NICE DAY & SOME MEXICAN BORDER MEMORIES

POOR MAMA GOOSE....NO BABY GOOSES THIS YEAR:((

Another cooker today but when you don't have to be outside working in the heat it's not too bad.  Nice mobility van run to London & back this morning in air conditioned comfort.  A big plus from the days many years ago when I might have been out in the back of some new housing sub division on my hands & knees in the dirt laying new sod for hours & hours in the heat.  Yep, did that for awhile in Kitchener Ontario back in the late 60's.

OUR LITTLE 'MOUSE'

I have read in the RV NET FORUMS from time to time about RV'ers having their rigs towing assemblies tampered with by kids while they have been away from their rigs or even around the other side gassing up.  I always make it a point to especially check our tow pins whenever we have made a stop somewhere.  Kids have been known to pull them out &  bicycles have been stolen right off the back of some rigs at fuel stops.  Came across a blog last night that ran into what could have been a very dangerous situation when they stopped at a Flying J for diesel fuel.   Check out R SANITY RV ADVENTURES

ALONG THE FOREST FLOOR

While ranch sitting near McNeal Arizona last winter I noticed they had a small photo group meeting every Monday afternoon over in the little town of Elfrida so I threw my cameras in the car & wandered on over.  Met some great folks over the next couple of months before departing the area & heading further west.  Ray, (RAY'S QCC BLOG) from the group still sends me updates & keeps me in the loop as to what the group is up to & what photo shoots they are out on.   He has just put a BLOG SITE together for the group & you can find photos of their last shoot in the rough & tumbly down town of Naco Arizona on the Mexican border.   Kelly & I were in Naco this past January & here is my BLOG & PHOTOS from that day....complete with a bullet hole in a downtown window!!

 

MAIN STREET NACO ARIZONA....THE MEXICAN BORDER IS DEAD AHEAD!!

We are sometimes asked if we feel threatened at any time while near the border in the Southwest & my answer to that is...no!!  I would feel much safer there by the Mexican border than I would in most large cities I have been too in Canada or the States.  We only had one incident & that was when we crossed into Mexico one time south of Why, Arizona at Lukeville.  You can read about our little scrape here...SONOYTA 

LOOKING DEEP INTO THE HEART OF MEXICO FROM ATOP CORONADO PEAK SOUTH OF SIERRA VISTA, ARIZONA

For the most part it is life as usual just as it is here.  It's when something happens along the border & the media gets a hold of it that makes things seem much worse than they sometimes really are.  We have met many locals in the last couple of years & they all seem less concerned with the problems than people living far to the north.  We have seen people in the desert & we have found pieces of clothing, back packs, etc.  We have heard the ambulances wailing by in the cold nights heading out into the desert to pick up people in distress & we have been buzzed by border patrol helicopters. 

WHENEVER WE HEAR A BORDER PATROL CHOPPER COMING OVER THE RIDGE WE  JUST STAND VERY STILL & PRETEND WE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF SAGUARO CACTUS SHADOWS IN THE DESERT

We have seen the bright yellow flares floating out of the night sky lighting the ground below & one morning we came across about a dozen Mexican folks sitting in single file along a ditch with 2 border patrol guys standing over them.  The group looked to be handcuffed, weary, & worn.  Unfortunately it is the way of life along the border & would we ever consider not going there because of those problems.  No, not a chance.  The American southwest is too special a place not to go & besides, it is just another great chapter in the exciting saga of the daily liveliness & charm of the old wild west..................................:))

    

(click to enlarge)

THERE'S KELLY CRAWLING UNDER THE BORDER WIRE INTO MEXICO EAST OF DOUGLAS ARIZONA - 'ADIOS KELLY'- OH OH SHE'S HEADING BACK TO THE CAR....DIDN'T FIND ANY BARGOOOONS IN THE DESERT I GUESS!!

 

MORNING PHLOX

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I don't know why I consider myself over the hill when I don't even remember ever getting to the top.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

NO FLOWER PICS TONIGHT....I PROMISE!!

