THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT A QUIET WALK IN THE FOREST & KELLY GETS A CALL FROM HER DOCTOR TODAY

NICE TO SEE ALL THE NEW SPRING GREENERY & CREEKS FULL OF WATER

Knew before even climbing out of bed this morning I was needing a big dose of feeling good today & the only way to get that was not only a change of pace but a change of space as well. Without further ado after our morning walk I tossed my cameras in the Jeep, loaded up the little Rascal Buns & headed out into the countryside. As usual we had no destination in mind. Just needed to change things up by breaking my boring house routine. Some routines are fine, necessary, & even enjoyable, but for me doing the same thing 3 days in a row just doesn't work.

IT WAS A FINE MORNING TO HEAD OUT FOR A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY

Before long a real-estate 'For Sale' sign caught my attention & curiosity headed me off down a country road to have a look. Nice house, nice lot, & I guessed the price around $300.000. Later found out on the internet it was listed for just under $800.000. Yikes, prices sure have rocketed out of sight in our area here along the shores of Lake Huron.

PATHWAY AT LEFT LEADS INTO THE BANNOCKBURN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA FOREST

 

AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE THE BOARDWALK BRANCHES OFF TO AN OUTHOUSE IN THE SWAMP

THERE’S NO KEEPING THE PHEEBERS ON THE BOARDWALK…TOO MANY INTERESTING SMELLS TO EXPLORE
A short time later motoring along another country road about 10 miles southeast of Bayfield I noticed no cars at the BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA parking lot. Bonus!! That meant nobody was on the trails hiking. Seems every time I've gone by in the last bunch of years people have been there. Didn't take Pheebs & I long to make a U-turn, pile out of the Jeep, & get ourselves on the Bannockburn boardwalk leading across a swampy area into the forest. Had been many years since I last walked this scenic trail & back in the late 80's while a member of the Stratford Field Naturalist Club I led a hike here one Saturday morning. Nice to see some old familiar landmarks but was sure surprised at how the marshy forest had filled in & grown.

 

Had only planned walking to where the boardwalk through the swamp ended because I had forgotten my cane & didn't want to get myself into a situation where I needed it. Hip felt totally fine so Pheebs & I ended up doing the whole trail. Despite the forested hills & steep climbs in some areas it was just too beautiful a morning to not take a chance in doing it. No bugs yet this time of year & that was also an incentive to keep going. Plus, Pheebs had a blast racing around all over the place. Still lots of Trilliums in the woods & we had the whole place to ourselves as we leisurely wandered our way through the woods for nearly an hour.

 

For me personally I find a drive in the countryside, a walk, or a hike somewhere the best way to get myself out of a funk.  Just that lone time with Mother Nature always seems to work wonders for picking up my spirits.  Just  alone with one’s thoughts in a natural setting.  My mind, ears & eyes are always attuned to the beauty surrounding me & I absorb myself into it.  Toting a camera along gives me a purpose & having the Pheebs along gives me great joy & comfort.

 

PHEEBS LOOKS BACK TO MAKE SURE I AM STILL COMING

 

 

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT A QUIET WALK IN THE FOREST THAT WORKS FOR ME EVERY TIME

Next stop was a coffee & carrot muffin to go at Tim Horton's in Clinton. Minutes later we were back into the countryside again heading for a stop in the HULLETT MARSH. This is a large 2,520 acre conservation area & wet lands covering many square miles & owned by Ducks Unlimited. Many forms of wildlife here. About a quarter mile out on one of the ponds I could see a bunch of Canadian Geese. Parked the Jeep & headed out for a walk along one of the berms. Pheebs was a fair distance ahead of me along the shoreline when I noticed all the Geese paddling briskly towards her. Normally Geese will keep their distance from dogs. This flotilla of about a dozen geese even had babies with them as they headed straight for Pheebs stopping only about 30 feet from the shoreline to watch her exploring along the shoreline. Thought that was odd but remembered Pheebs just seems to have something about her that animals trust. Remember the herd of cows a couple winters ago while boondocked just south of Congress Arizona & how they all gathered around Pheebs & touched noses with her.

