“GRACIAS AMIGO”

Had a note from Ivan at ROADTRIP 09 yesterday saying he would be in our area & might do an overnighter at the Whitewater Draw about a mile & a half south of us.  Before heading for Belle's this morning I slipped down there but Ivan had already left.  Email this afternoon said he'll be back Sunday so we'll maybe get to meet Ivan then. 

HEY, LEGGO MY NOSE!!!!!!!!

I always enjoy when nice coincidences happen & a couple days ago we received the following email from a lady in Sierra Vista............and I was very honored to say 'yes' to her question:))

Hi Kelly and Al,

On my Google alert for Coronado National Memorial, one of the links was to your photos of the cave………and I really liked them….but, more about that in a moment.

And as I scanned the photos, I thought that I recognized a yellow 1939 Jaguar lookalike car parked at the Morningstar Café…..hmmmm…..you must have taken that photo after the Palominas Unorganized Christmas Parade…..and I know that car…..it’s my husband’s car, a Squire SS-100…..as he awaited breakfast after the parade!  Great photo!  Great car!

Back to the Coronado Cave photos…..I’ve been looking for some photos of the inside of the cave.  I do media relations for the City of Sierra Vista…on the tourism side.  And oftentimes I pitch the cave as an interesting attraction/activity for hikers visiting our area.  But, I don’t have any photos of the inside….would you be willing to share some of the photos?  Unfortunately, our budget wouldn’t allow me to compensate you monetarily, but if you permit me to use them, I would credit you as the photographer.

Please let me know what you think and keep up the great work!

Best, Erika

Media, Public Relations & Film

City of Sierra Vista

www.VisitSierraVista.com

============================================================

The temps didn't drastically drop Thursday afternoon as they usually do & at 6 p.m. we still had our motorhome door wide open.  Yes, we were in the grip of a veritable heat wave & for the first time in a long time we didn't have to turn the ranch water off last night. 

Had my third straight & great day in a row.  Short chat with Belle this morning upon arrival & then saddled up the John Deere 'Gator'& headed for the hay trailer.  It was another big blue sunny Arizona morning as I parked my steed alongside, climbed up on the flatbed, & dumped 2 tightly bound heavy hay bales into the space behind the bright yellow driver's seat.  Here I was, a guy who barely knew one end of a horse from another (although I come from horse ancestry on my Dad's side) about to set out & feed over 20 donkeys, about 15 horses, & an assortment of various birds plus 3 lovable ranch dogs.  Can only get 2 bales on the gator at one time so it takes a few trips to get everybody fed.  Probably doesn't sound like much to most southwesterners but for me being in this situation it was truly something special.  As I drove around feeding the gang I couldn't help but think of my younger growing up days in the village of Tavistock Ontario Canada.  I always scoffed at the local farm guys thinking of them as hayseeds & yokels.  In fact I blogged about that last summer...SMALL TOWN SATURDAY NIGHT.  How ironic I thought that here I was well over 50 years later doing & enjoying the very things that the guys I had once made fun of were doing all those years ago.  I often wonder where some of those guys are now.

A smart farm boy would know enough to carry a pocket knife for cutting the 3 strands of binder twine holding the tightly packed bales together but just learning to be a farm boy, I never thought to bring a knife.  Found an old pair of dull scissors & that had to frustratingly do for the day.  At one point while stopped & feeding a group of donkeys I remembered I had missed two horses a short distance away.  No problem as I broke a big chunk of hay from the remaining bale in the gator & walked back to toss it into the corral.  Remembered these two horses needed some special feed up by the house so walked over & got a can of that & sprinkled it on the hay.  Headed back to the Gator & as a came around the corner of a corral I saw 2 very large horses chowing down on the remaining hay in the back of the Gator.  This took me by complete surprise because I thought all the horses on the property were corralled.  Hmmm, apparently not.  Didn't remember Cindy telling me anything about strays or unpenned horses.  Luckily I don't have a fear of horses so calmly walked up to the guys telling them that we were going to have ourselves a little talk about eating hay out of the back of the John Deere tractor……or else!!  Dropped the remaining shredded bale on the ground for them & continued on down the line happily tossing hay (according to Cindy's mathematical formula) to the happy hooves gang on both sides.......

