We have been able  to put together a special travel presentation for Wednesday, September 8 as follows:

What?:  Presentation on Costa Rica and Africa with pictures of two separate trips.  This is informative only, not a sales presentation.

Where?:  Sherwood Home, 9653 Oakham Way, Elk Grove, 95757

Time?:  Two times, either 6:15pm or 7:30pm       Please RSVP at 916-688-3332 or e-mail tokent.sherwood@gmail.com specifying time

Presentation by:  Jay Fehan, Collette Vacations

For those who have signed up for the March 5 Costa Rica trip, this will be the chance to see places you will be visiting.  If you are thinking about it, this might help you in your decision. Copies of the Costa Rica Brochure will be available for you at this meeting.

We will be taking a safari trip to Africa in 2012.  Absolutely no decision has been made regarding the company to use for this adventure. However, the Collette option represents a typical trip for this part of the world.  It also helps to show how a trip like this works.  I think you will enjoy seeing  Mr. Fehan's presentation just for the informative nature of this unique type of travel.

Please come and invite your friends.  Each presentation will be approximately one hour.

Thanks.

Kent and Meridel Sherwood
Sherwood Travelers
916-688-3332
kent.sherwood@gmail.com

The trip was so much fun it was decided to schedule a shuttle to the Casino every other month.   Watch for announcements for the free shuttle in July to join the fun.   The picture (taken with cell phone) shows the group was still smiling on the trip home!

We are so lucky to be at our favorite Southern California Beach.   The skies are seldom this clear or deep blue - thanks to previous off shore breezes.    The temperature is perfect between 65 and 75 degrees.   So when we got a confirmation phone call that tickets were available for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, we decided to drive the 60 miles to Burbank.      

The show is a "live taping" meaning they don't stop or tape over any mistakes but run through the entire hour; pausing for commercial breaks.  When the TV audience is watching commercials, the studio audience is being entertained by Kevin Eubanks and the Tonight Show Band and staff throwing t-shirts and water bottles to the audience.

We arrived at “Guest Relations,” taking the young page by surprise with Bailey, my service dog.  He said “I don’t believe you will be able to bring the dog to the taping.”     Part of the responsibility of owning a service dog is public education  - both about Service Dogs and the American with Disabilities Act.   I smiled and said, “I think she will be allowed” and handed him Bailey’s documentation.   He left to check with his supervisor.   Service dogs are not considered pets but rather “medical equipment” in the eyes of the law.

A few minutes later our host returned saying there would be no problem.  At 3:00 PM we were ushered behind the scenes, past offices and into Studio 4.   Most of the audience waited in an outside fenced area before being brought in to the studio. Since that route had stairs, wheelchairs and scooters were lead through the interior of the studio to join the others.

Bailey, followed closely at my side taking everything in.  Staff members commented on her as we went by them working.   One man that used to be “on the dog show circuit” wanted to stop and talk. But our host was on a mission to get us to the studio quickly and I could only answer questions over my shoulder as I tried to keep up with our little group.

When we got into the studio, the rest of the audience was seated in elevated rows.  We were show to seats in the front row.  They looked extra special as they had a piece of blue tape reserving them - which the host removed for us. 

Bailey quickly scooted under my chair settling on her special pad.  The only thing showing was her front paws and her nose.  One of the responsibilities of owning a service dog is protecting the dog from all kinds of hazards like hot pavement, exuberant toddlers, glass on walk ways, etc.  In this case, I she needed protection from the cameramen.   They would carry large video recorder on their shoulders, and long heavy cords would flip around on the ground that could easily strike Bailey.  I put my foot out to intercept any whipping cords.

It was interesting that for every cameraman (and they were all men) there was another man that followed either rolling up the cord or letting it out to prevent the cameraman from becoming tangled.  We wondered why they didn’t have wireless cameras but speculated that the ‘cord roller’ might be a union job.

