I SURE AM NEEDING SOME SUNSHINE

Despite a very gray, dull, overcast and cold depressing morning Pheebs and I cranked up the Jeep anyway and quickly cracked on some heat.  It's that time of year after all and I suppose we had better get used to it.  Would have been nice to see some sunshine though.  Also very windy this morning.

SEAGULLS HANG ON  WESTERLY WINDS OVER A CHILLED LAKE HURON

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN ABOUT BEING ‘BACK IM MY ELEMENT’

THIS CORN WILL PROBABLY BE HARVESTED BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH

Not just feeling the best again so we didn’t go too far.  Wandered around Southeast of Bayfield for a bit thinking how much nicer Autumn’s leaves would look with some sunshine bringing out their colors.  Took a few pics anyway.

SUMAC

Cold rains were upon us by mid morning and we headed for home.  Still having some bouts of dizziness so stuck pretty close to my recliner for the rest of the day.

THIS BEAN FIELD HAS RECENTLY BEEN HARVESTED

Having emptied the Motorhome Thursday we sure have a lot of stuff sitting around which is going to take some major re-organizing if we’re going to get it all put away properly.  First time in over 12 years we haven’t had another RV to transfer much of that stuff into.

I sure am needing some sunshine……………:(( 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Why did cavemen draw pictures of hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses on their walls?  Because they couldn't spell their names!

What is the noisiest game?  Squash - because you can't play it without raising a racquet!

Where do flies go in winter?  To the glass foundry to be turned into bluebottles!

Why did the king go to the dentist? To get his teeth crowned!"

Tell me" said the tourist to the local yokel. "Will this path take me to the main road?"  "No sir!", replied the man. "You'll have to go by yourself!"

Why are you covered in bruises?  I started to walk through a revolving door and I changed my mind!

How do you prevent a Summer cold?  Catch it in the Winter!

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A man goes to the hardware store to buy some insecticide. He holds up a box and asks: "Is this stuff good for beetles?" "No," says the manager, "It'll kill 'em."

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A third-grade teacher was instructing her students in some of the wonders of nature and ended by saying, "Isn't it wonderful how baby chickens get out of their shells?" An eight-year-old, showing more curiosity than the rest said, "What gets me is how they got in."

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FEELING BETTER AND A DECISION HAS BEEN MADE ABOUT OUR MOTORHOME

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHEN ALL THE PINE NEEDLES FALL D0WN AND GO BOOM

Sometimes priorities just have a habit of taking priority and this morning despite how I was feeling I bulled my way through and got that big Motorhome washed.  So why the priority??  Okay, guess I had better let you all in on something.  We've been wallowing for awhile now about selling our Motorhome and this last trip convinced us our 'long traveling' days are over.  The writing has been on the wall for awhile now and we have decided to sell the Big E.  Some folks have expressed an interest in it and would like to see it so that is why we have a push on to get it cleaned up from our muddy rain soaked Maritimes trip.

I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE OUR MOTORHOME STILL HAD A SHINE UNDERNEATH ALL THAT DIRT

Now, it isn't our plan to hang up the RV keys just yet.  Yes I know we have downsized before and it didn't really work out well for us.  That was then and this is now.  Totally different circumstances.  If we can find a smaller rig we like that suits us we would like to do more 'short' trips in the Spring, Summer, and Fall around our own area here.  Maybe a couple days here, a week there at the most, etc.  We're both just tired of the big cities and the ever increasing maniac traffic which I no longer have much patience for.  Tired of looking for laundromats, squeezing into small showers, worrying about fresh water tanks, black tanks, gray tanks, army tanks, and propane tanks.  Solar panels, batteries, inverters, converters, frankfurters, and the list goes on.  Yes, yes, a smaller RV has a lot of these same things too but we don’t intend to live in a smaller RV for 4, 5, or 6 months of the year anymore.  Day trips and short trips.  I'm also tired of driving a big rig whether towing a vehicle behind it or not.  I just don't seem to handle the stress of all that as well as I once did and I'm finding at this age and stage that it is to my advantage and mental stability to simplify things rather than complicate things.  A smaller RV and no tow vehicle.  Shorter trips more often.  Hopefully better fuel mileage, easier to maintain and keep clean.  Something Kelly can comfortably drive.  A chassis with safety features built in.  Something one can hop in and drive to the corner store for a popsicle.  And yet if one wanted to do a long trip it's still possible.  Would I still like to go back to the Southwest one more time??  Sure I would, but not right now.  Those are our thoughts anyway so we'll see what happens over the next bunch of months. 

