These cables will allow you to use your computer through the television in your room. Rather than pay for costly hotel movies, you will be able to stream all of your content through your computer.

If you are going on a road trip, be sure to take turns driving so nobody gets too tired. If one driver drives until the point of exhaustion, they will go to sleep after switching. The quiet in this situation may cause the new driver to fall asleep, as well. You should switch drivers to avoid getting exhausted. Driving about two or three hours is a good plan. That way neither driver will run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

Ask to be placed in a room on an upper level, if at all possible. It might seem like no big deal, but thieves have an easier time breaking into rooms on the ground floor. You should also avoid staying in rooms with sliding doors. Rooms such as this can be broken into easier.

The Internet has become an awesome resource when it comes to planning your next vacation. Travel sites aid in planning out your travel itineraries with little effort. Make the most of your travel budget by booking air travel, rental cars and hotels online. You can even review pictures and critiques of hotels online. Travel sites also offer great deals for planning your trip, including discounts for last minute travel.

Try to avoid wrapping the gifts you are taking with you when you travel to reduce the issues that may arise because of them. The TSA may have to open the present, which will be very disappointing. Rather, simply take wrapping paper with you, or wait to purchase some once you arrive.

Try to pack light, and make solid plans. A light, smart packing job will make any trip easier and more enjoyable.

If you are planning on spending money on a cruise, you better know beforehand if you are prone to getting seasick. This could ruin your entire trip and make you very dreadful. Seasickness can ruin your trip by keeping you bedridden for most of it. Take a small boat trip before your cruise to see if you get seasick. If you do, make sure to get some medication that can help with this problem.

palm springs ca mexican restaurants Research hotels for pet allowance and fees pertaining to them prior to traveling with your pet. Look into many places before choosing one, so you end up at one that your pet will love.

Make sure you take clothespins with you when travelling. They have several uses, and since they are small they take up hardly any room.

Be aware that in some foreign cities many criminals will pose as policemen. You should never give anyone your original passport no matter who they purport to be, or you could end up stranded in a strange land. If someone insists you must visit their office, then walk there with them. Do not get into a vehicle with someone that you do not know.

mexican restaurants palm desert If you apply the tips introduced in this article, you’ll become a smarter and happier traveler. No matter where you are traveling, you will enjoy it more knowing you have gotten your money’s worth out of it.

Once I had decided to use the various types of Sculpey to create the hammers, I began crafting some small test sculptures to see what techniques would work best to produce a realistic skin surface. The polymer clay I was focused on using, Super Sculpey, already went a long way in achieving a defused, skin-like luminance. However, there was still a great deal of work that could be done to push the medium even further towards appearing like real skin. I was hopeful to have the majority of detail sculpted into the clay to pull off the final look.

The early tests started off as solid pieces of Super Sculpey. I would push in a texture stamp to create realistic looking wrinkles and pores. After baking the clay, I used thinned out acrylic paints to add color variation and heightened surface details such as veins, freckles, and sub-dermal colorization. Since the post baked clay was already hard, painting in such details tended to sit right on the surface, not sink in to preserve and enhance the translucency of the surface layer.

Back to the drawing board.

As I was tackling the colorization issues, I was also brainstorming ideas on how to maintain the sculpted surface details while holding the hammer. An early solution involved a set of three armatures the hammer would rest on while I applied the texture stamping. The points of the armature that were in direct contact with the hammer would also have texture built in to preserve the details. This didn’t work out though. As I sculpted the base form of the hammer, the heat from my hands caused the clay to flex and bow under its own weight. (Remind me to talk about the heat issue again later. There’s a specific season that is ideal for making an ODK Hammer.)

My solution was to create a core form that would be baked without any surface details. Once cooked and cooled, I would then apply the surface texture without the issue of the hammer bowing. After a couple tests, this seemed to be the ideal technique. Yet, I still had the colorization issue to figure out. Then a solution finally dawned on me! I could make the core sculpture more detailed with color regions that simulated the muscle tissue, vein structures and bones. Then the surface texture wouldn’t need as much paint to pull off the full effect of looking alive.

