Get Comfort of Home in California Vacation Rentals
In the sense, diversity lies in each and every element that is from geography to culture and even to climate. There are numerous things to do while holidaying at California. The key places to visit in California are San Francisco, high sierra, redwood tree forests, central valley regions, Los Angeles, inland empire, orange country etc. Big Bear Lake in California is considered as the one of the most popular place to visit as it is great place for golf, skiing, and snowboarding etc. And, the best place to live in while holidaying is California vacation rentals.
California vacation rentals are available in different forms such as villa, condo, bungalow, cottage, and apartment. They are just as a second home in the holidaying town. The reason, as to why they are considered as second home, is that they offer all amenities present in a home such as dryer, washer, television, DVD etc. Along, that it also embraces of fully furnished kitchen in which any type of cuisine can be cooked.
On using California vacation rental, the person is needed to pay rent against all these services. The rent of the vacation rental depends on various factors; some of them are as follows:
• Size of the vacation rental
• Location
• And, the number of people coming to stay in the rental
While choosing the type of vacation rental, the person must not forget to consider his budget. In other words, he must choose as per his needs and requirements.
The person can book his California vacation rentals either through an agent or directly from home owners.
California is the best place to spend vacation. And, if the person is postponing his plan to California, just for the reason as there is lack of information regarding California and the means of lodging. Then, internet is the best means to gain information about available California vacation rental. Internet makes the task easier as it is just a matter of minutes to locate, compare and book the rental in California. It enables and helps the person to get the best deal in terms of cost and comfort.
Thus in order to conclude, it would be right to say that California vacation rentals are the best means of lodging as they provide comfort of home on low price. So, whenever the person plans his vacation in California, he must not forget to book his vacation rental.
They say a fisherman found it lost at sea. My father’s last surfboard. I emailed Randy Rarrick, the shaper, to inquire. If it was the one, it was the board he gave up surfing on. He left surfing behind without looking back, and he left it on that board.
I recall it well. It was blue…completely blue; the only color board my father, Buzzy Trent, ever owned. All his others, shaped by Dick Brewer, were clear. But what I remember most about it was what took place one winter day on the grass in front of Val Valentine’s house at Sunset Beach. There was a good swell and my father invited Ricky Grigg to try out his new board. He did, and when Ricky came in his words were, to say the least… critical. My father’s temper responded with, to say the least…furious words. He packed it up immediately and drove us home leaving Ricky in the wake of our Volkswagen’s dust. My father later forgave him (he always did), but he stopped surfing soon after. I’ve often wondered what happened to the blue board. When I heard where it was found, I wasn’t surprised; because when he released surfing from his life, from that point on, there was always a part of him adrift…lost at sea.
It has been said to me by a few people who knew him well and knew him long, that no one has accurately portrayed the real Buzzy Trent. The persona that follows him describes a physical power house, a risk taker who was quick to express judgment, and possessed a bit of an ego. In reality he was quite the opposite. Rather, he was gentle (he loved animals and children), could be quite conservative (was shy with women), took calculated risks (shrewdly assessed every situation), and was emotionally vulnerable. What I believe most people found intriguing about him was that he lived a life set around surfing big waves during a unique time. He set the blue print for big wave surfing; in some opinions, one of the very players to create the sport. Known as an individual who lived life on his own terms, without apologizing for his actions and viewpoints, he presented the fearless big wave rider image that was mirrored not only in the water but in his personal life as well. He possessed a steely eyed temperament with a chiseled physique that epitomized the powerhouse image of the big wave rider of his time. But perhaps what was most loved about my father (by the people that really knew him), was that he possessed an ideology within himself in which he modeled to live a life by. He talked like he lived and he lived like he talked.
Born to Buster and Dorothea Trent, he was named Goodwin Murray Trent, after his father. His mother was the only daughter of the renowned and wealthy Los Angeles architect, John Parkinson, who designed many of the cities most important landmarks which include L.A. City Hall, USC Campus, and L.A. Coliseum. In fact, sixty-four of his buildings still stand today.
As a wedding gift, Buzzy’s grandfather gave Dorothea and Buster a completely furnished five hundred acre ranch in San Marcos (the site now of Palomar Junior College) where he was born on Mother’s Day May 13, 1929. The youngest of five children, he was the baby of the family born to Mama Trent who was then in her forties. Nicknamed Buster (like his father), it was soon shortened to Bussie, and later evolved into Buzzy, although he was always Bussie to his mother.
