SATURDAY’S DAY OF SADNESS & LAUGHTER

On July 4th 2010 I wrote a post called SOME OF THE OLD 60'S GANG GETS TOGETHER.  In that post I wrote, "Today turned out to be a special day for me which began with an email this past winter while we were in the southwest.  One of the 'old gang' from high school had tracked me down.  We all have best friends from our high school & beyond days & over time best buddies & pals often drift away & are never heard from again.  But today, thanks to one of the guys, 4 of the old gang were re-united here at our place in Bayfield.  Helmut Hell (yes, that's his real name) was the fellow who pulled that day all together.  Helmut was originally from New Hamburg Ontario & became part of our Tavistock gang in the 60's when he married a Tavistock girl.  Gary Burton was another Tavistock guy along with brother's Jim & John Eifert.  Gary, Jim & John, Helmut's wife, Mary Linda & I all lived within 2 blocks of each other in those days.  Yes, Tavistock Ontario was definitely a small town." 
 
THIS NORTHERN FLICKER HIT OUR SUNROOM WINDOW THIS MORNING & CRASHED INTO A FLOWER BED…ABOUT HALF A MINUTE LATER HE GAVE HIMSELF A SHAKE, DUSTED HIMSELF OFF & TOOK TO THE AIR UNHARMED
That day was over 4 years ago & today one of the old gang is battling stage 4 Melanoma cancer.   Received an email a couple weeks ago from my friend Jim in London saying Helmut, the fellow who pulled our 2010 get-together together was seriously ill.  Jim & his brother John felt it would be good idea for us to drive over to Helmut's place near New Hamburg Ontario to see him so when Jim’s email arrived asking if I would go I said, ‘count me in’.  A phone call was made & yes Helmut would like to see us.  

SAW THIS RARE MONARCH BUTTERFLY THIS AFTERNOON & YET JUST 3 & 4 YEARS AGO THEY WERE EVERYWHERE
Jim picked me up Saturday morning about 9:45 & we headed for Stratford Ontario to pick up his brother John.  Back in about 1967 I drove with Jim to Windsor Ontario one day where he applied for a job at the Chrysler Auto Plant.  Jim had a grade 13 education & he was hired that very same day.  Two days later I again went with him to Windsor.  He moved into a Motel next to the Chrysler plant & I drove his Mustang back to Tavistock Ontario.  It would be many years before I would see Jim again.  He stayed at Chrysler for 38 years before retiring.  From that time in 1967 when I went with Jim to Windsor to the time I got into his car Saturday morning spanned 47 years & it was the first time we had a one on one conversation just between the two of us in all those years.  A lot of catching up to do & what a great time all the way to Stratford sharing old stories & memories.  Where my memory lapsed Jim filled in the blanks & vice versa. He had totally forgot I was the guy who went with him to Windsor the day he got that big job & I had totally forgot a few things he told me we did.  You know how it goes when meeting old long lost friends & trying to fill in all those oh so long ago gray areas. 

It was more stories, laughs, & shaky memories when we picked up Jim's brother John in Stratford.  John & I were best buddies back in our high school days.  We all just picked up right where we left off years ago & what a great feeling that was for me.  I've been out of touch with a lot of people for a lot of years & I could just feel my old good times humorous self coming back.  Lots of jokes back & forth about our ages now in these Senior years.  Lots of comparisons to our 'remember when' lives.  A quick stop at McDonalds in New Hamburg for coffee & I couldn’t help but think as we kinda bumbled & bumped our way around in there we were probably much akin to Larry, Curly & Moe.   We were soon on the road again on our last short leg to Helmut & Mary Linda's place.  Our festive mood took on a quieter tone.

Mary Linda came to the door & we stepped in.  I saw Helmut rise slowly from a big leather chair in another room.  Helmut, a hard working guy all his life never did anything slowly & I noticed his frail slightly stooped frame right away.  As I walked forward I could see the ravages of cancer had not been good to him.  His once stocky robust build was now down to a mere 110 pounds.  When we shook hands I could see he had aged well beyond his years.  I gave him a hug & he winced.  I hadn't realized how fragile he now was.  He had been sitting beside a nice warm fireplace & I understand why.
 
