Couple Dies After Using Generator For Power

Corpus Christi (AP) - A couple using a gas-powered generator because their electricity was shut off died while sleeping in their bed, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Christopher Felix Guajardo, 22, and Ashley Flores, 21, were found dead Friday morning. Corpus Christi Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Willis suspects they died from the gas.

Family members said the couple were supposed to spend a night in a motel with other family members, but were found by Guajardo's nephew.

"I went inside and I smelled the gas and tried waking up my uncle and my tia, his girlfriend, but they wouldn't wake up," Juan Ramirez said.

The couple's toddler son was staying with a grandparent.

A couple using a gas-powered generator because their electricity was shut off died while sleeping in their bed, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Christopher Felix Guajardo, 22, and Ashley Flores, 21, were found dead Friday morning. Corpus Christi Fire Department battalion chief Jeff Willis suspects they died from the gas.

Family members said the couple were supposed to spend a night in a motel with other family members, but were found by Guajardo's nephew.

"I went inside and I smelled the gas and tried waking up my uncle and my tia, his girlfriend, but they wouldn't wake up," Juan Ramirez said.

The couple's toddler son was staying with a grandparent.

by: Dan Garcia

Getaways without the kids

Have you had a trip ruined because a baby cried all night in the hotel room next to yours? Has your romantic dinner been eclipsed by a whining toddler at the next table?

If vacationing surrounded by children doesn't appeal to you, you are not alone. More people travel without children than with them, according to the Travel Industry Association. In 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, TIA reported that only about 30 percent of leisure trips in the United States included children.

It is relatively easy to locate the more free-spirited adults-only resorts, mostly in the Caribbean; hedonistic and clothing-optional places abound. It's harder to find non-X-rated places that ban children.

To help navigate the child-free travel maze, you might need the help of a professional. Elena Mathis owns Child Free Travel, an agency that focuses exclusively on travel without kids.

"I am child-free myself," Mathis says, "and I completely relate to my clients. There are no judgments or questions, just the desire to plan the best 'child-free' vacation possible."

Not all of her clients are child-free. "There is no typical client," says Mathis. "I have planned trips for honeymooners, empty-nesters, child-free married couples, couples who are dating or living together. It runs the gamut." One client was a mother who was celebrating her 60th birthday and "just didn't want to deal with kids."

One thing her clients have in common is the desire for a quiet, relaxing vacation. Most are seeking luxury accommodations, often with a romantic setting. Phillip Gharabegian, who has been using Mathis's agency for almost three years, craves a respite from his busy life as a lawyer in Los Angeles.

"My girlfriend and I were looking for an escape to a tropical location," he says. "While we're at a resort, we want something that is free of young children." Most recently they stayed at Maroma, an adults-only resort near Cancún that does not allow children under age 12 from May 28 to Dec. 21. No one under 16 is allowed during the rest of the year.

"Nothing breaks your relaxation quicker than noise," says Gharabegian. "We tend not to stay at resorts that cater to the spring break crowd either."

Peggy Gavan, a writer from Warwick, N.Y., wants to avoid chaos when she travels. "There is nothing more annoying than getting splashed in the hotel pool by screaming kids, having to dodge little kids running around the lobby . . . especially when you pay thousands of dollars for a vacation," she says.

Many seeking child-free vacations work with children. Katie Andrews, an English teacher from Los Angeles, simply wants to get away from it all.

"I am around kids all day as a teacher," she says, "and while I love my job, I am happy to leave the kids and the job in favor of mature company, and most of all, time alone doing my own thing."

Connie Warner, a riding instructor from Richmond, agrees. "I like working with kids, but I need an adult-only escape for fun." She wants to look into a meditation retreat or yoga vacation next time she travels.

For many vacationers, adults-only also means all-inclusive. Ginette King, a technical writer from Marin County, Calif., recently stayed at the Golden Crown Paradise hotel in Puerto Vallarta with her husband. "It has bars, multiple restaurants, a pool, beach activities, billiards. We specifically loved that it was for adults only."

A sister resort next door includes amenities for families. Guests staying at the adults-only resort can use both facilities, but families are restricted to their side. "For us it's the perfect combination," says King. "We could . . . play next door, and we could get away from the kids at our adult resort only a few steps away."