1956 FORD FAIRLANE

At the risk of totally OD'ing on flower photos I've decided to dig into the files & pull out some old memory photos from last summer's car show in Goderich.  You can see all the cars here......CRUISE DAY IN GODERICH

1930 FORD HOT ROD

Another scorcher today & from what I read on other people's blogs it's a scorcher pretty much all over the place.  Hot summer weather like this can trap you inside just as easily as those cold winter days can but if I had a choice I would take the summer heat over the winter cold.  Don't have to shovel the results of hot weather.

1946 CHEVROLET TRUCK

Hadn't erased my brain software from the mobility van run Tuesday so when I plugged myself into the van this morning my brain computer programmed in my Tuesday run & headed me off in the wrong direction.  About half way to town A  the brain recalibrated itself & flashed me a message saying, "hey dummy, your supposed to be heading for Town B.

1960 CHEVROLET IMPALA

As I said in yesterday's blog I always head out on the early side & that served me well this morning as I was able to cut across country on some back roads & still arrive on time for my pick up.  Thursday morning I am heading for London Ontario which is totally in the opposite direction so hopefully I will have my brain software correctly re-programmed for that.  I don't ever recall heading for a wrong town before!!  But then again, I probably don't recall a whole lotta things:((

1952 DODGE TRUCK

I've noticed a lot less bird activity these past few days with the hotter weather so I guess their appetites are down too.  That's OK because it will give us a financial break from having to buy so much birdseed.

1956 CHEVY BEL-AIR

In keeping with today's car theme pics I figured I'd throw in a link to a post I wrote a couple years ago.  It's about the days when you could buy & sell cars for just a few hundred bucks sometimes.  And, I sure had my share of cars back in those days.  Check them all out here at, LOTS OF OLD CLUNKERS.

1959 CADILLAC

GROANER'S CORNER:((   As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world. It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "Seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many of us wither. Harold Schlumberg is such a person.
Q. "What do you old folks do now that you're retired Harold?"
A. "Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background and one of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine and whiskey into urine. I do it everyday and I really enjoy it. "  Atta boy Harold, you go guy!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

BUSY MORNING & RECORD BREAKING TEMPS!!

Whewwww, we had ourselves another record breaking heat scorcher of a day here.  Not sure what the official temps were today but I heard on the radio that it was our hottest May 25th on record.  I'm guessing we were somewhere around 90F with humidity to boot.  Predictions are for a long hot summer.

I am an early bird type person which simply means wherever I go I generally like to get there on the early side & this morning was no exception as I headed out with the mobility van for a neighboring town.  Took my time & totally enjoyed the beautiful morning drive through the countryside before arriving in a little town about 30 miles away.  Picked up a fellow with an accompanying  care worker & drove them to a neighboring small town for a medical appointment.  Picked up another fellow right away with his daughter assisting & then a phone (Blackberry) call had me picking up another lady going from the same hospital to home.  Busy morning for sure but everyone was in time for their appointments & Al even had a few minutes to grab a Tim Horton's coffee & sandwich in there somewhere.  I'm off first thing in the morning again to another small town in the area & transporting someone to another medical appointment.  Yep, I'm a happy guy to be working alright & you may notice my posts may be a little more upbeat because of that:))

When I got home this afternoon I figured I had better kick on the A/C because the doggy guys seemed a little droopy from the heat.  Hadn't had the A/C on since last summer so when I flicked the switches I was not surprised the A/C did not come on.  It's just the way things usually are & figured we would have to call the A/C guy.  I was sure I had done things right but figured I'd wait until the head honcho mechanic got home before making any calls.  It took Kelly all of about 30 seconds to have the A/C going!!  She simply checked the fuse panel & noticed the A/C breaker switch was in the 'off' position.  So, with a flick of the switch we were soon huddled under heavy blankets with wooly sweaters on trying to stay warm.  At no time while trying to get the A/C on this afternoon did my brain reach out & tap me on the shoulder & say, "hey dummy, check the fuses!!" 