THIS IS ‘SOME’ OF WHAT CAME OUT OF THE MOTORHOME TODAY

AND THAT IS SOME OF WHAT HAS TO GO BACK IN

Something else I should mention here as well and that is the sheer cost of crossing the border into the States.  Had we decided to head for the Southwest again this winter our medical insurance would have been about $3000 again and that's for only 6 months.  In just the past month alone we have spent about $2000 on the Motorhome (new rear brakes, spark plugs, new manifold bolts and gaskets, a couple new tailpipes, etc.)  We don't exactly have a money tree in the back yard here at the Bayfield Bunch so financial concerns also influenced our decision.  To give you an example of travel costs I'll refer back to our recent Maritime excursion.  We traveled 3,487 miles for a gasoline cost of $1,876.  Yep, we've got a bit of belt tightening to do here at the Bunch.

AS I TOOK THIS PHOTO PINE NEEDLES WERE DROPPING

Both Kelly and I worked away at the Motorhome all day.  It's washed and I have all the bins emptied.  We'll start on the interior next.  I was very surprised that my dizziness was not more of an issue today.  I still get dizzy if I tilt my head back and look up but compared to two days ago I am feeling a lot better and the nausea has subsided.  Been able to bend over and pick things up again but I do not do it rapidly.  With a bit of luck I may be back to normal in a few days.  Thanks to everyone for their well wishes.

WE BOTH REMARKED TODAY HOW GLAD WE WERE WE HAD THIS CARPORT BUILT A DOZEN YEARS AGO….SURE IS COMING IN HANDY AT THE MOMENT

Pheebs and I missed our Jeep ride this morning so I promised her we would dust up a few country roads in the morning.  After todays busy day I'm needing to get myself back into my country environment for a few hours.  Enjoy some scenery, some calming music, a cup of road coffee, a forest walk if it isn't raining and share some snacks with my best Pal.  Yep, sounds like my kinda morning coming up alright:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A fifteen year-old boy came home with a Porsche and his parents began to scream, "Where did you get that car???!!!"  He calmly told them, "I bought it today."  "With what money?" demanded his parents. "We know what a Porsche costs."  "Well," said the boy, "this one cost me fifteen dollars.  "So the parents began to yell even louder. "Who would sell a car like that for fifteen dollars?" they said.  "It was the lady up the street," said the boy." I don't know her name--they just moved in. She saw me ride past on my bike and asked me if I wanted to buy a Porsche for fifteen dollars."  "Oh No," moaned the mother, "she must be a child abuser. Who knows what she will do next? John, you go right up there and see what's going on.  "So the boy's father walked up the street to the house where the lady lived and found her out in the yard calmly planting petunias! He introduced himself as the father of the boy to whom she had sold a Porsche for fifteen dollars and demanded to know why she did it.  "Well," she said, "this morning I got a phone call from my husband. I thought he was on a business trip, but it seems he has run off to Hawaii with his secretary and doesn't intend to come back. He asked me to sell his new Porsche and send him the money. So I did."

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Dear Mother-in-law, Don't teach me how to handle my children. I am living with one of yours and he needs a lot of improvement!?

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Q: What's more dangerous than being with a fool? 

A: Fooling with a bee! 

Q: What did the spider say to the bee? 

A: Your honey or your life!

Q: Who is a bee's favorite painter? 

A: Pablo Beecasso!

Q: What did the bee say to the other bee in summer? 

A: Swarm here isn't it!

Q: What is a bee's favorite classical music composer? 

A: Bee-thoven!

Q: Who writes books for little bees?

A: Bee-trix Potter!

Q: Where do bees go on holiday? 

A: Stingapore!

Q: What do you call a bee who's had a spell put on him? 

