Journals of Journeys

Recently I was notified by my web hosting provider that a switch was about to occur over the holiday weekend. All sites are being shut down for a night as everything is moved over to a new server. This means all email, web logs, web sites, etc. will be offline.

Nothing is ever a good time for that kind of news. So we buckle down and pray heavily it all goes smoothly. If it doesn’t, I’m sorry to report it might be a few weeks before I can take care of any fallout and depending on how severe any fallout is, it could be up until the fall. I’m that busy.

I will, even if it means hand coding a basic html page, make an announcement if the delay is that grand.

Have a safe and sane weekend, good people! Happy Independence Day (and let’s hope this doesn’t mean literally, I have no vested interest or desire in running a server on my own!).

Well it seems my intentions of putting up a photo essay entry about Tobias the Adequate, a comical magician we were entertained by at the Valhalla Renaissance Faire a few weeks ago have been sidelined by a number of things. First, the photos are just too big to put here and get the full effect, so that means there’s a lot of work entailed in putting them up in a photo album online. In the meantime, I’m working on keeping things at an even keel in the homestead now that the kids are home full-time, the hubby is enduring night time construction (and bright lights, jackhammers, and the bleating of trucks as they throw the gears in reverse) right outside the station, and keeping pace with several works in progress manuscripts in preparation for a writing convention I’ll be attending late next month. And if that’s not enough to keep me on my toes, let’s throw into the mix the work that’s involved in keeping the fledgling writer’s group going throughout the “leaner” months when the majority of the members take the time off to be with their family, travel and so forth.

Thankfully Mother Nature has been able to stave off the fire season this year with periodic rains. Whether that turns out to be a true blessing or just pushing us back a bit further for a more frantic, furious season has yet to be seen. It has made the wild grasses grow longer which means as the temperature rises such as it has within the last few days, those long grasses dry out and become horrific wicks.  I doubt I’ll be able to update my blog with details of any fires my husband is working on or pose a threat to our community, but I abide by the rule of never saying never, so we’ll see how that pans out. In the chance I don’t, here are some fairly good sources of fire information:

• Cal-Fire Incident Web (formerly California Department of Forestry - Fire) at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/
• Inci-web: National Fire Incidents at http://inciweb.org/
• Inci-web: California Fire Incidents at http://inciweb.org/state/5/
• and California Fire News blog  at http://calfire.blogspot.com/ (sporadically updated)

You can also subscribe to their feeds. If you’re unable to find the feed information, leave me a comment and I’ll provide you with the information.

Finally before I go back to transcribing my manuscript (which I spent upwards of an hour this morning at my weekly write-in having to restructure after I found a major flaw in the timeline– rewarding to get it done, but frustrating to have to endure), a reminder. As you might recall, our friend and a fellow firefighter’s young adult son, Sean, was critically injured in an accident at the end of May. He’s been getting better and was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital down in the northern San Francisco Bay Area. However this has caused a lot of strain on their small and close family as his dad, Vince, has returned to duty. They’re in the process of transferring him back home. I continue to post updates at Terri, Sean’s mother, posts them. They can be found at the Angels Near and Far blog which is located at http://www.kathieleung.com/blog/ Please visit often and keep Sean and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Also, please keep two of my friends, Anne and Julie, in your thoughts and prayers as both of them are enduring many trials and tribulations that have come with news they have cancer - again. It’s been amazing watching all three of these situations and the people in the center of them as their strength, their graciousness and their beautiful spirits have shone through so beautifully. It’s been humbling as well and has caused me, for one, to learn it’s important to balance things out, to appreciate what we have right around us and has served as a thump on my head to remind me the world does not revolved around me alone. And you’d think having teenagers would have done that just fine alone!

“Tiffany, I just got the bill from the credit card company and am a bit surprised to see the charges were so high. What on earth did you buy?”

“Funny you should mention ‘earth’ John, because that’s exactly what I was doing - saving the planet!”

“Really? And how did you accomplish that?”

“Well, we needed some more wine glasses for the barbecue, right?”

“Uh, right.”

“So, of course buying plastic disposables is out of the question. They don’t decompose well and are toxic to the environment, right?”

“So the story goes.”

“Exactly! So glass is a better bet since it can be melted and reshaped into other goods, or, new glasses for that matter.”

“Okay.”

“So I was shopping online for recyclable glasses and came across glasses already made from recycled materials. Windshields as a matter of fact!”

“Windshields you say?”

