KELLY FELT THINGS WENT WELL TODAY

 CONE FLOWERS AT GRAND BEND'S BEACH AREA THIS MORNING

My eyes popped open at 4:57 a.m. and our day was underway.  Kelly was up minutes later and by 6:23 Subie rolled out the driveway with Kelly, Pheebs, and I aboard heading for London.  It was probably one of the first unobstructed sunrises we have seen since our traveling days years ago.  Traffic was lite as we made our way south.  A lot of road construction north of the hospital on Richmond Street around Fanshawe Road but we navigated through it okay.  Dropped Kelly off at University Hospital's front door at 6:30 a.m.  She was in good spirits and ready to take on the day no matter what the liver transplant committee might throw at her.

 PHEEBS PATIENTLY WAITS FOR KELLY TO COME OUT THE DOOR

 A QUICK SHOT OF THE SUNRISE

 DESCENDING INTO LONDON AND THAT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION AHEAD

 SEE YOU LATER PHEEBS

Pheebs and I right away headed north out of London through all the construction with our first stop being at the Ten Mile Road cemetery for a leg stretch.  

 HEADING BACK OUT OF LONDON THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE

 OUR PIT STOP AREA ON TEN MILE ROAD

Not wanting to rush home along the same route we had just come I decided to head in a northwesterly direction to where I knew a Tim Hortons coffee shop in Ilderton Ontario to be.

 ILDERTON'S TIM HORTONS COFFEE SHOP

Coffee in hand we leisurely wandered further west from there looking for some new and unfamiliar roads to travel.  With a few turns here and a few turns there I finally managed to get us into some unfamiliar territory for a change.  I was always aware of where we sorta were but never quite precisely sure.  I like when that happens.  I could have easily pressed the 'Home' button on the Garmin GPS but what would the fun in that be.  So, we just followed Garmin's compass in a northwesterly direction until we blundered into Parkhill Ontario.  I knew our way home from there but again, where's the fun in knowing where you are when you are not really interested in knowing where you are.  

 THE WHOLE MAIN STREET OF PARKHILL WAS TORN UP SO WE HAD TO PICK OUR WAY AROUND THE BACKSTREETS...I LIKE THE BOARD AND BATTEN ON THIS HOUSE

Instead of heading north out of Parkhill,  we headed west and I wasn't exactly sure where we were for a short while until we rolled up into the familiar east end of Port Franks.  Well, there were no more unfamiliar roads left to mix myself up with from there so we turned right and headed for Grand Bend.  Besides, I was getting hungry and knew that a new McDonalds had just opened up in the Bend and I was curious to have a look at it and grab us guys a snack.  So, with a sausage and egg McMuffin in hand Pheebs and I were soon parked along Grand Bend's beach on the shores of Lake Huron.  We weren't long in munching down our breakfast.  Every time in Grand Bend now I am amazed at how quickly its main street is changing.  There is very little of the 'old' Bend left anymore.  At least from the days back in the early 60's when I first remembered it.  From the Bend, we headed straight home under semi-sunny skies and rolled into our driveway at 10:20.  It had taken us one hour to get to the hospital this morning and three hours to get home.  I like when and how I can make that happen sometimes:))

 A SECOND  AND LARGER PAVILION HAS BEEN BUILT ON GRAND BEND'S BEACH

 I LIKE WHAT GRAND BEND HAS DONE WITH THEIR SHORELINE

 THE BONNIE DOONE MANOR HAS BEEN THERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW NEWER IDEAS ARE MOVING IN AND BEING BUILT NEARBY

 THIS IS ABOUT ALL THAT'S LEFT OF THE 'OLD GRAND BEND STRIP'

 THE BEND IS DEFINITELY TRANSFORMING FROM THE ROWDY PLACE OF MY YOUTH

 IF I WAS A YOUNG GUY AGAIN I WOULDN'T LIKE ALL THESE FANCY PANTS CHANGES BUT BEING A SENIOR NOW I SAY 'BRING IT ON AND LET IT HAPPEN':))

Feeling tired after arriving home this morning I couldn't help but think of how tired Kelly must be feeling as she weaves her way through all the appointments and interviews at the hospital.  About 2:45 this afternoon the phone rang and it was Kelly saying she, and her daughter Sabra were just leaving University Hospital and would meet Pheebs and I at Exeter's A&W.  So, without further ado, I loaded up the furry Kid again and we headed to Exeter where we met Kelly and Sabra.  They grabbed some A&W snacks then Sabra headed back to Cambridge Ontario and Kelly, Pheebs and I headed back to Bayfield.  Kelly said everything went fine today but she was really tired by the time we got home.  They drew 18 vials of blood from her, and then as if that wasn't enough, the puncture wound began bleeding again shortly after she had walked out to the reception area.  Blood on her brand new blouse, down her arm, and onto the floor.  It's a wonder she even had enough blood left in her to make it home.  

