Leaves of three, let them be

Ahhhh, spring. Don't you just love the buzzing of bees, the green grass, beautiful blossoms and the warm sun that signals the arrival of spring?

We are fortunate to live in a rural area of town, surrounded by rolling hills, somewhat distant neighbors and great walking trails where I take "da boys", Riko and Jasper, for a walk in the afternoons.

Right now, the hills are full of wild flowers and there's still water running into the creeks from the last set of storms, so the visuals and the sounds are amazing.
However, with the beauty comes the beast - Poison Oak. If you live on the west coast and you're not familiar with it, it's a good idea to educate yourself before you go hiking, camping or cycling through the hills. This nasty weed can cause a severe, itchy rash if you happen to get the urushiol oil from it's leaves, stems or roots on your skin.
Should you happen to brush up against the bush, or in many cases, your dog happens to brush themselves against it, try to clean off the oil as soon as possible. While many people believe dogs are not affected by the oil, they do however carry the oil on their fur. So, if you happen to pet them, or they happen to brush against your leg - you're in trouble! So make sure to clean them well too.

Here is a short video on how to clean up after your walk...

Make sure to check out our YouTube video too...
We recommend that you take a shower when you get home to ensure you've removed all the oils from all possible areas. Find out more about poison oak, poison ivy and sumac and how to treat it by visiting http://poisonivy.aesir.com/ and http://www.poison-ivy.org/.

Win a Year's Supply of Action Wipes!

So as we've been telling you - Action Wipes are strong, washable and durable. After washing, they can be repurposed for other uses, or recharged for continued personal use with our Sports Spray.

At the Avia Wildflower Triathlon this past weekend, we went through a lot of testers (as we usually do at events). Rather than have folks throw the wipes away, we always try to collect them and bring them home to wash and repurpose around our house.

As always, we were asked "how do you repurpose them". For fun, I told a team of women they could make bikini's out of them. After all, if they can withstand 5 machine washings, they should be able to withstand a wave or two - right? So I proceeded to create a bikini - using nine (9) Action Wipes from our recycling bag.

Pretty cool and sexy don't you think? (Note, there are no pins, buttons, bobby pins or anything but hand knots holding it together.)

Having created this masterpiece, we asked Amy & Julie of Whooha Gear if we could hang it up as part of their clothing collection, again, just for fun. The response was great, people loved it!

To that end, we are creating a contests to test your imagination, craft and adventure skills, while at the same time help a charitable cause...

The Contest (May 5 - May 31, 2009)

We're looking for an Action Wipes Girl and/or Guy to fill the pages of our 2010 Calendar. If you are a cyclist, triathlete, marathon runner, climber, hiker, surfer, kayaker or overall outdoor enthusiast - we want you!

The contest starts by submitting a brief proposal (with pictures) or video as to why you should be considered as our 2010 Action Wipes Girl or Guy. The 5 most creative proposals will receive 20 single packs of Action Wipes. From there contestants will have to create an outfit made entirely of those wipes. You will then submit a video modeling your creation and describing how you made it. The two most creative contestants will be crowned as the 2010 Action Wipes Girl(s) or Guy(s).

Winners will receive a year's supply of Action Wipes and featured in our 2010 calendar. The calendar will be made available for purchase through our website and participating partners and retailers. Net proceeds will be distributed to the winner's favorite charity or club.

(Just FYI... we've already received some pretty cool submissions!)

Please note that by submitting your videos and photos, you allow Life Elements, Inc. to use your image. Please contact us for a full models release.

Action Wipes for Kayaking

We got a thumbs up from Joe Jacobi, America’s first-ever Olympic Gold Medallist in Whitewater Canoe Slalom and Network Television Sports Analyst.

Check out his testimonial on his blog and YouTube after day of kayaking on the Tellico River and before heading to a holiday party.

Action Wipes are Sick!

When I was young, being sick meant I didn't have to go to school. As I got older, being sick meant I didn't have to go to work. Sick, way-back-when, was used to describe a variety of emotional and physical maladies. Today, it'used to describe something that's cool!

"Sick" is what our favorite band, Still Time and Chase McBride used to describe Action Wipes at the Cal Multisport event in San Luis Obispo. This of course meant they LOVED them. In fact, they liked them so much, we are now their official wet wipe - which is sick!

Check out Still Time on YouTube and download their album from iTunes. And make sure you catch their concert next time they're in your town!