Buzzy grew up on the Trent Ranch until the age of ten. His recollections were reminiscent of a happy childhood, though marred by some sad events; One being when his sister drowned in the well and another, witnessing the railroad tracks carrying hundreds of homeless men seeking work and food during the depression years. He described how my grandfather would have to chase them off the ranch with a shot gun, there would be so many. For the most part, it was a good childhood with fond memories of picking giant tomatoes off the vines and eating them like apples, and hunting for deer with his twenty-two rifle.
But troubles arose in his parent’s marriage forcing them to seek a divorce. Shared to me by my Uncle Marty (my father’s brother), during these times, while custody issues were being decided by the courts, rather than make the decision to place the children with one of either parents, the children would instead be placed in foster care until a decision could be made on who would receive custody. Buzzy and his brother Marty were placed together in foster care for two years. His parents would later decide to reconcile, sold the ranch and moved into a three story Victorian home on San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica. The attempted reconciliation of his parents was soon to prove unsuccessful and eventually his father left the family for good and his parents divorced. Papa Trent’s abandonment of his family was to have lasting effects on the then twelve year old Buzzy. Effects that were to influence how he later chose to deal with family bonds much later in life. When his father returned to reconnect with his children, Buzzy was the only one in the family who refused to ever speak to him again.
The transition from ranch life to Santa Monica was an abrupt change but Buzzy acclimated. Always an individual, he maintained being his own person and the Trent boys were permitted to continue running around shirtless and barefoot in their overalls. Indulged by their parents, they were given a quarter for lunch, which at the time was an unheard of amount for kid lunch money. He was a mama’s boy with an independent spirit and free reign to do as he pleased. He thrived in Santa Monica and it was where his love for the ocean was born.
As a young gremmie, he would peddle his bicycle to State Beach to rent a paddle board from Ninhausners Boat House and use it to fish for mackerel and halibut. It was there that he said he saw a guy catch a wave and ride it all the way in. He began surfing the paddleboards until one day, when returning it to Old Ninhausner, it fell through the window. He ran away with Old Ninhausner yelling and chasing him, never to return again.
Convincing his mother to buy him a redwood surfboard, he hooked up a rickshaw wagon to a balloon tire bicycle, and peddled his hundred pound board the ten miles to Malibu:
When I started going to Malibu World War II was going on. There was gas rationing and no cars to speak of on the highway. The first time I saw Malibu I just couldn’t believe it. I fell in love with Malibu the first time I saw her.
He became friends with Matt Kivlin. They became buddies in tow, riding their bikes to Malibu together until Matt got a car:
It was a thrill peddling our boards from Santa Monica to Malibu on those balloon tire bikes…that was a big trip for us, dragging those hundred pound redwoods. When we’d come around the corner and see those tiny two foot waves, we’d peddle faster and faster just to get there. We’d bury the boards in the sand and leave them there for the week, come back and pick them up the next week. Life was different then. You didn’t worry about it. When we got a little older, Matt got a car and started driving us to the beach… we didn’t have to bury our boards anymore.
At an impressionable age, abandoned by his own father, Buzzy found a role model in Bob Simmons. I don’t recall him ever speaking about another surfer the way he spoke about Simmons. I knew he was an important figure in his young life:
At Malibu during the forties there was absolutely nothing. The beach was white sand and covered with driftwood. There was only one house- Mrs. Rindge’s house. There was also a Coast Guard station. They were supposed to be watching the beach but there was no one there. Nobody. It was very rare for a car to drive by when you were surfing. It was beautiful!
The bottom of the point was covered, literally covered with abalone. Steel Headed trout… there was Steel Headed trout that swam up Malibu Creek. We’d chase them and hit them on the head with rocks.
I met Bob Simmons at Malibu and for some reason he took a liking to me. He was very much an individual and you knew that there was something exceptional about him. Intellectually he was head and shoulders above the rest. He was a 4F, which meant that he didn’t have to enter the military. A bicycle accident had sent him through a car windshield, shattering his arm and permanently setting it at a ninety degree angle. When he started surfing he was so crippled in that arm that he couldn’t paddle his board fast enough.
