Gas Prices

Gas at COSTCO in San Leandro is holding steady at $1.84 and other stations are closing the gap. Chevron down under $2.00 in many locations and other brands in the $1.80's and $1.90's.

Lowest prices in the nation? How a Valero Station on Indendence Avenue in Independence, MO. They have gas going for the bargain basement price of $1.29 per gallon. I hope the rest of the nation follows suit.

If you want to search for gas prices, go to google and do a search on the city or state you want to check. For instance, gas prices New Jersey and you will see the link: New Jersey Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in New Jersey You hit enter, of course and there you have it. You can get prices for just about any city or state that way. One of my favorite websites,

My 10 Favorite Shows

The following is a listing of our favorite shows to do. There may be some that we do not do anymore because of high expenses (designated by *) and there are one's included that are great locations, etc. This is just a listing and is in no preferential order.

Morro Bay Harbor Festival* Did this for years, but with the slow economy, income is small. Great scenery. Good Food. Did not do this event this year because of high expenses.

Cambria A&C Shows, Cambria, CA. 20 miles north of Morro Bay. Nice area on the Central Coast. Good Food. Relaxing atmosphere. Great getaway. Sales have been slow here and the weather could cloudy and cool. Always windy. Will be there in September 2009

Ceres Street Fair, Ceres, CA located 70 miles from Hayward. Decent event for us, been doing it for about 16 years now. Same space every year...shaded, etc. They treat you very nice at this event and make that extra effort to get you to your space for set up. Promoter's... grab your clipboards and take notes. They know how to do things. Also, hats off to the Manteca Street Faire because they are great at getting you to your space. Very organized also.

Monterey Custom House Plaza, Monterey. We do shows such as the Seafood Festival, etc. here and have participated in about 15 events over the years. Great location for an event. However, sales have dwindled for mostly all shows and we are all struggling. The Columbus Day event was not good. Promoters did their job, but people just did not come out and the ones that came out, did not buy.

Tyson Wells Sell-a-Rama. Every year in mid-January we go here to sell our goods. Around 900 vendors at this event and mostly RVers shop here and also attend other events. Many other rock, gem, mineral shows going on and the place is packed in January. We like to park overnights with our motor home in the BLM land during this event and it is relaxing, quiet, etc. When we set up here, we take our time..maybe 8 hours and we are here for 11 days before taking down. We're going to be there also for the Arts and Crafts Show which follows, but we have to move to another location.

Coos County Fair, Myrtle Point, OR. We do their county fair every July. A small event, but people are friendly. Nice to see the same people year after year and catch up on things. Good Philly Cheesesteaks, delicious Pizza and super Smoothies by Michelle and her family. My favorite county fair to do.

Fall Festival, Castro Valley, CA Been doing this event for the past 8 years or so. Very well run and organized. Kind of slow this year due to the economy, but it's been a great show for a number of years. Close to home, less than 10 minutes away.

Lake Tahoe events. This year we did the Miller's Y over Memorial Day Weekend and the weather was the worst we ever heard. However, I love doing shows up there since it is a beautiful relaxing area. We did several shows a number years ago at Commons Beach and they were nice. We'll return once or twice this coming year, but that weather strikes fear in my heart. In all my visits to Lake Tahoe, I never encountered something as unexpected as that weather. I usually stay away if I know weather is going to be bad.

Hayward Zucchini Festival. Only 2 miles from home and right now, that might be the only reason we do the event. A tradition? This is not a good money making event and it is not enjoyable as it once was. Much more riff-raff strolling around and a lot fewer booths, as other vendors have departed for better events, Many things wrong with this show, which includes forcing vendors to pull down and load up in the dark. They want the music to go until 7:00 and then have us wait longer. The promoters will not listen vendors cries over this, They might when they are down to 10 vendors. They had 22,000 this year and they used to draw more than double that. Need better music. Zucchini bread is terrific. A large drinking crowd.

Ten Shows we will never do again.

TEN SHOWS I WILL NEVER DO AGAIN. For various reasons, I have not intention of participating in these events. The first five were truly bad events for us (and others) and treatment and respect of vendors was very bad. The bottom five represent mostly dis-interest from the buying public. The last one just had plain old lousy hours and terribly hot.

1, Jackson County Fair, Medford, OR
2. Chandler Ostrich Festival, Chandler, AZ
3. Almond Blossom Festival, Quartz Hill, CA
4. Daly City Fil-Am Festival, Daly City, CA
5. Almond Blossom Festival, Ripon, CA
6. Douglas County Fair, Roseburg, OR
7. International Festival of the Winds, Marina. CA
8. Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, AZ
9. Central Valley Pizza Festival, Lemoore, CA
10. Cornfest, Brentwood, CA

Stay tuned...I will be listing the 10 most enjoyable events I would return to anytime (with reasonable booth fees, of course)

Wal-Mart worker dies after being trampled

Wal-Mart worker dies after being trampled by 'Black Friday' shoppers in New York

NEW YORK - A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said. At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. ... I literally had to fight people off my back."

Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m. The man's name was not released and the cause of death was not immediately known. A police statement said shortly after the store's 5 a.m. opening time, shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground." A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.