All of tonight's photos are a small example of what you can do with your Picasa Photo program with just a little imagination & a few clicks of the programs easy to use buttons.  No magic or rocket science here, just an easy to use photo program that can be downloaded from Google for free.  Try it, you will like it:))  PICASA 3.6

And when I clicked on 'Live Writer' tonight it said there is a new version LW available so am wondering if anyone has taken the plunge.  What is your opinion?  Newer versions of things are not always better versions of things so I'm hesitant to try it until some of our wiser computer blog sages write a report on it......whaddya think Rick.

Both Kelly and I had to do a bit of running around tonight to help a couple of folks in the Park with some minor computer problems, so I'm a little late getting to the computer, therefore a shorter blog.  Yes, I can hear the sighs of relief out there...............:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

NICE MORNING FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE

NO, THAT IS NOT A SPIDER IN THE TULIP

The humidity over the past few days has put that summer warmth back in the air & with today's sunshine we in southwestern Ontario had ourselves another totally beautiful weather day. 

BUMBLE BEEN IN AN AZALEA FLOWER

Saddled up the motorcycle about 10 this morning headed out for coffee at Tim Horton's in Goderich.  Following that I hit the country back roads for a leisurely drive through the farmlands of Huron County.  The aromatic smell of blooming lilacs permeated the air as farmers busied themselves on their land with spring planting.  Cattle lazed in the fields & Mother Nature had on her finest coat of lush Spring green.  Just one of those special kind of mornings for meandering slowly along on the bike.

It's quite an ongoing battle of wits I have here everyday with the half dozen squirrels who conspire daily to thwart my best efforts of making our bird feeders.....squirrel proof.  Hanging the feeders from branches on our Sunburst Locust tree with fishing line has been a big help because the furry little monkeys can't get a toe hold on the thin lines to scurry down.  It is amazing how far they can leap as they continuously attempt to make pin point landings on the feeders from the tree trunk or higher branches.  Their antics are totally comical as I sit at the computer & watch all the shenanigans playing out before me.  It's a merry-go-round as they figure out how to get to a feeder & then I go out & adjust it's location.  They figure out another angle & I figure out another solution.  I tried to hang some peanuts out for the Blue Jays but the Cirque du Soleil high flying squirrel trapeze act got them too!!  On & on it goes.  Me & the rascally black squirrel gang.  What a bunch of mischievous Monkeys.

 

Tuesday I will be back to work first thing in the morning with the mobility van again & I'm looking forward to that.  Going to be a bit of back & forth scrambling between tight schedules in neighboring towns to get several people to various hospital appointments on time but that just adds a little excitement & challenge to the job & I love when things get busy like that.

OUR FERNS ARE GROWING WELL AGAIN THIS SPRING

Kelly's Dad over in Spencerport New York is barely holding his own & grows weaker by the day if it is possible to grow any weaker than he already is.  I never thought the human mind & body could take so much punishment & keep functioning.  He has been in & out of the hospital several times in the past few weeks again & is expected to undergo another surgical operation this week again.  Just a week & half ago he was in with congestive heart failure but made it  through & headed home again.   Like I blogged about before, Frank was one of those Marines fighting on the Island of Iwo Jima & wounded there during the second World War.  He is over 90 now & he's still fighting hard to stay alive just as he had to do all those many years ago in the South Pacific.

                         

                      KELLY & HER DAD

A fellow RVer & Facebooker sent me an email yesterday from an RV Park in Sierra Vista Arizona saying they were heading over to Bisbee & Douglas to have a look around & wondered how to find Belle Starr & her Silverado Ranch.  Emailed Joe back some directions & today he emailed back saying they had dropped in to see Belle on Sunday.  He was quite taken with Belle's spunk & enthusiasm just as we were when we met Belle last winter.  Sounds like they had themselves quite a chat.  Belle is still wheelchair bound but holding her own & still keeping an eye out for some good reliable & trustworthy help on the ranch...................

