TUNDRA SWANS, ROCK KETTLES AT KETTLE POINT AND THE BEST MORNING GLORY MUFFINS OF EVER IN GRAND BEND ONTARIO

A LARGE ROCK KETTLE AT KETTLE POINT ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON

So did I remember to turn the clocks ahead Saturday night??  Nope I did not.  Kelly reminded me about it in the morning.  Would I be in favor of doing away with the twice yearly changing of clocks??  Yes I would.  I see the changing of clocks each year as an unnecessary personal affront to my already over taxed and challenged memory.

UPON ARRIVING HOME FRIDAY AFTER GETTING OUR SUMMER TIRES PUT ON OUR JEEP'S HATCH WOULD NOT OPEN SO HERE'S OUR CHIEF RESIDENT MECHANIC TAKING THE INNER PANEL OFF TO HAVE A LOOK AT THINGS

YUP SHE'S ALMOST GOT IT OFF

'YAY TEAM'

AND THE LITTLE DARLIN EVEN GOT THE HATCH DOOR OPEN BUT ALAS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND THINK MAYBE A MICRO SWITCH HAS TO BE REPLACED....BY THE WAY, KELLY WATCHED A 'YOU TUBE' VIDEO ON HOW TO DO ALL THIS

It was all three of us in the Jeep early this morning as we headed south.  No, not to Arizona but just south of Grand Bend.  Three days ago while outside I heard a different bird sound high in the sky above and new right away what it was.  Tundra Swans and sure enough as I looked up I saw three small groups of them heading south.  One of their favorite stop over spots is the Thedford Bog area a few miles south of Grand Bend and that is where we were headed.  And sure enough we found us a bunch of Tundra Swans.

HERE'S PHEEBS AND I DRIVING MISS KELLY

TUNDRA SWANS

From the Thedford Bog we headed further south along Lake Huron and cruised through the Port Franks area.  Lots of memories for me from back in the early 60's when a few of we Tavistock boys would hang out a bit at a friends parents cottage there.  I think I have blogged a few times in the past about some of our adventures in and around Port Franks.

SPOTTED THIS CURIOUS LOOKING BOAT NEAR THE PORT FRANKS MARINA  BUT CAN'T QUITE FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS USED FOR

HAS A LARGE CRANE ON THE BACK FOR MAYBE LIFTING FISH NETS??

PARTS OF THE PORT FRANKS INLAND WATERWAY IS STILL FROZEN

Still heading south following along the Lake Huron shoreline we stopped here and there to climb over a few sand dunes to the beach.  Lots of nice cottages and homes along the way nestled into the pine and cedar forests.  

THAT POINT OF LAND ON THE HORIZON JUTTING OUT INTO THE LAKE TOP LEFT IS KETTLE POINT AND THAT IS OUR DESTINATION 

STOPPED TO WALK UP AND OVER SOME SAND DUNES TO THE LAKE

KELLY IS BUNDLED UP AGAINST A COLD ICY WIND COMING IN ACROSS THE LAKE

THESE PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE OUT THERE ON THE SHORELINE ICE MOUNDS....VERY DANGEROUS!!

PHEEBS GETS THE COLD SHOULDER FROM MR. FANCY PANTS WALKING BY

INDIAN BANDS LIVING IN THIS AREA CENTURIES AGO WERE KNOWN FOR MAKING ARROW HEADS AND CUTTING TOOLS FROM THESE SHALE LIKE ROCKS FOUND ALONG THE SHORELING IN ABUNDANCE

IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW ARROW OR SPEAR HEADS COULD BE MADE FROM THESE ROCKS

Our turn around destination was Kettle Point where surrounding lands have a history with Indian people going back a few centuries. Kettle Point History.  Kettle point of course is well known for it's Kettles.

HERE WE ARE AT KETTLE POINT..... OUR DESTINATION TODAY

KELLY LOOKS AT A ROCK KETTLE THAT HAS SPLIT IN HALF

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THESE ROUND KETTLE ROCKS HERE BUT MOST OF THEM RIGHT NOW ALONG THE SHORE LINE BELOW ARE COVERED EITHER BY SNOW OR HIGH LAKE LEVELS

SOME OF THE KETTLES ARE OUT THERE CLOSE TO THE SHORE UNDER SNOW AND WATER

CURIOUS HOW THOSE TWO TREES HAVE THEIR OWN TWO ICE MOUNDS 

I FIGURE WAVES HAVE SPASHED ICY WATER UP THERE ONTO THOSE TREES AND NOW WITH MILDER TEMPERATURES THE ICE MOUNDS HAVE DETACHED THEMSELVES FROM THE TREES AS THEY SLOWLY MELT