“Yes, incredible, isn’t it? Who’d have thought!”

“I wouldn’t. I sure hope they do wash them first. For some reason all I can picture is a black fly floating in my glass of Chablis.”

“Very funny, John. Of course they wash them first!”

“Good. So you bought some I take it?”

“Yes, of course.”

“How much?”

“Two dozen.”

“No, Tiff, I meant how much were the glasses?”

“I don’t quite recall, but I remember they’d been on sale and I got a better deal by ordering more.”

“What was the company’s name? Glass Implosion?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s it!”

“And you said you got a good deal?”

“Uh huh.”

“I see. Did you happen to check the Sunday ads?”

“We don’t get the paper anymore, John. We have an online subscription, remember?”

“Yes, but we still can look at the ads, right?”

“I believe so, why?”

“Well, Tiff, did you check there first?”

“What are you asking, John?”

“So you didn’t see the ad for the set of twenty-four glasses on sale at K-Mart for less than a buck a glass?”

“K-ame-a-Part? Don’t be absurd, John! I’d never be caught dead shopping there!”

“And yet you have no qualms about buying recycled windshields out of a warehouse less than six miles from 3-Mile Island at thirty-five times what it would have cost to buy them from - what did you call it?”

“Kame Apart.”

“Yes. And did you also realize this Kame Apart offered free shipping? Meaning you wouldn’t have had to step foot in their wretched store?”

“But John–”

“I suppose next you’ll tell me the money you spent is recyclable too.”

“It’s safer for our environment!”

“And I suppose the computer and the electricity is safer than the newspaper that’s (a) recyclable and (b) printed on recycled paper and is better for the environment, too.”

“Of course it is!”

“Really? And what do you do when the computer stops working, Tiffany?”

“Give it to an electronics recycler.” 

“I see. And the plastics? They’re recycled how?”

“I’m not sure. I suppose they’re melted down too.”

“Really? You can safely melt plastic?”

“Stop it John! You’re giving me a headache!”

“Well wet a towel and go lay down.”

“I’ve too much to do to lay down. I’ll just take some Motrin.”

“Out of a plastic bottle ….”

by Kathie Leung
(c) 2009
All Rights Reserved

For our little family of four, spontaneity is when each of us has to make a simultaneous dash for the “facilities.” Yeah, it’s like that. So when Dadzilla suggested taking off for the weekend, Momster about fell out of her chair, then made a few calls and set things into action. There was a Renaissance Faire and then there was her mother’s first century ride that would be nice to stop in on and cheer her on.

Well, well, well. Amazingly, we pulled it off. It was a grand time, too!

It was pirate weekend as evidenced by this couple we saw as we waited in line to enter the faire.

And then there was this wizardly fellow.

Some came in costumes. Some were simple, some were in the making for something fantastic and others were quite extraordinary. It truly was like walking into a different world altogether.

We were greeted by carolers dressed in beautiful, ornate costumes of the era…

We’re fans of the show “How I Met Your Mother” and in one particular episode, there’s a flashback to when Ted came home from the Renaissance Faire and showed his friends what he got. Of course, the Pie Dudes stopped off at the first place displaying the same weapon, mimicking Ted’s famous line: “Look what I got at the ren-ee-sance fair!” Boys!

And for your information, no, they did not get these!

There were pirates and people and minstrels.  And look, it appears there was even a bear in our midst - check out the gal on the right. Yes, it was cold and rainy. Not your typical June day, not even up at Lake Tahoe.

And then there was this guy, Tobias the Adequate, who was strolling about the fair, hawking his show at the Queen’s stage. He put on a grand magic show that was, if not amazing, quite funny!  But more about Tobias another day, he deserves his own blog entry.

The Queen of Poland enticed these two naves in a game of “Nay or Verily.” One had to belt out the tune “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!”

Musicians of the royal court play while one of the queen’s hand maiden asks us if her doll looks just like her. One of the Pie Dudes noted the doll was missing a pair of glasses. Such a wise acre!

Around the corner, nearby the queen’s stage, this Viking woman was greeting faire goers. She drew quite a few stares, too. Think it was the copper uhm breast plates? And yes, we did happen to overhear someone ask about cup sizes…

This gent was teaching the crowd how to load the canon. Dadzilla didn’t think he looked very “Renaissancy.”

As if this little lad was looking “Renaissancy”? He does get credit for coming in costume and possibly creating the costume, or a good portion of it, himself. Go Lego Warrior!