 KELLY TOOK THIS PHOTO OF THE 18 VIALS OF BLOOD 

London's University Hospital has done 30 liver transplants so far this year.  That works out to an average of five a month.  They weighed Kelly today and she is a mere 103 pounds. They told her that she has to get her weight up to be considered for a liver transplant.  She also has to go back next week for a physio session to test her physical strength.  And sometime after that, the committee will make its decision as to whether Kelly is a suitable candidate for a liver transplant.  Kelly also said that all the specialists she met today were very nice helpful people.              

 KELLY WITH HER DAUGHTER SABRA COMING OUT OF A&W WITH SOME SNACKS

Al's Music Box:)) Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry from the album 'Chuck Berry Is on Top'.  1958  And be sure to check out this fellow's focused Guitar Only version of Johnny B Good as well.

 HERE'S PHEEBS PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE SNACKS TO COME OUT THE DOOR AT A&W 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An older couple wakes up in the morning and the husband looks over at his wife and says, " Wow! You wouldn't believe the dream I had..."  The wife replies, "Yes, go on tell me."  So the husband says "I had a dream that you left me after 20 years of being married."  The wife says, "Oh, it sounds more like a nightmare."  The husband says, "No, I am sure it was a dream.

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After church, Robbie tells his parents he has to go and talk to the minister right away. They agree and the pastor greets the family.  "Pastor," Robbie says, "I heard you say today that our bodies came from the dust."  "That's right, Johnny, I did."  "And I heard you say that when we die, our bodies go back to dust." "Yes, I'm glad you were listening. Why do you ask?"  "Well you better come over to our house right away and look under my bed 'cause there's someone either comin' or goin'!"

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A man is skydiving, enjoying his free-fall when he realizes that he has reached the altitude where he must open his parachute. So he pulls on the rip cord, but nothing happens.  “No problem,” he says to himself, “I still have my emergency chute.” So he pulls the rip cord on his emergency parachute, and once again, nothing happens.  Now the man begins to panic. “What am I going to do?” he thinks, “I'm a goner!”  Just then he sees a man flying up from the earth toward him. He can't figure out where this man is coming from, or what he's doing, but he thinks to himself, “Maybe he can help me. If he can't, then I'm done for.”  When the man gets close enough to him, the skydiver cups his hands and shouts down, “Hey, do you know anything about parachutes?”  The other man replies, “No! Do you know anything about gas stoves?”

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WE WILL BE UP AND ON THE ROAD EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING

 A NICE MORNING FOR A FOREST WALK

We had Subie's sunroof open before we even left the carport so that tells you what a nice morning we had going on for us.  Kelly had a stack of library books to go back to the Bayfield Library so Pheebs and I had a mission and off we went.

 A DRIVE DOWN BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

 A RELAXING MORNING FOR A COUPLE AT SHOPBIKE COFFEE ROASTERS

 AT THE LIBRARY

Having dropped the books off we headed straightaway for the Bayfield Cemetery and took ourselves for a walk in the forest there.  Despite it being warm I was again surprised by no bugs in the air.  Not even one pesky mosquito.

 HEADING INTO THE FOREST

 SUMMER'S TREE CANOPY

 WE STOPPED TO HAVE A LOOK AT THIS INTERESTING STUMP

 A WHOLE COMMUNITY OF TINY MUSHROOMS GROWING HERE

 AS SEEN FROM ABOVE

 I THINK THESE MIGHT BE DONUT MUSHROOMS:))

 EXITING THE FOREST ACROSS THIS MOWED FIELD TO WHERE SUBIE IS BARELY VISIBLE IN THAT LINE OF EVERGREEN TREES AT THE TOP

I had noticed last year that the newer Bayfield water tower was already looking worse for wear and was in need of a good cleaning or a new coat of paint.  This morning I saw a crew doing just that.  Painting the water tower.