BELLE & HER GOOD FRIEND HOGAN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

MAY 24TH WEEK-END....THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER:))

GEARED UP FOR SUMMER & READY TO RUMBLE

In Canada we commonly refer to this as the May 24th week-end & it is the traditional kick-off to summer.  It's a big celebratory week-end with folks pouring out of the cities & heading for cottage country & the beaches like here in Bayfield, Grand Bend, & Goderich.  Many boats will be going back into the water after a long winter in storage.  Cottages will be opened & aired out.  Stores, shops, art galleries, eateries, & cafe's will be open for another busy summer.  Lots of parties & fireworks going on.  The teenagers will flock to Grand Bend about 20 minutes down the coast from us & the police presence there will be tripled & quadrupled for the week-end.  A lot of the rowdy teenagers who used to hang out in 'the Bend' back in the 60's have since grown up & are now retired in Bayfield........ including me.

 

'GRAND BEND BEACH'....PROBABLY A COUPLE OF THOSE WILD TEENAGERS FROM THE 60's.....REMEMBERING WHEN:))

Unlike the tourists who flock to Bayfield we remain hidden in our little pine forest about a 5 minute drive from the heart of the village.  Traffic will be chaotic & the small local grocery market will be shoulder to shoulder with people picking up everything from bags of ice to an endless supply of wieners, charcoal, & suntan lotion.  We learned years ago to make sure we have all our groceries or anything we need before the week-end tourist gang rolls in & especially on the long week-ends. 

ALONG BAYFIELD'S COLORFUL & PICTURESQUE MAIN STREET

It is a perfect week-end to stay home because the roads & highways can be heavy with people racing to & from their cottages.  Camp grounds & Provincial Parks will be jammed packed full & will basically stay that way right up to the Labor Day week-end in September.  The only times we would ever go to the Provincial Parks anymore around here is either before the May 24th week-end or after the Labor Day week-end.  The Pinery Provincial Park which is a half hour south of us is totally beautiful in Spring & Fall when the hordes of people are not there.

ANOTHER BAYFIELD SUNSET

Noticed on Facebook that MOTTY & PATTI are now in the Bryce Canyon, Cannonville, & Kodachrome Basin area of Utah. (you might want to read their post about returning to their rig after 3 weeks to find a very much most nauseating stench)  The places Motty & Patti are visiting right now bring back a lot of memories for us.  Utah is one of my most favorite States simply because of it's beauty.  That whole southwest area of the United States is like no other.  I have picked out 3 separate blogs & photo albums of our memorable times in & around Cannonville Utah.  Check out...............WILLIS CREEK SLOT CANYON...SLOT CANYON PHOTOS

ATOP GROSVENOR'S ARCH...GROSVENOR'S ARCH PHOTOS

DESCENT INTO BRYCE CANYON...BRYCE CANYON PHOTOS

MAX CROSSES THE SHALLOW CREEK IN WILLIS CANYON

LOOKING BACK & DOWN INTO BRYCE CANYON WHERE WE HAD JUST HIKED THROUGH THE 'QUEENS GARDEN' FAR BELOW

NOVEMBER 15TH, 2007 - VIEW FROM ATOP GROSVENOR'S ARCH AFTER A HEFTY CLIMB FROM THE VALLEY FLOOR BELOW....I FIRST CLIMBED THIS IN 1992

GROANER'S CORNER:((  "Grannie, do all fairy tales begin with, 'Once Upon A Time?"  "No darling.  There is a whole series of Fairy Tales that begin with, "If Elected I Promise'."

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

THAT DARNED OLD HITCH ITCH IS BUGGING ME AGAIN!!

 

OUR AZALEA'S ARE BLOOMING

Randy over at the ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES had a good post Saturday about his thoughts on their first year of full time RVing.  It's a good read for full timers or those just transitioning into the lifestyle or thinking about it.  Although we are Snow birders I could identify with just about everything he said.

HEY, YOU THERE IN THE SUN ROOM!!

After reading Randy's post this morning it got those darned old hitch itch gears to turning in my head again.  That's a fine thing if your in a position to scratch that itch & just hitch up & roll on.  If your not, it can be a real darn pain in the asparagus!!

