HAD A GREAT COUNTRY ROAD COFFEE TOUR WITH MY GOOD BUDDY RICHARD THIS MORNING:))

 HARRINGTON ONTARIO'S ONCE BUSTLING OLD GRIST MILL

On this beautiful sunny Fall morning, it was just me and Subie heading east out of the Park at 8:05 a.m.  Medical appointment?-nope.  Vehicle appointment?-nope.  Good Buddy appointment? Ya darn right.  I was heading for St. Mary's Ontario to pick up my good buddy Richard at 9:30 for one of our good old country road coffee jaunts.  It had been a long time since our last dusty road crop run and we picked right up where we last left off.  Neither one of us missed a beat despite the amount of time and happenings since our last get-together.  Two Tim Horton coffees and two carrot muffins to go and we were eastbound out of St. Marys heading for the Wildwood Conservation Area and Harrington, Ontario.

 HEADING PAST THE WILDWOOD CONSERVATION AREA HEADING FOR HARRINGTON ONTARIO

 HARRINGTON POND

THIS IS MY KINDA PLACE

Both Richard and his wife Gayle were born and raised near Harrington and I was curious to see where the farm was that he had grown up on.  I also have a history with Harrington and Wildwood.  My dad's father and family came from the Harrington area and in the 80s I spent a lot of happy hours hiking and cross-country skiing in the Wildwood Lake Area.

 WILDWOOD LAKE IS MAN MADE AND THEY DROP THE WATER LEVEL DURING THE WINTER

 SPOTTED THIS FELLOW IN AN OLD DEAD TREE ALONGSIDE THE ROAD NEAR THE LAKE

 THAT LITTLE DOG WAS SURE BARKING AT US

As we rolled along this morning, Richard's 85-year-old memory came alive and he could remember most all the houses and farms and who lived there well over 70 years ago.  And I could remember with this fogged mind of mine where all the Wildwood trailheads were from the 80s.  Well most of them anyway.

NO, THERE WEREN'T MANY PLACES THAT RICHARD DIDN'T KNOW WHO LIVED THERE ONCE UPON A TIME

 WE WERE BOTH FAMILIAR WITH THIS RURAL PROPERTY WHICH HAS BEEN WELL-UPDATED SINCE EITHER ONE OF US LAST SAW IT.....IT'S THE OLD BOSSENCE HOMESTEAD NEAR HARRINGTON AND RICHARD NEW SOME OF MY ANCESTORS WHO ONCE LIVED HERE MANY MOONS AGO

We couldn't have picked a nicer morning for our country drive.  With two previous cold rainy days and more rain predicted for Saturday, we luckily nailed the nicest day of the entire week.

It was about noon when I dropped Richard off and headed northwest out of St. Marys through the very scenic Autumn countryside.  Wended my way around half a dozen country roads following the meandering Avon River.  Swung by the old farmhouse (Weenie Roast Ranch) we once rented to see how much further it had deteriorated.  Kelly and I have a lot of great memories there and it's sad to see the condition of it now even though the house owner himself now lives there.

Knowing it was a 45-minute drive from the old farmhouse to home I headed happily west and rolled into our driveway at about 1:25.  Sure was a happy little doggy waiting for me.  She missed her morning walk and Jeep ride.  Luckily, the beautiful morning weather lasted for the rest of the day.  Bonus:))

 THAT'S THE OLD WEENIE ROAST RANCH

 LOTS OF MEMORIES AND IT LOOKED MUCH BETTER WHEN WE LIVED HERE FOR 7 YEARS

 AND THAT IS ALL THAT IS LEFT OF THE ONCE BIG BARN WHERE I STOWED MY MOTORCYCLE EACH WINTER

 I OFTEN WALKED ACROSS THE ROAD TO THIS POND 

 I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A FIELD OF CANOLA

In a couple weeks I will be back to St. Marys again whereupon Richard and I will head out with coffees and muffins in hand and do the countryside northwest of St. Marys.  We both have memories out that way as well so I'm already looking forward to our drive through that good old neck of the woods:))

 WHEN WE LIVED AT THE WEENIE ROAST RANCH THIS PROPERTY AND SMALL HOUSE JUST UP THE ROAD CAME UP FOR SALE BUT WE WEREN'T IN A FINANCIAL POSITION AT THE TIME TO BUY IT

 THERE ARE STILL A FEW SUNFLOWERS OUT AND ABOUT

Ellen's Groove:)) Here's an earlier Ellen practicing a bass line for Leah Harris's Go It Alone.

 THIS OLD BUILDING STANDS IN FULLARTON ONTARIO 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  While enjoying an early morning breakfast in a northern Arizona cafe, four elderly ranchers were discussing everything from cattle, horses, and weather to how things used to be in the "good old days."  Eventually, the conversation moved on to their spouses. One gentleman turned to the fellow on his right and asked, "Roy, aren't you and your bride celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary soon?"  "Yup, we sure are," Roy replied.  "Well, are you gonna do anything special to celebrate?" another man asked.  The old gentleman pondered this for a moment, then replied, "For our 25th anniversary, I took the misses to Tucson. For our 50th, I'm thinking about going back there again to pick her up."