Finding a resort with an age restriction is the only reliable way to avoid children when traveling. But even when a resort or hotel does have a child-free policy, it may not be easy to find. "It's not usually in gleaming, huge letters right up front," says Mathis.

Roland Ballner, owner and manager of Hotel Cortisen in St. Wolfgang, Austria, recently switched to a child-free policy. "In October 2005 we decided to start our 'no-kids policy' with the beginning of the summer season," he says. "In the Alps there are no other hotels with that philosophy and I thought, this idea is missing in our area - just to guarantee an even more peaceful and relaxing atmosphere in our hotel."

There was a little fallout after the announcement that guests must be 13 or older, but soon people began to embrace the idea.

"In Austria there are 75 hotels which are focused on families with little kids and babies," says Ballner. "So, why not do something for the other side as well? Most of our guests are young parents. If they have the chance to leave the kids with Grandma, they are more than happy to enjoy the peaceful, child-free atmosphere."

Since Caesars Pocono Resorts in Pennsylvania opened in 1958, three of the four properties have had a minimum age of 18. "We know that our guests love spending time with their children at home, on family vacations, and in everyday life," says Mark Saari, director of marketing. "But they also know the importance of spending time together as just a couple."

"Our suites are especially designed for romance," says Saari. "Some have 7-foot-tall champagne glass whirlpool baths for two, in-suite pools, saunas, heart-shaped Jacuzzis, and luxurious round beds."

Upscale locations are not likely to fit into a family budget, and "out of the way" destinations are inconvenient for toting tots. Jerry Steinberg, founding "non-father" of the social group No Kidding, looks for unique places to stay on vacation. "We prefer renting waterfront cabins or staying in bed-and-breakfasts, as opposed to impersonal hotels, motels, and resorts," he said.

Working vacations, such as helping to rebuild New Orleans, are likely to attract older groups, although you may encounter some teens. Destination spas are becoming more popular, and rarely interest children.

Study tours are an option. Mathis recently attended a conference sponsored by Disney for another branch of her travel agency. She was surprised to discover a new escorted tour program called "Adventures by Disney" that includes tours limited to the 18-and-over crowd. "It falls in perfectly with my client base."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation also sponsors dozens of domestic and foreign study tours every year. While there is no guarantee there will be no children in your group, the price tag and itinerary suggest that only adults will find it appealing.

If you enjoy adult-oriented activities, you can also minimize your contact with children. "We do a lot of scuba diving in Mexico," says Gavan, "so we really don't have to search that hard for relatively child-free vacations since scuba diving is not a big activity for kids. We usually travel to Cozumel, which is a great adult dive community."

Looking for a cruise? P&O Cruises has two child-free ships, the Artemis and the Arcadia. Disney also offers ships with adults-only decks that include child-free pools and restaurants.

Timing is important if you want to avoid children; the spring and fall shoulder seasons and the off-season are when they are in school.

"We avoid traveling during the summer months," says Kaye Walters, of Santa Barbara, Calif., who is working on a book called "Kidfree & Lovin' It," "unless we are driving to a secluded cabin in the woods somewhere. Fall, after the kids have just started school, is a good time to travel. We do not travel during school breaks or holidays."

Walters discovered Nukubati Island Resort, a child-free resort in Fiji, calling it "a small luxury private island resort on coconut plantation with a nearby reef for spectacular snorkeling."

Of course, just because school is in session doesn't mean you will be child-free. "You may still encounter infants and toddlers too young for school," says Walters, "and they do know how to scream."

Kimberly A. Kenney

Shaken-baby trial starts

PITTSFIELD — The toddler has lost her sight and probably will never walk. And she may not have much bodily function at all, although only time will tell.

The baby was just 10 weeks old when she sustained life-threatening injuries at the hands of one of her parents on March 11, 2006, according to Berkshire Second Assistant District Attorney Joan M. McMenemy.

The prosecutor made the damning allegations during opening statements yesterday in the criminal trial of Marlin Brandow, the girl's father. The girl's mother, Janan M. Scutt, will be tried at a later date, according to Berkshire Superior Court officials.