Lego Warrior had a friend. We called him Sir Silver Dude. He seemed enthralled with the cannon loading drill.

Plenty of helpers gathered for this drill.

And we’ll end this post with this fair maiden who captured my heart. There are many more pictures of this sweet little lass, but that’ll come another day. My spontaneous burst of posting energy has drained out… :) 

  My mother, in her 68 years of youth, is up in Tahoe, riding around the lake on the back of her sleek bicycle doing her first century ride while raising $5,000 (all on her own) for Leukemia. What a woman, huh? As of this very moment (as I get ready to post this), she’s still riding around the lake, but we got to catch up with her in Truckee just a bit ago. In fact, this shot here is just after I tapped her on her shoulder and said “mother?” She had no idea we were going to be there, so it took her by complete surprise. You can take a look at the map of the route she’s taking [here] (we met her at point 79 on the map).

Here are all of the ribbons for people she’s wearing in memory of, or in support of, on this trek.

And below, she’s off and running for the last segment of her ride, due in around 4:00 pm where my brother and sister-in-law are supposed to be waiting. 

A few months ago the Pie Dudes and I packed up and headed out to the coast for the day. It was a very long drive but well worth it as I got a lot of research done in preparation for writing a novel that I actually started during NaNoWriMo one year. While it’s not necessary, I feel it’s important to actually visit the places that are close to or “underneath” the fictional towns I create for the story I’m telling. In this particular instance, “Hope, California” is purely fictional, however, it’s between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, along the northern California coast.

Alas, the story has taken on yet another change and the heroine, Dani, has been unceremoniously evicted from her job. The town still remains, but portions of the research are being scrapped. Curious to see how in-depth I go? Take a gander:

“Hope, CA” waterfront near where Dani Sommers worked in the first (twenty) draft(s) of the novel, Accidental Detective.

The red building was where I pictured the location of the cafe. In the following shot, you can see between the two buildings shown left. I wanted her to have a view of the Noyo River inlet where the fishing boats come in and felt I needed to avoid the current businesses, restaurants, etc. that are actually located on the Fort Bragg side of the river.

The building just past the “END” sign is across Noyo River and has a bit of a run-down restaurant that overlooks the water the kids and I like to go to when we’re in the area. It was how I got the idea of where to put the cafe even if the cafe itself isn’t anything like the restaurant that inspired the idea. Keep in mind, much of the actual layout was pre-planned and mapped out before we headed out for taking pictures and testing out some of the more intricate details of the book. Interestingly, not much had to be changed. One thing that went in the book, and would in real life, too, if it were up to me. It is so unattractive. Look at the ridge at the top of the picture above. See those ugly townhomes? Absolutely horrific!

Just to the right of the red building and the parking lot where I stood to take the pictures, there is a Coast Guard station. I took plenty of pictures because I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into the book. Alas, I went back to the original plan, using a helicopter for the big chase/apprehend scene so this didn’t make it in, either. But it sure wets the whistle for future writing projects! I got a kick out of the car parked right out front. Seems a bit out of place. I fully expected to see ginormous trucks all tricked out. So much for stereotyping, eh?

And seeing that Dani was spending a fair amount of time around the cafe during the first chapter or so, I figured that meant I should incorporate some of the sights and sounds typical in such an area, hence the snaps of a few residences nearby the “cafe.”

The red and yellow lines are the fictitious streets (red) and bus routes (yellow) of Hope, CA which is directly overlying the actual Google map of Fort Bragg (which is mostly up above the river towards the top of the page). If the Pie Dudes don’t have a hard enough time trying to keep up with Momzilla, a very proficient map reader, imagine how much “fun” they had trying to read this map!

And here, in the open field, is the future site of Hope High School. Yep, it’s plenty big enough and we figured that since the field doesn’t look like it’s being used much, it would make the perfect location. Ironically, this was already designated as the site before we got out to see it’s physical layout. Just one of those rare times when everything comes together nicely.

Looks like they’ve even started setting up the portables! Yes, I know, I’m being silly.  I did a SketchUp of the school and even tried doing the photo layover but … well, let’s just say that’s a talent that still need to be worked on and leave it at that.

Below is a picture of the actual map location of the high school (blue flag) and, as you might be able to see, the red and yellow is lain over the actual streets. The green line is an actual street, in this case a main highway - the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH.

And I’ll leave you with a photo of the Pacific Ocean, one of the many splendors in Dani’s little town.  

