The Low-Tech Times

Event Announcement

Mid-Atlantic readers of The Low-Tech Times should consider attending the Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon and Wine Festival this weekend.  The event will feature Virginia wines, bluegrass music, antique cars and fire trucks, a hay bale maze, and the low tech transportation of hot air balloons.

Come out to Historic Long Branch in Millwood, Virginia for the event October 17-19, 2008.

Local readers may be interested in this event tomorrow:

Celebrate Auburn: A commemoration of the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Coffee Hill at Auburn.

Join The Piedmont Environmental Council for an afternoon celebration of the history of Auburn and the Battle of Coffee Hill, considered one of the most significant battles in Fauquier County. Sit on historic Weston’s lawn and learn more about Fauquier County’s place in the Civil War and the daring tactics of Major General J.E.B. Stuart’s calvary during their harrowing two days in Auburn. Activities will include a Civil War encampment, talks by local experts on the Battle of Auburn and Fauquier’s role in the Civil War, period games for children, period musicians, displays of local Civil War artifacts, and a calvary demonstration. Justin LaMountain of Greenman Forestry Management will also demonstrate horse-logging from 3-4pm. Come learn about this progressive brand of forest management and watch horse logging in action.

Admission is free and food will be available for purchase, or feel free to bring your own picnic and eat on Weston’s beautiful lawn.

Click here for additional information.  Have a nice weekend!

During our vacation, we splurged on a couple of fancy hotels but I found that affordable motels can often be the better choice.

Expensive Hotels

1. We pulled up at an expensive hotel and got pressured to pay $28 for valet parking.
2. There was no refrigerator for visitors to use (it was a mini-bar stuffed with overpriced items).
3. No complementary coffee or tea in the lobby.
4. Water bottles on the nightstand with $3.75 price tags–outrageous!

Affordable Motels

1. Free parking
2. Refrigerator in guest room provided free of charge.
3. Free coffee and tea in the lobby 24 hours/day.
4. Complementary fresh baked cookies each afternoon in the lobby.

One would think that the expensive option would feature the superior benefits, but that’s definitely not always the case. I highly recommend the Quality Inn in Boulder, Colorado.  It didn’t have a hi-tech flat screen tv like an expensive hotel did that we stayed at, but I’d still choose it anyway.  Why do fancy hotels nickel and dime their guests?