The best part of this job is being able to see the lights that we have sold in their final application. My thanks to David Stone of Hailey, Idaho, who has sent me this great photo of an old saloon in a mining town in Idaho. I can just see the caption now:
“Why, that lamp came from New York City!”
“New York City?  Get a rope!”
Oops, maybe not that caption, but all kidding aside, this is a dapper fixture indeed that will dude up any old cow town. Now saddle up partner and fetch me some bulbs. Times a wasting and I don’t want to miss happy hour.

You can email dave@svautoclub.com for directions and tour info

I have a theory. I think if the birds in Bodega Bay have had more bird baths, and specifically Illuminated Bird Bath Low-Voltage Landscape Path Lights (product page: http://www.affordablelamps.com/kic-15406wst.html) like the one featured here, then Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor would not have been terrorized to the extent they were in The Birds. Kichler Lighting, where were you when they needed you? This lovely marvel of landscape lighting wasn’t in time to prevent the attack on Bodega Bay, but it could save you from a fowl attack. This can happen; on August 18th, 1961, residents in the town of Capitola, California, awoke to find sooty shearwaters slamming into their rooftops, and their streets covered with dead birds.

The Kichler illuminated bird bath features a 35 watt par 36 bulb, a 30” power cable and a 60 watt transformer with a timer and a photocell. It has satin etched glass mounted on a three stem pedestal in a weather mount finish that is all the rage in Seagull circles. It measures 22.5” in diameter by 28” high, and will fit with most outdoor settings.

So be prepared, and good evening.

When it comes to your landscape lighting needs and desire, does efficiency trump style? That is a personal question, and only one you can answer, but I will provide some statistics for you.

LED’s, or Light Emitting Diodes, generate a warmish white light that is cool to the touch, at 2800 Kelvin temperature. Using a 2,000 square foot home as the measurement, and 340 watt a day for 6 hours, @ 10.64 cents per kilowatt hour, LED’s come in at 80.2 watt per comparable system, a 75% savings!

With Standard lighting fixtures averaging $762.50 versus LED’s at $1412.50, you save money on the original purchase at the outset. But transformers for standard run $1,070.00 versus $647.50 for LED transformers. And the cost of lamps for standard: $1,560.00. For LED’s: $0.00. Nothing, Zip!

Electricity for standard” $1447.04 versus $341.33 for LED’s.  Now that’s what I call energy efficient lighting. Total savings for using LED’s : $2,401.33. That’s four times the cost differential on the original purchase. Plus, it is better for the environment, and you get about 40,000 hours of use on the system before the LED’s fade away. That’s over 18 years! You could give birth to a child, and send them to college in that time frame before you have to think about changing your landscape lighting.

So what’s the downside? Style selection, no doubt. There is just a heck of a lot more outside landscape lighting fixtures on the market, in a plethora of styles like traditional, transitional, gothic, Victorian, Mediterranean, etc. So if you have an older, more traditional home, you probably don’t want modern LED light systems as part of your décor.

Of course, when the electric bill comes, you may sing a different tune. As I said upfront, it is a personal decision.

The Ainsley Square Heron Centerpiece Landscape Path Light by Kichler Lighting is a bird of a different feather. This fine feathered friend adds new meaning to the phrase, “You light up my derriere.” With an adjustable neck and head, this lovely piece is available in both brass for coastal environments and die-cast aluminum for non-salt air environments. A definite unique Path Light, your garden, walkways, pathways, courtyards, near gazebos, or to act as a scarecrow, the Ainsley aims to please. The dimensions are Measures 38 1/2″ High, adjustable by pose. It Measures 11 1/2″ to 21 1/2″ profile, adjustable by pose. It Uses one 16.25-watt Kichler 921X bulb (included), and includes 14″ in-ground mounting stake. It also includes 30″ power cable with connector. So definitly not for the birds, and certainly not a turkey, you should plan on gobbling up this fixture for the holidays, before it becomes extinct.