OUR RIG’S COUCH RECLINER IS NOW SECURE & OUR BIG PINE TREES ARE DOWN:))

Nice to wake up this morning knowing we had somewhere to go & something to do. Beautiful sunny start to the day as we headed south to Grand Bend in Winnie the Bago. Pulled into Ron's FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE driveway a few minutes after ten. Ron was in our coach immediately & the securing of our loveseat/recliner to the floor was under way in a flurry of power tools, extension cords, & a surprising number of broken drill bits. The steel frame on the couch turned out to be much tougher than Ron had figured on. Ron's Buddy Scott rolled in minutes later & between these two Energizer Guys they had quite a tussle securing the couch to the slide. But undaunted they didn't take no for an answer & a dozen drill bits later saw the couch securely anchored to the floor.  Have to say something here that I hope doesn't embarrass Ron but Kelly & I long ago agreed that we have never been treated more fairly or met anyone more caring, friendly, & personable as Ron. He sure has been good to us over the years.  He’s always there on the other end of the phone or email no matter where we are, willing to help us with anything he can.  He was very helpful with knowledgeable info when we imported the Sunseeker from the U.S. to Canada this past April.  Just a super guy.  And his buddy Scott is cut from the same cloth. Just as friendly, friendly, as can be.  And one thing is for sure at Ron's place, If you take a vehicle there for any kind of work you can be guaranteed your vehicle will be returned to you cleaner than when you brought it in. And that's a fact:))

 

SCOTTY WATCHES AS RON BARRELS THROUGH ANOTHER DRILL BIT THEN CHECKS UNDER THE COUCH TO SEE IF RON HAS DOZED OFF

THAT’S WINNIE IN THE SHADE OF RON’S DRIVEWAY
We were home again shortly after noon & Gord the tree cutter guy was busy on another big pine tree beside Winnie’s parking area, the one that dripped pine sap & dropped needles all over our rig.  Pheebs & I busied ourselves with more utility trailer loads of logs & branches to the recycle area.  Park owner Ken came in to do the heaving chain sawing & dropping of two large pine trees after Gord had trimmed & topped them.  Ken’s good with a chain saw & can pretty well drop the trees where they need to be dropped.  We did have guide ropes on them anyway as a precaution as Ken cut them.  Ken sells the logs & some of them end up in the making of log homes in the area. 

GORD WATCHES AS KEN CHECKS THE CHAIN TENSION ON HIS BIG 100cc CHAIN SAW

KEN TOPPLES THE FIRST TREE…GORD & I ARE OFF TO THE RIGHT PULLING ON A ROPE ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF IT

NEXT ONE TO COME DOWN IS THE ONE ON RIGHT…PHOTOS BY KELLY

KEN CUTS THE SECOND TREE…I AM ON THE END OF THE ROPE ON LEFT PULLING WHILE GORD IS ON THE ROPE AT RIGHT ACTING AS A BRAKE

INSPECTOR PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE TWO FALLEN TREES

 

 

MIGHTY GLAD TO HAVE THESE TWO BIG 70’ TREES DOWN

Reading JEAN & SKIP'S post today about Skip building a dog ramp for Jake I was reminded of the time when we first started out RVing with a GMC truck & Rockwood 5ver.  The cab didn’t have a full back seat & that was the only place Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse could ride.  Problem was getting them up into the higher truck & into that small seat.  Only thing I could do was make some kind of ramp for them & that is what I did.  Below are some photos of me training the guys to use the ramp getting in & getting out.  They weren’t too sure about it at first but with a wee bit of coaxing & training all 3 of them took to the ramp like ducks to water.  Every rest area we came to I would haul the ramp out of the back seat floor space, set it in place, & the guys would come rumbling out & down the ramp 1,2,3.  Worked great.