We laugh at the comedian who says “you can’t fix stupid.” But how hard of a laugh will this antic get?

Today, Tuesday, May 26, 2009, public safety hazardous materials responders were issued a bulletin notifying them that 30,000 samples of Bayer Aspirin was being sent out by the manufacturer. As you can expect, the emergency calls when someone opens an envelope and finds white powder inside will most likely be coming.

You just can’t fix stupid.

What’s worse? They’re coming as new crystals. Heaven forbid if the recipient is greeted by snarling dogs and members of AFTB looking for contraband.

You simply cannot fix stupid.

Take a look at the photos below (packet and envelope it’s being shipped out in). Don’t be stupid too. If you get these in the mail, don’t waste our limited resources by calling 9-1-1 thinking it’s some bioweapon. It’s just plain stupidity, don’t let it infect you!

Here’s what the sample packet looks like: (scroll down for the envelope and more information)

And this is what the envelope looks like that’ll be mailed in:

You know that saying, “that picture doesn’t do [him/her/it] justice”? It’s a line you want to avoid like the Dickens when you’re advertising your home-away-from-home. And don’t let anyone tell you differently, getting the right shots that show off your rental property well isn’t always that easy.

Should you hire a professional photographer? No, not really. In a way, that’s like getting professional photos of yourself to put up on a dating site. It sends out the wrong message. You’re better off saving that money for the repairs and maintenance that come hand-in-hand with owning any property.  A digital camera that allows you to take hundreds, even thousands, of pictures and a good editing program are about all it takes. Even the editing program is a luxury.

Make sure you set the size of your digital photos large enough to capture the colors and finite details. It makes it easier when it comes time to prep the photos to put on your site or load to an online photo album your guests can peruse.

Snap away from every angle imaginable, be sure to get several photos of each room and from different places within the room.

Staging is important. Take time to make sure all the chairs are lined up and linens are straight. A lopsided edge, a slightly angled leg can stick out like a sore thumb. If your kitchen is fully appointed, make sure you take a few shots of cupboards with doors open so your guest can actually see the dishes, utensils and so forth. Don’t provide linens? It’s okay to throw a blanket or bedspread over the bed so it doesn’t look sterile even if that blanket/spread isn’t  actually provided. Just be sure that you are clear the guest must bring their own linens (some advise to have a section that the guest must initial in the contract to show they’re fully aware of this). Adding a disclaimer near the picture that states the item isn’t included is acceptable and highly recommended.

Fish-eye shots are great, if you’re in the hotel business. But they are deceiving which is why you don’t need to do this when taking shots of your property. You can achieve dramatic pictures simply by changing the angle. Get down on the floor, step up on a chair, lean over a balcony, lay across an ottoman. Be creative.

When you’re done with the photo session, offload them to your computer and take your time browsing through them. Sort out those that you really like into a different folder to come back to. Before you start working on the pictures you selected, be sure to go through the selected pictures and make certain you have at least three pictures of each area/room of the house, five of the more important rooms, such as the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. And make sure you have different angles, too.

Keep in mind that the picture doesn’t have to be perfect. The most important thing is to show plenty of pictures, leave nothing to the imagination. Having several shots of a room allows your guest to be more comfortable with making a decision to choose your home to stay in.

The good news is, when you have several pictures of the room, you can load them to a free photo sharing site, such as Flickr or Picasa (through Google), Photobucket or a number of other sites, then link the album to your page and include a link in your email correspondence. Just don’t link folks to an album that requires a password or the user to join or create an account.

If you’re interested in having us take a look at your site or help you develop a site to showcase your rental property, let us know by leaving a comment.  Have concerns or considerations you’d like us to address, leave a comment here and come back to see if we answered it!

  Throughout the years our family of four (and occasionally five when our cat is invited to join us) has learned that the best way to travel and stay on budget is to rent a vacation home. We’ve had pretty good luck, too. Not having to worry about the people under/next to kids who don’t understand they are walking loud is a big plus. Avoiding dragging your dirty laundry through a busy lobby is always a plus! It cuts down on our food bill tremendously and accommodates the variances in our diet as we have allergies and other considerations to be made.

Recently we’ve been looking into some vacation rentals for this summer and have had to divert from our usual service for finding places because the pickin’ was too limited for the areas we’re considering. If you are a property owner, realtor, broker or have anything to do with short-term rentals, pay close attention. I have some trade secrets to share with you.

