I STOOD PENSIVELY LOOKING OUT THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW

Skies were heavily overcast threatening rain but sitting in the house for the third day in a row was definitely not going to work for me.  Can't help it, just gotta get out & go somewhere.  Pheebs & I had to travel further afield this morning to find some rural roads we had never been on before.  Well at least I can't remember being on them before.  That's one of the plus's about aging.  You get to do things & go places you have forgot about.  That somehow seems kinda alright to me.  Expands my new to me world a bit:))

 

MY TIRED LITTLE TRAVELER TODAY

We did get rained on a bit here & there but it was just nice to be outside enjoying the day.  After all it was Sunday & we seem to have gotten ourselves into the habit of road trips on Sunday mornings.  Although our day began under overcast skies we did end it in a burst of brilliant sunshine.

 

It was raining as I stood pensively looking out the living room window at our Motorhome a couple days ago.  There she sat quietly beside our carport patiently waiting for us to fire her up & head her on down the road.  In my mind I know we are now past the halfway point of our long summer at home in Bayfield but it's still another 3 long months before we can once again point our noses in the direction of the great American South-West.  I'm hoping we can get away a bit earlier this year instead of waiting until our usual third week of October.  Of course I hope that every year & somehow it never seems to come about.  I know part of it is the 182 days we are allowed to be in the States.  The earlier we go the earlier we have to be back.  And coming back to Canada any earlier than the first week of April is not an option mainly because of unpredictable weather.  But sometimes I just don't care about that 182 day limit.  I just want to get the big wheels rolling & put a couple thousand miles of scenery behind us.  What a wondrous feeling it is every Fall to shut our house down here in Bayfield & make the mad dash across America's mid-west to the land of mountains, rivers, canyons, endless skies & wide open spaces.  I can already here the Sonoran desert calling.  The tall saguaro & prickly pear cactus await.  So looking forward to touching base with many of our old favorite haunts again this coming winter.  Borrego Springs, Kofa Mountains, Blair Valley & Ghost Mountain.  A return to the Sedona area & of course all our desert Jeeping roads around Congress.  We are hoping to do more traveling this winter now that we have a larger & more comfortable rig to travel & stay in.  Hope to hit new areas where we have never been as well.  A little less time at the house & a little more time traveling & boondocking just like we did in our early RVing years.  We are both aware time is slipping away on us & it's an unknown factor as to how many more years we can spend our winters in the land we both truly love………………….. 

USING A 300mm LENS WHILE DRIVING ON A BUMPY GRAVEL ROAD DOES NOT ALWAYS RESULT IN THE SHARPEST PHOTOS…THESE FOLKS WERE JUST COMING DOWN THEIR DRIVEWAY & I SUSPECT THEY WERE HEADED FOR CHURCH

 

BIG RED BRICK HOUSE IN A CORNFIELD & WHAT I THINK MAY BE A FIELD OF YELLOW CANOLA

 

OOOOOPS
If it was not for me being a Canadian (Kelly has duel citizenship) I'm guessing instead of living somewhere in Canada during the hot humid summer we would have us a place in maybe New Mexico somewhere at a higher cooler elevation.  That's a thought we've carried with us right from the first Winter we traveled to the South-West back in 06/07.    How nice it would be to travel the much shorter distance between a cooler Summer pine forest in New Mexico or Arizona to Winter's warmer desert floor maybe just a day’s drive away.  And how nice would it be not to have to fight all that heavy interstate traffic & congested cities of the East.   Days & days on the road just to reach where it is that we really would prefer to be.  And just think of the gas money saved let alone ware & tear on the Motorhome & us as well.  If I was an American that's just about how we would do it. 

THESE BEES DO NOT HAVE FAR TO TRAVEL IN SEARCH OF NECTAR

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Did you know the brains of older people only appear to be less speedy because they have so much information to access, much like a full-up hard drive, scientists believe.  Elderly people have so much information in their brain that it takes longer for them to access it, scientific studies show.  Older people do not decline mentally with age.  It just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, research suggests.  Much like a computer takes longer as the hard drive gets full up, so to do humans take longer to access information.  Researchers say this slowing down is not the same as cognitive decline.  The human brain appears to work slower in old age, said Dr. Michael Ramscar, but only because so much information has been stored over time.  Older people simply know more, so selecting a correct choice from the trove of stored data may take a bit longer.