Each parent accuses the other of inflicting serious, debilitating injuries on the child, who is now more than 2 years old. That is why prosecutors decided to charge both Brandow and Scutt in connection with the incident.

Brandow was indicted on single counts of assault and battery on a child resulting in substantial injury, assault and battery on a child with injury and permitting substantial injury to a child. Scutt was indicted on two counts of assault and battery on a child with substantial injury and on one count of assault and battery on a child with injury.

"This will not be an easy case," said McMenemy. "Both of (the child's) parents blame the other."

Meanwhile, Brandow's attorney, Alexander Z. Nappan, said his client has become the commonwealth's fall guy in the difficult case. Nappan said Scutt is the one who has exhibited abusive behavior toward the child, telling the baby to "shut the (expletive) up" when she cried.

"Somebody has to pay for this crime," Nappan said. "The commonwealth, for whatever reason, has selected Mr. Brandow as the man who did this crime."

However, McMenemy and Nappan do agree that both Brandow and Scutt have told lies during the criminal investigation. According to police and prosecutors, Brandow changed his stories about what happened to the baby: He initially claimed she choked after a feeding, then stated she rolled off a bed while he was changing her.

"The medical evidence will show you that (the child) was shaken," said McMenemy, and suffered brain and retinal hemorrhaging — symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, or SBS.

SBS is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma cases, according to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. The Utah-based organization claims an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children are injured or killed by shaking every year in the United States. About a quarter of all SBS victims die from their injuries, according to the organization's Web site, www.dontshake.com.

The majority of infants who survive will have some form of neurological or mental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy or mental retardation.

When the case is boiled down to its essence, the evidence will show that Brandow was alone with the baby when she stopped breathing, McMenemy said. Brandow and Scutt had been staying at a West Housatonic Street motel in Pittsfield at the time of the March 2006 incident.

Brandow ran to the motel's office, where employees quickly called 911, then tried to calm Brandow while helping his infant daughter, according to testimony yesterday. The employees — Mary Barker, 48, and Jessica Clayborn, 24, neither of whom works at the motel now — testified that Brandow was distraught when he ran into the office with the lifeless child in his arms.

"I just noticed that (the baby's) head was flopping," Barker said.

Clayborn, who had recently finished emergency medical training at the time, attempted to resuscitate the child, who initially did not have a pulse.

Both women claimed that Scutt angrily confronted Brandow when she returned to the motel. Clayborn testified that she heard Scutt scream: "What did you do to my baby?"

Testimony is scheduled to resume today at 9 a.m. in Berkshire Superior Court.

Two-year-old girl survives falling into pool after learning to swim from just eight weeks

A toddler survived falling into her family's pool because she had taken swimming lessons since she was eight weeks old.

Elizabeth Jelley, who is now two, spent several minutes in the 4ft-deep pool while her mother Amanda frantically searched for her in the house.

The 38-year-old nurse said the Water Babies swimming classes she attended with Elizabeth taught her daughter not to panic and to swim to the side.

Elizabeth Jelley with mother Amanda: The toddler was able to keep safe while holding onto the side of the pool

She had heard her daughter calling her name but was unaware she had left the door leading to the pool unlocked.

She found Elizabeth clinging to the side of the indoor pool.

Mrs Jelley, of Noctorum in the Wirral, said: "She was running around but suddenly she went quiet so I began looking for her.

"She was calling 'Mummy, Mummy' but she wasn't panicking. It just sounded like she wanted me to look for her.

"I was hunting under the beds and in wardrobes but I couldn't see her.

"When I saw the door was open I just went cold. I thought that was it. I thought she had gone under the water."

Elizabeth as a baby learning to swim

She added: "When I found Elizabeth she was holding on to the side of the pool. She seemed quite content."

Mrs Jelley believes her daughter managed to right herself, swim to the edge of the pool and hold on to the side ? techniques taught in her class.

She said: "It was pretty amazing."

Jess Thompson, who founded Water Babies, said: "Stories like Elizabeth's make me feel emotional.

"I don't think she would have survived if it hadn't been for the classes. Most children drown because they panic when they fall into water.

"Water Babies teaches children to become familiar with water, starting with splashing it gently on to their face."