THE DAY WE ALMOST BOUGHT A GUN

Rain came in the night and stayed all morning.  With that rain falling and the recent hike in gas prices I seriously considered leaving the gas-guzzling Jeep in the carport.  Surprisingly, Pheebs must have been thinking the same thing because she refused to even set foot out the door.  Me, not being as smart as Pheebs, went for a Jeep ride anyway into and around Bayfield before returning home half an hour later.

 A RAINY START TO OUR DAY

SOGGY SAILBOATS WAITING FOR SUNNY SAILING DAYS AHEAD

 SMALL PORTHOLES

 PERHAPS A FAMILY BOAT WITH KIDS ABOARD

THE RIVER BARGE WORKERS ARE STILL INSTALLING BOAT DOCKS

 RECENT STORMS HAVE LITTERED BAYFIELD 'S BEACH WITH A LOT OF DRIFTWOOD AND DEBRIS

 IN THIS PIECE OF DRIFTWOOD I SEE A BEACHED DOLPHIN

With the morning being so dark and gloomy I found myself in a rather reflective mood thinking back to our RVing days and a time when we almost bought a gun.  In all of our thirteen Canadian Snowbird RVing years in the United States and especially boondocking in remote desert locations we never once had an incident where we felt threatened by anything.  We knew that probably most of our fellow American RV'ers carried guns either on them or in their rigs but it was never a concern for us and we never thought much about it.  This was America after all and we were mere travelers coming and going with our RV across their land.  While at our house in Congress Arizona, we spent a lot of mornings walking in the nearby Sonoran desert and after talking to nearby neighbors and other walkers and hikers about rattlesnakes, coyotes, javelinas, and possible mountain lions, etc. we kinda thought maybe we should think about carrying a gun for protection just in case some coyotes or javelinas came in close and went after Pheebs.  We tossed the idea back and forth trying to justify a gun purchase.  What kind of gun would we get??  Being Canadians, our gun knowledge was zero.  What would we do with the gun when we went back to Canada because we knew it was illegal to cross the border with it.  Would we hide it in our Congress house?? With those and a number of other unanswered questions and concerns, we headed to a Wickenburg Arizona gun shop one day to see if we could bolster our gun knowledge.  Walking into that gun shop I hadn't realized there were so many different types of guns available.  Big ones, little ones, long ones, short ones, and I think even some colored ones for the ladies.  With no idea what we were looking for we talked to the shop's experienced gun owner who trotted out some handguns and explained them to us.  I can't remember the makes and models we looked at but all the time we were there it just didn't feel right to be buying a gun.  Something didn't sit well with me.  In the end, our Canadian upbringing came through strong and clear and we left the gun shop, gunless.  I think I even remember heaving a big sigh of relief upon exiting the shop knowing we didn't have to deal with the serious responsibilities of being gun owners.  Right or wrong, good or bad, we've never regretted our gun decision and we happily remain gunless to this very day:))  Oh, and I have one other short gun story concerning the Bayfield Bunch while I'm at it.  For security purposes while parked at a property north of Elfrida, Arizona years ago we one day came into temporary possession of three guns.  A shotgun, a .357 or 44 Magnum, and another pistol I can't remember the name of.  The house on the property had recently been vacated by an elderly couple we knew.  Unable to look after things any longer they had to move back to New York to be close to their kids.  With our location being only about 25 miles from the Mexican border any vacant house in this area with all its possessions inside was vulnerable to theft and vandalism so we stayed on that property until the elderly couple's two sons came from New York a month later with a truck to transport their parent's house contents back to NY.  In the meantime, in that house were 3 guns and it was those guns we were given to keep safe until the two sons arrived with the moving truck.  The shotgun was all black in color and I could hardly believe how heavy the black-handled chrome metal-looking .357 Smith and Wesson handgun was.  I can't remember what the other handgun was but it might have been a Colt something or other.  I also don't recall receiving any ammunition with those guns which was probably a good thing or I might have been out there accidentally shooting my boots off or ending up with bullet holes in my cowboy hat.  The only time I ever fired a handgun was in the Canadian Navy's boot camp in 1965.  I remember firing 9 shots at a big target shaped like a charging enemy soldier.  Out of nine shots, I never hit the target once.  I think it is safe to say we made the right decision in Wickenburg that day not to buy a gun!!  By the way, in all those travel years I never did see a live rattlesnake (two dead ones) or a mountain lion.  We did encounter a number of coyotes and javelinas though.  