STILL HANGING ON TO OUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE

EARLY RVING DAYS AT HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK NEAR WHY ARIZONA 2008

When our phone rang Thursday morning & call display told us it was Ron from FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE AUTO-MARINE-RV calling we both held our breath hoping it was the call we had been waiting the past 2 two & a half months for.  And it was.  Ron had a seriously interested buyer making an offer on our Winnebago.  With a short consultation we accepted the offer & that immediately eliminated our growing stress levels over the Winnie deal.  A big thanks to Ron down there in Grand Bend for putting in all the time & effort on selling our Class C rig.  And a big thanks for his cheery encouragement along the way:)) 

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES WINNIE:))  KOFA MOUNTAINS ARIZONA - DECEMBER 2013
Now here's a bit of irony.  We bought our Triple E Commander from a soon to be retired Boeing 757 Fed-Ex pilot.  It seems the fellow who bought our Winnie Wagon is himself a retired airline pilot.  When Kelly hung up the phone I said to her, "well that takes care of the Winnebago stress & also the stress we had a week ago in buying the Sunfire & selling the Santa Fe, so what do you think we should take on for our next great dilemma".  Gotta keep that excitement factor going you know.  At this age & stage of life it is more important than ever to have something out there to keep reaching for.....................

BY THE WAY, THAT’S RV SUE & THE CANINE CREW WAY OVER THAR TO THE LEFT
I can tell we are into the Dog Days of Summer.  Defined as, 'dog days - the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence'.  Lethargy & inactivity I knew about & understood but had to go to the dictionary for indolence.  Yep, got that one too.  It means a feeling of laziness.  Of course all three are closely connected & also solid ingredients for depression as well & I struggle with that from time to time.  More so these last few years for some reason.

SURE WILL BE GLAD TO GET BACK TO THE SUNRISES & SUNSETS OF OUR BELOVED SOUTH-WEST AGAIN THIS WINTER:))

Randy from THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES has the second part of his 2 part post on his thoughts, reflections, & recollections about their past 5 years of fulltiming.  Again, a well written post  that I am sure every RV'er can identify with in one way or another. 

<<< KELLY EXERCISING ON HER SMALL TRAMPOLINE THURSDAY MORNING

Rainy cool cloudy day here in our little section of the world.  I like cool but not so much rainy & cloudy.  I remember someone asking about the Squirrel proof birdfeeder a generous soul had anonymously sent us this past winter while in Arizona.  Fortunately we don't have a pesky Squirrel problem at our digs in Congress but we sure do here in Bayfield.  The birdfeeder lives up to it's reputation as being Squirrel proof alright but it takes the birds a little while after first hanging it up to figure out how to use it.  Kelly noticed Sue from THE MOHO AND OTHER TRAVELING TALES made mention on Facebook of our battles with the Squirrels each summer.  It is the larger black Squirrels we have the problems with most of the time & not the small red Squirrels or Chipmunks.  Wasn’t until I wrapped a metal stovepipe around the post that holds our flat wooden feeder station that the Squirrels could no longer climb the pole & gain access to the birdseed.

PHEEBS & I TOOK THE SUNFIRE OUT FOR A SPIN A FEW NIGHT’S AGO

Sometimes I just seem to get myself into a sad reflective mood & often as not it is an old favorite piece of music that just seems to gently guide me there. It’s not a depression so much as a regression. A momentary return to an earlier time of my life. Memories of times & places, people & events. It’s an emotional sadness when I sometimes look back, sometimes ahead. Even sometimes when I am not looking in either direction I can still feel the sadness. It’s just there. It’s a part of my life that seems to have it's own rhythmic ebb & flow . I occasionally embrace the sad times & let them slow me down, bring my mind into focus & ground me in the subtle realities of life. It sharpens my sensitivity & I need that some days.................................