Simmons was my hero and I was a young gremmie aching to be his test pilot. I hung out everywhere with him and we got into a close relationship. He would come to my house to pick me up in his Model A. It was the funniest thing! Like I said, he was brilliant. With gas rationing going on he had devised a way to adapt his Model A to burn on cleaning solvent. He had a fifty gallon drum in the back seat of his car. We drove up and down the coast in that thing. We rode all over. We even made trips down to Mexico…
Although early on he felt a strong pull toward the ocean, my father was also a natural athlete who excelled in every sport he attempted. He ran track and field, and played football; He was a boxer for awhile, boxing in the Golden Gloves. Abruptly leaving boxing, he focused on football, and went on to play for USC. Maintaining his connection with the ocean, he began life guarding at Santa Monica Beach where one day he saw a little nine year old boy in the shore break. Hey Kid! Want a ride? Propping him onto his surfboard, he paddled him into a wave-his first wave. My father’s lifeguard tower sat in front of this little boy’s house, and after that ride he appointed himself the mascot of Buzzy’s tower. The little boy’s name was Ricky Grigg and their friendship was to last the duration of my father’s lifetime. It was bonds and friendships such as these that no doubt influenced the trajectory of the California surfing migration to Hawaii in the fifties. The roster of big wave surfing pioneers was a short list. They all knew one another and were poised to follow each others lead to the islands.
When I asked my father what brought him to the islands he told me that it was Walter Hoffman, who was in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii. Walter was sending back pictures of the surf with the call of, you guys gotta get over here! A spot on a crew to enter a Trans-Pacific race gave him an opportunity to sail to Hawaii in 1953. It was to be the first Pacific Catamaran crossing from California. It was an adventure that brought him to the islands in search of surfing the biggest waves; to the place he was to spend the rest of his life.
He fell in love with Hawaii. But mostly, he fell in love with Makaha…
It was so unique looking at a point wave the way it turned and rolled into Makaha. They’re so blue and pure. When the wave starts to break there’s the spray that goes right across the top as it breaks from top to bottom. It’s a powerful thing grinding across the point with a perfectly formed shoulder. It’s a fantastic experience to be out there and see these perfect sets coming in. You’re sitting in the perfect position, the line up is perfect, you’ve done everything right, and here it comes around from Kaena Point. A great feeling comes over you. You’re not thinking about anything else in life except that wave and that moment. It’s just you and that huge wave. You’re totally involved in what you’re about to do and nothing else matters.
He returned to California but the lure of big Makaha Point surf was to draw him back. At that time his brother Marty was bedridden from a serious leg injury playing football. He recounted the story to me one day;
I had just broken my leg from playing football at UCLA and was in the hospital. Buzzy walked in carrying a duffle bag over his shoulder. He said, “I’m going back Marty.” I yelled and swore at him and told him that if he left he was a coward for not finishing school and leaving like that… and that if he left I never wanted to see him again. He just said, “I’m going Marty.” He turned around and left. I never saw him again for over twenty years. I have always felt that your father might have had a very different life if he had not met your mother…
And she did change his life. He loved Makaha, and she was a Makaha girl. If you want to know where you’re going, look at the path behind you. There were three things that my father truly loved; surfing Makaha Point, his two children, and my mother. It is no surprise to me that my father chose my mother Violet. His path in life led him there, and in turn, led him to her…
The first time I saw your mother she was walking out of the Makaha Supermarket. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!
And she was beautiful. The dangerous kind- beautiful with a hot temper. But then, my father always loved a challenge.Dark flashing eyes, large full mouth, and the tiniest waist…she possessed a charm that left you with an indelible impression. And that voice… she took Buzzy Trent by storm.
Bud Browne knew them both well and often told me they couldn’t live with, or without each other. In truth, their relationship encompassed all that we desire, yet all that we fear in one. I believe we measure our own relationships by what we’ve observed in our own parents. Although I was witness to their many heated moments, I also remember my father treating my mother in a romantic way; picking her gardenias or finding her shells.
It’s ironic that my father chose to marry a woman who hated the beach. Raised in Makaha, the driest part on the island of Oahu, she longed for the cool rains and lush greenery of Manoa Valley. In fact, of all the times my father took us surfing with him, I recall my mother sitting on the beach only once; it was at Yokohama. Near the water’s edge on a cool evening, she sat on the sand near my brother Ivan and me, while we played army with pieces of driftwood. This was unusual for her as she always sat in the car watching my father surf from the passenger’s seat.
