MY FURRY LITTLE SHADOW

DRAGONFLIES ON A LILY PAD

Pheebs & I did find a nice piece of high ground Saturday night to watch the full Moon come up.  Only about a 10 minute drive from home, the hill was originally used for large satellite dishes & communication towers years ago.  Managed to get ourselves backed into the driveway & set up the tripod & camera.  Nice night & not cold.  Pheebs had a blast running around all over the place checking everything out.

 

AS I WAIT PATIENTLY YOU CAN SEE THE SLIM BAND OF CLEAR SKY FOR THE MOON RISE

We had a moderate cloud bank overhead & the only clear sky around was low down along the horizon.  I knew I would probably have less than 10 minutes from first spotting the moon to before it disappeared into the clouds.  About 8:35 I could see a dull glow about half way up the narrow horizontal clear space.  The very faint Moon slowly began to materialize out of a hidden cloud bank close to the horizon.  Because of the low angle, the Moon was shrouded in heavy atmosphere giving it a reddish orange look.  A condensed atmosphere like that is made up of earth’s air such as dust, pollution, smoke, etc & that is why a Moon close to the horizon always has a certain amount of color to it.  A Moon straight overhead is much clearer & free of atmosphere making it whiter looking & much more detailed.  But, it was the horizon Moon I was looking for Saturday night & although not crystal clear like it would be later, I did crack off a few shots anyway. 

By the way, I hesitate to use the word ‘Super’ to describe this Moon.  It’s just simply another, Full Moon.   Oh, & one more thing…the big Moon you see close to the horizon & the smaller Moon you see a few hours later above you are actually the same size.  When you see the big Moon close to the horizon you are actually seeing an optical illusion because of the Moon’s proximity to the horizon & objects on the ground.  You might have to think about this one….but it’s true.  

FULL MOON EMERGING FROM A LOW CLOUD BANK AT 8:35 P.M.

  

 

 

FULL MOON ASCENDS INTO THE UPPER CLOUD BANK…TIME SPAN BETWEEN FIRST & LAST PHOTO WAS 6 MINUTES & 42 SECONDS

This morning dawned clear & sunny with no wind.  Tossed the cameras in the Jeep, loaded up the Pheebs & off we went on a Sunday morning errand run & photo tour.  A few things to pick up in Goderich & with a quick stop at McDonald’s for a couple Burritos (Motormouse’s favorite) we were headed back out of town onto some back country roads.  Had a spot in mind where I knew I could let the Pheebs out to explore around.

EVEN MOSS ON A LOG CAN LOOK OK

Although we do live in a small community here at the 5 Seasons Estates our Park is ideally situated right out in the country just a couple miles outside Bayfield.  When we leave our Park we do not have to drive out into the countryside, because we are already in the countryside.  And, I see that as a huge bonus to where we live.  The roadside ponds Pheebs & stopped at this morning are only a nice quiet twenty minute scenic country road drive from where we live.  Spent about half an hour poking around the Ponds & headed for home.  Pheebs was needing a big rest after all her running around chasing frogs, butterfly’s, a few fish & the occasional leaf blowing across the road.  Rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at home.

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT A GANG OF GEESE ON THE POND

Of course you are all wondering what kind of fine culinary fare I would be dining on this evening again, seeing’s how I am all by myself for a couple days.   Well, let me tell ya…..another Hungry Man dinner of course.  Steak even…..well, Salisbury steak I guess.  Straight out of the freezer & into the micro-wave.  Guess I didn’t quite nuke it long enough because I ran into a few ice bergs in the middle of the mashed potatoes.  The green beans were a little on the cold & stiff side but what the heck.  Awwww, tis quite the lap of Culinary luxury I am in I though, as I spooned up the last crumbs of my sticky but still smouldering brown Brownie.

