Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, October 28, 2017

MVNews this week:  Page A:10

WHAT TO DO WITH CREMATED ASHES? 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 28, 2017 10 THE GOOD LIFE THE GOOD LIFE 
SOLO TRAVEL SAVINGS TIPS FOR RETIREES 



Dear Savvy Senior, 
Can you recommend some good travel companies that offer 
good deals for single travelers? I’ve taken a couple tours since 
I retired a few years ago, but the single-supplement fee really 
cuts into my budget. 

Solo Sally 

Dear Sally,
Solo traveling is a growing trend among baby boomersand retirees. Nearly 1-in-4 who travel today, go it aloneaccording to a recent Visa Global Intentions Study. But oneof the biggest drawbacks among solo travelers is the singlesupplemental fee – which is an extra fee charged to singletravelers who stay in a double occupancy room alone.

To help you avoid this extra charge, more and moretravel companies and cruise lines are making adjustmentsto accommodate the growing solo-traveler market. Hereare several to check into. 

Singles Travel 

There are a variety of travel companies today thatspecialize in vacations for solo travelers, including SinglesTravel International (SinglesTravelIntl.com) and SinglesTravel Getaways (SinglesTravelGetaways.com). Both 
companies offer tours, cruises and adventures in the U.S.
and overseas, and will match you with a roommate to avoidthe single supplement, or won’t charge you if a match can’tbe arranged. 

General Tour Operators 

Some big operators in this category that have lots ofsolo travelers include Intrepid Travel (IntrepidTravel.
com), which handles more than 100,000 travelers eachyear, sending them to more than 100 countries. And GAdventures (Gadventures.com), which has more than 700tours around the globe, and offers a variety of travel styles.
Both of these companies can pair you with a roommate,
and some tours offer your own room option for anadditional fee. 

And for higher-end luxury travel check out Abercrombie& Kent (AbercrombieKent.com), which offers a 50 percentsingle supplement discount on their select small group solotravel trips and cruises, and Tauck (Tauck.com), which hasno single supplement on their European river cruises. 

50-Plus Travel 

If you’re interested in trips designed for adults 50and older consider ElderTreks (ElderTreks.com), RoadScholar (RoadScholar.org) and Overseas Adventure Travel(OATtravel.com).

ElderTreks specializes in exotic adventures worldwide, 

and will match single travelers with roommates on most ofits trips, and doesn’t charge if a match can’t be arranged.

Road Scholar specializes in worldwide learningadventures, and has designated trips that offer the sameprice for solo travelers as for those traveling in pairs.

And Overseas Adventure Travel, which operates in Asia,
Africa, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Cuba,
Australia and New Zealand, has free single supplementson all its land tours and either free or low-cost singlesupplements on its small-ship adventures. 

Cruise Lines 

If cruising is your thing, there are a number of cruiselines that have some ships with single-occupancy cabins,
including Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL.com), RoyalCaribbean (RoyalCaribbean.com) and Vantage DeluxeWorld Travel’s river ships (VantageTravel.com).

Or, consider booking a cruise at SinglesCruise.com,
which uses a variety of different cruise lines for their singlecustomers. They provide roommate matching. 

Solo Women 

For solo women travelers, there are a host of tour 
companies and clubs, like GutsyWomenTravel.com, 
Women-Traveling.com, SerenDipityTraveler.com,
TheWomensTravelGroup.com and Womens-Travel-Club.
com that will either match you up with a roommate, orreduce their single supplement fee. 

Travel Partner 

If you’d rather find a suitable travel partner before you bookyour next trip, there are a number of free websites that canhelp you here too. See Travbuddy.com, TravelFriend.usand TravelersMeeting.com. Or, to find a cruise buddy tryCruiseMates.com, which has a message board where users 
can post roommate requests.

For more information on solo travel, check out 
SoloTravelerWorld.com, which offers solo travel tips,
destinations and stories, and also publishes a monthly listof solo travel deals. 

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 
5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim 
Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of 
“The Savvy Senior” book. 


SPIKED! 

Pets are kind of like 
grandchildren, in that you neverthink those belonging to otherpeople are as cute as your own.
That being said, please indulgeme just this once, with an articleabout the CUTEST pet, my

It’s hard to get mad at Spike though, because he’s sotiny and somewhat feather-challenged. Although westill think he’s adorable, his tail is hideous, and he’s a 
little bald around his face. For the last three months 
we never saw a hint of red whiskers, but now the 
slightest bits of red are protruding under his eyes. It 
makes him look like he’s been out drinking all night.

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ….October Birthdays 

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, George Maurer, Dick 
Anderson, Eva Poet, Mary Jane Baker, Dixie Coutant, Cathleen Cremins, Alma Mays, 
Adie Marshall, Darlene Crook, Susan Gallagher, Maggie Ellis, Gloria Giersbach, Elva 
Johnson, Ellen O’Leary, Jenny Piangenti, Gail Ann Skiles, Anita Thompson, Linda 
Boehm and Angela Stella. * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the 
paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required but you must be over 60. 
ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart 
Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10a.m. to11a.m. Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula. 

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each!
Everyone is welcome to join. May be canceled if less than five people. 
Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays of the month from 11a.m. to 12p.m. No appt. is necessary. 

Brain Games - *New Activity*: Join us on Thursday July 20th, at 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m forScattergories. A creative thinking game by naming objects within a set of categories. Everyone iswelcome, no experience needed. Great way to strengthen your brain and make new friends. Activitiesare facilitated by Senior Volunteers. 
Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, August 16th from 10:30a.m. to Noon. Attorney Lem Makupsonis available for legal consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, and Injury.
Appointments are required by calling 626-355-7394. 

Senior Club: Meets every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown Bag Lunch at
11:30a.m. 
Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45a.m. with Paul Hagen. 3rd Mondays of each
month, a variety of balance exercises are practiced.All ability levels are encouraged and welcomed! 