(1.) You do have a website, right? No? Get yourself one, especially if you are using an online service such as Vacation Rentals by Owners. With a website, you can add more photos, more information and present it in a more alluring manner. Also, you can expand your presence on the Internet. Tips and tricks for creating an alluring site without dropping big bucks or having a wealth of web design knowledge (along with a deal) are to follow.

(2.) Get yourself an “availability” calendar and keep it updated. Do not require your website visitor to download documents such as PDF, Word, etc. There are plenty of online tools available for free or charge a reasonable fee to use.

(3) Be clear about your rental rates and dates. On a regular basis I find that there is a lot of ambiguity about seasons. Be specific. If your rate increases during the summer, give a start and end date of that period (e.g. Summer: June 1 - August 31) and if there are holiday rates, be clear about those too. For example, if you charge more during Christmas, do you also charge more for Shavuot? Be clear, list the dates. Are you charging $280 for the night? Week? Month? Do you even rent for just a night or do you require a minimum of 2 nights stay? Be clear and concise. If you’re running paragraphs to cover deals, requirements, changes and so on, you might want to reconsider your whole pricing scheme entirely.

(4) Pictures paint a thousand words. When looking for a vacation home, your guest is going to want to know what the bedroom and bathroom looks like. Sure, it’s nice to have an exterior shot, a few of the kitchen and living room, but you are sending your potential guests scurrying off to your competitor when you keep ‘em in the dark by not providing very clear details about the property. And really? There’s no excuse. With free photo storage services such as PhotoBucket, Flickr and others, you can upload many photos and embed them onto your page or, as a few have done, direct your visitor to your photo album.

(5) Use the Force, Luke. The Internet is a powerful tool and too often in this business, it’s not used to it’s full potential. Provide full details. Don’t push your potential guest into a buffer zone having to wait for you to reply to their inquiry. They will look elsewhere and even pay a few extra dollars (which in this business is a few extra Ben Franklin’s) if it means getting the information up front and without the wait.

Does this mean shelling out to get an online reservation system? No. Does this mean getting a merchant account with Visa, Discover, Master Card and Discover to accept credit card payments? No again, but you’d be wise to use PayPal and differ the fees to your guest who will be willing to pay the 2% fee for the convenience.

Do incorporate guest book comments. Do provide an email request form.

What not to do:

Do not fudge on description. Having a sink outside the bathroom does not mean you have 1.25 bathrooms. A mini-refrigerator, stovetop with two burners and a toaster oven is not a full kitchen. Providing a set of four plates, bowls, cups and flatware is not a fully stocked kitchen. In this business, word of mouth is vital and can be viral, too. For example, we stayed in a home that clearly was not as advertised. I can assure you that every review-type service (Yelp, Travelocity, Yahoo! Travel, and many others) had a post about how bad the place was. It’s more of a sin than attempting to date via the Internet with a photo of yourself from twenty years ago and forty pounds lighter.

Do not provide the physical address. Until the deal is sealed, don’t provide the address of the property. Give a general location, but for the safety of your guests, don’t post this information. And keep in mind that if you link to a mapping service, such as Google, Yahoo!, Mapquest, don’t use the specific address for that purpose either.

Do not provide the property’s phone number. Same as above. That should be included on the property opening/closing information sheet. And on that note, the phone number should be unlisted and placed on the “Do Not Call” list.

Do not rent without a contract! It seems like a given, but you’d be surprised at the number of property owners who don’t require a signed contract. Never, ever, rent without one.

Do not cheese out your site with ads. Oh sure, you want to make extra money off the visitors driven to your site, but resist that urge. Your money is going to come from renting out the property, not sending people scampering away as they bat away the pop-ups and pop-unders or worse, click on the related sites in Google’s Ad-sense because they’ll be linking to your competitor’s site.

Coming up: Tips and Tricks for designing your own property rental web site, templates, and a special offer. Bookmark this site and come back, or leave a comment along with your working email address (your address is never published and we don’t spam) and ask to be put on the Property Information Blog Update list. You’ll receive a confirmation that you must respond to before the email notification begins.

As Sean’s care takes on many changes and his condition stabilizing, updates will be maintained on the Angels Near and Far blog. Past posts will be maintained on this blog by clicking the link at the top of this column, “Updates on Sean” or by bookmarking the page from here: http://ejourn.net/journal/archives/category/updates-on-sean.

It is not intended to depreciate the situation. As the family attempts to return to some semblance of normalcy, so shall the blog posts here. And I felt it was a more appropriate blog, too.