I think had we not named the Pheebs, Pheebe, we could have easily named her Shadow.  She shadows Kelly or I everywhere.  Makes me think she may have an abandonment fear.  If I move from one room to another, Pheebs is right behind me.  At night she sleeps on my bed & when I get up to go to the washroom, Pheebs gets up as well & comes & lays outside the washroom door.  And, when I go back to bed, Pheebs goes back to bed.  If by chance she falls asleep on the couch & I tip toe off to the computer room, I will hear her minutes later come racing down the hall & into the sunroom where I am seated.  She carries on like she hasn’t seen me in 6 weeks.  Of course I carry on with her the same way.  This goes on all day long.  If I go outside to get something out of the Jeep, she is at the window, & when I return to the house 40 seconds later it’s as if I’ve been gone forever.  She is just soooooo expressive with her happiness.  Now, this just doesn’t happen with me, it happens with Kelly as well & when I’m not here Pheebs sticks to Kelly like glue.  Never have I ever seen such a consistently happy dog in all my life.  Oh what I wouldn’t give for just a fraction of Pheebs personality.  My furry little shadow:))

EXPLORING ALONG THE EDGE OF THE POND

A quick check of our Blog site tells me we have a new Blog Follower.  Today we welcome Theresa to our travels.  Thank you for dropping by & taking the time to sign on to our Blog Followers list.  By the way, there are no obligations whatsoever for anyone to join our Blog or any of our fellow Blogger’s sites.  Might be a little bit of a pain jumping through a few Google hoops but each & every blogger always appreciates the folks who take the time to do that.

I WAS TEMPTED TO ASK THIS FELLOW IF HE WAS INTERESTED IN A GAME OF LEAP FROG…AFTER ALL, I WAS IN POSITION

 

 

EVEN A COUPLE FISH PHOTOS ALONG WITH SOME UNDERWATER PLANT LIFE

And again, just a quick note to folks about my Facebook.  Because I have been hacked a couple times I do not accept ‘Friend Requests any more.  Nor do I sign on to any apps or requests of any kind.  No game stuff & I do not join anything.  Only thing I use Facebook for is to drop my Blog into at the end of each day. (if I can remember) Nothing personal whatsoever towards anyone.  I just do not want to get ‘hacked’ again & have to go through all that crap of trying to get the hacker out of my account.  It’s obvious Facebook isn’t going to protect me from these low life’s so I have no choice but to do it myself.  Again, for you folks sending me ‘requests’ & things, I will not respond…….nothing personal.

DRAGONFLIES

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two zebras are talking and one asks the other, "Am I black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" The other replies, "Well I don't
know. You should pray to God about that and ask him." So that night he did
and God replied, "You are what you are." The next day he said to the other
zebra, "I still don't understand what I am because God just said, You are
what you are." The second zebra responds, "You must be white with black
stripes or else God would have said, Yo is what yo is."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

‘HOME ALONE’…..JUST ME & THE FABULOUS PHEEBS:))

HOPEFUL PARENTS KEEP A WARY EYE ON OUR PRESENCE

I don't think anyone understands better the rigors & difficulties of living with another human being in a small space for a prolonged period of time more than full time RV folks.  As Snow Birds, Kelly & I do that very thing, but for only about half the time each year that full time folks do.  I think it takes a special kind of relationship with a lot patience & understanding between two people to be together 24/7 day after day after day.  Kelly has a whole lot more of that patience stuff than I do.  Not easy for someone like myself who likes the freedom of my own space but I must say, I have adapted reasonably well when we are on the road.  But, I do look forward to arriving home in the Spring to our bigger sticks & bricks &'stretching out.'

 

MOMMA GOOSE ATOP HER NEST NERVOUSLY MOVES TO THE WATERS EDGE AS WE APPROACH…POPPA GOOSE COMES FLYING IN TO WARD OFF THE INTRUDERS

