5 Places in Florida You Must Visit

After searching diligently for months and haggling with so many RV dealers, you have finally found that perfect Keystone RV that you have dreamed. It is loaded with all of the add-ons and extras you wanted, making it the perfect home on wheels.

Now it’s time to take it for a spin. With all the RV dealers in Florida ready to help you out if your motorhome ever has trouble, the Sunshine State seems as perfect a place as any for a long road trip with the family. Here are five Florida destinations that you have to see.

1. The Wakulla Springs Lodge

Located in the Wakulla Springs State Park near historic Tallahassee, the Wakulla Springs Lodge is considered an architectural landmark. The Lodge has been on the grounds since 1937 and is surrounded by canopies of oak, hickory, and beech trees, a natural spring, and Florida’s diverse wildlife.

The Lodge offers a distinct old southern feel, making it a peaceful vacation getaway. For those times where relaxing just isn’t an option, you can take advantage of everything that the park has to offer, including swimming, snorkeling, and riverboat tours.

2. St. Augustine Lighthouse

Built in 1874, the St. Augustine Lighthouse remains in active use today and is located on the north end of Anastasia Island. You can climb the 219 steps up to the observation deck for a beautiful 360-degree view of St. Augustine or visit the Lighthosue Museum and visitor center.

3. Jacksonville

Just 25 miles inside the border from Georgia lies Jacksonville. Intersected by St. John’s River, Jacksonville is a bustling hub for shipping, fishing, and, of course, leisure.

Downtown Jacksonville presents some amazingly beautiful architecture. As the heart of the downtown area, Jacksonville landing offers premier dining, shopping, and entertainment, along with numerous seasonal events, shows, and concerts.

4. St. Petersburg

As the fourth largest city in Florida, St. Petersburg is known as a popular vacation destination for tourists the world over. With an average 360 days of sunshine a year, St. Petersburg is known as the Sunshine City, adding to its popularity.

St. Petersburg has a large number of historical and fine art museums. The downtown area offers a diverse array of entertainment and dining. St. Petersburg Pier remains a major landmark and tourist destination, providing shopping and dining opportunities, the Pier Aquarium, and weekly festivals.

5. Clearwater

Clearwater is located on Florida’s western coast, near St. Petersburg, and as you can guess by the name, the city is known for its crystal clear water and white sand beaches. Notable here is the Sunset at Pier 60, a nightly celebration where everyone can behold a beautiful sunset. The celebration includes artists, craft makers, street performers, and live music.

Warm Colors and Fabrics

The hot, hot sun of summer is slowly subsiding, hiding itself behind clouds and fog. The days seem to be getting much shorter as evenings approach at much earlier times. Autumn is here and winter is just around the corner, which means holidays and cold, cold weather.

As such, it’s a good idea to swap out those sandals for a pair of warm alpaca socks coupled with some shoes or boots. Shopping for the right autumn and winter wardrobe can be difficult, so here are a few tips on warm colors and fabrics you should consider.

Alpaca Wool

As popular as traditional sheep’s wool is, it turns out that many people are allergic or sensitive to the fabric. Alpaca remains a wonderful alternative as it is completely hypoallergenic. That means an alpaca sweater won’t have that itchiness associated with sheep’s wool.

Alpaca men’s sweaters, for instance, perfectly make use of alpaca’s many properties. Alpaca is much stronger than wool while remaining softer and lighter. Alpaca does not retain water, making it perfect for those rainy autumn and winter days. Most importantly, alpaca wool is warm. A t-shirt and an alpaca sweater should be more than enough to stave away the harsh winter weather.

In terms of color, alpaca fiber comes in 22 natural warm tones. However, the fiber can also be dyed to achieve whatever color is desired. Alpaca can also be blended with other natural or synthetic fibers to create blends.

Flannel

Flannel is most closely associated with the 90s grunge era, but these days just about everyone owns a piece of flannel clothing in the familiar plaid pattern. Remember though that plaid is just the pattern. There are numerous plaid patterned shirts; not all of them are made from flannel.

