Let the Tiki Torches Guide light your way

The truly brave won’t let something as trivial as cool temperatures drive them away from their backyard entertaining. For the rest of us (myself included) if it isn’t already time to put the tiki torches in storage, the time isn’t far off. But there’s still time to squeeze a few more tiki torch parties in, just with a new safety concern.

Fall is a beautiful time of year. Leaves turn to brilliant colors and paint the canopy overhead in licks of flame coloring to match the fire from our torches. But they also drift down into our yards where they become dry, brittle and extraordinarily flammable.

This is the time of year when you should be particularly careful with your open flame tiki torches and particularly cautious about your overhead environment. It just takes one leaf falling onto your torch, catching fire and then drifting down to accumulated leaves on the ground to lend your party a whole level of excitement you hadn’t been counting on.

If entertaining outside in the fall with tiki torches, ensure leaves are raked, collected and removed from around your torches to prevent the scenario above. Also consider what would happen should your torch be knocked over. Is there a reasonable amount of space between the likely spill area and accumulating leaves?

Finally, what may have been an adequate overhead environment for a tiki torch in the spring and summer may be less so in the fall. Dry leaves may be caught in branches overhead and more prone to combustion. Revaluate your tiki torch placement and err on the side of caution.

The turning of the seasons may not be enough to drive the truly macho among you indoors just yet. But consider the advice above and enjoy your tiki torches safely!

Labor Day is behind us here in the US and, for most, that’s the first official clue that those lazy summer days are on their way out. Kids are on their way back to school, leaves will soon be turning and it won’t be long before we’re in sweaters. It’s time to put away the tiki torches until next season.

But wait! Not so fast! Just because Mother Nature is ready to give up on the balmy beach feel is no reason for you to throw in the towel too. With just one small addition, those tropical illusions you’ve been enjoying can stretch a month or two longer. It’s time to add a fire pit to the festivities.

A fire pit, you say? Gee, wouldn’t that require some major renovations to my patio? Not at all. Fire pits or outdoor fireplaces don’t have to be brick, stone and mortar affairs, though those built-in versions are certainly wonderful. If you’d rather have something less permanent (and less labor intensive) occupying space on your patio, temporary versions are the way to go.

Much like tiki torches with options from classic bamboo to elegant cosmopolitan designs, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces can be purchased with any theme or garden design in mind. High end versions such as the model pictured to the left can even serve a dual purpose, providing comfortable warmth in cold weather and/or serving as a table complete with a lazy Susan for entertaining during warmer weather when the fire pit isn’t needed. Keep in mind that the granite Fire Stone model definitely qualifies as high end and is priced accordingly.

Also like tiki torches, you have options in fuel sources. Some fire pits are designed to accommodate wood or coal but for those for whom that would be an inconvenience, propane and natural gas versions are available. Consider, for example, the Napoleon Patioflame pictured to the left. This model creates the illusion of a natural rock fire pit with burning wood but it’s all smoke and mirrors, folks. This model burns gas!

Prices on fire pits can run from disturbingly high to pleasantly affordable depending on design and fuel source. In all likelihood, there’s a model out there in your price range. Combine one of these pits, a few tiki torches, outdoor lounge chairs, some blankets and some good company and you’ll extend your events and still be creating lasting memories long after your neighbors have locked themselves away in hibernation.

My wife and I had what could best be described as a trying week last week. It was expensive both financially and emotionally. The toughest day of the week, involving emergency surgery for one of our beloved pets, had us on pins and needles all day.

After receiving the news that the surgery went fine, we decided to celebrate despite feeling emotionally strung out. I mixed a couple pina coladas, lit the tiki torches and we each settled into our patio loungers and enjoyed the play of the firelight on the pond. Our cares slowly faded away.

Now you may be thinking the rum in the pina coladas was mostly to thank for the easing of our worries and there is some truth to that, but I believe in cumulative effect. As I said in Planning events with tiki torches, the flickering flame needs only a few additional props to really set a mood. In our case, tiki torches plus pina coladas took us a way to a better time and place, our honeymoon. And that, coupled with the good news the vet gave us, let our cares drift away.

The next time you have a rough day, turn things around by setting a mood. Mix up some pina coladas (with or without alcohol), light up the tiki torches and settle into a better frame of mind. One word of advice… don’t use pre-mixed concoctions. Build yourself a much better pina colada from scratch. You won’t be disappointed. Visit Recipezaar.com for their perfect Island Pina Colada recipe. The only thing I personally change is go a hair lighter on the rum and add ice before blending (about 2 cups for a 2 person serving).