HE HASN’T LOST HIS SENSE OF HUMOR OR HIS DOWN TO EARTH BOTH FEET ON THE GROUND FRIENDLY PERSONALITY
Helmut & Mary Linda live on a 50 acre farm & have been there now for 20 years.  We saw the 'For Sale' sign at the end of the driveway as we pulled in.  Unable to get out into the bush to cut wood anymore, look after a few horses, the grounds, or even do any of the simpler chores there was no options left but to sell the farm.  Hard to do for a man who has been a hard working brick layer all his life, owning his own business plus a few apartment buildings.   An active life always busy, always thinking forward & always looking for a good deal.   
  
We all found ourselves a comfortable chair in the living room.  Driving to Helmut's today I was a bit apprehensive because I had never been in this kind of a situation before.  What would we talk about & what would we say.  I needn't have worried.  Chatted a bit about their farm as both Mary Linda & Helmut explained the lands layout & some of the renovations they did to the old farmhouse.  The conversation though very formal seemed to flow right along but I felt sad looking at both Helmut & Mary Linda.  The stress & strain was obvious on Mary Linda's face as well.  And then it started.......................

BROTHER’S JOHN & JIM EIFERT TWO OF MY OLDEST BEST PALS
I don't know who it was who started it but all of a sudden there was a chuckle here a chuckle there & before long Mary Linda & Helmut were both laughing.  We were all laughing.  The whole bunch of us had naturally slid right back into our old selves.  That old high school humor. The digs started flying, the teasing, the humorous stories about each other.  The kind of humor that can only happen with close & trusted friends.  For awhile Saturday afternoon the reality of our Senior selves was left behind.  The seriousness of the day was temporarily set aside & for me it just felt so good to be with old friends again carrying on & kibitzing like the young care-free folks we all were many years ago.  No health worries in those days.  Just fun & crazily zany things.

I took a chance & asked Helmut about his cancer not knowing if that was something he wanted to talk about or even something I should have asked about.  He did want to talk about his cancer & it was a learning experience for us as Helmut explained how the cancer was first mis-diagnosed leading him to believe he was fine when in fact he wasn't.  He told us how it re-surfaced in a different location & about the various treatments he has been undergoing the past few years.  Some of them working a bit & others not at all.  He is currently receiving radiation for tumors that have grown close to his spine, stomach & rib cage.  He told us the cancer was now in his bones & his lymph nodes had been removed leaving one arm basically useless.  He talked about alternate treatments.  He just underwent a blood transfusion.  I detected a bit of anger & I detected a bit of frustration but more importantly I detected his willingness & determination to see this thing through.  His voice was strong & that look of hard working resolve is still in his eyes.  The afternoon went fast & before any of us realized it was nearly 5 o'clock.  We had been there about 4 hours.  It seemed like 10 minutes. 

It was time to say goodbye & I knew inside it would be a difficult goodbye.  But like old Buddies we have always been we all kept our heads up, we didn't relax our old high school humor & we talked about getting together again in the Spring.  Helmut stood on the porch holding the wooden rail for support waving goodbye as we pulled out of the driveway.  A last wave back & we were on our way home.  For me it was a very emotional day.  A day of sadness & a day of laughter............................

TAKE CARE MY FRIEND……………..
 
BROTHER JOHN SAYS TO BROTHER JAMES……. ‘HOME JAMES’
Yes I should have worded my Saturday's post's title differently.  Should have expanded my 'sadness' explanation as well so as not to alarm folks & give the impression something was wrong here at home.  I thank everyone for your concern & I will try to be not so vague in the future.  I was tired by the time I sat down at the computer Saturday night & what had transpired just hours before was still on my mind.  In fact it was still on my mind for a big part of today as well.

A TORNADO?? HIGH WINDS?? NOPE, JUST ME & MY BOW SAW
Sunday dawned on the cloudy side & the air was cool enough to head outside & get at a few more things done.  Kelly had noticed some weed tree branches growing into a couple of our evergreen trees so I hauled out my ladder, clippers, & bow saw thinking I could have that little job done in about 15 minutes.  An hour & something later I had thinned out an area beside our Motorhome that required 2 trips to our Park's recycle area with the utility trailer heaped full of branches.