 

 

MOTOR IS SAYING, ‘COME ON CHECKERS MAX & I MADE IT’

 

NOTICE THE SNOW ON THE GROUND, YEP IT WAS DECEMBER BEFORE WE GOT ON THE ROAD THAT YEAR

HERE’S THE ORIGINAL ‘BAYFIELD BUNCH’ AT ROCK HOUND STATE PARK NEAR DEMING NEW MEXICO IN JANUARY 07

A shorter post tonight.  Eyes are tired.  But it’s a good kind of tired.  The good tired comes from knowing one has physically & mentally accomplished something during the course of a day.  I sometimes think a lot of my restlessness & discontent simply comes from not keeping myself actively interested in things enough.  I would probably do myself well having some kind of part time summer job I enjoyed.  A small vehicle delivering cookies to small towns in south-western Ontario would be right up my alley.  Anybody out there got a cookie factory & is looking for a part time summer driver??  I just happen to know this guy that………………………………….well you know:))

<<< THIS IS PHEEBS NEWEST PAL FROM JUST UP THE STREET & HIS NAME IS RASCAL…WE THINK HE’S IN LOVE WITH PHEEBS

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A young man in love with two women could not decide which to marry. Finally, he asked his buddy for help. "One is a great poet, but the other makes the world's best pancakes," he explained. "Oh, I see," his buddy responded, "you're trying to decide whether to marry for batter or verse!"

----------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

OUR TREE CUTTING RESUMES SO PHEEBS & I HAD A FEW LOADS OF PINE BRANCHES & LOGS TO HAUL AWAY THIS AFTERNOON

THESE ARE OUR BACK YARD PINE TREES IN THE EVERGREEN FOREST WE LIVE IN JUST MINUTES FROM BAYFIELD ONTARIO

Here we are over half way through September already. For we Snow Birds each day takes on new meaning as we all begin flexing our wings, making travel plans, & checking out some last minute maintenance on our rigs. Maybe a few things already loaded up. Anticipation builds as we think of coming winter adventures in favorite far away places. It is the change of pace I look forward to. A change of scenery, a change of weather, a change of lifestyle. Won't be long somewhere west of the Mississippi when I'll don my big brown cowboy hat for the next 6 months or so. I'll have the 'Sons Of The Pioneers' on the stereo & each day as we travel further west I will be scanning the horizon for the first tell tale signs of mountain tops. Watching the ditches & fields for the first sightings of Cactus. And then somewhere our first Saguaro. Ahhhhh, it will be great to be home again for another winter in America's great South West.

ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM OUR PLACE ON GHOST TOWN ROAD, CONGRESS ARIZONA
But for right now it's back to the reality of today. A sour looking Monday started out completely overcast, cold, & damp. Just about the time Gord the tree cutter showed up a northwest wind blew in taking our overcast away leaving us in a shower of warming sunshine for the rest of the day. Gord finished up trimming & topping one large tree & started on another. The second big pine is the one that drips sap onto the Winnie Wagon. I'll be glad to see it down plus it will give us a bit more sunlight in the area where we park the Winnie Wagon. That tree being down should help with dampness in that area as well.  Pheebs & I kept ourselves busy hauling logs & branches to the Park’s recycle area.  Good old working exercise, the best kind:))

PHEEBS SNAGS A GRASSHOPPER ON OUR AFTERNOON WALK

EEEIYOUUUU THAT DON’T TASTE SO GOOD!!

I did try to figure out a way to anchor our loveseat recliner to the floor in the rig but came up short. Thought maybe we could somehow use the seatbelts in the area but no go. It's best to have it secured to the floor in case of a sudden stop or accident. Don't want that loveseat sliding forward into the slide wall & possibly knocking the slide askew. Like I have said many times before, when I want some things done right I have to get somebody else to do them. Ron at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE had offered to help us with that couch installation last time we were there so we called Ron this morning & he said, 'bring the rig on down Tuesday morning." Ron also sold that couch/inflatable bed so he said he had a fistful of cash for us as well. Always nice to have a fistful of cash coming in instead of a fistful of cash going out.

