CAUGHT IN WINTER'S ICY GRIP:((

Caught up in the icy grip of Old Man Winter this past week my blogging enthusiasm waned.  Lost interest in taking photos and my writing interest dropped as well.  Even today despite feeling Okay and buoyed by a steady stream of sunshine my usual blogging enjoyment was hard to find.  Maybe it's still the biting cold freezing temperatures, maybe it's the time of year, or maybe it's just me trying to once again convince myself to do something else for a change.  Maybe it's none of the above and tomorrow morning I'll wake up feeling like a million bucks.  I did take a few photos today so guess that's a start and it does look like we have some warmer weather on our doorstep.  We'll see how things go tomorrow.

LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE A NICE SUNNY DAY AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH....BRING YOUR SUNSCREEN

ICE MOUNTAIN IS GROWING ON THE NORTH PIER

EVEN FISHING BOATS APPEAR TO BE FROZEN IN

NOPE, LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE BOATS HAS PLOWED IT'S WAY THROUGH THE ICE AND HEADED FOR THE LAKE

YES A DEFINATE PATHWAY THROUGH THE ICE

BAYFIELD'S TEMPORARY BAILEY BRIDGE IS BEGINNING TO STRETCH ACROSS THE RIVER

WORKMEN BOLT TOGETHER SECTIONS OF THE BRIDGE FOR THE CRANE TO LIFT INTO PLACE

NORTH PIER'S ICE MOUNTAIN FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

MAIN STREET BAYFIELD

SO NICE TO SEE SUNSHINE CASTING STRONG SHADOWS

OUR PAVILION ROAD STOPPING SPOT

AFTERNOON WALK 

BLACK SQUIRRELS ARE LEAPING ONTO OUR BIRD STATION SO HERE I AM LOPING MORE BRANCHES OFF A NEARBY CEDAR TREE

THIS IS HOW AND WHERE I HAVE BEEN SPENDING MOST OF MY TIME THIS WINTER

SITTING IN MY MOTHER'S CHAIR TODAY  SOAKING UP THE SUN'S WARMTH.....HAD TO WEAR MY BALL CAP TO KEEP THE SUN OUT OF MY EYES 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Have you ever noticed that when you're of a certain age, everything seems uphill from where you are? Stairs are steeper. Groceries are heavier.  And, everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become!  And, you know, people are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they're red in the face! What do they think I am, a lip reader?  I also think they are much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I am. I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that she didn't even recognize me.  I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own reflection........Well, REALLY NOW, even mirrors are not made the way they used to be!  Another thing, everyone drives so fast today! You're risking life and limb if you just happen to pull onto the freeway in front of them.  All I can say is, their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.  Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else would they suddenly start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or 20? Do they think no one notices that these things no longer fit around the waist, hips, thighs, and bosom?  The people who make bathroom scales are pulling the same prank, but in reverse.  Do they think I actually "believe" the number I see on that dial? HA! I would never let myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they're fooling?I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's going on -- but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy, too. They've printed the phone books in such small type that no one could ever find a number in here!  All I can do is pass along this warning: Maturity is under attack! Unless something drastic happens, pretty soon "everyone" will have to suffer these awful indignities.
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IF THERE ARE NO UPS AND DOWNS

A FELLOW BLOGGER WRITES AN INSPIRATIONAL POST FOR ALL OF US

Didn't bother with any photos today but for you folks in the warm sunny south you might want to have a look at the Furry Gnomes ice pics showing Mother Nature's icy handiwork along the shores of Ontario's southern Georgian Bay shore. Here are his three icy shoreline posts.
Waves, Splashes and Ice
Ice
Playing With Splashes
Ice And Waves
And then.....A Last Walk In The Woods
After looking at the Furry Gnomes photos be sure to read his latest post.....Two Years Paralyzed.  A true inspiration for all of us.

::Al's Musical Favs::  Canoe Country by Dan Gibson.  This one's for you Furry:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of penguins. He pulls the guy over and says, "You can't drive around with penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately."  The guy obliges and drives away.  The next day, the officer sees the same guy driving around with the truck full of penguins again. This time, though, all the penguins are wearing sunglasses.  The police pulls the guy over and says, " I thought I told you to take these Penquins to the Zoo yesterday."  The guy replies, "I did, and today I'm taking them to the beach."
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MIGHTY FINE LOOKING DAY BUT COLDER THAN THE HOBS OF HOOT

Started our day off at 16F with big bright sunny skies.  As the day progressed temps slowly rose and a cloud cover moved in leaving us with a Winter weather advisory bringing freezing rain and snow overnight and Tuesday.  I don't know what we will come up with yet for January and February of next year but we definitely have to figure out a way to get ourselves out of this cold miserable winter weather and back to the much healthier southern lifestyle we had been accustomed to for a number of years!!