The applause sign lit up and Jay Leno was ready for his signature ‘high fives’ at the beginning of the show.   We were too slow and missed the opportunity.    The monologue was quick and enjoyable.    Bailey was now asleep head down on outstretched paws. Jay Leno did a double take when he saw her under my seat.    ­­­­­

Amada Seyfied

The first guest was Amanda Seyfried and once Jay sat behind the desk; our ‘special’ seats didn’t turn out to be so special as the multiple cameramen shuffling between the stage and us totally blocked our view. We ended up watching the rest of the show peering up at the small monitors.  

Guy Fieiri

Chef Guy Fieri was the second guest and they brought out a propane grill for his segment. Jay and Guy bantered and made all us all hungry with the BBQ aromas that filled the studio.   The musical closing followed Guy with Luke Bryan.  

Bailey never ceases to amaze me.  We were about 8 feet from the band.  She never startled when they suddenly started playing for commercial break.   She stayed under the chair but did not neglect her duties either.   When multi-color lights started flashing around the audience, she immediately sat up and put her head in my lap to remind me to look down at her and avoid looking at the lights.  When the lights stopped flashing she returned to her pervious position under the chair.  

At the end of the show, Jay Leno and the guests taped a couple of quick promo spots for the show and that was it.   We left the studio half expecting it to be dark 12:30AM but it was only 5:00PM.   We watched as Leno drove his silver Corvette out the gate and past the autograph seekers.

Read more about traveling with Bailey on the following links:

Cruising with a Service dog (part I) HERE 

Unpleasant experience  (part II) HERE and the resolution of those problems HERE 

Guidelines for Service Dog encouters Here  and Here.

Our travel has taken us to destination such as  New York City,  Bermuda,  Alaska, Rome, Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Fatima, Budapest, Istanbul, Coper Canyon,  Mexico, Sidney, Moscow, Canada's Maritime Providences, and other exciting locations.  Future trips may include additional domestic sites such as Branson MO  and our National Parks. 

Please join us to learn more about participating with your fellow Glenbrooke  residents on trips you might find fascinating including European River Cruising.    At this point our travel group is informal,  includes married couples, singles, retired and still working adults.  You will have the opportunity to help choose travel destinations you find appropriate for you.  All of us enjoy the "No-Hassle" packages that include 4 and 5 star hotels,  many included meals, air and land travel, and of course , cruises. 

What:  Travel Meeting for Glenbrooke residents

When: Sunday April 11, 2010  2:30 PM or 4:430PM

Where:Kent and Meridel Sherwood's Home , 9653 Oakham Way

How: Please RSVP  (916) 688-3332 or email to  kent.sherwood@gmail.com with name,  phone, and time choice.  If  you can't attend  but are interesting in learning more, please  contact us by phone or email so we can speak at your convenience.

Please note:  as  a general rule these trips require the travelers to be ambulatory as most international locations do not offer reasonable handicap access for wheelchairs.

Monty Hight

reprinted with permission from anewscfe.com 

“76 in a 65, I got him.”  As I approached the vehicle on the passenger side and leaned in to speak with the driver, I started with my standard, “Good afternoon, I stopped you for exceeding the posted speed limit.  May I see your license, registration and proof of insurance?”  And then I see it.  Affixed to the windshield just above the dash… a radar detector.

According the Exhibit's Website: 

What makes the Follies unique?  The cast is comprised totally of senior citizens – mostly in the 70’s.   There is the “baby” at 56, but the prize  goes to Dorothy Dale Kloss who at the age of  86, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the "Oldest 'Still Performing' Showgirl in the World."  Yes, the picture at the right is current and looks just like her -I want her genes. 

I knew the show would be good –  just to marvel at the ability of the dancers and singers.    But I was surprised at the beauty and grace of the cast.  The ladies wore impressive, Las Vegas style, showgirl costumes that required a lot of strength - just to hold up the headpieces.   The rest of of the costume took courage to wear even for a very young person.

What an uplifting experience.   We laughed hard at the ventriloquist  Brad Cummings and his prehistoric dinosaur "Rex.  We enjoyed the music of  guest star—Susan Anton, crowned Miss America the year I was born.

