Read about Patio furniture, Barbeque grills, fountains and more. Outdoor recreation ideas for urban inhabitants.

It’s cold this winter.  Global warming has apparantly been pushed back til next year.  Might as well look good in the cold though.  Check out some of the winter apparel from Juicy Couture like this Puffa Jacket.

Well, it’s that time of year again.  Time to either dig deep into the dusty attic for decorations or just buy some new ones.  Personally, I find it easier to throw things up into the attic than get them down so here are some places I suggest for this yeas holiday wreaths.

I am absolutely in LOVE with this garden oasis!  The garden fountain is truly a great centerpiece for such a lush, green yard.  I especially like the mosaic design on the inside wall of the fountain.  It is such an eye catching detail.  I am so inspired by this fountain that I am thinking of resuming my hunt for a garden fountain.   Let the fountain hunt begin!

My attempt at making my own wreath didn’t work out too well, so now I am looking into buying a wreath that can carry me through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.  Here’s what I am considering:

The Beaded Fruit and Pine Wreath evokes a Thanksgiving cornucopia through the use of fruit and a Christmas tree with the pine bough base.

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My dreams of chilling outside on the chaise lounge didn’t exactly pan out this weekend, since I spent both days doing wild bike rides at Sullivan Canyon.  The weather was pretty warm on Saturday, so we decided to take the shadier single trail up to the top.  I got almost to the top, then decided I would be having a lot more fun riding back down, so I did that instead.  It was a blast. 

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It has been an exciting week in America, but it has also been a crazy long week at work, so  I cannot wait for this day to be over.  Tomorrow I am anticipating a relaxing day on the patio furniture, watching some football games and drinking some beers.    I hope everyone has a great relaxing  weekend as well!

I have been hesitant about attempting to fry a turkey myself because I have heard so many horror stories about people who have accidentally burned down their house or injured themselves.  I am very clumsy and could see myself causing a BIG problem.  But there are a lot of people who actually know their way around a turkey fryer, and I have to admit, I am a little jealous.  Turkey frying seems like a great Thanksgiving tradition for people who can spend the holiday outdoors. [Read more →]

The recent wind and light rains have made it a little less practical to spend time relaxing outdoors, but at least the weather is calling attention to the fact that outdoor furniture needs extra protection from time to time.  Here’s a rundown of covers for outdoor furniture:

Hammock Covers: The hammock cover cracks me up because I always thought it would be easier to just take the hammock off the frame and take it inside during rain, but what do I know?

Swing Cover: It seems like the porch on which the swing hangs should offer some protection from the elements, but in case that isn’t enough, there is always the porch swing cover.

Chaise Lounge Cover: The crazy Photoshop action in the picture is enough to make me want to buy the chaise lounge cover, but it also does serve the practical purpose of protecting furniture.

I have been spending a little too much time relaxing on the patio furniture these past few weeks and I am starting to feel like the extra holiday pounds are hitting me a little earlier this year, so I am thinking about fun ways to motivate myself to get back into shape.  There are a couple of interesting local races and maybe if I can muster up the energy to do a little training, I will try one.  Here’s a rundown:

San Dimas Turkey Trot and Turkey Tri

Dana Point Turkey Trot

Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot Cross

Topanga Turkey Trot

Lake Balboa Turkey Trot in Van Nuys

Whew, I am a bit exhausted just thinking about it.  I will blame it on the daylight savings time change this past weekend and not all the Halloween partying.

Ok, well, I survived Halloween, so now it’s time to start thinking about fixing the place up for Thanksgiving.  I am on a pretty tight budget this year, but luckily, one of the best things about Halloween decorations is that some can easily be transitioned into Thanksgiving decorations so that  outdoor decor stays looking relevant.

For example, pumpkins that didn’t get transformed into Jack O’Lanterns can easily be used as the centerpiece of a display of gourds and pine cones.  Orange tree lights from Halloween can hang out for a few more weeks before being swapped for Christmas lights, and so can scarecrows.

I am also thinking about heading to the craft store and trying to make my own Autumn door wreath to complete my Thanksgiving decorations, but frankly, I tried that last year and it didn’t work out so well.  Fingers crossed that I have more success this year.