  

AND PHEEBS & I EVEN HAD OURSELVES SOME HELP THIS MORNING
Something kinda strange & definitely unusual going on in our area.  Saw on a local news channel a large number of police cruisers had accumulated just north of Clinton Ontario at the Hullett Marsh boundary.  Readers will remember this is where Pheebs & I go quite a bit on our country road excursions.  Reports came out of 2 people being shot, horses involved & a manhunt going on.  Gave the location as Conservation Road.  Well that really perked up my ears because that is the exact spot Pheebs & I passed through just this past Friday morning & what makes this all more interesting is that yes I did see people on horseback & I did take some photos of them as we rolled by.  We just now learned a man has been killed & his wife injured.  Police have been very tight lipped about all this but they did put out a statement for people to lock their windows & doors & stay inside.  The pictures I took Friday morning of where this happened Saturday afternoon are below.

THESE ‘HORSEBACK DOG TRIALS’ ARE AN ANNUAL EVENT AT THE HULLETT MARSH
 
  

Jim, a former dog owner & faithful 4 year follower of my blog said this morning on our way to Stratford, “when we get back I just have to see the Pheebs.”  On our way home at the end of the day he again said about seeing the Pheebs.  And see the Pheebs he did:))
 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws. "You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a girl in the line said to the little fella.  Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his head. His grandmother knelt down next to him. "I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles, she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!"  The boy looked up, "Really?"   "Of course," said the grandmother. "Why, just name me one thing that's prettier than freckles."   The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face, and softly whispered, "Wrinkles."

A SHORT POST FOLLOWS A LONG EMOTIONAL DAY

I am late getting to the computer tonight.  It was a long day & I am very tired.  It was a day of sadness.  A day of many old stories & memories. It was a day of much laughter.  It was a day I will remember.  And it is a post I will put together tomorrow……………………

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  A visiting speaker was impressed by the enthusiasm that our Christian school students showed in their physical education class.  "I exercise, too," he sighed, faintly smiling at our pastor. "Every morning I awaken to the alarm, jump from bed, and run around the block six times."  As our pastor expressed surprise and offered hearty praise, the man continued, "Then I kick the block under the bed and go back to sleep."

A WEE COUNTRY DRIVE, A FEW THOUGHTS ON MY 3 FAVORITE HOBBIES, & WISHING SHERRY & DAVID ALL THE BEST IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES

Two days in a row hanging around the house was enough for Pheebs & I so we had to get ourselves out for a couple hours & blow off a little house dust.  Figured replacing that dust with some good old road dust was just about the right thing to do.  Jeep's rear view mirror thermometer said 56F so it was another drive with the windows down & heater going.  More cloud than sun this morning but intermittent rays of sunshine made for some nice lighting at times.  Seeings how I seem to be taking more & more photos from the driver's seat these days I prefer to travel with the windows down much to the liking of a certain little doggy I know:))

PHEEBS LOVES HEADING OVER TO THE HULLETT MARSH & SHE LIKES LOOKING AT HERSELF IN THE MIRROR TOO:))

Driving along through our rolling countryside this morning I was thinking about how fortunate I am to have the hobbies I do.  I know I complain at times about boredom but that's just a sporadic quirk in my restless personality that occasionally rises to the surface on those sometimes slow blue moody days.  If I didn't have the 3 enjoyable hobbies I do then for sure I would have something to complain about.  I have written about these 3 interconnected hobbies before & how important they are to me in my daily life.

 

A LONE CANADA GOOSE LIFTS OFF FROM A HEAVILY LILY PADDED POND

My favorite pastimes are not just every once & awhile hobbies, they are every day leisure activities that have to do with my love of traveling being the longest passion.  Whether it's driving around the back roads of South-Western Ontario or driving the long scenic distances through Provinces or States it all adds up to a favorite activity for me & I consider it to be one of my longest running sources of adventuress entertainment.  Driving as a rule is not a chore for me, it's simply a pleasant hobby.  But it wasn't the first of my three current enjoyable pastimes. 

