Friday, May 25, 2018

HOTTEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR LANDED ON US TODAY AND FORCED US TO A/C OURSELVES

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OUT WALKING IN THE HULLETT MARSH THIS MORNING

Our travels didn't take us far this morning and rather than drive around we headed for the Hullett Marsh for a walk along one of the many grassy berms/dykes.  We luckily had a gentle southern breeze blowing which took care of any mosquitoes out and about.  By 10 a.m. temperatures began heating up the air so Pheebs and I headed back to the Jeep.  We had seen Ducks, Geese, one baby Deer and 4 Muskrats.  Couldn't help thinking this morning while walking along in Mother Nature's wonderland how fortunate I am to be able to do that.  I am so glad to be out of the work force where one had little or no control over how they wanted to spend their day.  Once again many heartfelt thanks to all the people in my life who made and and continue to make these kinds of days possible for me.  I never could have done it on my own.

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THE MAN MADE HULLETT MARSH IS MADE UP OF A NUMBER OF LARGE PONDS WITH BERM-/DYKES SURROUNDING THEM….HERE PHEEBS AND I WALK ALONG THE GRASSY TOP OF ONE OF THOSE DYKES

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RED WING BLACKBIRD IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING FLIGHT

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PHEEBS DETECTS SOMETHING IN THE WATER AHEAD

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YEP IT’S A MUSKRAT

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MORNING SUN ON THE WATER

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THIS MUSKRAT IS SWIMMING WITH FOOD IN IT’S MOUTH AND MAYBE TAKING BREAKFAST HOME FOR THE KIDS

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10 BABY CANADA GEESE OUT FOR A PADDLE WITH MOM AND DAD AT EITHER END OF THEIR SINGLE FILE LINE

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SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS

Soon as we got home I was right away at that Motorhome waxing job again despite the day feeling too hot for me.  For some unknown reason the wax seemed to go on better today and that alleviated some of my previous day's frustration.  Section by section I am slowly getting there.  Just the top three quarters of the living room slide and the top half of the rear cap left to do and it's all about 90% white fiberglass.  The coach is looking much better than when I started but the dull oxidation on the white fiberglass has been a real challenge.  When applying wax to a white surface it is hard to see where one has started and stopped.  Colored surfaces which have been painted are so much easier to do.  When I am finished will it look like a professional job?  Probably not because the professionals have the experience plus the proper industrial tools and materials to do an excellent job.  I'm sure the pros would do a far better job than I am doing.  And no doubt they would possess a few other key elements I do not have for a big job like this......energy, patience, and youth!!

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THE BOTTOM BROWN PART IS WAXED BUT I HAVE TO DO THE TOP WHITE PART NEXT

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ALL THE WHITE PART ON THIS LIVING ROOM SLIDE HAS TO BE DONE YET

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HERE’S MY LITTLE TABLE OF CLEANING AND WAXING GOODIES

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OKAY BACK TO THE MARSH……..I THINK MUSKRATS ARE CUTE LITTLE FELLOWS

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MUSKRAT DENS IN THE BANKS ARE EASILY NOTICABLE IF THE MUSKRATS ARE ACTIVE….NOTICE THE BROWN MUD PATH IN THE WATER AT BOTTOM OF PHOTO

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By 1:30 it was way too hot for me to be crawling up and down the ladder anymore so I packed it in for the day, came inside, cranked up my big Honeywell pedestal fan, and collapsed myself into my recliner.  That recliner and I sure are best Pals.  Kelly switched on our A/C about the same time I came in.  Between the fan and A/C I soon had icicles protruding from my nose.  In fact about an hour after Kelly turned on the A/C I had to go outside to get warm and warm I sure did get.  We hit 85F here today and even Pheebs didn't feel like going for an afternoon walk so we cut it short part way, headed back to the Igloo and called it a day.

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I DIDN’T KNOW THIS WAS A BABY DEER UNTIL I EDITED MY PHOTOS TONIGHT….IT WAS ABOUT A QUARTER MILE AWAY WHEN I MANAGED THESE FOUR 300MM TELEPHOTO SHOTS

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DECIDED TO INCLUDE THIS SHAKY AND OUT OF FOCUS SERIES OF PHOTOS SHOWING A FLYING MALLARD DUCK

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IT WAS SO FAR AWAY I COULDN’T SEEM TO GET MY AUTO FOCUS 300mm TELEPHOTO LENS LOCKED ONTO IT PLUS MY SHUTTER SPEED WAS TOO SLOW

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NOTICE AS THE DUCK SLOWS DOWN AND LANDS THE PICTURES BECOME CLEARER……AUTO FOCUS HAS LOCKED IN AND MY SLOWER SHUTTER IS CATCHING THE SLOWER ACTION

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Some may question why I occasionally include blurry or out of focus photos in my blog.   I feel sometimes a photo may have something to offer even if it is not technically perfect.  Remember I am not a perfectionist and if I were to include only perfect pictures in my posts I’m afraid I would have very few photos to offer.  Any professional photographer looking at my stuff knows exactly what I’m talking about.