I let my SMUG MUG photo account expire. Despite making half a dozen attempts to organize my thousands of photos I finally gave up. Smug Mug updated itself & launched a brand new re-vamped program touting it as simple to use. Well where have I heard that line before. I did migrate my old account to the new format & immediately found my self in the proverbial forest of confusion. That was the last straw & despite a few attempts at understanding their new program the writing was on the wall & I just let it go. Had an old Flickr photo account from years back so went & had myself another look at that but couldn't seem to get to first base on that one either. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough or not allowing myself enough patience.  But one thing I have totally given up on is trying to figure out my Picasa Web Albums. Probably been a couple years or more since I last put a photo album together. Seems like the great Google Gargoyle is rapidly rolling over me ingesting everything I once felt familiar & comfortable with. I have no interest in social media sites anymore & can't help but think at some point Google will completely swallow up my blog, my photos, & me all in one fell swoop. So maybe that is how my blog will end one day. The great grinding gears of Gargantuan Google's massive techno machinery will rumble through one night in a great cloud of Bravado change & 'poof' I will be gone in a techno nanno second.

And by golly I watched me a second DVD movie this morning while it was cold & overcast out. And again I liked the movie a lot. Yes, there was some fire, a couple guns, & one feller did get clunked with a board or something but no matter, all those things played a part in the movie & were not added for the usual Hollywood schlock effect. Movie was called GET LOW & starred Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, & Sissy Spacek. Again I could identify with a few traits the Robert Duval character had. Great acting by everyone & I especially liked the the way sets were lit in this movie.  But 2 movies in a row I actually liked.........amazing.

Came across a blog tonight I liked the look of.  Nice photography in an area of the country we love so much.   And I like these folks energetic outdoor hiking spirit, attitude, & sense of adventure.  And besides, ya just gotta love the profile picture of Jim.  Well I’m assuming it’s Jim……….Might just want to keep an eye on these full timing folks & their travels.  LIFE'S LITTLE ADVENTURES.

Richard E.Primeau President and CEO of BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD TRANSPORT joined our Blogger's list today. Nice to have you riding along with us when we get ourselves on the road next month Richard. Thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it:))

COME ON DAD HOW’S ABOUT WALKING A LITTLE FASTER
And an explanation in Sunday night's comment section about how those Mennonite/Amish buggy wheels have a tendency to wander. MIKE says, "With regards to the crooked wheel path, the buggy wheels do not have the caster set. Think of a shopping cart and how the caster wheel is set a little behind the attachment area to the cart. This makes the wheel follow the front of the cart. When the caster is off, you get a wobble in the wheel and it does not follow straight.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Murphy's wife borrowed his car and parked in the supermarket car park. Just as she came out laden with shopping, she saw a young lad break into the car, hot wire it and drive off. Naturally she reported the matter to the police.' What did he look like?, the sergeant asked. 'I don't know she replied, but I got the license plate number'.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

BIT OF AN UNINSPIRING DAY & CHINLE WONDERS, IS THIS THE END???

A FEW SPLASHES OF EARLY AUTUMN COLOR

Turned out to be another one of those cool overcast un-inspirational 'not much doing' Sundays. Not necessarily one of my favorite kinds of days. My brain somehow quite in-voluntarily gets itself in step with the day's mood & marches right along with it sometimes.  As I post this tonight it is raining.  Oh dread:(( 

Nancy 1340 commented on Saturday night's post, "Looks like you are going to need another bar higher up on that map holder. Those paperback atlas' are going to flop over in a few days". Bruce actually thought of that & made an extra slat in case I needed it. I was the one who thought one slat might be enough. I may put the other slat on , we'll see. Ed from The Peregrinating Graybeard wondered about the wandering tracks of the steel wheeled Mennonite cart in my post's first photo. Ed wrote, "I am curious why the steel wheels on the Amish wagon leave such a crooked pattern. I would not think that the horses are walking a crooked path". (couldn’t get your link to work Ed) In my travels through rural Mennonite/Amish country here in south western Ontario I've always noticed the tracks from horse drawn buggies wonder on the road like that. They seldom travel in a straight line like a vehicle. I'm assuming it's a horses natural gait not to walk or trot in a perfectly straight line. And without power steering, well.......................