ARE YOU GONNA CUT THIS GRASS SOON DAD??

My first hobby began in about Grade 6 when my teacher at the time, a man by the name of John Douglas noticed me scribbling away in my  dog eared & worn brown notebook.  Asking what I was doing I told him I was writing a story & would he like to read it.  He was interested & after that I would occasionally be called upon to read one of my stories in front of the class.  I didn't know it at the time but it was the beginning of an elusive hobby for me.  It vanished for years & re-surfaced for a short while in the late 60's when I would put my thoughts down in the way of poetry.  I still have some of that stuff hanging around but thankfully it's in a plastic bin out in our shed somewhere.  My writing interests lay dormant for the next 35 years only to be rekindled when we bought our very first computer…..with a keyboard.  Having learned how to type in high school everything just began falling in place.  Having had 2 of my very own old typewriters years ago I still just love sitting down at a keyboard.

My third hobby of course is my love of photography.  That took hold in the Fall of 1965 when I bought a 35mm camera (Hanimex) while in Naval boot camp in Nova Scotia.  Other things took precedence over my photography interests a couple years after that, the camera broke & my interest never returned until 1974 when I came into possession of another 35mm camera. (Olympus Trip 35)  I soon acquired a couple Pentax cameras & my photography hobby soon took on a few commercial tones.  However I was never comfortable with that.  Stress!!  Had to deal with people!!  One day I just took all my equipment & shoved it into a closet & that was the end of that!!  Well until the digital age came along about 10 years later that is.  When I saw what could be done with a digital camera & a computer my hobby interests began to stir again.  I cautiously started out with a Hewlett-Packard point & shoot & it wasn't long before I was hooked on photography all over again.  Also wasn’t long before I had my hands on a couple Canon point & shoots plus 3 Nikon DSLR’s.  Yep I was hooked alright and the biggest thing that hooked me was now the ability to edit my own photos using an free & easy to learn Picasa photo editing program.  No more sending colored negatives & slides away for others to screw up.  Now I could screw them up all by my very self.  For the first time ever (with the exception of black & white) the whole photo process was all under my control from start to finish.  And for me that just re-instated my enjoyable photography hobby all over again:)) 

By the time 2006 rolled around & we embraced the RV lifestyle my 3 yet unrelated hobbies began to circle about each other gathering steam & taking shape.  With the advent of blogging a most enjoyable light bulb went off in my head.  Traveling, writing, & photography.  What a perfect hand in hand combination.   Could I combine my three hobbies together somehow & do something with the end result.  Something useful.  Something helpful.  And could I make it all work.  Maybe so but one thing was clear & extremely important to me.   If I was going to enjoy my 3 favorite pastimes I had to keep them stress free as best I could.  In other words no monetary gains.  Nothing commercial.  Just an enjoyable all round hobby for myself & hopefully others.  Plain & simple. 

Been doing this for the best part of 8 years now so yes I am a very extremely fortunate fellow.  Fortunate to have been able to bring together & combine 3 enjoyments of mine into something that is I hope interesting & entertaining for others.  If one person out there likes a photo I have taken or a paragraph or two I have written, learns something or is able to help someone else because of a link I have posted then yes that makes my day.  Makes it all worthwhile for me.  And I like that…………………….:)       

Having just recently arrived in the beautiful Capitol Reef area of Utah & looking forward to many happy days & weeks exploring the region Sherry & David from IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR DREAMS have suffered a medical set-back.  David's latest tests were not favorable & they have had to cut their travels short & head back to Florida as soon as possible.  Our concerned thoughts as well as those of others out here in Blogland go with them & we wish Sherry & David all the best in their coming days, weeks, & months………………………….

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Learning that several of his employees were tanking up on no-trace vodka martinis during lunch hours, a wise company president issued the following memo:  To All Employees:  If you must drink during lunch, please drink whiskey. It is much better for our customers to know you're drunk than to think you're stupid.