When she died, it was the greatest tragedy our family has ever endured. In fact, I don’t think we really survived it. Devoted to her until the end, his final gesture to her was to scatter her ashes, mingled with gardenias, deep in the Niu Valley; far, far, away from the ocean and Makaha.
When my father gave up surfing he followed true to how he handled everything in his life. He said, when you go, you go…go and never look back. Never.
He left surfing and Makaha behind, like the day he left his brother Marty in California, and never looked back. For a time, he replaced surfing with hang gliding- and diving…he always dove… until the body just couldn’t do it any more. I knew his life was never the same since Makaha. He wasn’t living his life anymore, he was passing through it. He even called it, the homestretch. I knew he missed it; missed that part of himself.
Not long ago I had a dream. It was so real that I woke up with a start and a huge hole in my heart.
I was in a place surrounded by black lava that stretched for miles and miles. It was endless. Above was blue without a cloud in the sky. I was walking alone and looking ahead, I saw a figure outlined in the distance. Walking faster and faster, I began to see it clearly as I drew closer. It was my father. I began running and the whole time I was fixed on his face. He had a great big smile. The same smile that lit across his face when I was a young child. I cried out to him, and heard myself yell out the word no! But he simply lifted his right arm high above his head-almost in a strange greeting, smiled, and turning his back toward me, fell forward into the bluest ocean.
The dream felt so real it was as if I could touch it. Later, I retold it to a Hawaiian friend. Her response was, Anna, it was Kaena Point. I felt like I had been hit. Of course it was. I should have known it all along. Although he didn’t surf Kaena, it was his special place. The southern most tip of Oahu, barren land untouched by time, it was the place he loved to dive; the place where Hawaiians believe your soul enters the next life. He knew where to go.
When my father died in September 2006, he was scattered in a place I would not have chosen. It was a town beach; a place he had no connection to. No matter, because even in death, I knew he was in for the swim of his life. I’m certain he made it back to Kaena Point, eventually… by way of Makaha.
Lost at sea? I think at some point in each of our lives, we’re all temporarily lost. It’s probably the only way to really find ourselves, know who we are, and what we’re really made of. Is it the one? Is it my father’s blue board come home? I hope so.
Anna Trent Moore
Anna Trent Moore is the daughter of Buzzy Trent. She is also a wife, mother, surfer, and owner of a beloved Corgie named Little Bear.
Wedding of Kim Chilman-blair and Michael Frampton in NZ, Feb27, 2010 Video Rating: 5 / 5
Selling a Vacation Home for Sale by Owner Can be a Challenge
Selling a vacation home For Sale By Owner can be a challenge. If you live out of the area, scheduling appointments for buyers to view the home can be time consuming. So how can you maximize exposure for your vacation home or other remote property?
A property specific website is a great way to pre-sell your vacation home to potential buyers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – no appointment or long drive necessary.
Here are five tips for creating a real estate website for your For Sale By Owner property:
1. Sell the lifestyle. When buyers need a primary home for their family, they are more likely to focus on fundamentals such as 3 bedrooms, a good school district, and an easy commute. A vacation home is a lifestyle. Write a description that engages the buyer. For example, instead of “hot tub” you can describe and evening of sitting under the stars sipping locally grown wine in a private hot tub.
2. Sell the area. When buying a primary home, buyers are restricted to certain areas by employment, schools, and family. When purchasing a vacation home, buyers have more freedom and may be considering several different locations. Describe the experience of your vacation home. For example: “Wake to the sounds of the ocean, walk to town for morning coffee, and spend an afternoon on the uncrowned beaches.”
3. Capture the lifestyle visually. A picture says a thousand words, so take photos of more than bathrooms and exteriors. Are you selling a ski cabin? Take photos of skiers and snowboarders. Are you selling a quiet cabin in the redwoods? Photograph the light streaming through the trees in late afternoon. Create an online visual tour that promotes a relaxing getaway.
4. Create a descriptive domain name. Although many property specific websites can focus on a specific address such 348elm.com, a descriptive domain name can be a powerful marketing tool in selling your vacation home. For example, vailskicondo.com or blueoahucottage.com can help your URL stand out in a buyer’s mind.