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What happens to a witch when she loses her temper when riding her broom?
She flies off the handle!

What do you call a nervous witch?
A twitch!

How do witches on broomsticks drink their tea?  Out of flying saucers!

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What did the Yogi say when he walked into the Zen Pizza Parlor?
"Make me one with everything."
When the Yogi got the pizza, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill. The proprietor pocketed the bill. The Yogi said, "Don't I get change?"
The proprietor said, "Change must come from within."

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NO, I WOULD NOT LIKE TO BE ONE OF THEM

 A LONE FISHERMAN BRAVES THE DAYS COLD WIND AND RAIN ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER

Rain again came in the night leaving us with a drizzly cold and damp October day.  No walk for Pheebs and I so we wandered into and around Bayfield for half an hour or so.  We swung down around the beach and harbor area before making our way along Bayfield's muddy Main street to check on the reconstruction project.  A swing around Clan Gregor square netted a few colorful photos before heading home.

 NOT AS MANY SAILBOATS HERE AS A WEEK AGO

 PRESSURE IS ON ALL BOAT OWNERS NOW TO GET THEIR BOATS OUT OF THE WATER BEFORE FREEZE-UP

 STACKED PICNIC TABLES AWAIT SPRING 2023

 A COUPLE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PATIENTLY WAIT FOR THE ICE CREAM SHOP TO OPEN

 I'M GUESSING THIS PIECE OF CONCRETE WORK MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

 I BET ALL THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ARE GLAD BAYFIELD'S DOWNTOWN COFFEE SHOP IS OPEN ON THESE COLDER DAYS

Kelly headed off to Goderich for more blood tests while I topped up the birdfeeders, watched the January 6th committee hearings, and read another half dozen chapters in my current book.

 ALL THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS WERE TAKEN ON A COUPLE DRIVE BY SWINGS AROUND BAYFIELD'S CLAN GREGOR SQUARE

Here we are nearly at the middle of October already and somewhere along the line, I have added another year to my life.  I never really thought I would make it to 78 but of course, there are folks out there who never thought they would make it to eighty-five, ninety-five, or a hundred either.  I've heard of some people saying they hope to live to be a hundred and I think to myself, no I would not like to be one of them.  Driving a mobility bus part-time a few years back I transported a lot of elderly folks and that took me into and out of a number of medical facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes in the area.  No, I do not want to live to be a hundred.    

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A dog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from his nameplate that the teller is called Patrick Whack.  Paddy explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.  Paddy looks at the dog in disbelief and asks his name.  The dog says his name is Rover Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.  The dog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink, and perfectly formed.  Very confused, Paddy explains that he'll have to consult with the bank manager and he disappears into a back office.  He finds the manager and says, "There's a dog called Rover Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."  He then holds up the tiny pink elephant and says to the manager. "I mean, what in the world is this? The bank manager looks back at him and says, "It's a knickknack, Paddy Whack. Give the dog the loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

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YOU CAN DO IT TOO:))

SUMAC TREES

Just me in the Jeep heading for Clinton's Huron Tirecraft on this overcast and slightly rainy morning.  I had a 10:15 appointment to get the Jeep's summer tires switched out for our more aggressive tread patterned winter tires.  The summer tires have been troublesome with slow leaks despite having a couple of them repaired over the last three years or so.  I plan to permanently leave the heavier-duty tires on the Jeep now and it will be those tires that at some point in the future will carry the Jeep to the wrecker's yard.  Yes, I intend to drive Libby till she drops.  My only complaint with the heavier treaded tires is the road noise but the Jeep won't be doing any more long highway trips anyway.  That's what we have the Subaru for now and for Pheebs and I at our slow gravely country road pace, the Jeep's tires are not an audible problem.

From Clinton, I zipped over to Goderich to pick up a few things.  On the way, I stopped into Krown Undercoating to see about getting the Subaru undercoated before winter.  Their earliest opening was December 15th.  I'll have to think of somewhere else to get the undercoating done because by the middle of December there very well may be more corrosive salt spread on our local roads than Goderich has in its entire underground salt mine!!

 KELLY OFTEN STOPS HERE AT THE MAITLAND MARKET ON HER WAY HOME FROM GODERICH

Up until heading home from Goderich, I hadn't taken any photos so on the way home I swung down a soggy country road that ran between a couple woodlots where I managed to snaggle a few photos along the way.  As I have mentioned before, the majority of my photos are taken right from the driver's seat so regardless of age or mobility issues, if you have a vehicle or know of someone who does, grab your camera and come on out into the countryside and see all the beauty that I see almost on a daily basis.  You can do it too:))   

I guess it was the semi-wet overcast day that dampened my spirits for doing anything outside this afternoon.  It was however a good afternoon for stretching out in my recliner and losing myself in a good book.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again.  After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose, will he hurt us?

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Don't hang around musicians. They're either cymbal-minded lyres or drum-soaked sax maniacs.

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