BAYFIELD’S PIONEER PARK

ARCHIVE MEMORY::  Wrote this paragraph back in October 2008 & it applies just as much today as it did then…………. I have thought about our 'sense of adventure' a lot over the years as we have traveled here & there to various locations in different States. How really fortunate Kelly & I are that we share the same interests & ideas about traveling & the RV lifestyle. We're convinced there must be some wayfaring explorers in both our pasts. Maybe a little gypsy blood & I'm sure I have some cowboy in me from somewhere long ago too. Was always fascinated with old western movies as a kid & always paid particular attention to the majestic scenery in the backgrounds. I think right from the first day Kelly & I met, we recognized those adventurous qualities in each other & from then to now our goals have mainly been the same. To freely travel wherever & whenever we could with no confining time limits.  To wander at our leisure with no hard & fast destination at the end of the day. To wake up in the mornings, step out of our RV & watch the sunrise creep over the mountains casting long saguaro cactus shadows across the desert floor. Listening to the Gila Woodpeckers & Cactus Wrens close by & the distant lonesome howl of Coyotes. No crowding, no human sounds, no pressure & no commitments. Stay for a couple of days, weeks, or a month if we liked. Hike & explore all the areas near by & take short day trips by car to other points of interest in the area. So many mountain trails to walk & so many canyons to venture into. The American Southwest is a fascinating place with all it's history & tales to tell. Beautiful scenery all day, every day.  We don't know how many years we have left to enjoy this Snow Bird way of life we have missed for so many years but while we still have our health & a couple extra dollars in our pocket we fully intend to make the most of it while we can.....................

CLIMBING GHOST MOUNTAIN NEAR JULIAN CALIFORNIA

 

WAITING FOR A SUNSET NEAR DARBY WELL ROAD AJO ARIZONA & TAKING A BREAK IN THE ARCHES NATIONAL PARK NEAR MOAB UTAH

HIKING JUST SOUTH-WEST OF BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Although he was a qualified meteorologist, a local broadcaster ran up a terrible record of forecasting for the TV news program. He became something of a local joke when a newspaper began keeping a record of his predictions and showed that he'd been wrong almost three hundred times in a single year.  That kind of notoriety was enough to get him fired.  He moved to another part of the country and applied for a similar job. One blank on the job application called for the reason for leaving his previous position.  In the blank he wrote quite honestly, "The climate didn't agree with me."

SOLD THE WINNEBAGO

Winnie the Bago was sold today.  Other than that I haven’t been able to scratch myself up enough enthusiasm for a post tonight………………………… 

GROANERS CORNER:(( "What happened to you?" asked the bystander of the man lying on the sidewalk outside of the beauty parlor.  The man shook his head groggily and rubbed his bruised chin. "Well, the last thing I remember was my wife coming out of the beauty salon. I took one look at her and said, 'Well, Honey, ... at least you tried.'"

I DIDN’T LET A LEAKY JEEP TIRE KEEP PHEEBS & I FROM VISITING THE TOMB OF ‘TIGER DUNLOP’ THIS MORNING

A RESTING BENCH ALONG THE MAITLAND TRAIL OVERLOOKS THE DISTANT TOWN OF GODERICH WITH IT’S CHURCH SPIRES ALONG THE HORIZON…HARBOR GRAIN SILOS & LAKE HURON CAN BE SEEN TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER HORIZON, TOWN OF GODERICH TO THE LEFT

After spending all of Wednesday in the house due to rainy weather I was needing to get out, soak up some sunshine, grab myself some fresh air & see myself some scenery other than the television.  Kelly had slipped into Bayfield for Yoga.  Had a prescription to re-new so me & the little Monkey Buns headed ourselves on up to Goderich.  Stopped at a Shell station for gas & noticed the rear passenger side tire on the Jeep was half flat.  Piece of luck I spotted that at all.  Aired up the tire & knew Pheebs & I would not be heading off on one of our longer tours.  Took us for a drive down around the North Harbor stopping to check on the tire.  It was a slow leak so knew we would able to make it home alright.  A big ocean freighter & a lake freighter in the harbor this morning 

ONE OF WAGENBORG'S MANY OCEAN GOING FREIGHTERS LOADING GRAINS IN THE GODERICH HARBOR THIS MORNING

 

LAKE FREIGHTER AT RIGHT TAKING ON A LOAD OF ROCK SALT AT GODERICH’S LARGE SIFTO SALT MINE 
North of Goderich we stopped at a place where I knew we could access the Maitland Trail.  Decided to take a short & scenic walk to an area where the tomb of WILLIAM 'TIGER' DUNLOP & his brother Robert are interred.  Tiger Dunlop was the fellow who founded Goderich back in 1827.  ‘Doctor Dunlop’ also played a part in the war of 1812.  Kelly & I had visited this site one other time many years ago.  Nobody around so Pheebs & I were able to enjoy the peacefulness of the setting where once a large & majestic house belonging to the two Brothers had once stood.  No trace of the house left, only the tomb.