WITH AN EAST WIND BLOWING, GODERICH'S PACK ICE HAS MOVED OFFSHORE AND FURTHER OUT INTO THE LAKE 

I HAVE YET TO CLIMB THESE STEPS TO THE PARK ABOVE.....BETTER PUT THAT ON MY BUCKET LIST

HAD NEVER SEEN THIS GODERICH STREET DESERTED BEFORE....REASON??  IT'S A LONG WEEK-END HERE IN CANADA CALLED 'FAMILY DAY'

THE ALGOMA INNOVATOR AT GODERICH'S SALT MINE

ICE IN THE HARBOR

LOOKS LIKE A SLIPPERY WALK ON THE PIER

ALGOMA INNOVATOR

THE ALGOMA ENTERPRISE IN PORT FOR THE WINTER

THAT'S A LOT OF ROPES HOLDING THE ALGOMA ENTERPRISE IN PLACE

NOTICED WATER BUBBLING IN SEVERAL PLACES AROUND THE SHIP'S STERN

EVEN PHEEBS NOTICED THE BUBBLING WATER

WATER IS BUBBLING AROUND THE LARGE PROPELLER AND TWIN RUDDERS SO I FIGURE AIR LINES ARE IN PLACE TO KEEP THE WATER FROM FREEZING AROUND THE PROPELLER AND RUDDERS IN CASE THE SHIP HAS TO BE FIRED UP AND MOVED

::Al's Musical Favs:: Compassion by Coyote Oldman.  A voice doesn't have to say anything to be heard and appreciated.

AN ICY WINTER'S BIRTH FOR THIS HARBOR TUG BOAT

GROANER'S CORNER:(( There were two evil brothers. They were rich and used their money to keep their ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church and looked to be perfect Christians. Then, their pastor retired and a new one was hired. Not only could he see right through the brothers' deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church started to swell in numbers. A fundraising campaign was started to build a new assembly. All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building. "I have only one condition," he said. "At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word and deposited the check. The next day at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family." After going on in this vein for a small time, he concluded with, "But, compared to his brother, he was a saint."
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'AN ARCHIVE POST' TAKES US HIGH INTO ARIZONA'S BRADSHAW MOUNTAINS IN SEARCH OF A GHOST TOWN

I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE A LARGE ICE BUILD-UP ON BAYFIELD'S NORTH PIER

Noticing the date on my computer this morning I see we are now past the half way point in February.  Every little thing we can find to look forward to at this time of year regarding the coming Spring and warmer weather is a big boost to ones spirit.  Something to look forward to when things to look forward to are scarce is in itself something to look forward to.

BAYFIELD'S TEMPORARY BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION AS SEEN FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RIVER

THIS MAY VERY WELL BE A TYPE OF BAILEY BRIDGE

STEEL READY TO GO INTO THE BRIDGE

Our below 0F temps clawed themselves back up to the 32F freezing mark overnight and although not exactly the middle of July it sure did feel more civilized outside than a day ago.  Pheebs and I did Jeep ourselves around for about an hour and a half before heading home.  With my shovel I moved a little snow around and had to take off my winter jacket before I was finished.  No wind in our Park today so being outside for awhile was doable.  So nice to see and hear dripping water outside as temps nudged our thermometer to 34F and into the melt zone.  Snow was really crunchy underfoot for our afternoon walk and a few bare ground patches appeared along the paths I have been shoveling.  

AWW SHUCKS I FORGOT MY ICE SKATES

LAST WEEK THERE WAS NO ICE ALONG BAYFIELD'S BEACH AND NOW IT'S OUT THERE NEARLY HALF A MILE....AND IN LESS THAN 4 MONTHS PEOPLE WILL BE SWIMMING HERE

GUESS I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WAITING FOR WARMER WEATHER

Thanks to everyone for your comments about my low PSA numbers a few days ago.  I really can't take any credit for those low numbers though.  All the credit goes to Doctor Mendez and his radiation team at London's Cancer Clinic.  He is one of the main Doctors spearheading this new SABR treatment which only requires 5 alternate pain free day treatments lasting about 15 minutes each.  It was Dr. Mendez himself who precisely implanted three gold target points in my prostate.  His highly trained team then pinpointed their laser like radiation beams onto those three targets.  The only input I had into the whole procedure was to get myself there, lay myself down, and don't move!!  Pretty easy stuff even for me and I didn't even have to take off my shirt, pants, shoes or socks:))  So yes, the whole credit for those low numbers goes to Doctor Mendez and his fine team.  

PHEEBS AND I STOCKED UP ON MORE CORN COBS FOR OUR FRONT YARD SQUIRRELS THIS MORNING

If by chance anyone out here is looking for an exceptionally clean and well maintained Class A Tiffin diesel Motorhome be sure to read Caron's latest post...End Of An Era

::An Archive Post::  We sure have had a number of enjoyable Jeep rumbles through the mountains and deserts of America's great Southwest over our 13 Snowbird years.  On Sunday March 8th 2014 we headed out with three other Jeep Wrangler couples and good friends from Congress Arizona on a rough and tumble ride to an old hidden away mining ghost town called Crown King high in the Bradshaw Mountains.  We took back mountain roads and trails to get there.  It was a long day and I'm glad we didn't miss it.  Here's my post.....A Long But Enjoyable Trip To The Ghost Town Of Crown King In Arizona's Bradshaw Mountains.

::Al's Musical Favs:: Bamboo Dance by Shao Rong

AFTER A CLOUDY MORNINGS DRIVE WE CHASED THIS SUNSPLASH FOR THE FINAL FEW MILES HOME

GROANER'S CORNER:(( On a given night, 2 death row inmates are scheduled to be electrocuted on old sparky. While one execution is in progress, the pastor administers to the other condemned man in his cell. "Don't worry my son", says the pastor, "as soon as the high voltage reaches your brain, it numbs all your senses, so you won't feel a thing."  Suddenly some horrible screams are heard throughout the entire cell block.  The pastor immediately asks one of the guards, "What is all this screaming about?" Not to worry pastor, we had a power failure, so we're finishing the first execution "by candles". --------------------------
Teacher to the class: "How can we keep our school clean?"Student: "By staying at home?"
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