HEY, WHO ARE YOU GUYS!!

The very first day Kelly & I visited the ranch a few weeks ago we took with us some carrots & apples for Belle's critters.  To us the miniature donkey pen seemed a bit crowded & in the weeks since I kept thinking the same thing.  Cindy had felt that way as well.   This morning I went in to talk to Belle about that.  Julie, Belle's friend & cleaning lady was there & when I told them about the donkeys being in a long narrow enclosure they were confused because they both thought the donkeys were in two separate larger pens.  Julie came out with me & immediately said, "that's not right, someone has moved them all together & should not have done that."  She showed me how to re-position a couple of fence gates before going back in the house & I got busy with my new project.  Took me about half an hour & reams of binder twine to lash the gates to-gether but soon it was done & all was secure.  I happily climbed the fence & gently walked the 20 donkeys around a corner into a large open area complete with a mesquite tree in the corner & a single Desert Spoon Sotol plant along the side.  As each donkey entered the new spacious pen I swore I heard, "Gracious Amigo:)) 

‘GRACIOUS AMIGO’ WE LIKE OUR NEW DIGS:))

I felt very happy with myself after moving the miniature donkeys because I could feel their happiness & contentment at being in a larger area.  It gave me a warm fuzzy inside knowing I had picked up on their feelings earlier about the smaller area & then followed through with the act of actually doing something about it.  No big deal to most people maybe but once again, for me, it was a very special thing.   And, I learned another desert lesson today as well.  Do not walk into a Desert Spoon plant.  The tips of those long slim fronds are spear like & will penetrate flesh like a herd of many thrown Arabian daggers!!  Yeeeeouch!!!!

AND DON’T FORGET THE BIRDS AL:))

Tomorrow morning Kelly is coming to the Silverado Ranch with me & while I do the chores she is going to help Belle with some computer things.  From there we are off to Douglas to pick up a new battery for the ATV here at the ranch we are staying at.  Although we aren't traveling a whole lot right now I sure am learning lots about road apples & donkey dust............& I'm enjoying every minute of it:))))))))))))))

 

ALL & ALL…….ANOTHER FINE DAY IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST:))

Welcome to new blog followers Kelly & Angela.  Nice to have you folks along on our southwest adventures.  Hope I'm not tiring you with donkey & horse tales at the moment.

And my apologies to everyone who has commented & emailed with questions that I haven't answered yet.  No excuses on my part...... I'm just way behind & that's all there is to it.  I really & truly need a couple cold rainy days to spend inside & get caught up on all my computer stuff. 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know growing old is mandatory & growing up is optional. (Oh boy, can I ever relate to that one!!)

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

MEMORIES OF DAY’S GONE BY

 

WINDY SKIES OVER THE VALLEY

No doubt about it!!  This is the longest & worst wind storm we have ever had to endure.  Although the satellite dish is still standing we have no television signal which tells me the dish has shifted in the high winds.  All 3 legs are spiked into the ground plus a heavy water jug is suspended underneath the tri-pod to add extra weight.  Despite that I expect the tri-pod to be flattened at any time.  I was jolted awake at 2 a.m. by a series of particularly heavy wind gusts that shuddered the whole coach.  It's 3 a.m. right now & the motorhome is rocking back & forth like a small boat upon a storm tossed sea.  Can seasickness be far away!!!! 

Never did go back to bed so worked away at organizing my Picasa Web Albums until sunrise.   Gonna be a loooooong tired day now:((

I was really surprised at not having an error message come up while publishing Live Writer Monday night.  I'm slightly optimistic the problem may be fixed.  The key words there are.....'slightly optimistic.'  Don't want to get my hopes up & have them dashed by an 'Error-400' message again!!  Kelly informed me it wasn't the internet she used to 'fix' the problem but the solution was right in our own computer all the time.  Something to do with program files.  I’ll have to get her to explain it to me.  (as if it would do any good)

And a big welcome to new followers Rod & Connie from ROUND THE CAMPFIRE.  Nice to have you onboard & hope the ride doesn't get too boring for you.