 

 

THE DUNLOP BROTHER’S FINE HOUSE GAIRBRAID ONCE STOOD HERE ON THESE GROUNDS WHERE ONLY THEIR TOMB REMAINS NOW…THIS DUNLOP PROPERTY ONCE CONSISTED OF 845 ACRES

Tire was holding up pretty good so decided to head on home.  Dropped Pheebs off, aired up the tire again & headed for HURON TIRECRAFT in Clinton Ontario.  I was back home less than an hour later.  Turns out the slow leak was caused by a screw nail in the tire & they were able to fix it.

THIS SECTION OF THE MAITLAND TRAIL NEAR TIGER DUNLOP’S TOMB WAS ONCE A RAIL BED FOR HEAVY STEAM ENGINES LADEN WITH ROCK SALT MAKING THEIR WAY INLAND FROM THE GODERICH SALT MINES UNDER LAKE HURON & YEP THAT’S THE PHEEBS WAY UP THERE ON THE TRAIL

HOW’S THIS FOR A NAME AT A SCENIC SPOT ALONG THE MAITLAND TRAIL

THE TRAIL CROSSES THIS OLD RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE MAITLAND RIVER…GRAIN SILOS & LAKE HURON IN THE BACKGROUND
I thought Randy over at THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES  had a well written post today as he looks back on their 5 year anniversary of full timing.  Although we are not full timers I did understand & agree with what Randy had to say.  This is part 1 of his take & I will be interested in reading his 2nd upcoming take on the lifestyle as well.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Finally, the good-natured boss was compelled to call Smith into his office.  "It has not escaped my attention," he pointed out, "that every time there's a home game at the stadium, you have to take your Aunt to the doctor."  "You know you're right, sir," exclaimed Smith. "I didn't realize it. You don't suppose she's faking, do you?"

---

I'm not keen on taking pills, so when my doctor gave me a prescription to lower my blood pressure, I asked him if there were any side effects.  "Yes," he said. "Longevity."

OOOOPS

Not much going on here so I’ll keep it short.  Did myself a little Oooops Tuesday night commenting on Judy's post, TRAVELS WITH EMMA.  Merikay & Craig from MERIKAY'S DREAM had dropped in to see Judy & they all did a tour of where Judy is volunteering for the summer.  I liked the last photo in Judy's post & left a comment saying, 'Like that last photo of the 2 Gals heading on down the road':))  Of course I assumed they were Judy & Merikay.  Well you know what they say about assuming things.  Judy wrote me a note back saying, 'Oops.  That was Merikay and Craig heading down the road'.  :I 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  in the frozen foods department of our local grocery store, I noticed a man shopping with his son. As I walked by, he checked something off his list, and I heard him whisper conspiratorially to the child, "You know, if we really mess this up, we'll never have to do it again."

NICE MORNING FOR A JEEP RIDE & WE SAY OUR FINAL GOOD-BYES TO OUR LITTLE HYUNDAI SANTA FE…………

JUST HAVING A LITTLE FUN TONIGHT INVERTING SOME FLOWER PHOTO COLORS IN PICASA 3.9

I am soooooo much enjoying our mid 60's daytime temperatures.  What a treat not to be all hot & uncomfortably sweaty.  Rain in the night & more rain upon us by mid afternoon.  Pheebs & I did manage a Jeep drive under sunny skies earlier in the morning. Corn is already up about 6 feet in many fields.  With all the moisture lately the countryside is remaining green & tropically lush showing no signs of yellowing mid-summer dryness yet.

EVERYTHING IS STILL SO LUSH & GREEN

PHEEBS & I CHECKED OUT THIS CUTE LITTLE FOR SALE & SECLUDED ‘RETREAT PROPERTY’ TODAY BUT OF COURSE WAY TOO MUCH MONEY

We took the Santa Fe into the Bayfield Garage first thing this morning for it's safety inspection.  It needed new brake linings front to back plus 2 new windshield wipers so the total cost of bringing it up to safety standards was $320 including the $80 cost of the inspection itself.  We split the total cost of the safety with the new owners & everyone walked away from the deal happy. 