Bay Area Flea Markets/Swap Meets

Bay Area Flea Markets/Swap Meets

I have compiled a listing of Flea Markets within the general San Francisco Bay Area and have created a page in my Starving Vendors website. I have information on each .... dates, location, application info, etc.

http://www.starvingvendors.com/bay_area_flea_markets.html

Included in these listings are: Berkeley (Ashby Station), Solano Swap Meet (Concord), DeAnza College (Cupertino), Chabot College (Hayward), Ohlone College (Fremont), Alemany (San Francisco), Laney College (Oakland), Capitol and Berryessa Flea Markets in San Jose, Vallejo.

For Great Buys on shell necklaces (custom-sized, hand made), cowrie chokers and a lot more, please visit our website: http://www.dandlcreations.com/

Oregon County Fairs

Oregon County Fairs 2009

Once again in 2009, we are planning on doing 4 fairs in Oregon, beginning in Mid July.

First, we will travel up to Winchester Bay (July 17-19) for the Oceanfest, our third time there. It has gotten quite windy there and we discussed dropping this event from our schedule. However, it is enjoyable and in a nice location.

We will head south on Highway 101 and across to the Coos County Fair in Myrtle Point. A small county fair, but everybody is friendly there and the weather is somewild mild, breezy at times.

Next up, we will be going north to Olympia, WA for the Thurston County Fair. We have done away with two of our other fairs we did this year, which were pretty poor....Deschutes County Fair and Douglas County Fair. We will be in Olympia from July 29-August 2.

We will head west after that, along the Oregon Coast to Tillamook for the Tillamook County Fair on August 5-8 and head home after that. It should be an enjoyable trip for us. If you are interested in our products, please visit our website www.dandlcreations.com to see our shell necklaces, cowrie chokers, wrap skirts and a lot more. Visit www.starvingvendors.com to read reviews about shows we have done along with other pertinent information.

Cheesesteak Shop in Castro Valley

The Cheesesteak Shop, 3422 Village Dr, Castro Valley - (510) 581-6793

Been going to this one for many years. A little distance from me..maybe 6 miles. Steaks are decent but no quite up to par with the genuine, authentic, original Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches back East. I always order the 15" Cheesesteak with everything on it. Pretty good. However, I do have an issue with the Cheesesteak Shop because whenever I pick up cheesesteaks for the 3 of us, I order one with no cheese, but everything on it. Dammit..twice in a row they just gave me a plain steak sandwich with NO ONIONS, NO PEPPERS... just steak. Am I missing something here?

For more information about Philly Cheesesteaks, please visit my website. Recipes, videos, etc. I also have a blog dedicated to the Philly Cheeseteak. http://thephillycheesesteak.blogspot.com/

Cheesesteak Shop in Hayward

We shall be getting a Cheesesteak Shop in Hayward. Passed by it and it looks like they have quite a bit of work getting it ready and it looks like it might be open in another month. This is located on Hesperian Blvd in the mini-mall that has Target located in it.

I have a new blog dedicated to the Philly Cheesesteaks and I am listing loads of recipes, info, etc. Check it out.

Has anybody been to Calvin's World Famous Philly Cheesesteaks located at 1411 The Alameda in San Jose. Opened earlier this year and I have read mixed reviews on it in Yelp.

For other cheesteak shops in the Bay Area, you can check out my website, The Philly Cheesesteak

129th Bok Kai Festival

The Bok Kai Parade and Festival Feb 28-Mar 1, 2009

This event is held in the Chinatown district of Marysville, CA yearly. We did the show a number of years ago and I do believe it was held just a bit earlier. click here for website They do not have any info regarding booths for vendors and there is no listing in Craftmaster's. They get a good turnout for this event and I was amazed at the total length of the parade. Several hours and quite enjoyable.

The Bok Kai Festival, honoring Bok Eye, the Chinese God of Water, pays tribute to the many Chinese who worked the gold mines in the 1800s. There was a time when they claimed that it had not rained on this festival in it's 100-plus years,. However, on Sunday, March 7, 2006, they had a downpour on that Sunday, but the event continued. A bit wet.

The 129th Bok Kai Festival, reputed to be the oldest continually held parade in California, will occur February 28th and March 1st, 2009 in downtown Marysville. The Festival opens with a 5K Run/Walk. Registration for the Run/Walk begins in front of the Bok Kai Temple on 1st Street at 8:15 a.m.; The Run/Walk starts at 9:00 a.m. The Parade, starting 11:00 a.m, begins on 6th and D Streets, and is followed by Lung Huang, the 150-ft golden dragon as he noisily winds and dances his way through the historic town of Marysville. Lung Huang's entourage includes lion dancers, martial arts demonstrations, floats and more. Lung Huang is currently been in the Bok Kai Festival since 1991. It is anticipayed that a new, larger dragon will be sited in 2008. The parade remains a unique small town parade and Festival unmarred by the commercial smoothness and artificial slickness that often accompanies other venues as they evolve. Following the parade, scheduled multi-cultural entertainment for the entire family including Lion Dancing & Martial Arts by the Hop Sing Society will take place at the corner of 3rd and D Street.