 It's the end of the day now & because of my lack of sleep it turned out to be a very draggy day.  Rained most of the morning so I stayed in & continued to work on my Picasa Web Album stuff.  Kelly was off to Yoga.  The winds finally diminished around noon & we put the slides out again.  It has been pretty crowded in here with 12 paws, 3 wagging tails, & 4 humanoid feet stumbling around.  Our Star Choice satellite somehow survived the winds assault intact but with all the twisting & bending we had no television this morning.  Took a bit of wiggling & re-aligning this afternoon but we snagged the satellite & all is well in Televisionville once more.

PLEASE MAKE THOSE BIG BAD WINDS GO AWAY MOM:((

Enjoyed reading some more of 'me 'n Henry' to-day & came across a paragraph that I really connected with.  Walter Swan the author is talking about his graduation from the eighth grade. (Quote)"This was the last year I ever went to school & the teachers really tried to teach me something, but I tried not to learn just as hard."(Un-quote)  That line sure brought back memories for me & I understood exactly how Walter Swan felt about that.  He goes on to say, (Quote)"We were kind of poor & things were really bad about now & this really bothered my Mother.  My shoes were all worn out & my clothes were not much better.  My shirt had been washed so many times that it was more white looking than it was blue.  My pants had so many patches on them that they looked like a quilt made into a pair of britches.  But they were going to have to do.  There just wasn't any money to buy new ones." (Un-quote) 

After reading that paragraph I kind of slipped into a quiet reflective mood for the rest of the day remembering my early childhood which was similar to Walter's but not as harsh.  Our parents did the best they could back in those days with what they knew & what they had.  When he talks about the Outhouse I remember that well.  Heating water on a coal/wood stove for washing, once a week baths, bringing in water from a pump outside, coal oil lamps for when the electricity went off, no television, wind up clocks, buckled galoshes on cold winter feet , a hand crank phone on the wall, bedpans, wooden sided refrigerator where you put a big block of ice in the top part, no such thing as a supermarket & fish was pedaled on Fridays from a man pushing a wagon around my little home town of Tavistock Ontario, Canada.  Knives could be sharpened the same way & milk was delivered by a horse drawn wagon.  A big old wooden floor model radio was the main source of entertainment in our house & my Mother, my Grandfather, my Uncle Fred, & me, would gather around it Sunday night's for 'Our Miss Brooks, The Great Gildersleeve, Amos & Andy, & many other great old time radio shows.  Arthur Godfrey in the mornings, Gunsmoke & Gangbusters on Saturday nights.  We had a crank up Victrola with old 78 RPM records which I would constantly listen to.  My Mother could play piano by ear & it was always a great treat to listen to her.  I would sit on the piano bench beside her and she would play my favorite, Greensleeves.  Our house always had music in it & I'm very grateful for that to-day.  Whether it was the radio, the Victrola, or an old record player years later, there was always music in the house.  To this very day I still surround myself with music. 

And, as I sit here to-night typing this, listening to my music, I feel very sad after reading & reflecting on Walter Swan's memories of his life because in many ways it connects with my own.  I know this is Tuesday but it just feels like a Sunday night to me & I'd like nothing better right now than to just go back & turn on that big old floor model radio, tune in Fibber M'Gee & Molly, gather round in the living room with my Mother, my Grandfather, & my Uncle Fred to listen & laugh once again to a simple humor that is all but gone now.   A way of life, a way of family, a way of remembering.  Some day's there are just too many old memories to think about.............................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  How many politicians does it take to change a lightbulb ?
Two. One to change it, and another one to change it back again.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

THE WOODSTOCK GANG ROLLED IN TO-DAY WITH.....FRYING SAUSAGE:))

DESERT CAMPFIRE NEAR PAINTED ROCK, ARIZONA.....DECEMBER 08

(Click photos to enlarge)

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments on  yesterday's blog.  Much appreciated & every comment is taken to heart.  Thank-you folks:))

END OF ANOTHER SUMMER AT KELLY'S DEERPARK LODGE JOB

I like the music option Joe & Sherri from SOMEWHERE IN TIME have put into their blog.  It sits right at the top left where it is easily accessible & gives readers the option of whether they want to click on it & listen to Joe & Sherri's blog music.  For air card users it saves them from getting hit with bandwidth gobbling audio when they click onto somebody's site.  I'm not opposed to music on blog sites, I just think the blogger should give their readers a choice.