5. Promote, promote, promote! You never know who is looking for a vacation home in your area, so promote your vacation home in a wide variety of locations. Free classified ad websites such as Craigslist or Kijiji are great ways to promote your vacation home at no cost.
A property specific website is a creative way to reach buyers for your vacation property, even if it is in a remote location. You can schedule appointments to meet buyers who are already pre-sold on your vacation home, creating a more effective use of your time. You can create a fast, easy, affordable property website in just minutes at http://www.home4salebyu.com/createapropertywebsite.aspx.
Dawn Sadler is President and Founder of Home 4 Sale By U. Home 4 Sale By U offers fast, easy, affordable property websites for FSBO properties including homes for sale by owner, condos for sale by owner, and vacation homes for sale by owner. Email her at dawn@home4salebyu.com or visit www.home4salebyu.com.
It’s long, it’s dull, it can be brutally hot in the summer and treacherously foggy in spots in the winter – but it will take you from the bottom of California to the top faster than you can say, “Roll up your windows, we are about to drive by Harris Ranch!”
Raising a family in Southern California and having parents that live in Northern California means that in November and December of every year I spend quite a bit of quality time on the most traveled interstate highway in California -Interstate 5.
The trick is to traverse the monotonous road fast enough to remain mentally stimulated, yet at a clip that keeps you safely under the visual radar of the CHP. After all, no one wants to deal with a ticket and traffic school after a vacation.
Now that my sons are teenagers with earphones permanently attached to their craniums, and they no longer seem to be amused with the license plate alphabet game or my mooing aloud every time I spot a cow off the side of the road, and my husband is busy concentrating on the art of eating garlic-stuffed olives while driving, I have been left with little left to do on these long hauls but observe other drivers on the interstate. Or should I say, observe other drivers speeding down the interstate at a clip well in excess of the posted 70 mph maximum speed.
Perhaps, there will be a few folks dealing with a ticket and traffic school after vacation time after all.
I couldn’t help wondering if all the folks whipping by so quickly had noticed the white regulatory signs with black writing posted all along the I-5 that say, “Radar Enforced, Patrolled by Aircraft”.
Then it hit me.
Throughout my many trips on this road, from countless vacations as a child going to Disneyland and Baja California, through college semester breaks and now innumerable trips to Grandma and Grandpa’s for every conceivable holiday, I have never once seen a single aircraft patrolling this highway. It’s not as if the plane could be hidden by trees or other scenery. The I-5 freeway from LA to where we turn off towards San Jose is basically one long open brown field broken up by the occasional cow.
Perhaps the authorities felt that just the threat of a citation and traffic school would be enough to deter the speedy crowd.
I called the Kern County highway patrol and asked about the mysterious missing aircraft. I was told that the plane patrols more frequently closer to its home base in Fresno. It really only gets over to the I-5 two or three times a month. Apparently, though, you will know it when you see it. It is a small, black and white single engine plane that has “CHP” written on the bottom – for your viewing convenience from below.
However, according to the Kern County CHP, if you are being paced for speeding from the air, the plane will attempt to fly in your blind spot so that you don’t notice them until well after they have called in the ground troops to set you straight.
I will say this; someone must be doing a heck of a job catching the serious speeders on this highway, though.
On the west side of the I-5, near Junction 46 there is a large, detached big rig trailer sitting conspicuously in a field. The side facing the freeway is covered with the type of white butcher’s paper that children make handprints on for parents in preschool.
However, the message on it, spelled out in broad letters in various colors of poster paint, is no child’s folly; “SPEEDERS: 1,292 licenses taken here last year!”
When you consider that a driver’s license is only taken away for traveling at speeds over 100 miles per hour, and traffic school is not even offered up as an option – that is a pretty astounding statement.
It turns out the sign is the handy work of Judge Gary Ingle of the Kern County Superior Court. Judge Ingle apparently became tired of a few too many interstate travelers using the I-5 as their own personal Autobahn.
A hand-painted sign on the side of a trailer?
You’ve got to give Judge Ingle credit for creative thinking outside the box.
Tactfully, I mentioned my observations to my husband and pointed out that he might want to keep an eye on his speed. Through garlic and green olives, his two word reply renewed my confidence in his driving abilities: “Cruise control,” he said.
It looks like we won’t have to worry about the after-vacation traffic school blues, after all.