THE HULLETT MARSH IS A LARGE MAN MADE WETLANDS

THIS FLOTILLA OF FOREGROUND GEESE TAKEN WITH A TELEPHOTO LENS A LONG WAYS OUT HEADED OUR WAY AS SOON AS THEY SPOTTED THE PHEEBS

 

THEY HUNG AROUND NOT FAR OFF SHORE WATCHING THE PHEEBS ALL THE TIME WE WERE THERE

 

On the way home later we did stop along a fence line so Pheebs could visit with a heard of Holstein cows. We stayed in the Jeep but I thought I did see some winks & smiles going back & forth between Pheebs & the nearby Bovines.

A TYPICAL ONTARIO HOLSTEIN DAIRY FARM  

PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON HER COW PALS
Kelly's Doctor phoned this afternoon with the results of her echocardiogram & the tests showed something. It is looking like Kelly may have something called PERICARDITIS. Basically speaking the pericardium is a thin, two-layered, fluid-filled sac that covers the outer surface of the heart. It shields the heart from infection or malignancy and contains the heart in the chest wall. It also prevents the heart from over-expanding when blood volume increases, which keeps the heart functioning efficiently. Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium. Further tests will be required to confirm all this & will likely be done by a Specialist in Stratford as soon as appointments can be arranged. Luckily, Kelly had another pain free day today but her energy levels are still very unusually low. Her Doctor told her the reason the CT Scan did not find the problem a month ago is simply because they were scanning for a PULMONARY EMBOLISM at that time.

AND TO THINK THESE LANDS WERE ALL ONCE HEAVILY FORESTED

 

 

AREA FARMER’S ARE BUSY ON THE LAND READYING THEIR FIELDS FOR PLANTING & IT LOOKS LIKE JOHN DEERE IS THE TRACTOR OF CHOICE IN THESE PARTS

AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THERE ARE TOO MANY ‘POOR FARMERS’ AROUND ANYMORE

MIKE & GINA are the latest Blog Followers to join the Bunch on our winter time travels & home life in Congress Arizona & Bayfield Ontario. Thanks for your interest folks & welcome aboard:))

GROANERS CORNER:(( A blonde is terribly overweight, so her doctor put her on a diet. "I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least 5 pounds." When the blonde returned, she shocked the doctor by losing nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor said, "Did you follow my instructions?" The blonde nodded, "I'll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead that 3rd day." "From hunger, you mean?", asked the doctor." "No, from skipping."
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

FEELING BETTER

Very relieved to see Kelly looking & feeling better this morning.  Tuesday was not a good day for her.  No coughing in the night meant a better sleep & I’m sure that helped.  She didn’t even hear the little thunderstorm rumble through around 4 a.m.  With those rumbles & brief showers came warmer air & how nice to see & feel the morning sun on our walk again. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A lady went into a pet shop. "I'd like to buy two yellow canaries," she told the owner. "We don't have any canaries, but we have these," the owner said. He showed the lady some pale green parakeets. "That's not what I'm looking for," the lady stated. But the pet store owner refused to give up. "Just think of them as yellow canaries that aren't quite ripe yet," he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

GLAD IT’S NOT LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME

It’s not very often I make it through a whole day without taking about a dozen photos of something or another.  Today was almost one of those rare days until a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks flew into the front yard after supper.  I had just sat down at the computer to start on tonight’s post.  Thanks for the photo op guys:))

While re-arranging the sun room a bit today I came across a scrap piece of paper with a bunch of dates written on it.  I quickly realized the dates were from May last year.  There were 7 of them & they were all medical appointments regarding a large kidney stone I had.  That stone was finally eliminated in a laser procedure on May 28th.  Glad it’s not last year at this time.