If anybody out there has been a vendor at this event during the past few years, please fill me in. dstefa4621@aol.com or leave a comment. We are considering doing it in 2009, since we do not want to do the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival where they have a couple rather snotty individuals working with their committee and they have a lot of unnecessary fees in addition to booth space. Please read my review on the Ripon Almond Blossom Festival.

Events in Tyson Wells 2009

Things To Do In Quartzsite
2008 - 2009

November 1, 2008 to Feb 15 2009 - Prospectors Panorama 4 shows
January 1 - February 28, 2009 Desert Gardens - Annual International Gem & Mineral Show
January 2 - January 11, 2009 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show
January 10 - January 25, 2009 Main Event
January 16 - January 25, 2009 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama
January 17 - 25 . 2009 Sports, Vacation & RV Show
January 28 - February 1. 2009 Hobby Craft & Gem Show
January 21- 25 2009 Annual Pow Wow
January 30 - February 8, 2009 Tyson Wells Arts & Crafts
January 28 - February 8, 2009 Rock & Roll Car Show
February 27- March 1, 2009 Blue Grass Festival at Tyson Wells
February 28, 2009 Chili Cook-Off & State Salsa Championship

DandL CREATIONS coming to Tyson Wells

We will be selling our merchandise at the Tyson Wells Sell a Rama from January 14 to January 25 in space X19. This will be our third year in that location and hopefully, we will return there for many years to come.

Once again, we will be offering our popular Shoulder Sling bags which we sold to a lot of the RV'ers wintering down out in the BLM. In addition, we have fannypacks, tote bags, wrap-around skirts, Betty Boop T-shirts and Dolls along with dozens and dozens of other items We also have a hand-made inexpensive assortment of shell and semi-precious necklaces, Stop by and check us out.

Necklaces from $5.00, Mini stools priced at $5.00 apiece/5 for $20. Boop Shirts $12. Dolls $5,00, fannypacks from $10, Shoulder Bags $12.00. Messenger Bags $15.00.

If you wish to purchase our hand-made custom-sized shell necklaces in sizes from 13-23 inches you can visit our website: http://www.dandlcreations.com/ Most popular is the puka shell. We have many shell designs to choose from. Buy two and get a free bracelet Good deal. Secure on-line ordering and very fast shipment, We also have wrap-around skirts too and our shoulder bags.

After that event is finished, we will be moving over to space PQ-3, where we will be parked with our motor home and shall be there from January 28 through the end of the Arts and Crafts Show on February 8. We will then be staying an additional week, departing on February 16.

So, you have a total of about 5 weeks to see us in Tyson Wells. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but somehow we always manage to have a couple days of rain and it does a bit windy thee at times. SEE YA THERE.

Show Reviews

As I mentioned, we have quite a number of reviews on events we have done and have pages devoted to a fair number of other events. I think that you will really find a good number of these reviews, etc., quite informative.

More recently we have done the Antioch Holiday Craft Fair, the EOS Winery (Paso Robles) Arts and Crafts Show, Monterey Columbus Day Festival, Homefront Festival by the Bay,

Other events include the Castro Valley Fall Festival, Pittsburg Seafood Festival

You can read about our 'Tales of Woe' which are stories about some of the worst disasters and trying times we had to endure at certain festivals this year. the Memorial Day Lake Tahoe Miller's Y event put us through living hell on earth, Worse weather conditions ever for us. Imagine snow in May? Rain, wind, cold 38 degrees.

There was the Chandler Ostrich Festival a number of years ago when we had to deal with a two-foot lake of water caused by torrential downpours of 36 hours of rain, Bad show also, poor booth arrangement,.

Strange, eerie happenings on Highway 126 in Oregon on our way to the Deschutes County fair, which ended up pretty bad. Over 230,000 people and hardly anybody buying from anybody. Good show to stay away from.

Starving Vendors

Hopefully you have had a chance to visit Starving Vendors, a website featuring many stories about events that we have done. I have written about quite a few things and you will enjoy reading about life 'on the road' as I tell about a lot of our experiences and provide loads of information.

I have a numbe of pages that are visited quite often and make interesting reading:

Inhaling Helium is about the dangers and pitfalls of inhaling the helium from balloons. It is not a safe and sane practice and is not one of the wisest things a child will do. I am merely education all of us about those dangers and you can either believe it or not. You make the decision if you want to continue putting your child at risk.

Internet E-Mail Scams tells about various scams that each and every one of us gets in our emails. Hopefully you do not fall prey to any of these....especially during the hard times we are now experiencing,

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches - this is a page dedicated to my favorite food, the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. I list many locations of places you can get them in Northern and Southern California, Philadelphia and the Bay Area,

Bay Area Flea Markets lists quite a number of the flea markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. Great reference and loads of information if you are seeking to sell or buy at one of these venues.

I have loads of other information on the website, but these are my top 4 searches on Google. A lot of people doing searches on any one of a number of events I have written about, find their way to the website. You might be interested in reading some of these, There are quite a number within the website.