Confident, I went into a mini production of five hammers. I sculpted and baked the five cores, plus the horn/claw portion for each hammer. After these elements cooled down, I sculpted on the skin texture with a greater detail and baked the sculptures a second time. These hammers looked amazing, better than I had expected.

I just realized that out of context, all these references to hammers must read as a rather peculiar blog entry.

With five completed ODK Hammers finished, I went right back into another production of five more.

However, it was now May. The Coachella Valley is home to an obscene number of golf courses and resorts. A large percentage of the population only reside here during the winter months, which for us is “The Season”. The Season ends around mid May, and the Snow Bird Exodus begins. Want to guess as to why? If you remove all the resorts and golf courses, take away the track homes and swimming pools, the Coachella Valley is actually a desert in southern California. May usually sees the onslaught of tipple digit temperatures. Those of us who live here year round can do so only through the prolific assistance of climate control technology; air conditioners! Yet, the AC only creates the “air” of comfort (pun intended), through the actual blowing of cool air. The heat still remains at the core of everything. If the cool blowing air stops, the heat becomes all too apparent.

Sculpey doesn’t work very well in the heat. It becomes too soft and slightly gummy. It’s near impossible to work with Sculpey when the heat kicks in, especially if you’re trying to add texture detail. There is a season for which an ODK Hammer (produced in the Coachella Valley) can be created. It is the winter.

Production was put on hold. It would have to wait until the following October, when the temperatures start to fall.

Living in Palm Desert Park and loving it:

Not a bad place to live

not particularly interesting… yet here it is

cloudy

This isn’t really about california culture as it is about vacation. Relaxing in the sun, playing with my pup, and eating good food.

Speaking of food. There is this wonderful place in Palm Desert that I highly recommend called No Da Te (best sushi i’ve ever had). They are well known for their “No Name Roll.” Oddly enough, they don’t have a website, but here is the google+ link: No Da Te

After eating sushi we walked around and listened to some great music. It was El Paseo fashion week, so there were many festivities taking place. Here is a picture of a group singing. Not sure who they were-but they were awesome!

The place was packed and very lively! A fun time to be there. Next on the agenda was a little shopping. Hello, Saks Fifth Avenue! After shopping for about an hour, we left to find some coffee! If you know me at all, then you most likely know that I take coffee very seriously. John pointed out the funniest license plate frame, it said “Caution I’m Latte, I Brake For Starbucks.” I thought it was hilarious.

Anyways, we are no longer in Palm Desert (Almost 100 degrees). We are now enjoying 60 degree weather in San Diego! Right by the ocean. Rex had his first encounter with the crashing waves this evening. He loved it. Pictures to come soon.

Hope everyone enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day. Tomorrows agenda consists of yoga, rock climbing, ocean, and a well deserved Swedish massage.

********************************************************************************************************************

UPDATE: Yoga was amazing. Vinyassa flow followed by a juice (kale, celery, and green apple–highly recommend). Rock climbing was tough on the hands, but a great workout! Here is the website to the climbing gym: Mesa Rim Climbing

We then visited the doggie beach in Del Mar. When we first got there, it was pretty empty and then soon after it was flooded with dogs of all sizes!

Then, I ended the day with a spa visit. Probably the best one I’ve ever had. I took a thirty minute detox bath, then a ninety minute massage. Heaven. I see why everyone loves Cali.

Surfs Up,

Sierra G.

(Globally Elegant)

When?:

Friday the 22nd Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th of March.

Sarah Moulton & Luciano Pellegrini are the celebrity
Chefs this year but are complemented by a whole host of other Chefs & food experts such as Andrew Copley, Drew Davis, Tanya Holland, Warren Cordoba, Maria Schmidt, Daniel Joly, Sharone Hakman, Mark Van Laanen, Julie Pech, Andre Carthen, Jesse Souza, Jamie Gwen and Martin Yan

And if all these great folks aren’t enough for you you can enjoy tastings from some 50 local eateries. Heck, even the Irish Dairy Board is going to be there!