BEEN FLYING AROUND IN MY ‘GOOGLE EARTH’ PLANE AGAIN TO DAY TOUCHING ON SOME OLD MEMORIES

JUST A FEW MEMORABLE FILE PHOTOS TONIGHT….HIKING THROUGH WILLIS SLOT CANYON NEAR CANNONVILLE UTAH 2008 &THAT’S OUR BOY MAX CROSSING THE CREEK AHEAD…HIS FUR BLENDED RIGHT IN WITH THE COLORS ON THE SLOT CANYON WALLS

 

KELLY WATCHES AS OUR LITTLE CORA (MOTORMOUSE) DELICATELY CROSSED THE CREEK…SHE DIDN’T LIKE WATER

 

AND THERE’S OUR BIG GIRL CHECKERS CARRYING A STICK…MAX, CHECKERS, & CORA WERE PART OF THE ORIGINAL FOUR LEGGED BAYFIELD BUNCH

One of the things I have always enjoyed about early Autumn is the turning on of the furnace for the first time filling the house with warming air.  Today was that time.  Had ourselves a rainy, damp & feeling cold day.  Kelly switched the furnace on about 1:30 this afternoon & I just snuggled down into my recliner letting all that great feeling good warm air just envelope me.

CAN YOU SEE THE BIG CAT’S EYE GORILLA HEAD

 

HIKING BACK OUT OF THE CANYON & STOPPING FOR A MUCH NEEDED REST

A little discouraged to see they are already having snow in the Black Hills country of South Dakota.  That is one of the areas we were hoping to see on our travels next month.  All that snow in Calgary is not exactly encouraging either.  Could be the one prediction we heard about winter coming into areas along the Canada/U.S. border areas a month early may very well have some truth to it. 

ATOP GROSVENOR’S ARCH SOUTH OF KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK UTAH…MY SECOND TIME THERE IN 16 YEARS

  

LUNCH BREAK AT KODACHROME STATE PARK & RUBY’S INN PARKING LOT NEAR BRYCE CANYON

THE ‘KIVA KOFFEE HOUSE’ ON HIGHWAY 12 BETWEEN CANNONVILLE & BOULDER UTAH

We have always noticed how much better we both feel once we get ourselves to the dryer climate of the South-West each winter.  Colder damp days like today really bother the arthritis in my legs so I'm looking forward to getting out of here before the really cold damp stuff begins setting in later next month.  Thanks to the folks for sending in suggestions regarding the Capital Reef area of Utah.

BRYCE CANYON

  

HIGHWAY 12 SOMEWHERE NEAR BOULDER UTAH

Spent some more time flying around in my Google Earth plane this afternoon.  So nice being able to fly over old familiar places we have been in the South-West as well as places we are headed for.  Spent time touching base with areas around Bryce Canyon, Cannonville, Kodachrome Basin, Grosvenor's Arch, & Escalante.  All places we visited back in November of 08.  That Google Earth is just the best thing & the clarity in most areas is just amazing.  Can zoom right in on old familiar campsites & even see the picnic tables in some cases.  Oh the memories:))    

HOO-DOO’S AT BRYCE CANYON

GROANER'S CORNER:((  'Short History Of Medicine' 
I have a headache...
-2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
-1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
-1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
-1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill. 
-1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.

MY HEAD MAY BE IN BAYFIELD ONTARIO BUT MY HEART’S IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTH-WEST

A bit more puttering about in the rig & some more branches trimmed today.  Don’t think I will ever run out of branches to trim.  Our at times heavy rains began around 2 this afternoon & as I am writing this tonight it is still raining.  We have had us a fair bit of water come down.  All sunny days predicted for next week with temps in the 60’s.  Bonus days:))

In Tuesday's post I copied & pasted an article about the U.S. Government wanting to pass a bill to enable them to charge people for using BLM lands which are now free.  Noticed some folks thought that might be Okay if improvements were made to some BLM lands such as adding water & dump stations.  People didn't seem to mind paying if they had some comforts.  I have some different thoughts on that of course but think I will just keep them under my hat for now.  