Today, Kelly headed off to Cambridge for a couple days.  Her Son Ben & now wife Bri were married last January in the Dominican Republic & Kelly, along with some other friends & family members were not able to attend the wedding.  Ben & Bri are having a second wedding reception in Cambridge Ontario today, so Kelly headed over this afternoon to attend that.  It's about an hour & 40 minute drive.  She will be staying at Ben & Bri's house until Sunday or maybe Monday visiting with family.  Space there was limited so Pheebs & I opted to stay home & hold the Fort.  I'm not comfortable with large people gatherings anyway so it's far less hassle for everybody if Pheebs & I just stay home & hang out.  Besides, I like the change of pace.  Pheebs & I can crank up the stereo & rock to some tunes.  We can watch 'Family Guy' when we want & I can eat peanut butter & honey sandwiches for breakfast, dinner, & supper.  Groovy:))

 

SPLASHDOWN AS POPPA GOOSE LANDS NEAR THE NEST…MOMMA PREENS HER FEATHERS WHILE POPPA KEEPS A WARY EYE ON US

A few people have asked if we will get a playmate for Pheebs, especially since we were used to having 3 dogs before.  We have not ruled that out but we are not actively searching.  Of course we weren’t actively searching years ago either when Checkers & the Motormouse unexpectedly became part of our family.  We have always liked the idea of more than one dog though.  They are always good company for each other & it's double the love & entertainment for all of us.  I suppose if the right situation cropped up & another little pooch was desperately needing a kind & loving home we would probably go out of our way to make that happen. 

A SMALL BABY PAINTED TURTLE KEEPS AN EYE ON ALL THE COMMOTION

Generally, after the death of a pet people are in extreme grief over the loss.  Some never own a pet again because they do not want to go through the grief of loosing another best Pal.  We have lost 3 best Pal's in less than one year & I'm sure that same thought briefly entered my mind as well.  But thankfully the thought was only brief.  Loss is always remembered & best Pals are always thought of, but time is the healer of all wounds.  As I sit here in my recliner today I can look over to my right & see the 3 little wooden boxes & the 3 little doggy collars.  I can dwell on that & easily let myself slip into sadness.  Or, I can look over to the left side of my computer. 

There, contentedly sound asleep on the couch is our fabulous Pheebs.  Nothing more I can do about the past but I sure can love & enjoy the present.  Pheebe is here now & had we not dealt with our grief, she would not be here at all.  We would have not missed these past 9 months with the Pheebs for anything.  The ongoing every day joy is far greater than the grief we have struggled through.  We will forever have our past memories of Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse & we will forever have our present day love right now for the Pheebs.  And, time does heal the wounds….if you let it. 

There are countless numbers of best Pals out there in the world who need to be loved & taken care of & countless little critters looking for an opportunity to return & share that love.  If you have lost your best Pal, don't deny yourself the love of another best Pal, & more importantly than that, don't deny that little critter it's once in a life time opportunity of loving you.  Gloria & Ron from Seaforth Ontario did just that recently after sadly loosing their little 7 year old mini Schnauzer Aby (Abby) to cancer.  Gloria & Ron, despite being heavily grieved did not deny another little critter a loving home.   Spencer, also a mini Schnauzer, came home with them & brought a new light & a new life, into their lives.  We wish them many warm & happy love filled years ahead.         

<<< WONDER HOW MANY MILLIONS OF TRIPS THESE LITTLE BEES MAKE TO KEEP ME SUPPLIED WITH HONEY FOR MY PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES

Had myself a wee bit of a domestic day.  Couple loads of laundry, cleaned some windows, vacuumed some floors & fixed myself up a Gourmet meal of the finest breads topped with the yummiest peanut butter & honey in the land.  It is truly a true Connoisseur of crushed peanuts & spun honey that I are.  Of course this was just dessert.  Me main course consisted of a mighty fine 'Hungry Man' turkey dinner complete with dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, and a small Apple-Cranberry dessert which of course had to be followed by my real dessert of peanut butter & honey.  Oh darn, forgot to get the mandatory blog foody photo.