It was sad to see our Santa Fe go.  I always get attached to things & especially vehicles.   I’d probably get attached to a banana peel if I kept it long enough.  Over the years we had so many great memories with that little 4 cylinder 5 speed car.  We towed it behind our Damon Challenger to the South-West for the winters of 07/08 & 08/09.  It saw us through a lot of Ranch Sitting days in McNeal Arizona, took us easily up & over the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County & oh how many trips to Bisbee she made.  Took us into Mexico once & quickly got us back out of there in less than hour.  We've been to Borrego Springs & Julian California as well as Marshal South's Ghost Mountain in Blair Valley with the Santa Fe.  Darby Well Road, Hickiwan Trails, The Grand Canyons North & South rims.  Yuma, Slab City, Quartzsite & the Kofa Mountains.  The list just goes on & on.  The little gray car has taken us through the Arches near Moab Utah.  Bryce & Zion Canyons.  Took me to the Davis-Monthan air base in Tucson on New Year's Day 2008.  Kelly's had it to Spencerport New York half a dozen times.  Never a flat tire or dead battery.  It never left us stranded anywhere & always started right up with a turn of the key.  It's large cargo carrying hatchback area came in really handy for Kelly over the years when she worked at Deer Park Lodge & it recently carried a bedroom dresser to Waterloo Ontario.  It was the car that one day pulled into our driveway with Kelly at the wheel & a big black & white border collie sitting in the front passenger seat.  From that day on Checkers was our dog & stayed with us until her final passing years later.  For sure we will miss our little car but like us it is getting a little long of tooth & we decided now while the car is running well it was the best time to sell it rather than waiting to get a scrapyard price for her someday.  Kelly was the Santa Fe's principle driver over the years & again it will be a lady driver who will be using the Santa Fe on the roads between Blyth & Bayfield Ontario.  The lady didn't mind the A/C didn't work because the cold air makes her sick anyway plus she drove standard transmissions most of her life & prefers them.  We feel the Santa Fe is going to a good home & who knows we may even catch a few glimpses of her now & again as she travels the very roads we often do.  I know it's only a car but the memories we share with her & her with us will last forever.  And I like that........................

LAST PHOTOS OF OUR BEST OLD TRAVELING FRIEND… SHE ROLLED OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY FOR THE LAST TIME AT 6:52 TONIGHT

 

Some may wonder why we sold the Santa Fe & I think I have already covered that in a couple earlier posts a week or so ago.  Time to move on…………………….

 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( My 12-year-old daughter asked me, "Mom, do you have a baby picture of yourself? I need it for a school project."  I gave her one without thinking to ask what the project was. A few days later I was in her classroom for a parent-teacher meeting when I noticed my face pinned to a mural the students had created.  The title of their project was "The oldest thing in my house."

---

Most of us have a bad habit we are constantly trying to break. For me, it's biting my fingernails. One day I told my husband about my latest solution: press-on nails.  "Great idea, Honey," he smiled. "Now you can eat them straight out of the box."

WE SOLD OUR 03 HYUNDAI SANTA FE TONIGHT:))

IT HAS BEEN A GOOD SUMMER FOR WATER LILIES

Well, we sold our 03 Hyundai Santa Fe tonight.  We preferred to sell it locally so Kelly put it on her Facebook page in a special section referring to Goderich classified ads.  Didn’t especially want to go the Kijiji route & get a whole host of questionable & sometimes annoying calls if we didn’t have to.  Within minutes of her posting it on Facebook she had  4 responses & the first response from a lady in a nearby town is the one we sold the car to.  The Lady dropped around this morning to look at it.  Liked it & returned tonight with her husband.  It was a done deal.  Now if we can just get that Winnebago Motorhome sold we will be back on an even keel again.  Ron from FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE AUTO-MARINE-RV says not to worry, it will sell.  Biggest problem so far is the lack of a dinette or table & chairs.  That was never a big priority for Kelly & I but it has turned out to be a big priority for folks looking at the rig.  It does have an easy to use table but people like to have the standard dining facilities.

AND THE LADY WHO BOUGHT IT SAID TO LEAVE THOSE ‘HIPPY FLOWERS’ ON THE BACK BECAUSE SHE LIKES THEM:))

Not a lot else going on today so I I'll let a couple other fellow RV Blogger's do most of the writing for me tonight.  First is from Bob. This is in regards to the problem a few folks are having with some kind of a 'pop up' ad that appears when they click on our Bayfield Bunch blogsite as well as other Blogger sites.  Bob in part writes.......