We are still patiently waiting for results from a few medical tests Kelly had last week.  She has not been feeling well & her Doctor confirmed a low grade fever today & said she is sending Kelly to an Internist in Stratford.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A duck walks into a feed store and asks, "Got any duck feed?" The clerk tells him, "No, we don't have a market for it so we don't carry it." The duck says, "Okay," and leaves. The next day, the duck walks in to the feed store and asks, "Got any duck feed?" Again the clerk says no and the duck leaves. Next day, the duck walks in, and asks, "Got any duck feed?" The clerk says, "I've told you twice, we don't have duck feed, we've never had duck feed and we never will have duck feed. If you ask me again, I'll nail your feet to the floor." The duck leaves. The next day, the duck walks in and asks, "Got any nails?" "No!" answers the clerk. "Got any duck feed?"
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

STEREO SOUND IN THE CARPORT & RECLINERS IN THE SUN ROOM

 

SOMETIMES IF I’M WALKING TOO SLOW OR TAKING TOO LONG WITH A PHOTO, PHEEBS WILL JUST STOP, LAY DOWN, & PATIENTLY WAIT FOR ME

Couldn't bring myself to either throw out or drop off to the Salvation Army a perfectly good working stereo system this morning so I re-set up the whole system in the storage area of our carport. Strung some speaker wire through the rafters, hooked up a couple small speakers & we now have sothing stereo sounds in the carport. Can play either cassette tapes or CD's as well as AM/FM. Now why didn't I think to do this year's ago instead of all that stuff sitting in my bedroom collecting dust for years. Tested out the sound with some Bachman-Turner Overdrive, then slid into some smooth as honey Jim Reeves. Finished up the project with a batch of swinging Big Band tunes. Groovy:))

OH HOW I LOVE THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF SIMPLE KNOBS & DIALS

SURPRISED MYSELF THIS MORNING BY HOOKING THIS ALL UP AGAIN WITH NO PROBLEM

Rv’ing neighbor’s of ours had a pair of nice brown leather recliners for sale that came with one of their RV’s a few years ago.  We liked them & as of today we now have them in our sunroom.  If we decided to switch out Winnie’s couch we may use these recliners in the rig.  We’ll get a few short trips under our belt’s first before making any couch decisions though. (we did move the recliner by the window to a different spot later)

 

<<< A MOURNING DOVE FLARES IT’S WINGS IN WARNING TO A BLUE JAY WHICH JUST LANDED
All was quiet on the pond this afternoon as Pheebs & passed by on a walk. The Goose family was gone, no Ducks, & no sign of any Muskrats. Last week's many Goldfish were not seen & no Painted Turtles breaking the surface for a breath of air. Even the squawking Kingfisher was not in the air. And still no sign of any Blue Herons yet this year. The pond seemed kind of sad & lonely without all the hustle & bustle of the past month. Question was asked by a reader about Pheebs getting too close to the nest or chasing the Geese each day as we had walked by.  We taught Pheebs to 'walk nice' so as we passed by the nest each time she stayed right by our side never bothering Mama Goose on the nest. Each morning & many afternoons we would walk by within 10 of the nest & Mama Goose just kept a wary eye on us as we passed by. She knew she could trust the Bayfield Bunch not to cause her any trouble.
 

SPLASH DOWN OF A MALE MALLARD DUCK
Dennis & Sandy from LIFE IS A JOURNEY - NOT A DESTINATION asked in a comment on Sunday night’s post what kind of camera & lens I use for my bird photos.  All my camera info is on my side bar to the right towards the bottom but I can tell you about 95% of all my bird pics are taken with my older Nikon D40 DSLR using an AF-S NIKKOR 70-300 1: 4.5-5.6 lens.  Almost all my photos are taken hand held & with the dark Pine forest we live in I have to use ISO numbers of 1000 & 1600 for my bird pictures.  My photo editing program is Google’s free PICASA 3.9 & that photo program is every bit as important to me as my camera & lens.  