Her column on automobile driving is published weekly in newspapers of the various publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
In addition to being the featured columnist for the online publication NewCarBuyingGuide.com, Ms. Pearl’s work has also been featured in Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom magazine and the International version of Auto Club Magazine.
If your idea includes relaxing and rejuvenating, then you know that you need to visit a spa. Not all spas, or travelers, are the same, however, so it is important to do your research beforehand so that you can find the right spa for you. Research the treatments and the costs so that you can find the right spa for you, your lifestyle, and your budget.
1. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Are you taking a vacation with your entire family? You do not have to forego resting and relaxing. The Grand Floridian Resort offers their guests childcare in their rooms and child-oriented activities to give you time to enjoy the spa. The spa offers many different treatments to help you receive the rejuvenation that you want and need, including mineral therapy, body-composition analysis, massages, and more.
2. The Aveda Spa at Seattle’s Alexis Hotel
Couples that are looking for a romantic and relaxing weekend will enjoy the Alexis Hotel. They offer a chocolate dessert and champagne for free that you can enjoy with your spouse and you can visit the Aveda Spa. There are a variety of different treatments that you can get at the spa, including a Himalayan Rejuvenation Body Treatment and more. The skin care treatments are available for purchase, too, which can allow you to take that relaxing and recuperating feeling home with you.
3. Marriott’s Wentworth by the Sea at New Castle
If you and your partner are looking for a beautiful escape from reality, then you will love the Marriott’s Wentworth by the Sea. The spa has many pampering treatments, including paraffin hand treatments, The Royal Gentleman’s Facial, massages, and more. Warm stones, aromatherapy, and even Reiki therapy are used to help make you as relaxed as possible. Even children can join in on the spa experience by getting a “good start” facial that is created just for kids.
4. Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa on Maui
If you want to visit Hawaii, then there is a spa for you there as well. This spa is famous for their Termé Wailea Hydrotherapy. Other treatments include an aromatic bath, a visit to the Redwood Sauna, and more. Body scrubs, body wraps, foot massages, and more can put you in the right frame of mind for relaxing on vacation. If you are in desperate need for relaxation and rejuvenating, then you can get a luxurious treatment that includes a wrap, bath, and a massage for approximately 0.
5. Barbados’s Sandy Lane Resort
For the best trip to a spa that you have ever taken, then you will definitely want to go to this spa on the island of Barbados. It has several signature treatments, including the Dr. Hauschka Classic Treatment that is a six-hour treatment that was created to release the tension in every part of your body. You can also enjoy water massage, an aromatherapy, and more. You will leave feeling relaxed and pampered. What a wonderful thing!
Concentrating on the area of Spain, Johnathan Bakers writes articles almost entirely for http://www.alicante-spain.com . His abstracts on Golf in Spain are published on his website .
Let me start off by asking what the hell is a White Elephant Gift exchange?
Ok so it’s a holiday party for the company that my significant other works at and it’s at a hilton garden inn and it’s suppose to be holiday attire…when you say holiday attire what does that mean to you? … and each couple of suppose to bring a white elephant gift….what’s a white elephant gift? and what would you get for a white elephant gift?
When the seasons begin to change and the frost wholeheartedly appears on our doorsteps, we know that winter is here. While this can be uplifting and exciting for some, the majority of us cringe when snow is on the mind. Luckily, just because the season has changed, doesn’t mean that you have to suffer. Looking for a peaceful getaway? Shasta Lake is one place that you may never want to leave. Located in the heart of Northern California, this lake is more than just your average day trip. With a plethora of things to do, it is no wonder why thousands of visitors are continuously coming back to this tranquil Californian gem.
The beauty of Shasta Lake is that it is regarded as one of the most peaceful locations in California. Nestled between stunning mountaintops and crystal clear water – this lake proves to be a serene landmark. Additionally, there is an array of activities to choose from, regardless of how great the weather is. Looking for a peaceful way to enjoy your days? At Shasta Lake, there are hundreds of species of warm and cold watered fish. Though fishing can be tried any time of year, most people recommend the summer months. From contests to fishing events – the opportunities are certainly endless. Nevertheless, fishing is a wonderful way to relax, enjoy the outdoors, and catch a fish or two. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy this calm sport.