Flannel itself is a soft woven fabric made typically from wool, cotton, or synthetic fibers. Generally, flannel is brushed numerous times to achieve its fluffy softness. Flannel shirts are the most common incarnation, though the fabric also makes for some incredibly warm bed sheets and blankets. The signature plaid pattern is sure to add warmth and visual style to any living space.

Cashmere

 Cashmere is wool obtained from goats and is known for its fine texture and its strong, light, and soft character. Garments made from cashmere provide excellent natural insulation without weighing down on the wearer. The natural colors of cashmere wool are brown, gray, and white, but the fibers can be dyed as necessary.

The only drawback to cashmere is the price. Cashmere products tend to be incredibly expensive, a trait attributed to the fabric’s rareness.

Turn Heirlooms into Cash

We all own certain antique items, things passed down from family, or other similar trinkets. Whether it’s your great grandmother’s wedding ring or your grandfather’s favorite jacket, there’s no denying the value—usually sentimental, sometimes monetary, hopefully both—of these items.

In times of hardship many people consider selling their antiques and heirlooms. It’s no surprise that we’re all currently going through some economic difficulties. The federal deficit, stagnant employment opportunities, and corruption in Congress and Wall Street remain just a few of the culprits.

In dire times, we are often forced to make sacrifices. Necessity tends to trump everything else. You might have to sell jewelry in San Diego in order to make a little extra cash to get by. Here are some tips for selling your heirloom jewelry to make cash.

At the Jewelry Store

Jewelry stores are usually visited for browsing or buying. Jewelry repair in San Diego is also another common service. However, you can also sell your own jewelry at jewelry stores for quite a profit.

Of course, you should not expect to get back what you originally paid for. Jewelry appraisals in San Diego should help you figure out the best price. Still, even if it is in perfect condition, jewelry stores run as a business and are obligated to make a profit by selling your heirloom jewelry as quickly as possible. If your antique diamond ring is left to sit in a glass case for ages, the jeweler risks losing money.

Nevertheless, if you need the cash, selling to your local jewelry store may be the simplest and most convenient method. You can make quite a bit of cash. The best part about selling to a jewelry store is the upfront customer service. Nothing can really replace talking to someone in-person.

Jewelry Buyers

Another simple method is selling to jewelry buyers. These companies specifically buy your old jewelry and antique goods to either resell or melt down for scrap. Jewelry buyers are best for gold, silver, and platinum, but diamonds and other jewelry are also sellable.

Shopping for the right jewelry buying company may be the most difficult part of the process as there are so many companies, each of which offers a different spot price. Go with the company that offers the highest quote.

The rest of the process is quite simple. You can either deliver or send through post, depending upon the company. Either way, as soon as the company receives your merchandise, they will appraise your items and give you a more exact offer, which you can then accept or reject.

Tips to Make Money on your Summer Home

Summer homes were once fairly common, but recent economic developments have left them as mere burdens on owners. The vacation home was an opportunity for summer escapes with the family, but rest and relaxation are hardly part of the forecast these days.

While many turn to Mission Beach property management firms for assistance, others have to find different means of making their vacation homes worth keeping. Even with help from Pacific Beach’s property management professionals, many summer homeowners end up selling at a loss or otherwise waiting out the market.

Here are a few tips to make money on that summer home.

Becoming a Landlord

Many people who once owned vacation homes for their own private enjoyment are now renting those homes out. This provides a second stream of income, which makes it highly appealing. Homeowners can get even more out of that income with tax write-offs for maintenance and repairs.

While you can market the property on your own, in the long run, you can maximize your income with help from your local San Diego property management firm. With a professional firm, you won’t have to waste your time putting up ads or setting up marketing.

The great part about renting your vacation home out is just how lucrative it is. Plenty of people from all over the world would love to spend their summers by the beach.

Donating to Charity

Believe it or not, you can donate your vacation home to charities that auction the time to raise funds. This provides a welcome tax break to help homeowners in softening vacation rental markets.

Typically, people attend the auction, bid on the vacation week, and pay that sum to the charity. Usually, the homeowner can then deduct the fair market rental value from their income taxes, regardless of how much was actually paid to the charity. These tax deductions can be substantial and stretch across several years.

Of course, you’ll also be helping charities while providing a vacation shelter for some eager families.

