JUST A FEW observations on our re-. cent car trip.

I printed a complaint . about the Holiday Inn in Great Falls, Montana, remarking that every time 1__ plugged-in my hair dryer a fuse blew. A reader who had the same problem elsewhere in Montana suggests that the problem was a slight varia- tion in voltage, causing the safety switch in the dryer itself to trip. Come to think of it, something similar hap- pened to me in Europe when I was operating the same dryer on 220 volts — it seem- ed to be a little hotter than normal and then it quit. Any

electricians have an explana-" 3

tion? If anyone notices that Tm -

not wearing any rings lately, |.

it has‘nothing to do with my heaving my ‘wedding band in the Truckee River. Soap! Public washrooms often

carry a very strong detergent ©

product that irritates the skin, particularly in between

fingers where it can. callect ~ q

under a ring. The rash - created weeps, itches and. cracks. Takes. quite a while’ - toclearup. .

. We ‘always study the . licence plates of other cars:

when driving in the-USA, ..

- From. the. time: we left’ : Medicine Hat until we were north of Seattle, we saw.not | one B.C: licence plate and very few from Alberta. That was true even for Van- couver’s southern suburb of Reno. There, though, they would be harder to spot as Nevada plates are the same blue and white as B.C. and many states have Alberta's yellow.

DEAR BARBARA: My hus- band left me and our children a few months ago. I'm still not over the shock and desolation that being alone after 20 years brings. I know it’s early to start think- ing about Christmas but I'm dreading it. I just can’t see myself going through all the motions from putting up the tree to carving the turkey by myself. I'm sure I can raise the money to take the children away for Christmas but I can’t decide if it would

be a good thing or not. Also, where to go? Can you give me some suggestions.

. ANSWER: I had quite a bit of difficulty ‘deciphering your letter. It appears to me that you would be wise to

seek s professional help | “shock and desolation”. Travel with children requires * @ parent who is in control. Have - you discussed the idea: ‘with your. “kids? Many parents are surprised to find ‘that Christmas. ‘at. home, even - with ‘the’ ‘distressing absence of one parent, is -preferable. to being. ima Strange ‘place.: A. com- “promise may be best — have you considered | Boxing ‘Day?’ That: would give you something to look forward to without uprooting your family completely. As for destinations, what do you and the kids like to do? Consider Hawaii for sun (I hope!) and surf, a ski resort in cither Canada or the U.S. or even a dude ran- ch. Arizona has all sorts that I've seen and the air service is good into Phoenix. Mexico has governing = travel

single parent'so unless you're prepared to cope with red tape, you'd be wise to choose a_ destination in

either Canada or the U.S.

with — children accompanied by a’

Remember, you're not “alone”: ¥ou'll find that your will participate. gladly in both Christmas preparations and holiday planning if you give them a chance. Good luck! .

QUESTION: We are going to Europe for a month, . Visiting Austrja, Germany and Switzerland. Our first stop is Frankfurt. Should we purchase foreign currency

‘here before - departure? ,

Would we be wise’ to carry our. money in American dollars or Swiss francs?

We've heard that prices in

From a money-saving stand- Pe best currency tor caren

you plan to visit. ore tee.

one ‘country. Youll get Straight exchange in Switzerland which is a saving and a convenience but cur- rency fluctuations im the

other two countries will be.

the same — strictly up to chance. ,

Ive travelled with Swiss francs once and I'd probably not do it again. ‘Why?

Because my arithmetic is: |

a { Since Canadians are

to calculating America ‘money in terms of Canadian, it’s easier for most of us to

| WAIKIKI *379 __Air Only

WAIKIKI *479 8 Days, 7 Nights Air & Hotel

LAS VEGAS *229 5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hotel

RENO 3255 5 Days, 4 Nights, Alr & Hotel

MAPLE LEAF TRAVEL

736-3555,

Rug. Agua 157-3

SIMPLY SCANDALOUS!

hee Macnee Santa eh we?

carry our money ina familiar currency. .

The only prices I can com- ment on are those in Ger- many. Hotel prices are high. Food, i in modest restaurants, is. reasonably priced — cheaper, and often better, than the Canadian equivalent.

I found, too, that con- sumer goods. in shops were

RENO BUSES ‘Special ‘fr.119a0.

(DISNEYLAND

, 2

up to ,

35

Order Stock Sizes and Save

priced, slightly lower than ours for average quality and slightly higher for luxury _items. For’example, a good quality men’s two-piece

® super price

% on verticals

eg. Patio Door 72x84

Custom Made Price $234.00 Stock Size Price $127.96

% on venetian

eg. 48 x 45 long

Custom Made Price $112.00 Stock Size Price $68.76

-

INSTALLATION AVAILABLE AT EXTRA COST

" Eateblished 16 years

* super soft, Sible lather * brown, burgundy, black

reg: $225 . 7 ‘

Bring in your own sizes and save up to

3050 Mountain Highway 988-1525, 988-1220

track suit was selling for $50 (Can.) while high. quality leather was about 20% higher than our average prices.

ON LEVELOR ABBEY _ JACKSON KIRSCH

Mon. . Fri. 9:00-5:30 fat. 10:00-5:00

Vancouver