for divers who want to explore the vast water world, but there is much at risk here. Your life is at risk.

So don’t be another statistic. Stay out of the water.

THE PLACES WE VISITED: NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, NORTHERN & SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
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I bought wine in Italy on vacation and I want to send it home. Are there any restrictions I should know about?

I have reservations from the 13th thru 16th of Jan. 2009 for a non-smoking room (Kingsize bed) at:

Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC
815 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

Is there a recommended room or section to request with the best vew?
I will be going to DC to meet with the US Treasury Department to discuss financial literacy on the 14th and 15th and will leave the 16th.

I will return to DC on the 19th and will attend the Inauguration ceremony on the 20th as well as attend a breakfast at the Rayburn House (House of Rep) before this historical event.
I wanted a nice view from my hotel bedroom when I wake up in the morning and open the curtains.

Essential Greenhouse Supplies and Equipment

For proper functioning and maintenance of greenhouses, certain essential greenhouse supplies and equipment are required.

The first important supply is the covering or glazing material of the greenhouse since it identifies the effectiveness and success of the greenhouse in terms of plant growing and maintenance. Glass covering provides impact on the aesthetic appearance and permanence of the greenhouse. Some of the weaknesses of glass covering include the disability of retaining heat and low insulating value. It is heavier and therefore needs stronger braces or frames. It is fragile, easy to break and doesn’t diffuse light so there’s a possibility of plant burning. It also requires contractor installation, which may affect the budget.

Plastic covering includes fiberglass, polycarbonate, acrylic sheets, and polyethylene film. Fiberglass is an alternative to glass since it is translucent enough to transmit light. You can purchase them in rolls or ridged sheets. The corrugation grids seal and overlap sides to avoid appropriate temperature inside the greenhouse from escaping.

Polycarbonate is the newest covering option, which appears to be stronger and more resistant to environmental impacts like fire. It is available in single, double and triple walled sheets. Single walled coverings are very popular in hobby gardener greenhouse. Double walled is used in sunshine easy growth and Juliana greenhouses which sustains balanced lighting. Triple wall is prevalent in cross-country greenhouses and are the most expensive.

Polyethylene film is the most popular and commonly used in the US since it is cheaper in comparison to other coverings. It is easy to maintain and can be used for 3-5 years depending on the thickness of poly and UV treatment. One of its drawbacks is it is easy to rip and tear.

The second most crucial supply is water. The following are choices on how to water the plants. First is by using a garden hose. It allows the gardener to provide one on one plant watering individually. Although with some greenhouse planters, it can be a problem when there is not much time and when one is on vacation.

The second option is thru drip irrigation system. This is very commonly in use since a tube delivers to each pot from a main water pipe and it uses a nozzle to control water dispersion. It is equipped with a timer for watering plants with less supervision. Third option is the overhead sprinkler system, which automatically waters plants faster; however, plants can be susceptible to unequal distribution of water. The fourth is the overhead misting system, which is important for humidifying the area but not as a main water source.

The third most important supply is the greenhouse thermometer, which provides information or records high and low temperatures inside the greenhouse. It serves as a reference of the wetness and dryness of the surroundings maintenance. The maximum and minimum thermometer uses a small needle to determine the temperature. Some thermometers provide the Ph, moisture content and humidity levels for proper monitoring of the plants. Market offers several types of thermometers like the indoor/outdoor thermometers with sensors, digital wall mounted, or tabletop type with humidity indicator plus soil thermometers for seedbeds and compost monitoring.

The fourth supply is the greenhouse frames. These are in use as skeletons for the greenhouse covering or glazing. The most commonly used frames include wood, aluminum, galvanized steel, and PVC. Wood is extremely popularly in sunrooms or homemade greenhouses. It provides attractive appearance and easy to design with accessories. It is heat containing and are considered to be heavier and larger, therefore allowing more shadow or shade in the greenhouse.

One weakness of wood frames is its proneness to deterioration because of damp atmosphere although there are wood frames that are element and insect resistant like the redwood and cedar. One can also use sealants to increase wood life. Aluminum is indeed the most expensive of all frame choices; however, it is rust, rot and break resistant. Galvanized steel frames are the strongest frames but it needs a heavier structure. PVC pipe frames are popular because it is cheaper, easy to install and portable.