 SCRAPING THE SUMMER'S PINE SAP OFF THE RIG'S ROOF

To-day begins the 'crunch!!'  It is 5 days from lift off & this is the week things get really busy & I like that.  This big summer travel log jam is beginning to shudder under the rising pressure of change & our traveling adventures will finally burst forth once again Saturday morning.  The excitement is not as much about where we are going as it is the fact that we just are finally going!!

VIEW OF OUR CORNER PROPERTY FROM ATOP THE MOTORHOME'S ROOF

If anybody out there is having trouble sleeping I have an excellent homemade cure for you.  Park yourself in front of your computer, put on your favorite relaxing music, turn down the lights, & click on my SUNRISES & SUNSETS photo album.  When it opens, look to the top right for the word 'Slideshow' & click that.  I have enough sunrise & sunset photos here guaranteed to put you to sleep in no time at all.  Took a lot of them at the ranch last winter in Arizona.   Remember, it is not likely you will ever reach the end of the slideshow before you are completely, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'd!!

ANOTHER ARIZONA SUNSET

We had company to-day from Woodstock Ontario.  My 93 year old Uncle Harry & his two lady friends, Grace & Helen came this afternoon bringing sausage.  Guess I should explain that.  In my home town of Tavistock Ontario there were always two butcher shops & one of them was called Krugs.  Ever since I was a child we have enjoyed Krug's frying sausage.  I remember years ago whenever any of our American friends & cousins knew somebody was coming for a visit from Tavistock they would always request the folks to bring as much Krugs frying sausage as they could carry.   I remember my Mother carrying shopping bags of sausage aboard the train bound for our cousins place in Chicago.  That was a long time ago & back before all this silly food restriction nonsense at the border.  Those sausage laden border crossing days are long gone now but Krug's butcher shop is still going strong & every time my Uncle Harry, Grace, & Helen come to Bayfield for a visit they always make a stop in Tavistock to bring along a big load of Krug's frying sausage.    I ate so much frying sausage to-night I am going to have to go lay on the floor now & wallow.  We won't have it again until late next spring when the Woodstock gang once again makes that Tavistock sausage stop & motors there way back on up here to Bayfield.  My Uncle Harry is the man who made it all possible 7 years ago for Kelly & I to live where we do to-day:))

UNCLE HARRY AT 93..... A GENEROUS MAN STILL DOING WELL

UNCLE HARRY GIVING ME A GOOD DRUBBING ON THE POOL TABLE AGAIN LAST YEAR

I'm going to keep the blog short to-night but just wanted to say thanks again to all the folks & their kind comments not only for last night's blog but for all previous blogs as well........................:))

BOONDOCKING NEAR GILA BEND, ARIZONA

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Now here' a tongue twister for you.......Once worked with two blokes called Dan, Dan Dale and Dan Dodd, whose Dad's Dad had a dog, also called Dan .  I remember when the poor dog died, another bloke I used to work with said to Dan Dale...... " Damn, Dan , Dan Dodd's Dad's Dad's dog Dan died!!"

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

WHY WERE THEY SO STIFF & STODGY?

A TOUCH OF FROST ON THE CLOVER THIS MORNING

Well, my "no news is good news" approach to CNN's morning news (or any other news) is working well & it's been a couple of weeks since I turned my back on that whole repetitive 'doom & gloom' factor.  And 'how sweet it is' to be rid of all those never ending bone jarring loud ridiculous & practically non stop commercials to boot.  I think CNN has been taken over by one big long jumble of infomercials anyway!!!!

Oh Oh, now what did we get.	It's looking like a new Coleman
Yep, burner on left, grill on right	Very compact & storable

(Click on any photos in the blog to enlarge them)

Had a 'LIVE WRITER' question that asked........"I'm using Live Writer  but when I get a picture in my blog post, it won't expand with a click like yours do."