Hi Al, The highlighted words are from a form of advertising. It usually gets into computers when you download a little program, like an image viewer or Chrome or Firefox, for instance.  When people download a program, such as Chrome, they need to make sure they only get it from the official page.

The problem with getting the download from an unofficial web page is they need to make money, so they install stuff for other companies and get a small amount of money for it. So they will install an install program first, that then downloads the program and the other unwanted ad program. Sometimes, there will be a box that is already checked that if you do not uncheck it, it will install the ad software. They count on many people not seeing this check box, otherwise, it would not be already checked.  There is enough on this page to help one get rid of it.  MICROSOFT TECH SUPPORT  It’s not really malware or spyware, but a legit program so those types of programs usually won’t get rid of it. They are legit programs that one asks their computer to install, by not unchecking the install check boxes....................

Second, a number of reader's have inquired about our rig's recent detailing regarding price, where to get it done in the States, tips, products used, etc.  Going to take the liberty of printing in part an email I received from a friend & fellow RV Blogger a few days ago.  He had their rig done in Key West Florida.  I'm thinking it may be of help to folks & their questions plus it's interesting to see how their Class A coach was done.  Chris sent me an email saying the following..........(I didn’t include Bob & Chris’s Blogsite addy’s because they sent me these notes in private emails)

Hi Al........Glad to see you are getting your rig polished up by the pros. Last winter in Key West there was a company going around polishing and waxing RVs in the park we were staying at. They gave me a quote and I booked for the next morning. At 7 am the whole family showed up. Mom, Dad, who was in a wheelchair, and 4 big strapping sons. Behind one of the vans was a trailer with one of those big cube tanks of special de-ionized water. They set up scaffolding all around our rig and 2 guys did high and 2 guys did low. They scrubbed the rig roof to wheels using all Meguiar's soaps then carefully hand dried it all. Then they unloaded 4 polishers and new pads, bottles of Meguiar's waxes and polish and went to town, from roof to wheels again. Buffed out everything even the glass. Dad in the wheelchair explained to me every step of the way, about the water they use and why, the wash brushes were specially ordered and do not scratch and why they use Meguiar's products. ...because they are the best he says and always use Meguiar's foam pads. Never use pads made from animal hair he says.... those fleece pads always leaves swirls...he says. There’s no point in putting these waxes on by hand cause you'll never generate enough heat to adhere the compounds the sidewall properly that's why you have to machine buff it on to heat it up...he says again. Then he went off and got some metal polish and wheels himself up to each of the Aluminum wheel rims and starts polishing them like crazy, by hand, hunched over in his wheel chair.

When the low guys finish they climb up on the roof and start polishing and waxing the roof. I had raised the four solar panels the night before so they can do underneath them also. They lay down some "special roof wax" he calls it and buff up there like mad for an hour while on their knees. MY back was aching just watching them. ( What a huge difference that makes.  Here it is 5 months later and the usual mold  and crap that grows up there is nonexistent and the white streaks that would coat the sidewalls after a rain...nada.) 

So while the lows guys are up buffing the roof Mom starts wiping down the side walls paying close attention to getting into every little corner and crevice. I can also see the shine and sheen she leaves behind. They buff and polish and wipe for a while longer and pretty soon they are all finished. Its really like a shining gemstone and has never looked as good since I first saw it in the show room... maybe better.

Now every time I wash it, with Meguiar's gold carwash of course and I bought the same kind of brush the Dad recommended and it amazes me how easy it is to clean now. The water in the park here is very hard and the spots that usually leaves behind are almost non-existent.

Money well spent ($350) and I will do it every year if I can because its just a heck of a lot better than my previous attempts to wax it by hand. Its just better than anything I could ever do Al.  And I know the finish will be better preserved for it......................................................

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I was ill and my husband volunteered to go to the supermarket for me. I sent him off with a carefully numbered list of seven items.  He returned shortly, very proud of himself, and proceeded to unpack the grocery bags. He had one bag of sugar, two cartons of eggs, three hams, four boxes of detergent, five boxes of crackers, six eggplants, and seven green peppers.