The newest and niftiest for the home front

Last weekend's Home and Garden Show in Reno drew thousands of visitors looking for what's new (and old) in home life. They got a fine sampling of hot tubs and swim-in-place pools as well as many booths to check on mortgage rates, fire insurance and just about anything else that affects the home.

The Fall Total Home Show, with 350 booths and exhibitors, was the usual mixture of new and old. Among the old with a new twist was the Brinks Home Security booth, where Matthew Paul Foster presided. In a small kennel he had installed two Chinese pugs, adorable as pugs always are. The idea was to suggest that dogs alone are not good home security alarms. The pups made his point.

Then there were the natural rock salt crystals," football-size hunks of salt mined in Pakistan and the foothills of the Himalayas. These crystals glow in a lush orange color and, according to the literature, act as air purifiers and emit negative ions by the millions. Mini versions sell for $39 and large for $125. If negative ions lift you up, these will furnish them.

Fountains, along with hot tubs, are mainstays at H&G shows, and this was no exception. Brownell Industries of Phoenix offered an artistic display of some of its eye-catching fountains. Drawing most spectators was the Tiki model, about 4 feet tall and sprouting water out of bamboo outlets.

An exhibit attracting a of of attention was Flood Protection Products, Watergate, with a display of products designed to make fighting floodwaters easier. The main product was a roll of plastic which could be filled with water after being put in place. The effect was the same as sandbags, but easier to place and take up after use. This seems to be an ideal product for South Carson Street businesses.

For those of us who can't find space for a full-size hot tub, one exhibitor offered a four-person portable tub. Just fill it with water, plug it into a 120- volt outlet, and let the jets wash your troubles away. It's just $2, 995, or $3,995 for a larger version.

If you like the idea of getting plenty of sun year-round, Affordable Patios and Sunrooms offers a fine idea: a prefab unit 8-by-10 feet, complete with glass doors, acoustic tiles, colored roof panels and vent systems - $17,000 installed on your level ground..

Once upon a time, an old tire hanging from a tree limb was all the kids needed in the way of a home playground. But just as public playgrounds (and McDonald's) have become more elaborate, so have the home versions. If there was anything that really drew the kids at the show, it was a massive structure that allowed kids to do everything short of jumping into a river. Price? You don't really want to know.

• Contact Sam Bauman at sbauman@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1236.