Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Green Gadgets for Summer Fun

Hi, everyone! C here. Fancy, Curiosity Killer, Farmer John and I have been really busy this summer, that it's been a while since any of us have posted anything new here.

Camping has always been something that I looked forward to every summer as a child. My parents used to take us camping at Algonquin Park, Gatineau Park, and even as far as New Brunswick and Virginia!

We always used a kerosene lamp, flashlights (those darn batteries would always die so quickly!), candles, and a portable stove. I was thinking of alternatives to those trusty old gadgets. Farmer John and I have a few LED flashlights that work really well. We also have outdoor solar lights that line our walkway to our house.

NOMA's 1W Luxeon LED Flashlight is surprisingly bright, powerful and very durable.

$34.99 CAD

Our outdoor solar lights are not like the one shown in the following photo. The concept is similar with the panel at the top, but ours is a simpler design. The lights charge during the day (thanks to the sun!) and at night you are left with some pretty good lighting. It's not a blinding kind of light, but good to guide your way so that you don't trip or fall (or can't find the keyhole to your front door)!

You can check out details for these lights here. Emerald Solar Lights, 10 pack = $59.99 CAD.


Finally, in my Mom's country, there's a great treat to eat when it's hot out. It's called halo-halo. It's basically shaved ice with whatever toppings and other ingredients you wish. Traditional halo-halo includes sweet beans, fruit, milk, shaved ice, and leche flan (custard). The ice is shaved with a "machine" that looks like this: I call this a great "green gadget" because it requires no use of batteries or electricity. All you need is some good 'ol elbow grease to crank this baby up. If you wish to forgo the halo-halo, you can definitely use this ice shaver to make snow cones for the kiddies or even some nice cold beverages for yourself! ;)

Hope you're all having a wonderful summer!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey C, there's lots of green gadgets out there for summer fun if you keep looking. Here at Algonquin Outfitters we sell hand crank blenders for a wonderful way to make some dock side drinks with no power at all.. well other than people power, we also have this ball that you put ice salt and cream in and then toss it between two people to make icecream. There's many ways to have fun in the summer and still stay green.

Unknown said...

Randy:
Ooooooh! Thanks so much! I am going to check out Algonquin Outfitters right now! :) That ice cream making ball sounds AMAZING and fun for the kids!!! Thanks again!