If fishing isn’t your cup of tea, don’t pack up your bags just yet! Shasta Lake is also home to one of the most alluring caverns in the country. Surprisingly, this tour is anything but ordinary. Starting out by boat, you are able to experience the beauty of Shasta Lake. With tour guides pointing out exotic animals and landmarks, it will easily be a memorable experience. After sailing across the clear waters, you then take a bus to the entrance of the cavern. From there, you are able to glance at the awe-inspiring phenomenon. Down below are thousands of crystal formations that have stood the test of time for centuries. Additionally, tour guides tell you the history of the caverns, as well as the stories that have emerged as the years have passed. Regardless of your vacation preferences, the Shasta Lake Caverns is a huge highlight for any visitor.
While the winter season is never a favorite, Shasta Lake in Northern California will certainly change your perspective during the icy months. From fishing to tours and trails – you will never find yourself bored if you choose to experience the serene atmosphere. Far too often we find ourselves stuck at home when the temperature drops to below zero. As a result, we become restless, depressed, and sick of the everyday schedule. For years Shasta Lake has provided vacationers with a fresh break from the glacial structures that surround our lives. Perhaps this year it is time for you to do the same. Buy a plane ticket, book a room, and experience what everyone is talking about. Shasta Lake will without a doubt impress you so much that you’ll be coming back next year.
I recently decided to build a hanging porch swing. I admit that this is probably not something everyone should attempt. I have the tools and the interest so I felt like I could tackle it. It started out as a pretty simple idea really. I’d seen these sorts of swings before and had fond memories of my Grandma’s swing back in the 70’s. So, when I realized that my parent’s 45th wedding anniversary was coming up I decided it was time to head to the wood shop.
First I took a good long look at their current hanging porch swing. It was three feet wide and hung from an A frame that was about 5′ tall and 4′ wide at the base. This seemed okay but I decided to build one that was just a little longer and with a different hanging setup. I opted for redwood because I like the way it looks and holds up to weather conditions. Plus, I thought my Mom would approve. I don’t care who you are or how old you get, you always want your Mom to approve.
Once I had my basic idea of the changes I wanted to make from their old hanging porch swing I headed to the home improvement store with my material list and bought about 0 worth of goodies. Lots of bolts, washers and nuts, as well as the lumber. Building the stand took a couple days and it came out pretty nice. The timbers are heavy enough that the swing should feel real secure hanging from the overhead cross piece. Of course, this step could have been left out and the swing could just be hung from rafters, but I wanted them to have the option of being able to situate the swing either on the porch or out in the yard or garden.
The swing itself took a bit more woodworking skill. I settled on a design where the slats would rest on seat and back support pieces that are bolted together in the back where they come together. The top of the back rest is made out of wider board and made slightly elliptical across the top. This adds a nice little softening affect without getting crazy. The slats themselves are just cut down from the larger 2x lumber. A hanging porch swing can, of course, be made out of almost anything. Pine is cheap and can be painted or weather sealed in other ways. Oak, cyprus, mahogany, teak, and cedar were other materials I considered. But, in the end, redwood won out.
A hanging porch swing has to be something that is comfortable and instills confidence, especially if your family has big people in it like mine. Nobody wants to try to relax on the swing while wondering if it is going to come crashing down. Because of this concern I opted for some pretty heavy duty chain to suspend the swing from.
Smiles all around when the hanging porch swing was given. No more tired old broken down metal swing to contend with. Now there is a beautiful swing and stand out in my parent’s garden. Who knows if they’ll ever use it on the porch. Maybe not. And that’s okay with me. As long as they enjoy it, I’ll be happy. Even if you aren’t the type to try to build this sort of thing, I highly recommend you get a hanging porch swing for yourself or someone you love. There is just something special about the time spent relaxing on a swing with a loved one.
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and one that you want to be picture perfect. Imagine… exchanging your vows in the open air on a beautiful summer’s day, surrounded by vibrant, colorful flowers and abundant poplar trees. The Ceremony Garden is the perfect place to say “I Do” in a park-like setting that is surrounded by spectacular views that include our world-class golf course and the extravagant Coastal Mountains. Capture the moment by taking magnificent photographs at various photo sites available. After you have exchanged your vows enjoy your reception in our Marquis Tent, which can accommodate 200 guests. Complemented with ivy hanging baskets and Twinkle Lights, the Marquis Tent is the perfect space in which to enjoy dinner and dancing. Contact us at sales@redwoods-golf.com or visit our website at www.redwoods-golf.com