 

WEIGELA

We were very serious a couple years ago about the full time lifestyle & I would still very much like to have a go at that but it's a big decision & it's a two people decision.  If both parties are not on the same wave length it just isn't going to happen.   It's true, we have a very nice cozy, safe, & secure little place here in Bayfield but we have been here nearly 7 years now & for me staying in one place that long is a huge stretch.  Yes, it's nice to have a home to come home to but to sit still in one spot for 6 months of the year now that we have been traveling is extremely hard for me to do.  It would probably help if we could do a few short trips in the summer but with Kelly's work situation we just can't do that. 

SOLOMON SEAL

These past few years have shown me an alternative & much livelier lifestyle than this more customary & routine stay at home living.  There is still so much to see & do out there & luckily for us we are still healthy enough to do it.....so far!!  But whether we'll take that big step some day remains to be seen.   Most RV folks will understand what I'm saying here & most sticks & bricks people will not.  There, now I feel more like my good old Cursmudgeony self again.  D'ya suppose this dull gray rainy day had anything to do with my thinking.....Naw, say it isn't so, I love da rainy days!!

ONE OF OUR RESIDENT FRONT YARD PEANUT VENDORS

I had better clear something up about the photo of that yellow Jeep Wrangler I had in the blog a couple days ago.  At the time I put that photo in we were very close to making a decision on trading in our 99 Dodge mini-van on that Wrangler & I figured we had it in the bag.  However, after much thought & discussions about pros & cons we finally decided this morning that it just was not the right thing for us to do at this time.  We have too many unknown variables in the mix at the moment but I still see a Jeep Wrangler in our future somewhere down the road, but just not right now:(( 

I know a lot of people aren't into bird's & flower pictures all the time but unfortunately that's just about all I have right now until something more exciting decides to happen in front of my camera lens............................

GROANER'S CORNER  It's that time of year for us to take our annual senior citizen test. 
Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it!  Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not.

OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.
1. What do you put in a toaster?

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Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast' give up now and do something else.. 
Try not to hurt yourself.

If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

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2.  Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World.

However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from? 
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Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green bricks,' why are you still reading these??? 
If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4.

 
4 Without using a  calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales . In London , 17 people get on the bus.
In Reading , 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on.  In Swindon , 2 people get off and 4 get on.  In Cardiff , 11 people get off and 16 people get on.  In Swansea , 3 people get off and 5 people get on.  In Carmathen, 6 people get off and 3 get on.  You then arrive at Milford Haven ..  Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver?

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Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! 
Don't you remember your own age?  It was YOU driving the bus!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

HOW AM I EVER GOING TO RETAIN MY GRUMPINESS IF THINGS JUST KEEP GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME!!

Think we have some rain headed our way & that is a good thing.  About 4 days back to back of any kind of weather is just about enough so I welcome the weather change.  Yep, atmospheric pressure variety is definitely the weather spice of life.

A CARPET OF PERIWINKLE BESIDE OUR HOUSE

Had a short mobility van run this morning from one little town to another & that was about it for today.  Lots of farmer's on the field's with their big planting machines this time of year so the dust was just a flying in the county.  This whole southern Ontario area we live in is mainly agriculture with lots of farms & fields of green.

                 

THE DARKER VAN IS THE ONE I GENERALLY DRIVE

                

OH OH, RADAR AHEAD.....NOPE, JUST A DUMMY CAR.  SEEN IN HENSALL, ONTARIO

Ever wonder what a real life oil man & fellow RVer does north of the Arctic Circle when he's not on the road with his rig?  Check out JOHN & BRENDA'S INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE. 

If missing out on not having sweet potatoes fries at Fuddruckers wasn't bad enough, ROD & LOYCE arrived back at their rig in Des Moines Iowa to find water cascading out their rig's door & down the road.  Definitely not a couple of happy campers there!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An RVer in a motorhome got hopelessly bogged down in an unexpected muddy hole along a dirt road. After a few minutes, a passing farmer drove by on his tractor and offered to pull him out for only $20. After the motorhome was back on dry ground, the RVer said to the farmer, "At those prices, I bet you're pulling vehicles out of this mud day and night."
"Nope," replied the farmer. "Night is when I haul water to fill up the hole again."

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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