Tips on Saving Gas

Save Gas
Slow down use a light foot on th gas pedel. Try coasting more. If the light ahead is red slow down and try to time the light. You use the most gas getting moving from a dead stop. why use gas to get to the light faster and just have to stop if you are still moving when the light turns green you will use much less gas to get up to speed again. lighting up the load the less you carry the less gas you'll need get the junk out of your trunk. you can save 10 to 20% of your gas by just change your driving habits

Shell Necklaces

Getting closer toward the holidays and our hand-made, custom-sized necklaces make great inexpensive gifts for friends, relatives. etc. Secure on-line ordering through www.DandLCREATIONS.com, our website. You can order ANY SIZE from 13-23 inches on any of our necklaces. How about that? And these are strung on the strongest stuff around, Beadalon 7-strand beading cable. Payment processed through authorize.net. Some samples of our necklaces:

Bass Lake Tree Lighting Ceremony and Crafts Fair

Nov 27-29 The Craft Fair, Bass Lake, CA 'Pines Village' Bass Lake Christmas Tree Lighting arts and crafts fair, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Sunday 9-5, and Saturday 9-9 because of the expected 5000 people coming for the parade and the tree lighting ceremony. This is a big deal up here in the mountains, and the locals really support this annual event. NOTE: A number of scenes from The Great Outdoors, with John Candy and Dan Akroyd were filmed at Dulcey's and other locations within Bass Lake

You can check the weather at Bass Lake here and view two webcams. Neat!!!

Obama makes changes to WHITE HOUSE

COTCO GAS

Just gassed up at COSTCO in San Leandro. Quite surprised to see it at $1.95. FINALLY UNDER $2.00/GAL.

COSTCO in Vallejo is selling at $1.75. WOW>

PASKO EXPO 2008

A Filipino Christmas Celebration
THE EVENT Click here for the website
DATE: December 13, 2008 11AM-8PM, an Indoor Event
ADMISSION: FREE Parking $6-$1 will go towards PYCADDRESS:
Solano Fairgrounds900 Fairgrounds DriveVallejo, CA 94589

"Pasko Expo" is an event where Filipinos, and actually people of all ethnicities, can come together to celebrate the merriest time of the year….Christmas!

In the Philippines, Christmas is the most anticipated holiday of the year. With various town fiestas and parties, people gather from near and far to celebrate with friends and reunite with family. This year you will not have to miss out on any of the Christmas festivities from back home. "Pasko Expo" is here!

This soon-to-be yearly celebration will have holiday lights and decorations, local and international entertainment, delicious traditional food, and much more!
The First Annual "Pasko Expo" will be held in Solano Fairgrounds, Vallejo, California. According to the New York Times, Vallejo ranks on top as the most diverse city in the United States. By holding "Pasko Expo" in such a diverse community, we will bring the love, warmth, and spirit of the Christmas in the Philippines to you, to all Filipinos, and to everyone here in America.

We, at "Pasko Expo", would like to invite you, your family, and friends to be part of this fun-filled celebration. 2008 marks our inaugural year, but with your participation and support, we all can make this an annual event to enjoy and to remember, not only for this year, but for every year from now on. Let's celebrate Christmas the way it's done in the Philippines.

A WORD FROM DAVE: I have always like selling at the Filipino Events, but the $300 booth fee for ONE DAY is a bit much to swallow. The first year for this...uh uh. The fee is reasonable for a two-day event, but you must also consider probable adverse weather conditions and the refusal of visitors to spend their money. However, there is no entrance fee for the visitors and that makes for a great (inexpensive) time for them. Should be enjoyable.

COSTCO GAS

There's a number of stations selling gas for less than $2.00 per gallon. COSTCO in Concord located at 2400 Monument Avenue is going for $1.99. The COSTCO in San Leandro is selling at $2.19.

Hopefully prices will continue to drop to well under $2.o0

Our show guide, etc.

We have just updated the California Events page of Starving Vendors with a list of websites that include many events. You can get loads of information from there as there are links to the show's websites, etc. and you can even download applications at some of them.

Lots of things to read on the website. Some very popular pages recently include The Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, Inhaling Helium, Your Daily Dose, and our reviews of events are quite popular as I give a lot of insight to shows we have done. Check out Our Tales of Woe, which describe such terrible events as the Chandler Ostrich Festival, where we had to survive a two foot lake of rainwater.

Don't forget to take a run over to our main website DandL CREATIONS, where we sell custom-sized hand-made shell necklaces. Also cowrie shell chokers which are really beautiful AND hand made. You love browsing

Indio Tamale Festival Dec 6-7

Indio Tamale Festival, Indio, CA
Dates: Saturday and Sunday, December 6-7, 2008
(Always the 1st weekend in December!)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Location: Downtown Indio The Festival is between Highway 111 and Indio Boulevard and fills-in the streets of Miles, Towne, Smurr & Requa.
Weather: 79 Degrees, Sunny Days; 40 Degrees, Cool Evenings

It all started in 1992 with an idea by Dave Hernandez, a member of the Downtown Indio Merchants Association. The rich heritage of the tamale, consistent community support and hard working tamale makers have created the festival's tremendous success. Recently, the Food Network-TV ranked the Indio International Tamale Festival in the top 10 "All-American Food Festivals" in the nation!