Open up a photo in your live writer & then click on it.  Whenever you see the white dots around your photo it means you can work on it.  Look to the right side control panel & click on the word 'Picture.'  Look down to where it says 'Link to' & make sure it says 'Source Picture' in the little box.  Now, click 'Options.'  A 'Source Picture Options' box opens.  Click arrow & choose 'Large (1024x681)'  Also make sure both little boxes have check marks in them & then click 'OK'.  Now, the important & easy to forget part.......Look over to your control panel at right & go to the very bottom looking for 'Save settings as default' & click that.  If by chance you don't see that settings control just try minimizing or maximizing your screen because on my desktop computer the 'Set categories' bar at bottom left has a habit of covering up my default settings button on the bottom right if the screen is maximized.  That little problem cost me about 3 handfuls of hair before I finally figured it out........

 

Ever wondered why people had such serious faces & never smiled in those old black & white portrait photographs you see beginning back in the 1800's.  How could so many people feel so sour for so long.  Well, the problem wasn't with the people, it was with the camera itself.  Back in those days there was no such thing as shutter speeds, or for that matter, no shutters in the cameras at all.   The photographer had to insert a negative photo plate into the camera, remove the lens cap & count in his head how many seconds (or minutes) he thought would allow enough subject light to imprint itself on the negative plate.  The length of time mainly depended on the lighting situation in front of the camera.

THE MIGHTY MAITLAND RIVER HEADS FOR GODERICH ONTARIO WHERE IT EMPTY'S INTO LAKE HURON

Many portrait studios used available light coming in from large angled windows.  I remember the LEMP STUDIO  in Tavistock (my home town) Ontario was a good example of that many years ago.  The subject in turn had to remain perfectly motionless or else any movement would blur the image.  Now, have you ever tried holding a smile on your face for any length of time.  Maybe half a minute or more.  Not likely, so people were told to just relax their faces in a normal deadpan stare & concentrate on not moving a muscle & especially not any smile muscles. 

THE BISBEE KIDS ARE LOADED UP & READY TO RUMBLE

You will also notice in many old photos that people's heads may be slightly tilted up giving them kind of a royal & regal look.  This also had a practical purpose because behind the subject was a steel up & down rod with an iron hoop on the top of it for folks to rest their heads against for those long exposures.  That resulted in a slight uplifting of the chin, thus the royal pose.  And also notice most portraits were done with people in a sitting position.  This simply made it more comfortable for people & lessened the chance for movement.  Whewwww, thank heavens for the digital age:))

THESE PHOTOS SHOW HOW WE HAVE THE RIG CONFIGURED FOR TRAVEL.  MAX LIKES TO LAY ON THAT FOLD DOWN BED & LOOK OUT THE WINDOW

I have never felt comfortable photographing posed people so you will rarely see that sort of thing in my pictures.  I do enjoy grabbing candid photos of people though.  More natural & less stress for the people & the photographer plus I would much rather catch folks being themselves. Don't care for those phony smiles when in reality they would rather hit the photographer over the head with his own camera.  I tried my hand at a few weddings many years ago & immediately decided that was something I would never try again!!  Also tried some portrait stuff with friends & they all seemed to come out looking like grotesque cartoon characters.  Those friends have never spoke to me since!!  So, I just stick with doing things I like best & Mother Nature offers a never ending array of ever changing beautiful subjects.

WE TOOK THE BIG CLUNKY TV OUT OF THIS UPPER AREA LAST SUMMER. YOU CAN READ THE FIRST BLOG OF THAT RENOVATION HERE

Turned on the rig's propane tank yesterday & test fired the furnace, water heater, stove, & blue flame heater this morning.  Everything checked out A-OK but had trouble lighting the Legacy Blue Flame heater.  Tried repeatedly but no luck so had to call in our resident Top Gun.  Kelly hit the switch once & it was running!!

BOUGHT A FLAT SCREEN TV & MOUNTED IT HERE.  BELTS SECURE IT FOR TRAVEL

Check out RICK'S BLOG to-day if you are confused about air cards, wifi connections, & routers etc while on the road.  He does a good job at de-geeking the confusion.  We have a Verizon air card while traveling & just love it:))  And, if your into Motorhome renovations be sure to stop by BIG BACKYARD & check on Karen's on-going series of posts about changes to their older motorhome.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead?

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

MY DAD'S CAR IS BETTER THAN YOUR DAD'S CAR!!