'OKAY PHEEBS TIME TO HEAD FOR HOME'

We were home again around 1 p.m. after a stop in Grand Bend at a coffee shop/bakery place Kelly likes called Highway Girl.  I gave up my muffin habit well over a month ago but I did break with that today when Kelly and I shared a morning glory muffin.  We have had these muffins here before and I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt these morning glory muffins are the best muffins OF EVER:))  If your in the Grand Bend area be sure to stop by the Highway Girl and have yourself a Morning Glory for sure.  She is located on the west side of the Grand Bend Post Office across the road from the Schoolhouse Restaurant.

Area temps ranged up to 50F today but of course here along the frozen shoreline of Lake Huron it was somewhat cooler but no matter because we had a lot of melting going on and the snow pack definitely went down.  Farmers fields all around are pretty much bare but here in our Park shadowed under many tall pine trees our snow is just about the very last to melt for miles around.  And had it not been so windy today we would very much have felt warmer temperatures.  

OUR PARKS POND STILL HAS ICE ON IT BUT IT COULD BE CLEAR IN A FEW DAYS

THE VERY LAST PATCH OF SNOW TO MELT AT OUR PLACE WILL BE THAT STRETCH ON RIGHT BECAUSE IT IS ON THE SHADOWED NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE 

Our little drive to see the Tundra Swans and Kettle Point this morning is more in line with our changing RV travels plans for the future.   It's a total unknown if we'll ever make it back to the Southwest again but we know we can at least do a lot of exploring during the Spring, Summer, And Fall months right around southwestern Ontario here and it's the reason we're looking for something smaller than the big Motorhome we had.  Never thought I'd ever say this but I wish we had our little 2013 Class C Chevy Sunseeker back again.  (Bought that one in Quartzsite Arizona a few years back and oh my what a nightmare that whole deal turned out to be.  Another story for another time...….

MIGHT NOT BE TOO LONG BEFORE WE HAVE A ROARING BACK YARD CAMPFIRE GOING AGAIN

GROANER'S CORNER:(( During a terrible storm, all the highway signs were covered with snow. The following spring, the state decided to raise all the signs twelve inches at a cost of six million dollars. “That’s an outrageous price!” said a local farmer, “but I guess we’re lucky the state handled it instead of the federal government.” “Why’s that?” “Because knowing the federal government, they’d decide to lower the highways.”
----------------------
Two confirmed bachelors sat talking, their conversation drifted from politics to cooking.  'I got a cookbook once,' said one, 'but I could never do anything with it.''  Too much fancy work in it, eh?' asked the other.  'You said it. Every one of the recipes began the same way -- 'Take a clean dish...''
=================

 

THE FAR AWAY SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Despite our 'cold frigid' air still hanging around it was a beautiful looking day with deep blue skies and sunshine.  On our morning's wander Pheebs and I stopped several times and I simply stood by the edge of a couple country roads for awhile hands in pockets feeling the lands healing ambience.  Only thing in the still morning air were the far away sounds of silence............…

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Old ranch owner John farmed a small ranch in Montana.  The Montana Wage and Hour Department claimed he was not paying proper wages to his workers and sent an agent out to interview him.  'I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them,' demanded the agent.  'Well,' replied old John, 'There's my ranch hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $600 a week plus free room and board. The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $500 a week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night.'  'That's the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit,' says the agent. 'That would be me,' replied old rancher John.
---------------------------
I remember the first time I saw a universal remote control. I thought to myself... "Well this changes everything!"
===================

SUMMER TIRES ON SNOWY ROADS

WITH SUMMER TIRES ON PHEEBS AND WENT LOOKING FOR A SNOWY ROAD......TIRES WORKED GREAT

Not much going on today.  Snowed overnight and everything was white again this morning.  Arrived at Clinton's Huron Tirecraft by 8 a.m. and had the Jeep's winter tires exchanged for summer tires.  I was on my way home again by 8:45.  Took Pheebs out for a short spin in the country and that was pretty much it for the rest of the day.  Too windy, cold, and damp to be outside.  Relaxed in my recliner reading.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 
Patient:" I'm in a hospital! Why am I in here?"
Doctor: "You've had an accident involving a bus."  
Patient: "What happened?"  Doctor: "Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"  Patient: "Give me the bad news first."  Doctor: "Your legs were injured so badly that we had to amputate both of them."  Patient: "That's terrible! What's the good news?"  
Doctor: "There's a guy in the next ward who made a very good offer on your slippers."
=====================