It’s rare for me sit through a DVD movie at home but today that is exactly what we did.  And I watched it from start to finish without losing interest or having the movie interrupted by a telephone or something blowing past the window.  And for a pleasant change I can say I did enjoy the movie.  The story was set in Arizona, New Mexico, & Texas & it was easy to see that is where it was filmed as well.  Even Benson Arizona was mentioned.  No fiery explosions, no phony Hollywood fist fights, no violence, car chases, bullets flying or people getting mangled or dead.  Not even one gun in the whole film, imagine that.  Oooops, there was one vehicle roll over, a cut forehead & a broken left foot.  Thinking back over the years I identified to some extent with the main character & what he had to do to get himself straight.  The movie was CRAZY HEART with Jeff Brydges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, & Robert Duvall.  I liked it………………..     

Chinle over at SPOTTED DOG RANCH had an interesting post entitled, ‘Is This The End???  It’s a topic few RV’ers blog about.  I have a few times & MARK'S comment to Chinle hits the nail on the head.  As Mark says, “Most of the time Bloggers only give us the Rah Rah versions of RV life, not the tired, and needing to spread out and snuggle down side”.  Mark’s right of course & I always appreciate when a writer, in this case Chinle, recognizes, understands, & faces the reality of honest thinking.  We are not all at the same place in our life’s travels.  Rving like all other things is a series of stages we go through.  There is a beginning & there is an end.  RVing generally begins with a dream & blossoms.  RVing generally ends with little fanfare as the blossom, having run it’s course, simply fades away.  It’s inevitable & it’s another one of those realities many folks just simply chose not to talk about.  And it’s those ‘not talked about topics’ which draws me to some Bloggers much quicker than others.  But life after RVing can also begin with a dream.  And that’s a topic for another post…………………………….    

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Jay went to a psychiatrist. “Doc, he said, “I’ve got trouble.
Every time I get into bed I think there is somebody under it.
I get under the bed; I think there’s somebody on top of it.
Top, under, under top. I’m going crazy!”
“Just put yourself in my hands for two years,” said the shrink.
“Come to me three times a week and I’ll cure you.”
“How much do you charge?”
“A hundred dollars per visit.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Jay never went back. Some time later he met the doctor on the street.
“Why didn’t you ever come to see me again? Asked the psychiatrist.
“For a hundred bucks a visit? A bartender cured me for 10 dollars.”
“Is that so! How?”
“He told me to cut the legs off the bed.”
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

NICE SATURDAY MORNING DRIVE, AL PLAYS WITH SOME POWER TOOLS, & BRUCE INSTALLS THE WINNIE WAGON’S MAP HOLDER…………………

A NICE SATURDAY MORNING DRIVE THROUGH MENNONITE/AMISH COUNTRY FOR PHEEBS & I THIS MORNING

Sure didn't take us long to switch from air conditioning to furnace heat. Woke up to clear & cold skies with 35F temps this morning. Two long sleeve winter shirts, a winter coat, mitts & toque got Kelly around the trail but she said she was still cold. Some areas may have hit the freezing point & we should see some slight color changes beginning in our forests shortly. Nicest time of the year is upon us:))

Not sure when our tree cutting will resume so decided to move the Winnie Wagon off the road out front & back it down a short dead end street just kitty corner from our place. That keeps it out of the way until the big tree cutting machine is out of Winnie’s parking spot.