The fifth important supply is the floor, which consists of the walkway and under bench areas. The walkway is best created when it is non-slippery, easy to clean and strong enough to resist everyday moisture and dirt. Some materials for the walkway may include stone, gravel, brick concrete, wood slits, and ground bark. The under bench areas usually use porous materials that can absorb moisture and at the same time allow easy water drainage. Some materials include gravel, sawdust, and ground bark. It also helps to use a sheet of woven weed barrier to avoid growth of weeds.

The sixth most important supply is the benches, which greenhouses use to allow gardeners enough space to work. They also function as shade to the plants. A good bench top allows water to drain and permits flow of fresh air.

The seventh supply is the lighting, which greatly affects the growth of plants. A specific greenhouse area or season creates an impact on the lighting and that’s why there is available artificial lighting for greenhouses.

The eighth supplies are the ventilation system. These include the fan shutter, exhaust fans, fan controls, roof vent openers, louver windows and circulation fans. Shutter fans permit air exhaustion and circulation. Some fan designs are corrosion resistant, quiet, easy to maintain and UV protected. Fan controls are receptacles that control the fan with installed thermostats. Automatic roof vent openers are easy to install which do not require electricity or batteries. Louver windows also help in air circulation. The ideal place for them is opposite the door. Some are adjustable and you can operate them manually or by automatic openers.

The ninth supply is the heating system. These include the electric heaters, small and large gas heaters and heat circulation fans. They function to distribute heat evenly all throughout the greenhouse. Recommended heaters must have automatic thermostats and shut off controls for safety. Gas heaters are in use particularly when electrical plugs are not available in the greenhouse. They are energy proficient and emit carbon dioxide and water.

The tenth supply is the shading system. Shade covers are popular during long hot summers to block about 20% of sun’s rays. They are particularly useful to plants, which are in need of less sunlight. Some factors that you may consider when choosing shade cover size include the greenhouse location, climate, and light requirement of the plants inside the greenhouse.

The eleventh supply is the staging equipments. A single tier with 2 feet height is an ideal set up for staging. However, for large greenhouses, it is best to use 2-3 tiers for maximum use of space. There are available small propagating frames, which are equipped with soil warming cables and air warming sides. Some come with built in thermostats.

The twelfth supply is the watering cans. Despite the availability of automatic irrigation systems, it is also essential to have watering cans. It helps in sustaining water in the greenhouse. A recommended can is a well-balanced one with long spouts to be able to refill water with ease.

The thirteenth supply is the dibbers. These are wooden hand tools handy for creating holes in the ground for plant seedlings and cuttings.

The fifteenth supply is the sieves. These help in soil sifting and compost making.

The sixteenth supply includes buckets, pots and trays, which serve as plant receptacles. These are very common garden supplies.

The seventeenth supply is the measuring jugs and sprayers. These help with pesticide maintenance.

The eighteenth supply is the protective netting. These help to trap insects and bugs, which can be detrimental to the growth of plants. One good example of netting is the plastic netting, which is very economical.

The nineteenth supply is the composting system. Composting system consist of recycling your waste products and using your compost bins and wire containers. These are popularly called commercial composters to make composting easy and manageable. They are easy to rotate and are secure from bugs and pests.

The twentieth supply is the fertilizer. Ideally, plants need to be fertilized once a month to provide the proper nutrients needed by the former.

The twenty-first supply is the hand tools. One must be sure that there are available plant scissors, cultivators, trovels, and weeders in the greenhouse.

The twenty-second need is the tie down kits. This tool will prevent the greenhouse from being blown off by the wind.

The twenty-third supply is the seed heat mats. This is primarily used to germinate seeds faster. Some mats are enclosed with lighting and watering instructions.

The twenty-fourth supply is the plant labels. These are used as aids in plant monitoring. It helps to save time when plants are labeled.

The last supply is the garden apparel used by the gardener. The market offers wide range of choices particularly with the shoes and hand gloves to be used inside the greenhouse. Gloves come with easy grip features while shoes are non-slippery in design and comfortable to use.

Find More Vacation In Redwood Articles

I’d like to go on vacation around Thanksgiving time. I live in Northern California and would like to spend some time on a beach or a snowy lake or something. Does anyone have any suggestions on where is good?