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GROANER'S CORNER:((  A young boy, about eight years old, was at the corner "Mom & Pop" grocery store picking out a pretty good size box of laundry detergent. The grocer walked over and, trying to be friendly, asked the boy if he had a lot of laundry to do.  "Oh, no laundry," the boy said. "I'm going to wash my hamster."  "But you shouldn't use this to wash your hamster. It's very powerful and if you wash your hamster in this, he'll get sick. In fact, it might even kill him."  But the boy was not to be stopped and carried the detergent to the counter and paid for it, even as the grocer still tried to talk him out of washing his hamster.  About a week later the boy was back in the store to buy some candy. The grocer asked the boy how his hamster was doing.  "Oh, he died," the boy said.  The grocer, trying not to be an I-told-you-so, said he was sorry the hamster died but added, "I tried to tell you not to use that detergent on your hamster."
"Well," the boy replied, "I don't think it was the detergent that killed him."  "Oh? What was it then?"  "I think it was the spin cycle."

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Q: How do you find Ronald McDonald in a nudist colony?

A: Look for sesame seed buns.

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A woman went to her priest with a problem. Father, I have two female parrots, and they only know how to say one thing. All they ever say is, Hi, were prostitutes. Wanna have some fun? Thats terrible! exclaimed the priest. But I think I can help. Bring your two female parrots over to my house, and I will put them with my two male parrots whom I taught to pray and read the Bible. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase, and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship. The next day, the woman brought her female parrots to the priests house. His two male parrots were holding rosary beads and quietly praying in their cage. The woman put her two female parrots in the cage with the male parrots. The females said, Hi, were prostitutes. Wanna have some fun? One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed Put those beads away, our prayers have been answered!

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Thursday, May 24, 2018

SOUTH TO GRAND BEND THEN HOME THROUGH THE SWAMP

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A DRIVE THROUGH HURON COUNTIES HAY SWAMP THIS MORNING

Almost out of Meguiar's RV Marine wax for the Motorhome Pheebs and I headed out for 'Southwest Marine Services' in Grand Bend this morning.  That is the same place I bought my last Meguiar's Marine wax four years ago.  In that 4 years the cost of that wax had jumped by $12.  Ouch!! 

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GRAND BEND’S BONNIE DOON MANOR 

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From Southwest Marine we picked up a Tim Hortons's coffee and took ourselves for a cruise through Grand Bend and down around the beach.  I’m still not exactly sure what the new structure at the foot of main street is going to be but I grabbed a few more photos anyway as it nears completion.

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A RELAXING MORNING ON GRAND BEND’S PIER

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BEACHCOMBER

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RETURNING FROM A NICE EARLY MORNING BOAT CRUISE

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THIS NEW BUILDING AT THE FOOT OF MAIN STREET IS CERTAINLY UPSCALE FOR GRAND BEND BY THE LOOKS OF IT

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A quick stop at Sobeys Supermarket in the Bend then set out for home via our areas scenic country roads.  What a beautiful Spring morning with gentle warm winds, blue skies, and sunshine.  Noticed lots of farmers out working on their land. 

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FIRST TIME I’VE EVER SEEN A 12 WHEEL TRACTOR

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CAME ACROSS THIS FIELD EAST OF GRAND BEND SO STOPPED TO SEE WHAT WAS GROWING UNDER THAT PLASTIC

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UNFORTUNELY IT WAS A HEAVY DARK PLASTIC AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE THROUGH IT

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WHATEVER THEY ARE GROWING HERE IT IS IRRIGATED

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IN ANOTHER FIELD I SAW THIS CURIOUS PLANTING SYSTEM BUT AGAIN I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS BEING PLANTED

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LOOKS LIKE THIS CORN FIELD HAS ALREADY SPROUTED

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MORNING BREAKFAST COUNTRY STYLE

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SPOTTED ME A NEW BARN BLOCK QUILT AND I’M GUESSING THEY MIGHT BE DUTCH FOLKS

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Home before 11 I first backed the Motorhome out and took it for a short run before returning and backing it into it's parking space.  First time I had ever backed it into it's spot but I didn't want the waxing side on the sunny side.  I think maybe I'm beginning to tire of this large Motorhome waxing job.  Found myself frustrated and tired of climbing up and down the ladder continuously having to go back and re-do spots.  And of course now that I had just spent over $30 for a second bottle of wax I have no choice but to keep on going.  Albeit at a much slower pace.  Of course I was aware today that two of my old arch enemies have once again moved back into the area.  Heat and and his nasty buddy Humidity rode into town today about high noon gunnin fer me.  Heat's not too bad a fella at times but his overbearing buddy Humidity is a real mean cuss!!

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ON OUR TRAVELS THIS MORNING WE ROLLED OURSELVES THROUGH THE DARK MYSTERIOUS AND MOSQUITO INFESTED HAY SWAMP

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Boy talk about scrambled brains and yup I got em alright.  Noticed on our good friend Ron's Four Seasons Performance site he has a 2008 38' Class A Winnebago Adventurer for sale.  Three slides and all the fixins.  Liked the looks of it and boy did it catch my attention with it's predominately gray full body paint job.  Wait a minute, just a couple weeks ago we were talking about downsizing were we not??  Yes we were and of course I must remind myself we still are.  See what I mean by scrambled brains.  Be thankful you are not me folks!!

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THE VIEW FROM MY READING CORNER TONIGHT

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A preacher on his deathbed summoned his accountant and his lawyer. They came, and he asked them to sit on either side of his bed and hold his hands.  They sat thus for a long while until the doctor stirred and said, ”You don’t have long on this earth, Reverend. Better tell us why you asked us to come.”  The old preacher stirred himself wheezed and said ”Well, Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s the way I want to go too.”

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Two young boys were closely examining bathroom scales at the department store.  "What's it for?" one asked.  The other replied. "You stand on it and it makes you real mad."

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ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?

WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law

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