The Master of Ceremonies and co-founder,  Riff Markowitz, was funny and kept the audience engaged and laughing between acts.   If you would like to read more about the history of the Fabulous Follies, click  Here.

This place is  the perfect example of public/private partnership.   California State Parks owns the property but the Crystal Cove Alliance is a private non-profit that has saved the cottages and continues to work on the restoration of  the remaining cottages.   We are staying in the white cottage below - did I mention it is right ON the beach?

In 1876 three California ranchers and San Francisco financier James Irvine (as in Irvine, CA) purchased the land and stocked it with thousands of sheep. In 1927 Japanese farmers leased the land from The Irvine Company and built homes, barn, and a community center. Several movies have been made at Crystal Cove State Beach including “Herbie Rides Again” and “Beaches”. The coastal strand stretches 3.2 miles and at high tide the waves lap against 80 foot bluffs.

Mr. Iving gave the workers permisson to use the beach.   Their tents evolved into shacks, then decks were added and houses were built with even some full time residents.   Use of the private little cove and the cottages was  passed down from generation to generation.     Families met every summer,   there was a bugle and Martini flag raised at 5:00 PM to signal Happy Hour at one of the cottages.

To read  more about the history of the cottages and the preservation efforts, click here.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?

According to Peter Greenberg, travel consultant for AARP,  there are more single travelers than every before.   He states that, "roughly one in 10 leisure travelers travels alone, which means that there are millions of people out there who often feel ignored by an industry that generally seems to favor couples or families over solo travelers."

The travel industry is beginning to recognize how unfair it is to have  'double occupancy" pricing  for single travelers.   Three cheers for the companies that specialize in  single-friendly travel and serve that niche.   But it still is not "fair" for the traveler.  The problem is how to make it fair for both the single traveler and the vendor..

Intrepid Travel, for example, does not  charges a single supplement because they specialize in adventure trips for solo travelers, to places like Peru and Nepal. Neither does Adventure Women, which has been offering tours for adventurous solo women for 28 years.   In 2010 their trips include whale-watching in Baja, California, watersports in the Caribbean, and trekking on New Zealand’s South Island.

But before you get too excited,  you won't pay a single supplement with these companies, but you won’t necessarily get your own room either!  Sorry but that is not being single-friendly in my mind.   Having to share a room with a stranger is not my idea of fun.   If you know the persons and want to share a room then you could use the tradition "double occupancy."

If you like cruises,  your best bet is to cruise off season and watch for 1/2 off sales, there are cruises that are less than $50 per day based on double occupancy, but that is still less expensive than booking peak season and splitting the room.

When booking travel, always ask for single package pricing.  Even though companies  may not offer special pricing,  they will see a trend of requests if all single travelers start requesting these packages.

Let's face it, the majority of single travelers are female.   The following website is designed to help women find other women in a safe environment.   Goldengirlsnetwork.com , the (free) membership based web site is "owned, conceived and manged by women for women "     The goal is to match women for trips and lodging.   They have a "Share the Spare" section where women that have an extra room offer it to women travelers.   A random quick look through the listings shows rooms from $35 per night to ocean view rooms for $80.

Here are some additional reources from Peter Greenberg and AARP:

Absolute Travel will try to pair you with another single traveler if you ask.

Momentum Tours specializes in tours to Israel but also offers trips worldwide, and has a similar match-up program.

SoloLady.com is a great resource to find singles-only trips aimed at women. The great thing about Lane’s site is that it gives solo travelers information about trips that are not advertised, not commercial, and filled by word of mouth.

Solo Travel Network (www.cstn.org) is a membership-based organization that shares news, tips, tours and other information for single travelers.

Editior's note:  I will put these websites on the Forum section for future reference. If you have any single travel tips or companies you use please share them below and I will add them to the list. ]]> http://www.glenbrookenews.com/2009/11/04/travel-friendly-websites-for/feed/ 0