TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Thursday, July 19, 2018

OUR QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD IS CHANGING

SCHOOL BUS SHELTER AT THE END OF A LONG FARM LANEWAY

Instead of heading out looking for a cool forest path to walk this morning Pheebs and I changed things up a bit and reverted back to our old habit of simply wandering around some dusty old back country roads enjoying Huron Counties rural scenery. We did manage a couple leg stretches with one short walk on the Maitland Trail north of Clinton. A few miles, a few photos, and we were home again.

Due partially to the returned heat and humidity I couldn’t seem to get myself into the swing of things this afternoon. Too hot and sweaty to be outside so I basically just crumpled myself up in my recliner and watched television most of the afternoon. Thank heavens for nature programs and documentaries.

FIELDS OF BEANS

CORN FIELDS FOR AS FAS AS THE EYE CAN SEE

STOPPED ALONGSIDE THE ROAD FOR A LEG STRETCH

Our neighborhood is changing. Richard and Gayle’s house has already sold and they will be leaving soon. New people moving in. Around the corner from us lots are being cleared with more new people to come. Some are already here. We’ve heard 6 more lots have been sold and people are waiting to get into our Park. Don’t know what has happened all of a sudden this summer because it sure was not that way in here before.

We’ve had it pretty good here for 15 years with not a lot of traffic out front. I said to Kelly we’ll be needing a traffic light at our corner soon. It’s progress I guess and one either gets in step with it or they don’t. I sure wished we had found us a quiet little place in the country a few years ago while we still had the chance. With the skyrocketing real estate prices in this area it’s too late for us now.

STOPPED FOR A SHORT WALK ON THE MAITLAND TRAIL

I’M GUESSING THIS MUST BE SOME KIND OF FUNGUS OR LICHEN

WE ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND OUR WAY BACK TO THE JEEP

There are some kinds of changes I like and some kinds of changes I have trouble with. If it was just me I think I would probably climb into the Motorhome, point the nose down the road, and drive off into the sunset in search of quieter people free places.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two Hindu swamis were in conversation. One said to the other, "How did you like my latest book, 'The Art of Levitation'? "His companion replied, "It kept me up all night."

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“Everybody is the goal of a small-town mortician.”

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

THROUGH THE MAITLAND CEMETARY

THOUGHT THIS AN ODD PATCH OF GRASS GROWING ALONGSIDE THE TRAIL

Goderich’s Maitland Cemetery is located within the city limits at it’s extreme east side on the north side of highway 8. It’s a picturesque old cemetery with roads winding through it and bordering on the Maitland River valley on it’s north side. Between the cemetery boundary and the Maitland River lies a quarter mile wide stretch of land running high above the Maitland River for a few miles. And that is where Pheebs and I headed this morning.

THIS IS THE FIRST INDICATION YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN A CEMETERY

FOLLOW THE ROAD THROUGH THE CEMETERY KEEPING TO THE RIGHT AND YOU WILL FIND THE TRAILHEAD LEADING TO THE HIGH BANKS OF THE RIVER BELOW

I’VE NEVER FIGURED IF THAT LOCK IS TO KEEP PEOPLE IN OR KEEP PEOPLE OUT

I LIKE SMOKE TREES

On August 21rst of 2011 a devastating tornado ripped through this area and totally destroyed an old growth forest. It’s been nearly 7 years and nature is finally making a definite comeback. Ninety nine percent of the tall hardwood trees are gone and I noticed this morning the prominent trees growing now taking over are Sumac. All the old trees were eventually put through wood chippers and it is those wood chips that make up the walking trails. Sumacs are pushing up everywhere through those wood chips and the wide pathways are being overtaken. If the trails are not soon maintained there will be no trails at all. Sumacs are very evasive and fast growing. I love Sumacs and we have them around our house near Bayfield but I am forever having to keep them under control or we would soon be completely overwhelmed.

TRAILHEAD IS AT THE RIGHT BEHIND JEEP

CEMETERY CAN BE IN SEEN IN THE BACKGROUND…..YA YA I KNOW, WASH THE JEEP!!!!