Chuck & Geri over at HAPPY TRAILS are Workamping for the summer at the ZION RIVER RV RESORT in one of my very much most favorite States, Utah.  As the name suggests, the Park is near Zion Canyon in southern Utah & if you haven’t been to Zion  you had better put it on your list right along with Bryce Canyon not too darned far away.  I have been to both these places twice & they are true ‘eye poppers’.  Geri has some mighty fine photos of Utah at it’s best.  We met Chuck, Geri, & the ‘Hound Herd’, Scotty, Doogie Bowser & Radar this past winter at Darby Well Road near Ajo, Arizona.  Nice bunch a Critters:))

 

CAME ACROSS THIS HARMLESS BUT CHARMING LITTLE GARTER SNAKE TODAY AS WELL

Can’t remember if I mentioned it or not but Ivan finally made it back up to Alberta Canada a short while ago.  He didn’t quite make a perfect landing as he brought his 5th wheel down the home stretch on 3 out of 4 wheels.  But, I’ll let Ivan tell you all about that………..

 

MOMMA GOOSE IS BACK ON HER NEST AS WE DEPART THE AREA

Published the blog early tonight because Pheebs & are headed out in the Jeep to find us a nice vantage point with which to watch the year's largest full moon rise over the darkened quiet countryside.  Of course we have a partial cloud cover so the moon rise could be a big bust.  However, nice bonding time for me & the Kid:))

 

LONE FISHERMAN ON BAYFIELD’S SOUTH PIER AT SUNSET

GROANER'S CORNER:((  "The doctor said he would have me on my feet in two weeks."  "And did he?"  "Yes, I had to sell the car to pay the bill."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

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

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BLOG EVOLUTION (updated & re-posted)

Following on the heels of my ‘Just Trying To Help’ blog originally written a few years ago, I had followed that one up with a post called, ‘Blog Evolution…..And So It Grows’. I was reminded of that post recently when I came across LIFE WITH LUCI & LOREE & her thoughts on why she blogs. She brings up a some good points which reminded me of my original Blog Evolution post.

For many of us, writing is an emotional outlet & I certainly fall into this category. It is a therapy of sorts to put our thoughts & feelings into writing. To take some of that bottled up sadness, anger, excitement & creativity & flow it out of our minds into a readable & easily understandable format. People have been doing this for ages & it is a recommended way to deal with one’s inner thoughts & feelings. Also, I have always felt by going public with these feelings that it not only helps me deal with issues, but help’s others as well simply by knowing they are not alone, & yes, it’s alright to talk about things. It’s alright to admit your having a bad day or your feeling depressed or concerned about something. It’s alright to share your excitement over a new puppy or an upcoming trip. It’s fine to talk of your dreams, your hopes for the future & your memorable past. For me personally, I feel a blog is more than just a daily account of what I do all day, where I go, what I eat, or what I see.  If I chose to talk about it that is:))

Long time readers have read my ‘Blog Evolution’ before & I can here the ‘ho-hums’ out there but we did pick up a fair number of new readers this past winter & it is for these folks I decided to re-post this.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, here is my updated post from July 31rst, 2010 entitled, BLOG EVOLUTION....AND SO IT GROWS.   You might find the photos in this original post kind of interesting too.

Yes, I know just a few days ago I said, no more blogging topics for awhile but this one is ok & it's something I have touched on several times before. After some recent comments & emails I thought I would touch on it again because it does concern everyone writing a blog. Relax, it's not a 'do's & don'ts blog like before & this topic is survivable:))

I, like most other bloggers started blogging with the thought in mind of keeping family & friends informed of traveling whereabouts & activities. One of the side benefits would be in having a record of dates, adventures & places traveled. That was all well & fine......in the beginning. It soon became apparent that most friends & family members were not interested & very few of them ever checked the blog.  (I am happy to say there has been a few changes in this area:))  It seems friends & family not reading a person’s blog is a very common occurrence for RV bloggers. Well, that presented a bit of a problem because if nobody was interested, why write a blog (and Publish it) in the first place. Therein began the early evolution stage of my blog.

I have always had an interest in writing, photography, traveling & with the advent of the blogging era it all just magically fell into place. But, if family & friends weren't interested, who was.......if anybody. I belonged to an online forum group at the time called 50+ & every once & awhile I would write a little something & put in the forum. That was enough to get me further interested & before long the blog idea was born. We weren't traveling at the time but every once & awhile I would reach into my memory vaults & write about something I had experienced at one time or another along the highway of life. Had a few more responses & that spurred me on to write more.