BEFORE MOVING WINNIE OFF THE ROAD KELLY BUSIED HERSELF LOADING A FEW THINGS IN THIS MORNING…YAY KELLY:))

 

MOVED WINNIE FROM IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE (LEFT) TO AROUND THE CORNER A SHORT DISTANCE DOWN A DEAD END STREET (RIGHT)

Canadian Tire had a big sale going on this week-end & I had been watching all summer for Skil saws to come on sale. My old one is in Congress AZ.  Seen a good deal so that was a good enough excuse for Pheebs & I to get ourselves mobile & head for Goderich. After all, it has been about a week since we were last out for a country road fix. Picked up a few groceries plus our saw & skee-daddled ourselves out into the countryside. Nice sunny Saturday morning drive for us. One forest hike in a conservation area along the way. Dapples of color are slowly beginning to emerge in roadside trees & forests. Always so nice to be out in the wide open spaces with scenic views for miles around. Had the floor heater on a tad & the windows open. A nice mixture of comforting air flowing through the Jeep.  What a great relaxing way to spend a few quiet hours.  We were back home shortly before 1 p.m.

  

I can well remember a time in my life when it was way not cool for a man to be pushing a shopping cart around in front of him. Unbalanced & tussling with an armful of merchandise but no way let on that one might need some wimpy shopping cart to put things in. I have managed to grow myself out of that stage finally & regardless of how small my purchases now you can always find me wheeling a shopping cart up & down the aisles. Need a box of toothpicks? No problem, I'll get a cart for that. I view my shopping cart also as a defensive weapon. When those frenzied women shoppers come roaring around the corner with about 3.6 tons of loot in the cart & a cell phone stuck to their head they no longer can mow me down & keep on going. I now have a big shopping cart tank in front of me to absorb the impact. One good thing though, I don't have to worry about men running into me with shopping carts. I still see most of them teetering up & down the aisles in a total state of unbalanced confusion trying to look cool with half a dozen shaky items stacked in their burly arms. Aw yes, how I remember those days................

 

RURAL ONTARIO
'Oh Dear'........AL was playing with power tools today but by golly he survived with all digits intact to tell the tale. Our Nauga Monster couch's springs are a bit on the tired side so figured the only thing I could do to firm up some bum support was cut a piece of plywood nineteen & a half by forty six & a quarter inches to fit in under the cushions. Took one skil saw, one jigsaw, & one sander to get the job done. Big improvement in the old Naugahyde couch’s seating department for sure.

MEASURING UP & GETTING READY TO CUT A PIECE OF PLYWOOD FOR THE NAUGA MONSTER

  

THE SAWING BEGINS & AMAZINGLY ENOUGH DESPITE MY OWN MEASURING, FITS PERFECTLY…WELL FANCY THAT…OF COURSE 2 CUSHIONS GO ON TOP OF THAT PLYWOOD…BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT, RIGHT?

Local handy man, friend, & good neighbor Bruce finished up our Atlas book rack today, brought it over & installed it in Winnie the Bago. Fits perfect, looks great, & does the job. Bruce can always be counted on to do things first rate. He always goes that extra distance to make things nice.

 

BRUCE CHECKS THE MAP HOLDER FOR SPACE BEFORE FASTENING IT TO THE WALL

I don’t know why Saturday night’s are my favorite nights for writing my posts, they just are.  I suppose it’s a comfort to myself knowing I’m home instead of out somewhere running around & partying all over the place like days gone by.  Oh how I do not miss those days…………….. 

NOPE, NOT THE SAME AS THE FIRST PHOTO, CHECK THE HORSES FEET………………………..

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Now how do you expect me as a Senior to behave when as a child I saw Tarzan almost naked, Cinderella arrived home after midnight, Pinocchio told lies, Aladdin was a thief, Batman drove over 200 miles an hour, Snow White lived in a house with 7 men, Popeye smoked a pipe & had tattoos, Pac Man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance, & Shaggy & Scooby were mystery solving hippies that always had the munchies.  Nope the fault is not mine…………………………………..