Festival's Guinness World Records: The World's largest Tamale-over 1 foot in diameter and 40 feet in length, Dec. 4, 1999. The World's largest tamale festival-with 120,000 in attendance, Dec. 2-3, 2000.

The weather is pretty good in Indio this time of year, but nights are a little cooler. Booths are spread along several streets. Lots of tamales and they all sell for the same price. Booth fees are a bit high and overpriced. Commercial goes for $475 and if you are staying in a motel, your expenses end up quite high. Very risky for this economy. Arts and Crafts spaces go for $475

New pages in Starvingvendors.com

I have just added new pages to my Starving Vendors website. I have created a Cheeseteaks in Philly page which, obviously lists places to them in The City of Brotherly Love. I have a page which will accept ads which will sell for different rates depending upon the page, size of ad and placement location. Some of my Philly Cheesesteak pages list high on Google.

Upcoming Shows and Reviews

Well...we are winding down another year with just 2-4 events left. This has been a very trying year, not just for us...but everybody in all walks of life. Vendors are suffering all over the place and the stock of the company that sells Cup of Noodles Soup is probably the only one rising. Please stop by and enjoy our websites... DandL CREATIONS which ios where you can buy hand-made, any size 13-22 shell and semiprecious necklaces. Buy two get a bracelet for free. We also have cowrie shell cholers and wrap around skirts. Come on buy...we are open 24 hours a day. Also, we have Starving Vendors whose readership and following is increasing steadily.

Nov 14-16 Antioch Holiday Craft Fair
Nov 22-23 Noel Notion Christmas Bazaar, Mt. Carmel School Auditorium, Mill Valley
Dec 6......... DeAnza College Flea Market, Cupertino.
you might see us popping up at some flea markets in the coming days...Chabot (3rd weekend?)

Go ahead and check out some of our reviews of shows recently done:

Antioch Holiday Craft Fair (Nov 7-9)
EOS Winery Arts and Crafts Fair, Paso Robles (Oct 18-19)
Monterey Columbus Day Festival (Oct 11-12)
Richmond Homefront By the Bay (Oct 4-5)

Philly Cheesesteak Lovers of America

Check out the videos I have added on the Philly Cheesesteak pages listed below. If that don't make you hungry..........

I consider myself a conniseur of Philly Cheesteaks and have been eating them for years and years. I grew up on them in Central New Jersey and I love them more than ever nowadays. Hard to find really good ones out here and I'm still seeking out the perfect Philly Cheesteak.

Anyways, please visit our website to read about Philly Cheesteaks.... how to make them, where to buy them, etc., at many locations throught Northern California, Bay Area, Central Coast and Southern California. And of course, the story of the Philadelphia Cheesteak.

I have created a blog where I'm writing about every aspect of this delicious Sandwich and it's called Philly Cheesesteak, naturally!! Several recipes, locations, types of cheeses...... will have everything you want to know.

COSTCO GAS

Went down to $2.31 today. THE PRICE LEADER!!!!

To see prices in the San Leandro area click here. You may enter any other city in the US through this website.

Telemarketers

What to do about annoying telemarketers

(1) The three little words are: 'Hold On, Please...' Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt. Then when you eventually hear the phone company's 'beep-beep-beep' tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task..

To read the remainder of this, please visit my website

Motel 6 Problems

Many times have had problems with the keycards that they give you. Several times I have gone to my room there (on the 2nd or 3rd day, etc.) and found the card would not open the door.

Here's what happened in Lake Tahoe this past June.

We were staying at the one on Highway 50. After we parked the van I walked over to the room. Pulled out my 'key card' and attempted to open the door. Oh gosh. Wouldn't open and the rain was coming down quite hard. My wife stayed outside the room while I walked over to the office IN THE #(#$ RAIN, getting wet along the way. I asked them if they changed the code, like a lot of Motel 6's have done in the past. The said no...and told me that I must have put the card near my keys or credit cards. Usual response by these people. I actually had my card inside my top coat pocket away from everything. So, they reprogrammed it and I returned to the room and opened the door. This must have been around the 7th or 8th time I had to get my card re-programmed. Some of these motels automatically de-program the cards at noon time and I am sure that is what happened. And they have been 'trained' to tell the customers that it is their fault because the customer placed the card near a set of electronic keys or next to credit cards.

And then, it happened the following day also and I had my card located in the top pocket of my WINTER coat once again. We arrived back at the motel around 6:00 and I had to walk back over to the office and got the same rhetoric from them.

You can read more about the event we did in Lake Tahoe where we had rain, snow, wind, cold tempteratures. You think that's in November? No, uh uh. That was over Memorial Day weekend this year. Last weekend of May. Anything goes in Lake Tahoe. One of our ugliest weekends ever.

This has happened to me in Fresno, Tucson, Yuma and a couple other places. This happens espectially if you are staying more than two nights. I specifically have to tell them not to deprogram my card and have been making it a point to keep the card in a separate pocked, not near anything. But it's still happened and they try to tell me that it is my fault.

I wish that some of the other motels had rates close to Motel 6 because I would go there. However, being a vendor, we all have to stay at the least expensive motels. Some, believe it or not, do sleep in their vans at the events, which is something I have tried a couple times and it just doesn't work out. If I were doing the event by myself, than I could probably do it, but I have to give my wife (and I) a half-way decent place (warm and out of the weather) to stay at night.