A: He's bee-witched!
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BEEN SICK…..ENDED UP IN A HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM THIS MORNING

PHEEBS IN THE JEEP TUESDAY MORNING RARIN TO GET ROLLIN:))

It was 8:10 this morning with Kelly in the Jeep's driver seat and me on the passenger side.  We were headed for the emergency room at Goderich's Alexander Marine And General Hospital.  Early Tuesday afternoon while unloading the Motorhome I began to experience dizzy spells.  I kept on working until one of those dizzy spells finally got worse and didn't go away.  Managed to get myself back into the house and that was the end of the day for me as far as getting anything else done.  Mainly spent the next 18  hours in my recliner.  Sometimes the room would spin on me and sometimes remain normal.  Feelings of nausea.  Had this happen to me 3 years ago and it was diagnosed as Vertigo.  ( Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. (BPPV) is the most common vestibular disorder and occurs when loose calcium carbonate debris has broken off of the otoconial membrane and enters a semicircular canal thereby creating the sensation of motion.) ---- There is a procedure called the Epley Maneuver which can alleviate this and we tried it Tuesday night but must have done it wrong because I became dizzier than before then started throwing up.  Overnight I slept well but the problem was still with me this morning so it was off to the hospital we went.  Still feeling very nauseas.  After a number of preliminary tests the Doctor had me lay down on a bed with my head hanging over the edge and did that head bending maneuver.  There wasn't the quick relief I had experienced before with this same procedure three years ago but I did feel a touch better.  We were back home around 10 and I went straight to my recliner again.  I didn’t have any room spinning today but every time I got up to walk I felt dizzy.  Still shaky on my feet, tired, can’t turn my head too fast, and no energy whatsoever to get anything done. 

UNBEKNOWNST TO ME KELLY TOOK THIS PHOTO IN THE HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM THIS MORNING

Now to backtrack to Tuesday morning.  Pheebs and I didn't waste any time getting ourselves out the door and into the Jeep.  Minutes later we were cruising through the country side and I thought to myself, 'we are back in our own element right where we belong.' Through McD's we went for a coffee to go and down right away to the harbor to make sure all the water was still right there in the lake.  Yep, Lake Huron was looking as great as ever with it's aqua blue waters.  Had hoped to go for a walk but we had rain in the air.  Grabbed an armload of veggies at Zehr’s Supermarket in Goderich to resume my Sounds Yukky - Tastes Yummy shakes and headed for home. Started unloading the Motorhome and that's when the dizzy spells began.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN SO GRRRRREAT TO RESUME OUR COUNTRY ROAD MORNING JEEP RIDES

Thought I would write a short post Tuesday night but when I looked at the computer screen it made me dizzy.  Same thing when I tried to read my Kindle so most of my time was spent sitting with my eyes closed listening to music.

NICE TO BE HOME

Absolute beautiful coolish warm Sun and cloud morning today but of course I missed most of it sitting inside.  And when I miss a nice morning so does Pheebs.  Rain is forecast for Wednesday but if I feel Okay in the morning we'll be out rain or shine. 

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT A REST AREA SOMEWHERE IN VERMONT LAST WEEK

Felt bad that I couldn't be outside helping Kelly as she walked armloads of stuff from the Motorhome into the house.  Although I feel better today than Tuesday I still get a sense of dizziness when I get up and walk.  I’m hoping I’ll feel better Thursday morning.  Got a big clean-up to do on that Motorhome that needs to get done soon as I can.

ON OUR WAY HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL WE STOP AT WALMART AND KELLY RUNS IN TO GET ME A PRESCRIPTION WHILE I WAIT IN THE JEEP FEELING LIKE AN OLD BAG OF DIRT

Watching hurricane Michael on TV come ashore at Mexico Beach Florida this afternoon it reminded me of the day last February 18th when Kelly and I drove into Panama City,  south through the Tyndall Airforce Base to Mexico Beach where we stopped and I walked out onto a long pier and Kelly popped into a local eatery for some Seafood stuff.  From there we drove down to St. Joe’s and headed inland.  We were staying a few day at the Pine Lake RV Park along highway U.S. 231.  Here is my post and photos of that day...…. Mexico Beach