 MAIN STREET BAYFIELD

 THAT IS QUITE A NAUTICAL SCULPTURE

Rain finally quit and clouds began clearing out shortly before noon turning our 52F day into big, bright, and beautiful.  Figured I had better take advantage of the sunshine and blue skies and get outside to work away at cleaning and reorganizing our metal shed which always ends up in such a mess over the winter months.   

 IF YOU THINK THIS LOOKS CLUTTERED YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE I CLEANED THINGS UP THIS AFTERNOON

And, before I forget, a short note on 'Al's Music Box'.  A reader recently commented about me being very knowledgeable about music.  I wish it were so but alas, it is Wikipedia that knows far more than I and that is where I copy and paste all the info about each song.  However, by doing my Music Box each day, my knowledge is definitely increasing.  Now, if only I could remember and retain what I am learning.  

 AN AFTERNOON WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND

 I SAW THIS BUNNY  AT THE FAR END OF THE POND BUT PHEEBS DIDN'T

 WE SAW A TOTAL OF 4 TURTLES TODAY

A Blast From Our Past: In my Thursday post I had included a number of older photos taken off a Flash Drive.  In one of those photos, Pheebs has her front paws on somebody sitting in a lawn chair.  The location was Borrego Springs, California and although I had kind of an idea who the fella in the lawn chair was, I couldn't remember his name.  In a comment on that post, another fellow RV Blogger Dave Burdick from Going RV Way not only recognized the fellow RV'er in the chair but he also found my post for that very day as well.  Reading my own post brought back memories of not only meeting Howard (the fellow in the chair) and Linda, but earlier in the day meeting another RV Blogging couple Nan and John and their two dogs, Oliver and Olivia.  Here is my post for that day on Monday, December 29th. 2014. By Golly We're Just Somewhere West Of Yuma Tonight  So a big thanks Dave for somehow linking that memorable day up for us:))

 OUR HOSTAS ARE EXPLODING OUT OF THE GROUND

Al's Music Box:)) Carolina On My Mind is a song originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote Carolina in My Mind while in England recording for the Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as a single in 1969, the song earned critical praise but not commercial success. It was re-recorded for Taylor's 1976 Greatest Hits album in the version that is most familiar to listeners. It has been a staple of Taylor's concert performances over the decades of his career. Carolina in My Mind is one of the most covered contemporary folk songs of all time, the most famous of which being covers by American singer-songwriter John Denver and American rock music duo the Everly Brothers.  The song references Taylor's years growing up in North Carolina.  He started writing the song at producer Peter Asher's London flat on Marylebone High Street, resumed work on it while on holiday on the Mediterranean island of Formentera, and then completed it while stranded on the nearby island of Ibiza with Karin, a Swedish girl he had just met. The song reflects Taylor's homesickness while missing his family, his dog, and his State.

 ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND FROGS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Vocabulary::

- Accountant - Someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
- Auditor - Someone who arrives after the battle and bayonets all the wounded.
- Banker - The fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain. 
- Economist - An expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.
- Statistician - Someone who is good with numbers but lacks the personality to be an accountant.
- Actuary - Someone who brings a fake bomb on a plane, because that decreases the chances that there will be another bomb on the plane.
- Programmer - Someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.
- Mathematician - A blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there.
- Lawyer - A person who writes a 10,000 word document and calls it a "brief."
- Psychologist - A man who watches everyone else when a beautiful girl enters the room.
- Schoolteacher - A disillusioned woman who used to think she liked children.
- Consultant - Someone who takes the watch off your wrist and tells you the time.
- Diplomat - Someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
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A FEW PHOTOS FROM AN OLD FLASH/THUMB DRIVE KELLY FOUND