So people, when you spend a night at Motel 6, keep those darn key cards away from anything (especially car keys, credit cards, etc) because when you go back to your room and find that they have re-programmed your card and can't get in, you have a good argument on your behalf and their B.S. just does not walk.

Top of the Line Marketplace

A number of people had told me that the Top of the Line show in Visalia at the Convention Center was supposed to be a good show. This event was held from Nov 7-9. From what I have heard, sales were somewhat slow and they had at least 30 fewer booths. Of course, I wasn't there so you are not hearing this from the horse's mouth.

I had considered doing the event, but over head was pretty high. Booth fees, gas and motel and with this economy, we all are down in sales as people are holding onto their money and do not want to part with it. You have to turn these people upside down and shake the hell out of them to get that money out of their pockets. When vendors sign up for events, they really have to analize where the money is going to come from and what they consider their net profit is after adding in those three expenses AND cost of merchandise sold.

This has probably been a pretty good event over the years, but just like every other show, it looked like more of the same. I decided to 'go cheap' and stay just outside the Bay Area so we would have added expenses.

A lame statement or an unhappy child?

Today, Michelle Obama made a comment: "I am only as happy as my saddest child."

So, are her children sad? Which one is the saddest and how sad is she? Who the heck put those words in her mouth? Or did she come up with that one all by herself

Free bracelets

We are having a special holiday offer for the remainder of the year. Purchase any two necklaces and you will get a matching bracelet to one of them for free. Hurry. Visit our website: www.dandlcreations.com

We sell shell and semi-precious necklaces, cowrie chokers, wrap skirts, shoulder bags and a lot more. Come on down.

Visit our EBay auctions and get another good deal on Boop Shirts and necklaces.

Antioch Holiday Craft Fair Nov 7-9

The sun is shining and we have great weather...temps up around 70 degrees. So, start your Christmas shopping at the Antioch Holiday Craft Fair which is being held this weekend. There are many booths selling a good variety of items. We (DandL CREATIONS) shall be in space A-28 (indoors) and we will be selling hand made shell and semi-precious necklaces, shoulder (sling) bags, backpacks, tote bags and a lot more. You can even start your Christmas shopping on our website http://www.dandlcreations.com/ where we sell custom-sized shell (puka, etc.) necklaces, cowrie shell chokers, wrap around skirts and a lot more. Thank you.

Click here to read my review on this event. Updates daily.
So, come on down. This event is being held at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds and the address is: 1210 W. 10th St in Antioch. Here's a map for you:


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Auburn Mountain Mandarin Festival Nov 22-23

Auburn Mountain Mandarin Festival Sat/Sun Nov 22-23.

Nov. 22nd Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Nov. 23rd Sunday: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Admission $5 age 16 and over
Seniors (60 and over) $3 Parking $5 no animals admitted (service dogs only
http://www.mandarinfestival.com/

The annual Mountain Mandarin Festival celebrates the new crop of delicious, locally grown Mandarin oranges, a Mandarin Recipe cooking contest, professional chef demonstrations, food, crafts and activities featuring the Mandarin orange, free children’s area, live music and entertainment. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund of the Newcastle Area Business Association.

When I am up here, I get reminded of the years I lived in New England...lots of trees and leaves all over the place and a bit cool at times. This is a nice show for people to attend and is located on the fairgrounds. Three buildings full of Arts & Crafts, but they are located on slopes and you have to climb the stairs, etc. to get to them. I guess you can get any type of weather here as Auburn is located in the lower parts of the Sierras.

You can even start your Christmas shopping on our website http://www.dandlcreations.com/ where we sell custom-sized shell (puka, etc.) necklaces, cowrie shell chokers, wrap around skirts and a lot more. Thank you.

As a vendor, there are a number of people that had poor sales and I have always had a bad location here. You need to be out on the main walkway and there are vendors that do pretty good, depending upon what you are selling. We don't do this show anymore and you can read why on our website.


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The Truth Shall Set you free!!!!!

BIGOTRY RULES, I GUESS.

The Illinois senator won 43 percent of white voters, 4 percentage points below Carter’s performance in 1976 and equal to what Bill Clinton won in the three-man race of 1996. Republican John McCain won 55 percent of the white vote.

Fully 96 percent of black voters supported Obama and constituted 13 percent of the electorate, a 2-percentage-point rise in their national turnout. As in past years, black women turned out at a higher rate than black men.

A stunning 54 percent of young white voters supported Obama, compared with 44 percent who went for McCain, the senator from Arizona. In the past three decades, no DeA stunning 54 percent of young white voters supported Obama, compared with 44 percent who went for McCain, the senator from Arizona. In the past three decades, no Democratic presidential nominee has won more than 45 percent of young whites.mocratic presidential nominee has won more than 45 percent of young whites.

check it out: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15297.html

Food for Thought - Republicans, economy sabotaged!!!

Dwell on this one for awhile. Do ever think that the Demofats have been screwing up the economy and creating all kinds of problems for the people of the United States and the Republicans? So basically, they made the Republicans (i.e. George Bush) look worse than they really are in order to get a Democraft in the White House who keeps claiming that changes are coming?