However, ED had a comment at the end of my Tuesday post regarding that article.  According to Ed it may not be as bad as it seems.  I'm kinda thinking Ed may be right with his comment saying, "First, I do NOT support the passage of the Bill. It is just another revenue enhancement (tax) because the Federal government is broke and they are going to tax anything and everything they can".  And Ed goes on to say, "Second, Escapees says "...which will allow fees to be collected for most of the "public land" that is controlled by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management". If you read the Bill, it does NOT allow for collection of a fee for MOST of the public land in my opinion. It allows for the collection of fees on SOME of the public lands that have been free. The free disbursed camping (boondocking) sites on BLM land that Al has enjoyed in the past do not appear to me to fall within the scope of the Bill and will remain free - for now. There will come the day when there is NO access to ANY Federal land without paying a fee; as is now collected at National Parks".  Sue from THE MOHO AND OTHER TRAVELING TALES also left a couple of insightful comments worth going back to the post & reading too.  Interesting thoughts from other readers as well. 

Gaelyn over at GEOGYPSY had a question in her latest post which asked, "How Do You Process Photos"?  In my case I use a popular photo editing program that I'm guessing most of my fellow RV Bloggers use.  It's free & it's Google's Picasa.  I have been using this program for years now & was first attracted to it by it's ease of use.  It had a gentle learning curve even I could figure out.  I did briefly try Adobe's Photoshop one time about 5 years ago but couldn't even get to first base in trying to figure it out.  I soon lose interest in things I do not have a lot of patience with.  In choosing a photo editing program one has to decide what it is they wish to do with their photos.  For people hoping to reach a higher level of photography with a possible goal of selling their photos Picasa is probably not going to be their program of choice.  I don't think one would find any professional photographers using Picasa.  Not that it isn't a good program it's just that it does not have the scope & range needed on a professional level.  Picasa is great for folks like myself who have no other interest than to simply post their photos in their blogs.

Chinle over at SPOTTED DOG RANCH has just completed her 6th book in the Bud Shumway Mystery Series & it's called The Ice House Cafe. Print and audio versions will soon be available.  Not sure where Chinle is right now but I’m thinking maybe somewhere in Alaska if she’s still on the road traveling.  Or maybe back to Colorado or Utah by now.  Been trying to leave some comments on your last couple posts Chinle but have not been able to do so.  We hope to be in the Moab area sometime next month just in case you

After publishing Tuesday night's post I climbed aboard our Google Earth plane & flew myself on down to southern Utah.  Figured I'd have me a look around the Capital Reef area.  Noticed Sherry & David from IN THE DIRECTIONS OF OUR DREAMS are in that region right now so we'll be following their travels with a vested interest because it is an area we plan to be sometime in October.  If anyone has been in the Canyonlands, Escalante & Capital Reef or any southern Utah areas we would appreciate your suggestions on what to see & where to boondock.  We have been to Moab, Arches, Bryce & Zion Canyons as well as the Monument Valley area of Arizona.  All thoughts & suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Am particularly wondering if the drive from Fruita Utah to Torrey then down # 12 to Escalante is driveable in a 37’ Motorhome with toad.

Having been to the South-West for the last 8 years in a row it just excites me to no end when I already know the sheer beauty we will see there again this coming winter & especially on our trip down.  So looking forward to seeing things we have never seen before & traveling through areas we have never been before.  Just love Google Earth for checking out roads & terrains.  Flew over Moab Utah & buzzed the RV Park we stayed at back in October of 08. Two ponds at the rear of the campground brought back fond memories of morning walks with Max, Checkers, & our little Cora. (Motormouse)  I will just be soooooo happy to return to the deserts, mountains & forests that have given us sooooooo many wonderful memories over these past years.  My head may be in Bayfield Ontario but my heart yearns for the great American South-West.  Just makes me want to go out & saddle up that Motorhome right now & ride forever………………:))

 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  "Do you sing?" "Of course I do." "What kind of music?" "Aquapella."  "Don't you mean 'a cappella', singing without accompaniment?"  "Nope. I mean 'aquapella,' singing accompanied only by the water coming out of the shower head."

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Before my son could start going on job interviews, he needed to dress the part. That, he decided, required a $500 suit. "What!?" I answered, gagging at the price tag. "I've bought cars for $500!"  "That's why I want the $500 suit," he said. "So I don't have to drive $500 cars."