 ONE OF MY SUNSET PHOTOS FROM A DOZEN YEARS AGO OR SO...I TOOK THIS ALONG THE BEACH AT BAYFIELD'S DEERPARK LODGE

A few days ago while going through one of her drawers, Kelly came across a 'flash drive' that she remembered storing some music and pictures on years ago in our RV traveling days.  I plugged it into the computer and sure enough there were photos on there I had taken and long ago forgot about.  With today's gray day not inspiring me to take many photos I decided to include a few here that I found on that thumb drive/flash drive/memory stick.  But first, it was a routine coffee/groceries drive to Goderich and back for Pheebs and I this morning.  I took a few pics along Lake Huron's Rotary Cove shoreline.

 A LARGE OCEAN-GOING VESSEL IS VISIBLE ON THE DISTANT HORIZON.....IT WAS ACTUALLY MUCH FARTHER AWAY THAN THIS PHOTO SHOWS

 A LONG FUZZY 600mm TELEPHOTO SHOT

 A GODERICH HARBOR TUG HEADS OUT TO MEET AND GUIDE THE LARGE SHIP IN

The following photos plus the first sunset photo are ones I found on Kelly's flash drive....

 THE PATIO AREA BEHIND OUR CONGRESS ARIZONA HOUSE

SOMEWHERE IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

OUR LIVING ROOM IN CONGRESS ARIZONA WITH PHEEBS ON HER COUCH AND KELLY'S BLUE SHOES VISIBLE AT BOTTOM RIGHT TIPPED BACK IN HER RECLINER

 KELLY'S BROTHER PETER AND WIFE LESLIE ARRIVE AT OUR CONGRESS HOUSE FOR A WEEK'S STAY

OUR VISIT TO MOUNT RUSHMORE

 PHEEBS GREETS A FELLOW RVER NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA

 ZION CANYON IN SOUTHWEST UTAH

A MORNING HIKE NEAR CONGRESS ARIZONA

 MOUNT RUSHMORE IN THE BACKGROUND

 AT THE TWIN ROCKS TRADING POST IN BLUFF UTAH

 WE HAD THREE SAGUARO CACTUS IN FRONT OF OUR CONGRESS ARIZONA HOUSE AND THESE ARE TWO OF THEM RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR LIVING ROOM WINDOW...NEIGHBOR'S FIGURED THEY WERE WELL OVER A HUNDRED  YEARS OLD.....REGARDING THE HOUSE WINDOWS FROM RIGHT TO RIGHT TO LEFT...MY BEDROOM, LIVING ROOM, BETWEEN THE CACTUS CAN BE SEEN OUR FRONT DOOR, LEFT OF THE LEFT CACTUS WAS OUR DINING ROOM AND THE FAR WINDOW ON THE LEFT WAS KELLY'S BEDROOM 

Al's Music Box:)) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by the Platters is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach in 1933 for the musical comedy, Roberta.  It was recorded in 1958 by the Platters for their album Remember When?  Buck Ram, the producer, said that Harbach praised them "for reviving his song with taste."  The widow of composer Jerome Kern disliked the recording so much she considered legal action to prevent its distribution.  However, she was informed that she was going to get huge royalties from the sales of the single.  It was expected to sell over a million copies, and she dropped her lawsuit.

 A CONGRESS NEIGHBOR'S CACTUS GARDEN THAT WE WALKED PAST ON OUR WAY OUT INTO THE SONORAN DESERT FOR AN HOUR'S MORNING WALK MOST EVERY DAY

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A minister had all of his remaining teeth pulled out. New dentures were being made.  The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes.  The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes.  On the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes.  When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way:  “The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my new dentures were hurting me a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures... and I couldn't shut up.”

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- A teacher says, “Okay, class. Today we’re going to be talking about the tenses. If I say ‘I’m beautiful,’ which tense is it?”  Little Johnny raises his hand and says, “Obviously past tense, Miss.”

- I threw a ball for my dog...It's a bit extravagant I know, but it was his birthday and he looks great in a Tuxedo.

- “People say, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.’ Well, at my age, if I want to connect with old friends I need a Ouija board.”

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