Think about it. Dwell on it. Come to terms with yourself. There is truth in that someplace.

San Francisco Crystal Fair

SAN FRANCISCO'S CHRISTMAS CRYSTAL FAIR

Location: Fort Mason Center, 99 Marina Blvd. @ Buchannan Street, San Francisco
Dates: November 29-30, 2008
Hours: Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm
Admission: $6.00 (children under 12 free accompanied by adult)

If you like minerals, crystals, geodes, semi-precious jewelry, etc., then you might find a trip to this event enjoyable. We were vendors at this event many times but people came there mostly for the 'rocks' and I would tend to believe much of our merchandise wasn't suitable for this type of event. Many of the dealers do quite well there. You can see some really beautiful amethyst cathedrals there. At one time, we were selling them also, but we were not equipped to be lugging them around in our van and they were quite heavy. You have to be very careful when handling them.

Here's a link to the website: http://home.earthlink.net/~sfxtl/ You can find out about future events or if you wish to be a vendor there, you can take care of that.

It was enjoyable doing the show and the other vendors were very nice. There was a Safeway across the street where we picked up food occasionally. Nothing to eat over at Fort Mason. We did this event before in November and February and it always seemed to rain on at least one of the days. Our biggest problem was the traffic head down Van Ness over to the Bay Bridge. That was a mess. In some areas, you would have to wait for 3 light changes before you could snake your way through the intersection. Probably be quicker to head over to the Golden Gate bridge, go to San Rafael and take the Richmond bridge and 580 over to 880.

Off topic: If you ever attend this event, drop over to Mike, who is set up there to give massages and he is pretty decent. Whenever we did this event, both my wife and I always stopped by his space for one. Prices are reasonable.

COSTCO GAS

After holding steady at $2.43 for the past week, the COSTCO in San Leandro lowered its prices to $2.35. Throw in our 2 percent rebates and that comes to $2.30. Keep going baby, keep going. I recall that last year, prices decreased until one week prior to the election and then a couple weeks later, they began going up.

It would be nice to get this down under $2.00, but is that asking too much?

I keep wondering how come their gas prices are $.30-$.50 lower than everybody else? Are the other people trying to make larger profits and does Costco use the gas prices as a 'leader' to get people to shop there? Well, if the average shopped purchases 12 gallons of gas and if Costco should have had their prices 25 cents more (in-line with other gas companies, who have been ripping us off big time) than they are theoretically giving each 'shopper' $3.00 and if their lower gas prices bring more people to spend money in the store, then that is one hell of a 'leader' for them.

In and Out Burger opens in San Leandro

Nov 4. San Leandro, CA. Stopped by the new In and Out Burger over on Lleweling Dr. (Just off Hesperian/880) and there were around 20 cars in line. At least this one is 4 miles closer than the one out in Union Landing in Union City.

I saw a lot of construction going on next door at the old Target Store, so I asked the guy who was taking orders outside what was happening. Told me that it's going to be a new Wal-Mart. 'Wow' I replied. Just what we need, another Wal-Mart. 4 miles closer than the one in Union City. Whoopie do. Hardly ever go there anyways.

So then just before I gave my order, I told him "Well, you'll never have to worry about losing your job over here." He said "Oh Yah." This In and Out Burger is already getting quite a bit of business and is at a prime intersection. With Wal-Mart coming....wow. Actually, They should call this one "In and Down and around Burger" because it's going to be difficult getting back onto Hesperian.

The burgers here are well worth the price and are pretty good. We have two other great burger places in Hayward. Val's is top of the line and is located at 2115 Kelly St Hayward, CA 94541. (510) 889-8257. Here's a link to their menu.

And of course, another good place is Sams Quarter Pound Burgers on Hesperian and is actually located in San Lorenzo. 18401 Hesperian Blvd(between Bockman Rd & Hacienda Ave)San Lorenzo, CA 94580(510) 278-6339. Drive-thru and burgers freshly made. Good milkshakes.

Inhaling Helium (balloons)

Please check our website for more info, comments, etc.

I have noticed that there are is a huge number of people doing google searches on this topic and coming to this blog to read up on it. I have an entry back on June 10 that goes into detail over this. Inhaling small quantities is probably okay, but if you do it to an extreme it may be very dangerous. Here is an update. For more information, click on the June 10 link above. When we were selling at the Hercules Cultural Festival, there was a man located across from us filling up balloons with helium and I saw dozens upon dozens of kids opening up the balloons and inhaling the helium and having fun talking like Donald Duck. And they kept on going back for more. I recalled that I read something about this being dangerous and did some research. I know that this is a lot of fun for the kids and we adults did it when we were younger also.

Although the vocal effect of inhaling helium may be amusing, it can be dangerous if done to excess. The reason is not due to toxicity or any property of helium but simply due to it displacing oxygen needed for normal respiration. One must be aware that in mammals (with the notable exception of seals) the breathing reflex is not triggered by insufficient oxygen but rather excess of carbon dioxide. Unconsciousness, brain damage in and even asphyxiation followed by death may result in extreme cases. Also, if helium is inhaled directly from pressurized cylinders the high flow rate can fatally rupture lung tissue.Neutral helium at standard conditions is non-toxic, plays no biological role and is found in trace amounts in human blood. At high pressures, a mixture of helium and oxygen can lead to high pressure nervous syndrome; a small proportion of nitrogen can alleviate the problem

So, if you don't believe me, then go ASK ALICE.