YES I EVEN HAVE A NIGHT LIGHT IN OUR BIRD STATION FOR LATE COMERS:))

And be sure to keep an eye on IVAN'S exciting Spring start to Summer as the fire season gets an early beginning near him. As a fire look-out Ranger, Ivan has been helicoptered into sites & fire bases. What a great & exhilarating outdoors job he has for the summer & I'm sure many of us would have loved a job like that years ago. Suggest you bookmark Ivan's blog, grab your binoculars, tighten your seat belt, & travel with Ivan through the rugged back country of Alberta keeping a sharply trained eye out for the first wisps of smoke signalling the beginnings of yet another dangerous forest fire nearby.  And remember to keep your hat on & your head down when you get out of the helicopter.

MR. BLUE JAY PICKS UP A SNACK

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Mary and Jane are old friends. They have both been married to their husbands for a long time; Mary is upset because she thinks her husband doesn't find her attractive anymore. "As I get older he doesn't bother to look at me!" Mary cries. "I'm so sorry for you, as I get older my husband says I get more beautiful every day." replies Jane. "Yes, but your husband's an antique dealer!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

COLD TEMPERATURES, ICY WINDS, & SNOW, FORCED ME TO CLEAN MY ROOM TODAY:((

OUR FORESTED PINE TREE TRAIL IS FILLING IN NICELY

With this mornings mid 30's temps it was an icy wind that bundled us up & moved us quickly around the morning trail. Was surprised to see the Goose family still on the pond. Usually Mama & Poppa move the little guys during the night along a creek & through a small scrubby pine forest to a neighbouring farm with a larger pond & other Goose families. They were only on the smaller Park pond here for one day last Spring & then they were gone. It's about a quarter mile journey for the little family.
  

Must have been a quiet night in Dreamsville because I did not wake up feeling all worn out for a change. Seemed to have about a half dozen extra energy units available so figured I had better put those units to work before they drained away on me. Outside activities were out of the question & especially so when I saw snow showers coming down. Today was the day to declare war on my room. Yes, I am one of those fellows who is lucky enough to have my very own room with all my very own stuff. Astronomy posters & maps on the wall, camera gear & old electronic stereo equipment stacked up on dressers. As well after returning from Arizona a month ago a fair bit of stuff ended up being temporarily dumped into my room so the war was on!!

 

PEEK-ABOO I SEE YOU

 

First to go was all my stereo equipment that has not been used for about 20 years. Great equipment at one time but is now all out-dated. A twin deck Teac recorder, amp, & Teac Equalizer, etc. This was the equipment I made all my many countless hours of tapes & CD's on back about the mid 80's in pre-computer days.  Tapes & CD’s I still listen to right up to this very day.  It was finally time to just get all that stuff out of my room along with a bunch of other unnecessary clutter I have been hanging onto. Also time to get all those dust bunnies out from under my bed, change my whole room around, & harvest the potatoes that have grown up out of all the dust on everything. Vacuuming, sweeping floors, doing laundry & washing dishes I am ok with but dusting is something I just hate doing. Couldn't open my bedroom window on windy days for fear of being lost in a dust storm right in my own room.  But it’s all done now & I should be good for another couple years.  Yes, it is always good at this age to wake up with extra energy in the morning. Can't wait to head for bed tonight in……….my clean new room:))

THIS PERIWINKLE IS AN EXCELLENT GROUND COVER & WE HAVE LOTS OF IT

Despite the Winnie Wagon being a 2011 it still has a new vehicle smell to it just like the newer Sunseeker did. With only a little more than 11,000 miles on it I don't think it had been used a lot. The London dealer told us the previous owner had stored it inside.  We could find no wear & tear on this vehicle either on the inside or the outside. Nothing. Looks just like the day it came out of the factory. I think we have been very fortunate once again to have been in the right place at the right time & were quick enough to recognize & take advantage of another good deal. Of course credit goes to Kelly for her persistence in finding Winnie in the first place. She also found our Arizona house & our Jeep. I found our Hyundai Santa Fe & Motorcycle years ago. We both found the Damon together & both independently found our previous blue Mini-Van on the same day. By the way, with the addition of the 10 cylinder Ford engine in the Winnie Wagon we are now a traveling 22 cylinder family. 6 in the Jeep, 4 in the Santa Fe, & 2 in the Motorcycle. Maybe it's about time we invested in a gas station……or an auto insurance company.