CHECKERS

WOW, did I ever get the date for Bayfield's annual Thunderbird rally screwed up. You can imagine my surprise this morning when I headed over to Clan Gregor Square expecting to see a bunch of Ford Thunderbird's parked there. Nothing but grass, trees, & some kids playing in the playground. The date for the rally is actually to-morrow, Sunday July 26th. Just as well because it's raining like nuts here right now. Sorry guys, no car pictures to-night, just more.................flowers:(( FROG POND LILIES

In keeping with the car theme I am reminded of the Chev/Ford rivalry my friend Gary & I had going on back in 1961. His Dad had a brand spanking new 1961 black Chevy Impala & my Step-Dad had a brand spanking new 1661 black Ford Galaxy. Well, the rivalry between Chev man Gary & Ford man Al was "on" to say the least. Never at a loss for digs at each other about who had the nicest car & which one was best we continued that Ford/Chev rivalry for a fair few years. Down the street, Bob's Dad a spanking nearly new 1960 black Dodge Polaris but in those years the Dodges, along with their counterpart, Plymouth, were not really in the rivalry range for most of us. Chevs & Fords were the big guys & it would take the Chrysler car company many more years to get away from those cartoon-like & often laughable designs of the late 50's & early 60's to become the leading innovative Detroit design maverick they did become in these past 20 years or so. FEMALE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK

But, back to Gary & Al & their Chevy/Ford rivalry. Gary was a few years older than me so had his driver's license before I did. His Dad let him drive the Chevy Impala so Gary would often pick up a bunch of us guys & we'd had off to places like the Drive-In, their cottage at the lake, A&W, or just cruise around the streets of Tavistock looking cool with all the windows down on freezing cold days. It truly was a nice car with it's peppy engine, snappy red & white interior, big space age looking dash, & what seemed like acres of glass all way round. I never told Gary how much I liked the car because that just wouldn't have been a cool thing to do because, afterall, I was a Ford man right, and there was no admitting to my buddy Gary, the Chevy man, that his Dad actually had the nicer car. And there certainly was no room for saying a Ford was better than a Chevrolet in them there days either. OUR RESIDENT CLOWN.....CHIPPY

Now, fast forward about about 40 or 50 years to where I can now clearly see the folly of our spirited rivalry in those old days. It was not a case of a Ford being better than a Chev or a Plymouth being better than a Studebaker. They were all basically the same automobile. Not one was better or worse than the other. They all had flaws in their various models & they all had their good points. Some engines were better than others, some transmissions were really good & some were not so good. Interiors varied greatly but the basic materials were all the same. Car designs changed from year to year with some models being hotter than others for awhile as fads & trends came & went. There was no good or bad, no right & no wrong. No better or no worse when it came to the Detroit cars. It simply ended up with an individuals preference. In the end it all boiled down to a much simpler rivalry between young boys defending their Dads. MIGHT BE A SWEET PEA FLOWER

Remember that old saying, "my Dad's tougher than your Dad," Well, that's where it kind of all began & still continues in many psychological forms to-day. Our Government is better than your Government, Liberals are better than Conservatives, Republicans are better than Democrats, our religion is better than your religion, Macs are better than PC's, peanut butter sandwiches are better than garlic sandwiches, dogs are better than cats, tylenol is better than aspirin, Class A motorhomes are better than 5th wheels, my Dodge truck is better than your Ford truck, black is white, Wendy's is better than McDonalds, Ontario is better than Alberta, coke is better than pepsi,Alaska is better than New Mexico, butterscotch ice cream is better than maple walnut, or......... my Dad's car is better than your Dad's car!! And so it was, & so it is, & so it shall be..........forever & a day:)) ADDED A SECOND BIRD BATH TO THE POND PROJECT

GROANER'S CORNER: Can Napoleon return to his place of birth? Of Corsican.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