Up and coming events

Here's a listing of events that we will be particpating in over the coming weeks. Please come out and show your support. The name of our business is DandL CREATIONS.

Nov 7-9 Antioch Holiday Craft Fair, Fairgrounds, Antioch, CA
Nov 14 Kennedy High School, Fremont, CA
Nov 21-22 Noel Notion Christmas Bazaar, Mount Carmel School Auditorium, Mill Valley, CA
Dec 6 DeAnza College (contingent upon the weather...rained out yesterday)

Come on out and support your community and of course, ENJOY YOURSELF. The weather is looking great. At least so far!!!

Support Your Community Events!!!

Earlier this afternoon I was in the vicinity, so I drove by the Orinda Holiday Bazaar. There were only 4 booths in front of the building. Last year the entire area was filled up with vendors especially in the area off to the right and along the walkway in front. I realize a number of vendors must have located inside due to the rain. I didn't go inside, but I could tell that the total number of vendors had to be down considerably. I noticed perhaps 20-25 people departing the events and they were carrying no bags. (purchases)

The promoters of this event always do a wonderful job and are to be commended for their efforts. The local community must support this event and not be just going there and socializing. You have a number of smaller vendors that do just a couple shows a year selling their hand-made jewelry, etc. and they are satisfied with just making a small profit. However, you do have vendors who need sales to exist and if they don't do decently, they do not return the following year. And of course, that is what happened here.

The show loses money from these vendors' booth fees and that 'income' would be divided amongst various community organizations.

People, this pertains to all of these community type events. You need to support these shows by purchasing from the vendors, etc., that are offering their goods. Excellent time to start your Christmas shopping. We all are playing a huge part in the total success of events such as this one. There were vendors out there last year who made virtually no sales in really beautiful weather. The economy was better back then, but no excuses.

Please read what I had to say regarding last years' event here and I would probably say the same this year also.

Store Fixtures

If you are a vendor or store owner, I am providing you with a number of businesses that sell store fixtures.....i.e. grids, shelves, display cases and much, much more. I've been to all of these over the years and those are the places where I have picked up things for our booth and store (that we once had).

Nearly New Store Fixtures, 3950 Norwood Ave, Sacramento, CA - (916) 920-3003 (this is a big warehouse up in Sacramento that has used fixtures they picked up from store liquidations. Interesting. You could browse here for hours.

These other three sell new fixtures:
Visual Merchandising Systems, 2260 Paragon Dr, San Jose, CA 95131 408-436-1307
Grand & Benedicts Fixtures, 2368 Tripaldi Way, Hayward, CA (510) 782-1988
Union Store Supplies & Fixtures 22128 Mission Blvd, Hayward,. CA - (510) 881-2845

Cowrie Shell Chokers

I am your 'blogmaster' and this is not any kind of spam. I wish to show you some of the beautiful cowrie shell chokers that we hand-make and sell on our website: http://www.dandlcreations.com/

These are of excellent quality and I am sure that you would proudly wear one of these. On-line secure ordering and payment through Authorize.net. Shipping within a couple days as it does take time to make these. Here are some samples:

Shows, Festivals and Events

If you are a vendor, I'd like to find out how you did/are doing this weekend. Especially if you are at the Orinda Holiday Bazaar. I was rained out at DeAnza today and the rain was widespread throughout Northern California.

Did anybody else drop by the Orinda event today? Kind of curious. Large crowd. Small crowd. Spending. Not spending. Wet crowd, Dry crowd. Either comment in this blog or send me an email at StarvingVendors@aol.com Drop by Starving Vendors and read what I have to say about many events and other things Loads and loads of stuff to read. You will love it. Great reading on a cold, rainy evening, ya know?

Anybody out there participate in any other events? Or visit anything else?

You can order shell necklaces, cowrie chokers and a whole lot more at our main website: www.dandlcreations.com

Mervyn's is closing

I guess that we all have heard that Mervyn's is closing ALL it's stores...something like 170? I heard a while back they were just going to close around 40 of them with just a few in the bay area. However, things changed, I guess. They are bankrupt.

I drove near there today and the parking lot was packed full right outside the Mervyn's in Southland Mall (Hayward). Went down Winton Avenue and their were a couple guys waving huge signs 'MERVYN'S GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE."
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DO YOU CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT www.DandLCREATIONS.com for great buys on shell necklaces, cowrie shell chokers, wrap skirts, shoulder sling bags and a lot more We are always open morning, noon and night...come on down.
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I find that very hard to comprehend. They've been around for years and now they are biting the dust. They still have a JC Penney's and Macy's at Southland, but Mervyn's was one of their 'anchor stores.'. You've got Ross over there and you know the type of crowd that brings into the mall as it has been going downhill for several years now. There are a good number of stores closed over there and it's not going to get any better.