Sharing is Caring

Many owners run their vacation homes like businesses, finding a partner to purchase an interest in the home. Your partner could then contribute to overhead expenses, relieving some of the financial burden.

Keep in mind that a business partner should not necessarily be a friend or relative but someone who will adhere to written agreements outlining responsibilities, income, and schedules for personal use.

Do you Suffer Chronic Pain? Try Laser Treatment

Pain manifests itself in different ways. We get cuts and scrapes from falling off bikes. We get bruises from those sudden scuffles with siblings. We feel the pain of rejection and the sting of heartache.

While some pain is untreatable, technology and medicine have progressed such that semi-instant relief for all sorts of pain is available. Laser pain therapy has become a common, viable solution for many types of pain. Laser therapy for neck and shoulder pain remains one of the most common applications.

Problems with Joint and Back Pain

One of the most common applications, laser therapy for back pain has become prominent amongst many individuals. What was once relegated to older individuals, back and joint pain now affects young and old. Athletes in particular are susceptible as their joints are under constant strain from overuse.

Any number of factors could add to joint pains. An improper diet leads to a deficiency in proper vitamins and minerals. Even bad posture can lead to back and joint pain.

Low Level Laser Therapy

The key to relieving pain in the joints and muscles is low level laser therapy. This form of therapy uses low frequency lasers to alter cellular function, thereby bringing about various physiological changes.

Low level laser therapy is also alternately known as cold laser therapy. However, the cold refers to the laser’s low frequency and not its actual temperature.

As well as relieving pain, low level laser therapy has recently been applied as an effective means of losing weight.

Relieving the Pain

Laser treatment can be used for short term pain relief for a number of conditions related to joint and back pain, including

·      Rheumatoid arthritis

·      Osteoarthritis

·      Acute neck pain

·      Lower back pain

·      Tendinopathy

There’s no single proven reason for why low level laser therapy works as a pain reliever. One theory suggests that laser therapy blocks signals transmitted from injured areas to the brain, thus decreasing nerve sensitivity and reducing the body’s perception of pain.

Laser treatment increases the production and release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relieving chemicals.

The rays of cold laser therapy penetrate body tissue and stimulate cells’ production centers. This ultimately increases the availability of energy for the cells, which results in faster intake of nutrients and expulsion of waste products. This allows for accelerated tissue repair and cell growth, thus helping those troublesome aches and pains.

Proper Golf Course Etiquette and Attire

Are you new to golf and afraid you’ll make some serious goof-up your first time out? We have some basic suggestions to keep you looking and acting right on the golf course. First of all you want to look the part, right? It’s pretty easy to fit in on the golf course. So here are a few pointers:

Find out what the golf course dress code is. They all differ slightly, but in golf it’s better to err on the side of caution than to be dressed inappropriately. Men are almost always fine in a collared shirt and Khakis or slacks.

Golf clothes for women have a few more style options but the same basic principle holds true: be classy, not trashy. You won’t see jean cut-offs on the golf course and you shouldn’t try it either! A popular option for women is the golf skort: one part shorts and one part skirt, all wrapped in one cute, functional package. Now that you have an idea of what golf outfit to wear, you can start to think about proper etiquette.

Good Golf Etiquette:

Good golf etiquette mostly involves being respectful of others at play. If you go with the golden rule, “Do unto others…” you’ll have basically mastered proper etiquette in golf. It’s nothing too fancy, and the important rules all involve common sense:

1.     Never stand between your opponents’ ball and the cup. In other words, stay out of the way!  Don’t be standing where another player is trying to send the ball. For your safety as well as the integrity of the game this is an entirely bad idea.

2.     Don’t talk while others are about to play. This is distracting and generally considered bad manners.

3.     Don’t put your clubs in the bag while someone is about to swing. For the same reason as point 2, you just generally don’t want to be making any big noises or distracting other players. This is not baseball where you make cat calls at the opposing team’s players. In general you want to make sure that you are as quiet and non-distracting as possible when someone is preparing to swing. Stay behind them and be respectful of their need to concentrate.

4.     Keep your play speedy. Don’t dilly-dally and get in the way of others who are in line to play.

Keep these basic ideas in mind and you’ll be good to go golf!