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

FROM SUMMER’S HEAT TO AUTUMN’S CHILLS & LOOKING BACK TO OUR PRE-RV DAYS & DREAMS

SUMAC LEAVES ARE SOME OF THE EARLIEST TO ANNOUNCE THE COMING OF AUTUMN

Cool enough once again to resume my morning walks. With the exception of a few trees & shrubs here & there our forests are still green. Many leaves have taken on a hard edge look to them & as soon as we get some nights down around the freezing mark our forests will begin slipping on their fiery coats of Autumn colors. Probably another couple weeks.

Friday the 13teenth is always a big event for Port Dover Ontario as thousands upon thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts flock to the tiny lake side community on Lake Erie. Kelly & I have made the trip there a couple times on the bike years ago. Line ups for washrooms & food stands everywhere. Glad we went when we did because our interests have changed over the years & it just doesn't interest us to go again. Both Kelly & have a tendency to avoid large gatherings of people events anymore. We did attend them years ago & we did enjoy a lot of them then. But that was years ago & interests do have a habit of changing.

OUR NEW ‘MR. BUDDY’ PROPANE VENTLESS HEATER ARRIVED BUT WE HAVEN’T TRIED IT OUT YET
AZ PICTURES has joined us today on our Bloglist making blog follower 597 on our Followers list. Couldn't find a blogsite for AZ but we do welcome you & thanks for stopping by to give us a look see:))

Cut down & loaded up a small Birch tree this morning & hauled it off to our recycle area first thing. Put a new blade in my Bow Saw awhile back so haven't had to fire up my chain saw. Most trees I have been taking down or trimming are only maybe 3" in diameter. I like using a bow saw anyway simply because it is quiet. Quiet is always a big plus for me.

ANOTHER LOAD OF PINE LOGS & BRANCHES HEAD FOR THE PARK’S RECYCLING AREA

Disappointed our tree cutting guy didn't show up today. I was all geared up for a few trailer loads of logs & branches. But it is the way of our Park. It is a very laid back community & some days things get done & some days they don't. Not going to hazard a guess whether Saturday will be a working day or not. Aside from a couple forest walks with Pheebs the only part of me getting any exercise today was the index finger on my right hand as I flipped from one channel to another to another to another. Not what I would call one of my more productive days.

NONE OF THOSE NEW FAN DANGLED CELL PHONES FOR THESE FOLKS IN RIPLEY ONTARIO LAST WEEK

Was doing some thinking about our pre-RV days this afternoon & remembered a previous post I had written awhile back. A post where I remembered the days when our RV dreams were mere hopes, wishes, & fantasies. We were both stuck, mired if you will, in the everyday workaday world. The only way to get a little balance in our lives was to occasionally slip away for a camping weekend. Even a day trip to hike in the PINERY PROVINCIAL PARK an hour west of our old tumble down rented farmhouse was a huge help. These were the days we longingly walked & talked about a future which at the time seemed so unattainable. A future of travel, new horizons, journeys to places we had never been. It was on these days & weekends our dreams gained momentum & we began laying the groundwork for a future change in our lives. We had no idea how we were going to do it, just knew that one way or the other we were going to make a change to our current lifestyle somehow. First change came in the form of a 17' old 1979 Dodge Centurion Class C camper. This old dear had seen better days but it was a step up from a tent & it was at last, our foot in the RV lifestyle door. This old blister gave us more of a psychological lift than anything else. Just looking out the old farmhouse window seeing an RV parked outside generated a new sense of excitement & anticipation. We did manage a few week-end trips & those getaways just solidified our dreams & convinced us we were on the right track. It was a start & from that little Dodge Centurion we went on to get ourselves a Travel Trailer, another Class C, a Fifth Wheel, a Class A Motorhome, a smaller Class C & finally the Class C we have today. And, the dream continues...............:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the man, "but how did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below responded, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are exactly in the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.