Learn About Food – Drink Wine and Eat some Amazing dishes this coming weekend in Palm Desert California

WHERE?:
Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert™ is located under the “big white tent” on Larkspur Lane between El Paseo and Shadow Mountain in Palm Desert, CA — the heart of Palm Desert’s most celebrated shopping district: El Paseo. Attendees may park in The Gardens parking structure on Larkspur or along the street on El Paseo.

Sunrise in the shadows of the wee hours of morning.  Love the colors that surround the new day!

http://pacificnorthwesttravelerdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/bobs-challenge-frameable-keepers-week-10/

Palm Desert, iPhone, photography

 

Q: What is a solar sun screen?
A: A solar screen typically consists of an aluminum frame, and a specialty fabric that blocks up to 90% of the sun’s heat from penetrating windows. A sun screen will help block the sun before it even hits the window AND they look great!

Q: Are there tax benefits?  Can I get a rebate? How can I help the environment?

A:  The Federal Government just renewed the 2013 tax credit for installing Sun Screens and is eligible for a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price.  Also, some areas in the Coachella Valley service by the I.I.D (Imperial Irrigation District) get CASH REBATES!

Q: Can I still see clearly out of the window?
A: Absolutely, the screen is designed specially to allow the ‘light’ to pass through but not the ‘heat’. Feel the breeze too!

Q: Will the sun screens make my house too dark?
A: Absolutely not, the screen is designed specially to allow the ‘light’ to pass through but not the ‘heat’

Q: What color of screen is available?
A: We offer five color options for screens. Black, Tan, Gray, Dark Brown & Stucco.

Q: Can I take solar sun screens off to clean my windows?
A: Absolutely! Most screens are attached using 4 clips that make removing the screen very easy. It should take no more than 30 seconds to remove.

Q: Are solar screens pet resistant?

A:  Yes, solar screens are incredibly pet resistant being vinyl-coated polyester. However, nothing is pet proof totally…

Q: What are some benefits of sun screens other than heat blocking?
A: Screens help keep your windows clean by preventing much of the dirt and rain that would otherwise come in contact with the windows. Solar sun screens block UV rays that can quickly discolor and destroy blinds/shutters/carpet/countertops etc. Provides daytime privacy, so people CAN NOT see in your home. Reduces much of the glare you see on your TV or computer screen. Helps save energy by reducing energy use (A.C.)  Save the earth! Go Green !

Q: How much will I save on my electric bill if I get solar sun screens?
A: Solar sun screens as the most cost effective way to conserve energy in the warm months. They can reduce the electric costs for cooling up to 33%. Of course there are many variables for this so an exact amount can only be measured through your own experience.

Q: Do I need insect screens if I have solar sun screens?
A: No, the solar sun screen provides protection from heat as well as keeping insects out.

Q: Why should I choose Shade N Screen?
A: We have been making Custom beautiful Sunscreens for 20 years in the Coachella Valley and Arizona.  We accurately measure and install your screens in your choice of colors, density and frame colors.

Q: How much heat will solar sun screens block?
A: We offer 3 strengths of heat blockage protection, 70%, 80% & 90%

Q: What color sun screen should I get?
A: This is always a personal preference. Typically what most people prefer is contrasting colors. i.e. if you have a light colored home, get dark screen. If you have a dark colored home, light colored screens look fantastic!

Q: Should I get solar screens or window tint?
A: Window tint & window film is not designed for dual pane windows and in many cases voids the manufactures warranty of the windows. Also, no window film/tint available today has the heat blocking capabilities as solar sun screens.

Q: What brand do you use for the solar sun screen material?
A:    We only use Phifer brand screen. It is widely considered the highest quality product of its type available on the market. You can visit their website at www.phifer.com

Q: Will I still be able to open my windows when the weather is nice?
A: Yes, the screens are specifically designed to allow airflow.

SHADE N SCREEN

CALL TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE AND MORE INFORMATION ON THE

TAX CREDITS AND ENERGY BENEFITS.

The temblor, which had a depth of 7 miles, was recorded around 9:21 p.m. about 12 miles east-southeast of Anza and 16 miles south-southwest of Palm Desert, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of any damages or injuries.

A 4.7-magnitude quake struck southern Riverside County Monday morning.