NICE SOFT CUSHY WALKING FOR DOGGY PAWS

THIS SITTING BENCH AND THE TRAIL IN FRONT OF IT ARE BEING OVERTAKEN WITH GROWTH

PLANTS HAVE ENCROACHED ONTO THIS TRAIL LEAVING IT A MERE PATHWAY NOW

MUST SAY I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW FAST THE FLORA IS GROWING

SUMAC FLOWER ON THE LEFT AND A FEW BROKEN TREES MAKING A COMEBACK AFTER THE TORNADO

DEER FLIES WERE BOTHERSOME BUT NO MOSQUITOS AND IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT JUST 7 YEARS AGO NOW A BEAUTIFUL OLD GROWTH HARDWOOD FOREST STOOD RIGHT HERE

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NICE HAND CARVED WOODEN SIGNPOSTS ALONG THE TRAILS BUT SOME ARE HARDLY VISIBLE ANYMORE SUCH AS THE ONE ON THE RIGHT

ALL THAT REMAINS OF A LARGE TREE RAVAGED BY THE TORNADO OF 2011

Low on skim milk Pheebs and I slipped into Bayfield’s Foodland after supper and I again was surprised how much the day had already cooled off. With windows down it felt a little chilly on my arms and would you believe this morning we had to crack a touch of heat on when we first set out. Yup it’s all true.

NICE VIEWS FROM THIS AREA OF THE MAITLAND RIVER BELOW

Pleased to say I have been able to keep myself on a relatively even keel these past number of weeks. Not too grumpy, not too impatient, no feelings of sadness, and I’ve kept my standard depressive thoughts to a minimum. Say you don’t suppose Kelly has been dropping handfuls of ‘happy pills’ in my morning shakes when I haven’t been looking do ya…………

ONE DOESN’T HAVE TO LOOK FAR TO STILL SEE SIGNS OF 7 YEAR OLD TORNADO DAMAGE

Again, with our refreshing cooler morning air giving way to the days heat and humidity Pheebs and I were soon back to the Jeep and headed for home. With overnight cool air still in the Motorhome I was soon inside puttering about again. Cleaning and moving things around trying to come up with a comfortable set-up for this winter’s travels. We find in these latter years of traveling that ‘comfortable’ has become our top priority. At the end of a long driving or hiking day sitting on a thinly cushioned bench dinette or hard dining room chairs is not my idea of comfort. Been there, done that, and no more of that!! And as many RV’ers have found out, RV furniture in many cases is simply not comfortable whether its the couch or the tub chairs!! For me I describe comfort in one simple word. ‘RECLINER’. I relax in my recliner, I read in my recliner, I do all my computer stuff (on the road) in my recliner, and then to polish all that comfort off, I sleep in my recliner. Yep, that’s how I spell comfort these days alright:))

YES I KNOW IT LOOKS CLUTTERED AND GORPY BUT IT WORKS….THIS BASICALLY WILL BE OUR SET UP THIS WINTER WHEN STOPPED FOR THE NIGHT…..KELLY’S AREA AND RECLINER ARE BEHIND ME

AND YES THIS IS MY IDEA OF BEING COMFORTABLE AT THE END OF THE DAY…..AND NO THAT IS NOT AN IROQUOI HAIRCUT I HAVE, JUST A BAD HAIR DAY

I did take more photos today and will try to squeak them into tomorrow’s post. I was able to ruthlessly edit 102 photos down to 63 so that was a plus for a change.

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Before heading south for a vacation, it may be a good idea to learn the language of our southern brothers and sisters. And we're here to help...

Hah Tu Spek Suthun:

BARD - verb. Past tense of the infinitive "to borrow."

Usage: "My brother bard my pickup truck."

JAWJUH - noun. A highly flammable state just north of Florida.

Usage: "My brother from Jawjah bard my pickup truck."

MUNTS - noun. A calendar division.

Usage: "My brother from Jawjuh bard my pickup truck, and I taint herd from him in munts."

ALL - noun. A petroleum-based lubricant.

Usage: "I sure hope my brother from Jawjuh puts all in my pickup truck."

FAR - noun. A conflagration.

Usage: "If my brother from Jawjuh doesn't change the all in my pickup truck, that things gonna catch far."

BAHS - noun. A supervisor.