JUST CHECKING OUT ANOTHER GROANER’S CORNER DOWN THERE

GROANER'S CORNER:(( An older couple is lying in bed one morning, having just awakened from a good night's sleep. He takes her hand and she responds, "Don't touch me." "Why not?" he asks. She answers back, "Because I'm dead." The husband says, "What are you talking about? We're both lying here in bed together and talking to one another." She says, "No, I'm definitely dead." He insists, "You're not dead. What in the world makes you think you're dead?" "Because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

4 NEW BABY GOOSES ON THE POND, OR WOULD THAT BE GEESES…..HEAVENS TO MURGATROYDS!!

 

OUR NEWEST CANADA GOOSE FAMILY

Bottom dropped out of our temperatures these past couple days & we struggled to make 44F by this afternoon.  Looks like Sunday may be even colder & wet to boot.  Kind of a cool welcome for the 4 new baby Geese on the pond this afternoon.  Pheebs & I headed out for a walk & on approaching the nest we walk by every morning I noticed both Mama & Poppa Goose walking the short distance from the nest to the pond.  Walking beside them were the pair of Mallard ducks that have remained near them this past week.  And tucked right in behind Mamma Goose were 4 fuzzy little baby Gooses.  Or would that be Geeses?  Ok, so it’s Goslings.  But they still look like little Gooses.  The Mallards took to the air splashing down a short distance away while Mamma, Poppa, & the kids slid gracefully onto the pond.  Well, the little guys kinda ker-plopped into the pond.  One very proud looking family indeed. 

 

NOTICED ON OUR MORNING WALK THIS MORNING PAPA GOOSE WAS STAYING UNUSUALLY CLOSE TOO MAMA GOOSE ON THE NEST

Noticed a couple fellow RV Bloggers are in an area now that Kelly & I really enjoyed back in the Fall of 07. GOOD-TIMES-ROLLIN & OH, THE PLACES THEY GO! have been traveling around the Bryce Canyon & Cannonville area. I first traveled through this part of Utah just over 20 years ago & of course it immediately became another one of my all time favorite places. In 07 Kelly & I hiked WILLIS CREEK SLOT CANYON, climbed GROSVENOR'S ARCH, drove the scenic road from CANNONVILLE TO BOULDER & BACK, & hiked our way down into BRYCE CANYON. Those were great days for us & our first trip in our new to us Damon Motorhome. Not often we stay at RV Parks but we did stay at a KOA in Cannonville for a few days while we explored the area. Only 2 rigs in the whole Park & the other folks coincidentally turned out to be a fellow Canadian couple from London Ontario just an hours drive from Bayfield. They too were on a maiden voyage with their truck & Cardinal 5th wheel. We met them again a few months later in Ajo Arizona. Hi to Mike & Maureen out there if your still reading:))

THIS WAS MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE BABY GEESE THIS AFTERNOON AS THEY HEADED FOR THE WATER

 

 

 

And what about that phrase, ‘Heavens To Murgatroyds’?  Well, that was one of SNAGGLEPUSSES'S 3 catch phrases.  Remember the other two…..Exit stage left & Exit stage right.  Wonder how many folks remember some of those likable cartoon characters from the good old television days of yesteryear.  I do:))

 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A guy comes home completely drunk one night. He lurches through the door and is met by his scowling wife, who is most definitely not happy. "Where the hell have you been all night?" she demands. "At this fantastic new bar," he says. "The Golden Saloon. Everything there is golden. It's got huge golden doors, a golden floor, the works, even the urinals are gold!" The wife still doesn't believe his story, and the next day checks the phone book, finding a place across town called the Golden Saloon. She calls up the place to check her husband's story. "Is this the Golden Saloon?" she asks when the bartender answers the phone."Yes it is," bartender answers. "Do you have huge golden doors?" "Sure do." "Do you have golden floors?" "Most certainly do." "What about golden urinals?" There's a long pause, then the woman hears the bartender yelling, "Hey, Duke, I think I got a lead on the guy that peed in your saxophone last night!"

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.