MOONSTRUCK BY A THUNDERBIRD

WILDFLOWERS ALONGSIDE THE ROAD ON PORTER HILL LINE

The early morning air was as still as a butterflies thoughts & a touch of humidity reminded me of our close presence to the surrounding great lakes. There was rain in the area somewhere near by so didn't figure I had better take the motorcycle out if I knew what was good for me. A few errands to run this morning so headed off to Goderich for my number one stop at Tim Hortons. On the way I spotted a host of colorful wildflowers growing alongside the road so that quickly turned out to be my first stop instead of Hortons. I always travel with a camera of some kind & this morning was no exception as I parked the van alongside the road & cracked off a few flower pictures. Despite all the human turbulence in the world it is truly a beautiful planet we live on & I was reminded of that once again as I strolled amongst the roadside flowers with my camera. A picture here, a picture there, & I was on my way. Decided to move some bird feeders into place around the pond project this afternoon in hopes of attracting some fine little feathered friends to my camera lens. I'm happy with the results I'm getting with my telescope & camera arrangement lately so I'd like to try my hand at some more feathery critters now. I have really been enjoying my new found photography interests these past few weeks & that has helped take some of the edge off this long & slightly boring summer.
By the looks of our computer weather map here we have a lot of rain headed our way to-night. Not good news for the Ford Thunderbird enthusiasts who are planning their annual get to-gether to-morrow in Bayfield's Clan Gregor Square. It's all grass there & I don't think the fellas will want to be getting their vintage Thunderbirds all muddied up. I'll grab a camera & head over that way in the morning anyway just in case the rain misses us. The early 60's cigar shaped T-Bird has always been a favorite of mine ever since I saw my first one many years ago in the village of Tavistock where I lived. I still remember when the Sommers family down the street bought a brand new jet black Ford Thunderbird. Wow, it was as sleek as a space ship. I would often see one of the older boys, Jim, driving that bird & like a moonstruck teen-ager I was totally mesmerized everytime Jim & that car cruised by. I would always stop whatever I was doing & watch for as long as I could trying to imagine what kind of heaven Jim Sommers must be in driving that long, low, sleek black Thunderbird. Back in those days, that's what dreams were made of for a young carstruck teen-age boy.................:))
GROANER'S CORNER: Skipping school to bungee jump will get you suspended.

P.S. About those stripes running in different directions on Kelly's chair project......Shhhhhhhhh:))

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

CARS & MEMORIES......MEMORIES & CARS

CADILLAC

An email from a friend in Bayfield yesterday informed me of a car show up in Goderich to-day so under threatening dark clouds & sprinkles of rain I grabbed my raincoat, crossed my fingers, threw a camera over my shoulder, & headed up Porter Hill line to Goderich.56 FORD

The rain sprinkles gave way to warming sun splashes between the gray clouds & the day turned out just fine. I was surprised at the number of cars at the car show in Goderich's downtown area called, The Square. I'm guessing a couple hundred cars maybe. There was something there for everyone & it was nice to feel all the memories coming back as I walked around taking photos. 58 EDSEL

The decade between 1955 & 1965 were the most memorable for me when it came to cars. I was a young young boy growing into my early teens & cars in those days were absolutely everything to young fellows. We knew all the cars, makes, & models. Knew about the engines, the carbs, lake pipes, fender skirts, baby moons, 4 speeds, & just about anything else you needed to know about a cool car. 1929 ESSEX

In the late 60's & into the 70's cars took on a box like sameness look & the golden age of the adventurous Detroit auto designs was over. Before that we could tell a Chev from a Ford coming down the road a mile away. We knew who was going by the house just by the sounds of the cars. The old Ford flat head eight's had their own sound just as the Chevy 283's did. (hope I got that engine size right) I remember the big stir when Chevrolet unveiled their 1959 Chev. What a huge revelation in design that was with it's big sweeping fins & equally sweeping dash. Back in those days we only had a few car dealers in the small village of Tavistock but every autumn you could feel the excitement in the air as the anticipated delivery of the new models was expected. They arrived & were kept under wraps sometimes until the big day came when they were unveiled in the showroom. It was standing room only in the dealerships as the town's people flooded in to see the new cars. It was a level of excitement & anticipation I don't think I have ever felt since. It was a magic time for a young boy & as I walked around looking at the cars to-day I could feel a little bit of that excitement bubbling again. 1932 CHRYSLER

I have uploaded to-day's car photos into their own photo album & you can find them HERE. Click on the slide show when you get there & see if you can feel a little bit of that same excitement I felt to-day . Maybe they will stir up a few pleasant memories for you too:)) 60 CHEV

GROANER'S CORNER: A hamburger walks in to a bar and asks for a beer. The bartender says, "I am sorry but we don't serve food in here."

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/