LYRA MAG.

Outdoor Retailer-Jordanelle Reservoir and Salt Palace UTAH Part 1 Mio Alpha Sport, SUUNTO Ambit 2, Magellan Echo+Summit Watches, BioLite+JetBoil Stoves  The Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow attracts a wide range of exhibitors-showing off the new, re-worked and stand-by products, gadgets, gear and apparel- seriously-or not, necessary 'gets' for outdoor types. Defined as anyone stepping beyond an enclosed area. Cool stuff galore---some highlights... Personal fitness watches  --- a booming category---ranged from the Luddite versions- to the complicated. At Demo Day-the  Mio Alpha  had kept several users heart rates in check-no heart strap required ---via a rather sleek looking, easy to use- watch, strapped on by an accommodating, non irritating soft silicon strap. Elves not at work here-rather- a tiny light emitted from the back of the strap that travels through capillaries of a lower arm to serve up an accurate reading in secs. We tried it---and with...

Outdoor Retailer/SLC Daily Suites/Mercedes Benz Fashion Week/NYC New Ways to Keep the Pace...Time-wise and Fueling Up No surprise, the most recent Outdoor Retailer provided lots of items that help with the training... With us...it's multi-sports (triathlons). With some fellow triath people, we notice a on the spectrum- like obsession with stats- that kinda amuses us- as amateurs level ---it's akin to expensive Little League for  grown-ups (how we explain it to our Yoga/Pilate centric gal pals)... But we don't have that kind a personality---ahahaha ---our needs for a timepiece include one that can double as an everyday wear accessory. IMHO-very impressive---a wide assortment of Spring 2013 Freestyle watches we previewed...with several new styles too average range price-of $110-$195. Avalon-38mm case -3 hand movement with date,  cute embossed alligator silicone band-water resistant to 200 meters. Dive series-with one-way ratcheting bezel Kampu...

With so many relatives---for the under 25 group---we buy a horde of stocking stuffer items-...spread out on a table-and then give tote bags out-for the young'uns to just take what they want...like those candy bins. Fun and appreciated. And ageless, really. We have never shopped at any TV shopping networks-really, we live in NYC-but since we went to an HSN holiday preview-we were impressed with the assortment-and of course-it's easy. Home decor wise- the real wine labels (and bottles)---used as candle holders by Nashi , packed in a wooded crate-a welcome hostess gift, ($19.95). Nothing signals holidays to us than the tree people taking hold of a quarter of our block-selling evergreens to the urban masses in the 'hood. HSN CARES ornaments, beautifully packaged- are courtesy of various celebs---PLUS-the winning assortment benefits assorted charities such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, via 100% of the profits -donated. ...