As our travels increased, so did our readership. Very slowly at first but at least it was a start & most responses seemed to be coming in from other RV people.  The blog also evolved into a platform for my photography hobby as well. Noticed people were beginning to comment on some photos I included & that of course spurred me on to take more photographs. The blog was slowly growing.

I blogged occasionally at first while at home & then every day of our 07/08 Southwest trip. When we returned home for the summer in 08 I dropped the daily travel blogging routine but noticed within a week or so the comments, emails, & responses were encouraging me to keep the blog going. Well, encouragement was all I needed (never had much of that as a kid) and by the end of that summer I was blogging full tilt every day & have pretty much continued with that ever since. The evolution of the blog from beginning to present has had a lot to do with motivation.  I was motivated & encouraged to write the blog & take the photos by all the people reading & responding to the blog.  That is still my motivation today.

Some folks say they write their blog for themselves & if they didn't have anyone reading, it wouldn't really matter. Well, that's fine for them I guess but it sure doesn't work for me that way. If I was just doing this for me I wouldn't bother to hit the 'Publish' button at the end of each blog. It is people with an interest in reading my blog & looking at the photos that keeps my enjoyable hobby going & that is why I gear the blog towards people with like minded interests to mine. If I wrote the blog just for myself it would not look like it does today either. I would not bother with all the graphics, colors & sidebar stuff & it would probably not include any photos because there would be no purpose for me to do that. My blog journal would just be a plain white background with the standard black print & look simply like an everyday newspaper article. Not much imagination there so not much of a challenge for me. Just a simple journal with a few simple thoughts & events I suppose. Knowing me, I would probably get bored with that pretty quick & the whole thing would just simply slip quietly into obscurity.

If it were not for the blog I would not have all the camera equipment I have today & what camera equipment I had would probably be sitting in a dust covered camera bag in the bottom of a closet somewhere. Again, the evolution of the blog & it’s positive effects are apparent. As stated before, I have no interest in photo contests or printing pics to hang on walls or putting in albums. The blog's photo platform has given me a way to display my photos for anyone interested & I am totally happy with that. If readers enjoy looking at the photos as much as I enjoy taking them, then that is good enough for me.

In early 1993 I lost all interest in photography & packed all my 35mm equipment away simply because there just wasn't any point in wasting money on film & processing just to look at the pics a couple times & then throw them in a box or slide carousel. Aside from doing some travelogues I just didn't have a purpose. And, the problem with doing travelogues was my fear of having to stand up in front of a bunch of people & narrate my slide shows. I used to do some Sunday afternoon travelogues at the Stratford Art Gallery years ago & that was a real nerve buster for me standing up in front of a bunch of seated people.  Now I can get my pics out there from the quiet comfort of my recliner chair, the Motor Home or our scenic sunroom. No need to get all nervous anymore and it's all because the blog has evolved from it's original concept into a purposeful relaxed platform for me.

For Kelly & I, it has been the RV community that has been our main blog supporters & we have met more people on the road & made more friends on-line than we ever have here at home. And, it has been the blog that has done all that.

Your blog is whatever you want to make it as you, along with your blog, evolve with it's growth. If you are new to blogging & are finding friends & family not as responsive as you hoped, don't give up, just take your blog in a different direction, change your priorities & let it evolve into something you enjoy doing. Find a niche & share your thoughts, feelings, & interests with others.

So, in conclusion I say to all my fellow bloggers.....keep on blogging & grow with your blog. May your purpose & ideas evolve into something greater than what you started out with.  Mine did:))

And, just in case you were wondering....all of tonight's photos were caused by a dripping garden hose on a cold January Arizona night a few winter’s ago while we were staying at a Ranch near McNeal, Arizona.............:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth, sits down, but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention, but the drunk continues to sit there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall. The drunk mumbles, 'Ain't no use knockin, there's no paper on this side either.

- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

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

stargeezerguy@gmail.com