I WAS SURE HOPING THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN FURTHER ALONG WITH THIS NEW TIM HORTON COFFEE SHOP IN BAYFIELD….LOOKS THE SAME AS IT DID 3 WEEKS AGO BEFORE WE LEFT FOR THE MARITIMES

At the time of posting tonight I’m still not feeling the best but better than I did Tuesday night at this time.  Oh ya, and it’s raining:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((  It was a celebratory mood with the boys at NASA; they had just made the scientific achievement of a lifetime.  As they were uncorking a bottle of champagne, Dr. Werner Von Braun, the head scientist at NASA, asked everyone to be quiet as he had received a congratulatory phone call from the President of the United States.  He picked up a special red phone, and spoke into it. "Mr. President," said Dr. Braun, grinning broadly, "after twelve years of hard research and billions of dollars spent, we have finally found intelligent life on Mars.  "He listened for a second, and his smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a frown.  He said, "But that's impossible . . . we could never do it. . . yes Mr. President," and hung up the phone. He addressed the crowd of scientists staring at him curiously.  "I have some bad news," he said, "the President said that now that we've found intelligent life on Mars . . . he wants us to try to find it in Congress!!"
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“Farmers engaged in paddy cultivation for generations are genetically ingrained!

SPENCERPORT NEW YORK TO BAYFIELD ONTARIO:: ‘YAHOUIE LOUIE’ WE ARE SOOOOOO GLAD TO BE HOME:)))))

‘GO AHEAD, ASK ME HOW HAPPY I AM TO BE HOME…..GO AHEAD, I JUST DARE YA:))

Under threatening skies we quietly rolled out of Kelly’s Mom’s driveway this morning at 7:30.  First of our 4 stops on our nearly 6 hour journey today was a gas bar a couple blocks away.  With a full tank we headed through Spencerport crossing the Erie Canal along the way. 

NO MORE GREAT ICE CREAM CONES IN SPENCERPORT….ABBOTT'S FROZEN CUSTARD IS CLOSED

A GREEN LIGHT SIGNALS CLEAR PASSAGE OVER THIS ERIE CANAL LIFT BRIDGE IN DOWNTOWN SPENCERPORT

Our next and second destination not too far away was Hamlin Beach State Park on the southern shores of Lake Ontario.  We had tanks to dump and did so.  We overnighted in this Park one time about 4 years ago.  From the State Park we headed west on the Lake Ontario State Parkway through a few brief rain showers.  Have traveled this route before and it’s a favorite because of it’s lack of traffic.  Not one single vehicle passed us all the time we were on it.  We had the whole 4 lane expressway to ourselves and we credited that to this day being Columbus Day in the States and the further west we traveled the lighter the sky became.

HEADING INTO THE WELL MANICURED AND MAINTAINED HAMLIN STATE PARK RIGHT ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ONTARIO

THE LAKE ONTARIO STATE PARKWAY BOARDERS LAKE ONTARIO

A FEW SMALL HAMLETS ALONG THE WAY

A FEW SHOWERS ALONG THE SAY

ALTHOUGH I KEEP TRYING TO GET KELLY TO USE GOOGLE MAPS SHE PREFERS THESE OLD PAPER MAPS THAT CAME ACROSS ON THE MAYFLOWER

The final couple miles to the U.S.-Canada border at Lewiston is a real dog’s breakfast of twists and turns and especially right now with a lot of construction happening on the American side right at the border itself.  Weaving our way through the construction zone we finally spotted the border booths ahead and to our surprise there were no line-ups.  Nothing, nada.  As we approached one car pulled away.  This was our third of four stops.  Easiest border crossing ever and we were on our way inside of two minutes.

COULDN’T BELIEVE OUR EYES THAT THERE WERE NO LINE-UPS AT THE BORDER

THIS SIGN KINDA SAYS IT ALL

Today being Thanksgiving in Canada went a long way in cutting traffic down on the six and eight lane Q-E. (Queen Elizabeth Way)  This stretch of highway running between Niagara Falls, Hamilton, and Toronto is one of the busiest stretches of highway in all of Canada.  And today, lucky for us, it was a walk in the Park.