*A suggested donation of $5 at one of the classes is requested, but is not required. 
Case Management: Case Management Services are provided by the YWCA and offer assistance in
a variety of areas. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling the Hart Park House
Office at 626-355-7394. 


Birthday Celebrations: Every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House, share some free
birthday cake provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club. 


Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00p.m. Come join this group of Seniors in their poker game.
Other games are offered to all. 

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays from 12:45p.m. to 1:30p.m. with Lisa Brandley. This energetic
class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance and training conditioning. All class materials are
provided. 


UPCOMING EXCURSIONS: 

OCTOBER EXCURSION 
(Huntington Beach)
Date: Thursday, October 19th, 2017Time: 9:30a.m. – 3:00p.m.
Cost: $18.00 (Including Lunch)
The Old World Oktoberfest Celebration includes live bands playing the mostpopular German Oom Pa Pah Music. The crowd is entertained with a variety

of dancing, singing, music and Heidi, the Contortionist Act. Oktoberfest Menu includes potato salad,
coleslaw, bratwurst, baked chicken, Spaetzle, sauerkraut, apple streusel cake, coffee and water. Alcohol is
available for purchase. Participants should bring money for shopping at the market deli and bakery.
Level of Walking: Low.
Call the Hart Park House at 626-355-7394 


Watercolor Painting with Kt Boyce
Monday, October 30, 2017, 12:30p.m. - 1:30p.m. at Hart Park House
Learn basic watercolor painting and get in the mood for Fall. We will be painting on card stock with
water color paint. Color pencils will be used to enhance and for those who do not wish to paint can
enjoy drawing. Come learn and share memories about pumpkins, growing history, and carving.
Instructor Kt will teach beginners to even the most advanced painter. All art materials and supplies
will be provided, however spaces are limited. Reservation are required to save your spot!
...Please call the Hart Park House 626-355-7394... 



SENIOR CINEMA October 
18th at 1:00p.m.
An American in Paris (1951) 
A 1961 American Musical film inspired by the1928 orchestral compostion by George Gershwin.
Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is an American Ex-GIwho stays in post-war Paris to become a painter,
and falls for the gamine charms of Lise Bouvier(Leslie Caron). However, his paintings come to theattention of Milo Robert, a rich American heiress, 
who is interested in more than just art. Run time:
1h 55m. 
LUNCH AND LEARN - Transit 101 Class 
Wednesday, September 27th 12:15p.m. – 1:00p.m.
at the Hart Park House If you haven’t used public 
transportation before or it’s been a long timesince you tried and you don’t know where to start,
THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU! No need to stress 
over mobility or other limitations - Feel confidentenough to go out on your own! Come join us forthis FREE Transit Training Class-Please call the Hart Park House at 626-355-7394. 
make a reservation-
Keep up with breaking news online at: 
www.mtnviewsnews.com 
parent’s four month old bulbul!
What on earth is a bulbul? I’m glad you asked! A 
bulblul is a songbird native to Asia, particularly Indiaand the Philippines. A number of years ago bulbulswere introduced to this area and have thrived here 
ever since. They have a distinctive call that you canlisten to on the Internet. Red Whiskered bulbuls have 
a crest on the top of theirheads which resembles a 
spike, hence my parents’pet’s name “Spike.” 
Despite his 
diminutive stature at 27 
grams (that’s less than 
one ounce, and yes, 
they actually managed 
to weigh him), Spike 
lives up to all the spunk 
and defiance his name 
implies. One of his 
favorite past times is 
stealing food. We’ve 
come to realize his 
fascination with our 
food has nothing to do 
with taste --it’s all about 
the forbidden aspect of 
it. Case in point, when 
we have salads with 
tomatoes, Spike is all 
over them. But when 
my Dad puts the exact 
same tomato slices in his food bowl, he couldn’t 
care less. 
Over time, Spike has become more and moreaudacious when it comes to his food theft escapades.
At first he just sneaked a crumb or two that wereleft from my Dad’s sandwich, but now he’s perchedon his wrist, wrangling bits of cheese from betweenthe bread! Not to mention the fact that he can be 
very territorial, bordering on violent. Sometimes 
if I’m eating something he wants he’ll peck my armrepeatedly. Good thing he’s as small as he is. If he 
were a wood pecker I’d think we’d be in trouble! 
We first got Spike back in June around the insanelyhot day when the big fire broke out. My parents’neighbor found him and brought him over becausehe knows my parents are “bird people” (which isalso code for “nuts.”). Like most new birds, Spikewouldn’t open his beak for liquid food from an eyedropper. But after we pried his lips apart and he triedit he lustily chirped for itall the time. One of the 
problems with keepingwild birds is the transition 
from baby to adult food,
especially is adult foodis live. You pretty muchhave to be retired to care 
for baby birds or bringthem to work with you(Which I’ve actually donebefore! The kids at school 
got a big kick out of it.).
Feeding birds live wormscan be done, but it’s the 
sort of thing that requiressome supervision if youdon’t want escaped wormscrawling around your 
house. Luckily for us wefound dehydrated insectsonline! They even havea wide variety of driedbugs available for humanconsumption, which 
we’re not going to try in the near future, but it wasinteresting to see. Bulbuls can be prone to scurvy,
since their bodies don’t manufacture vitamin C on 
their own. That’s why it’s important to make surebulbuls have their diet supplemented with fruits thatcontain vitamin C. Good thing for us that Spike’s not 
a picky eater.
Well, I could say more about my parents’ mostrecent addition, but I see that I’ve written more than 
two pages already, and I know how it is hearing aboutother people’s pets... So have a wonderful week andkeep an eye out for bulbuls! 
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com