UNUSUAL TO SEE LITE TRAFFIC LIKE THIS ON THE Q-E

A FREIGHTER NAVIGATES THROUGH ONE OF THE LOCKS AT THE WELLAND CANAL

APPROACHING HAMILTON’S SKYWAY BRIDGE

Swung off the Q-E in Hamilton and picked up the 403 heading us west to our last of four stops in Brantford.  Tim Hortons for coffee to go.  ‘Ahhhhhhh’.

HERE’S PHEEBS AND I PATIENTLY WAITING FOR OUR FAVORITE COFFEE LADY…..WHERE THE HECK IS SHE ANYWAY??

We were soon in Woodstock and on the infamous 401 for a short stretch before exiting north onto the Embro Road.  What a big relief this was because it finally meant the end of the four lane highways for us and the beginning of a nice quiet hour and a half country drive home.

NO IT’S NOT AN OLD BUILDING OUT OF AN AMERICAN SOUTHWEST GHOST TOWN IT’S AN OLD BOARDED UP GENERAL STORE IN THE LITTLE BURG OF STAFFA ONTARIO CANADA

Skies continued to brighten and within forty minutes of home old Sol finally broke through the cloud cover.  What a great homecoming that was and we both finally began feeling rejuvenated, relaxed, revitalized, and relieved to be almost at the end of our three week journey.  Seemed like we had been away on one of our usual four, five, and six month winter stretches. 

And then all of a sudden there it was, our Five Seasons Estate Park.  What a great sense of relief it was to turn in and finally slide the Big E into her spot under the Pine trees at the end of our house.  A silent thank you to the powers that be for returning us home safe and sound.

HOLY SMOKES THERE’S OUR PARKS SIGN AHEAD…..WE’RE ALMOST HOME:))

WHAT A GREAT FEELING TO PULL THE BIG E INTO HER SPOT AND SHUT ER DOWN

Unlike other homecomings from long distance travels we didn’t immediately set about trying to empty the entire the Motorhome in one big sweep.  Fridge contents and that was about it.  We both flopped in our recliners and marveled at our surroundings just looking around and taking everything in.  We usually return in March sometime and the scenery is pretty bleak and barren.  How nice to come home to all the greenery we left with the prettiest time of the year right on our doorstop for the next couple weeks.  Of course I will have lots more to say with my afterthoughts about the past 3 weeks and the weeks and months ahead.

I MAY NEVER LEAVE HOME AGAIN……..WELL NOT AT LEAST UNTIL NEXT TIME THAT IS

 

MY TWO FAVORITE GIRLS

‘AWWWWW SHUCKS DAD’

And a big thank you to you readers for all your Birthday wishes, the kind things you say, and your words of encouragement.   With your support I will try to keep my daily blog going over the winter months even if we may not travel too far.  It will be a challenge of course to make it interesting and there will no doubt be a number of depressing days but if you can hang in there with me Pheebs and i will be out most mornings looking for some photos and a few things of interest to stimulate my imagination…………….Say did I happen to mention how great it is to be home:))))))))))))))))))

HAPPY TO BE HOME AND OF COURSE YOU KNOW WHERE PHEEBS AND I WILL BE FIRST THING TUESDAY MORNING EH…..RHYMES WITH ‘MEEP HIDE’

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A fresh-faced lad on the eve of his wedding night asks his mother, "Mom, why are wedding dresses white?" The mother looks at her son and replies, "Son, this shows the town that your bride is pure." The son thanks his mom, and then seeks his father opinion, "Dad, why are wedding dresses white?" The father looks at his son in surprise and says, "Son, all household appliances come in white."

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“Why did the lumberjack lose his job? He axed too many questions.”

Knock Knock Who’s there! Aardvark! Aardvark who? Aardvark a hundred miles for one of your smiles!

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A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy: 'So I hear you're getting married?' 'Yep!' 'Do I know her?' 'Nope!' 'This woman, is she good looking?' 'Not really.' 'Is she a good cook?' 'Naw, she can't cook too well.' 'Does she have lots of money?' 'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.' 'Well, then, does she set your heart to a pumpin?' 'I don't know.'  'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?  ''Because she can still drive!'

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