 I'M GUESSING THE FELLOW IN THE WHITE SUIT IS THE PAINTER AND THE GUY IN ORANGE IS HIS BUDDY DRAWING A HAPPY FACE ON THE TANK

I think it was shortly before noon when we lost our sunshine.  Checking the weather site I saw there was a risk of heavy rain and large hail.  Skies darkened but the only thing that happened was that the gloomy-looking day rendered me unconscious in my sunroom recliner for about an hour and a half.  I didn't even get past the first couple of paragraphs in my Kindle reader......Later, a few peels of thunder heralded a small fast-moving storm cell that dropped a mild shower on us and kept on going.           

 NO POINT IN STANDING UP TO EAT BREAKFAST WHEN YOU CAN LIE DOWN TO EAT BREAKFAST

We will be up with the chickens early Wednesday morning and off to London's University Hospital.  Pheebs and I will be dropping Kelly off there and then turning around and heading home.    

Al's Music Box:)) Do It Again by Steely Dan from the album 'Can't Buy A Thrill'.  1972

 A COLORFUL HYDRANGEA BUSH AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.  She reduced altitude and spotted a man below. She descended a bit more and shouted: 'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am..'  The man below replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.'  'You must be an Engineer,' said the balloonist.  'I am,' replied the man, 'how did you know?'  'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you have told me is probably technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip by your talk.'  The man below responded, 'You must be in Management.'  'I am,' replied the balloonist, 'but how did you know?'  'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.'

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- Patient: “Doctor, you have to help me, I think I can see in the future.”  Doctor: “When did it start?” Patient: “Next Friday.”

- Why aren’t koalas actual bears?  They don’t meet the koalafications.

- A woman told her friend, “I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.”  "I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But by the time I got my leotards on, the class was already over.”

- I told my physical therapist I broke my arm in two places.  He told me to stop going to those places.

- A retired man now volunteers to entertain patients in assisted living homes and hospitals. He visited one hospital in Brooklyn and brought along his portable keyboard.  After telling jokes and singing songs at patients’ bedsides, he said farewell and, “I hope you get better.” One elderly gentleman replied, “I hope you get better, too.”

-What do you call the wife of a hippie?  Mississippii

- How does the moon cut his hair?  Eclipse it.

- What do lawyers wear to court?  Lawsuits.

- You know you’re getting older when you have a party and the neighbors don’t realize it.

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THERE WILL COME A TIME

A beautiful cool sunny morning morphed into a pleasantly warm day.  After our country road walk, Pheebs and I headed to Goderich where I had something to drop off at the Dynacare Lab.  No, it wasn't a peanut butter sandwich.  A coffee to go at McD's and down to the waterfront we went.  After snapping a couple pics we headed for home with our front windows down, Subie's sunroof open, and the morning's summer breeze blowing our favorite memories around.  I thought to myself, there will come a time when I will look back on these days of my life with great fondness.

 SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING ALONG I DON'T HAVE THE BEST ACCESS TO MY COFFEE

 A NICE CHEVY CAMARO GOING BY

 AND PHEEBS WASN'T THE ONLY DOGGY OUT FOR A CAR RIDE THIS MORNING

 ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF A SUNROOF IS FOR TAKING AIRPLANE PICS

With the Jeep's interior needing a good cleaning I wasn't long in hauling out the shop vac and getting at it.  Pheebs paws have a habit of loading gravel into the Jeep every time she hops in.  I keep a towel on the passenger seat but the gravel still finds a way under it. Cleaned all the Jeep's windows as well.  By 1 p.m. it was beginning to get humid so into the house I retreated.  For most of the day, I thought it was Tuesday until Kelly informed me earlier this evening that it was actually Monday. 'Well fancy that' I thought to myself.

 TWO THINGS WE ARE NEVER SHORT OF IN THE JEEP IS GRAVEL AND DOGGY FUR

Oh my, how the days are sliding by.  And the years too.  Tomorrow July 11th is my Aunt Jean's 96th birthday.  Below are a few photos from late February and early March in 2018 when we last visited Aunt Jean in Sarasota, Florida.  'Happy Birthday Jean':)))))

 AUNT JEAN IN HER TOYOTA

 IN JEAN'S CONDO

Al's Music Box:)) Smile by Nat King Cole.  I dedicate this song to Jean on her birthday because I know he was one of her favorite singers.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   The following are actual signs found on church property........

"No God-No Peace. Know God-Know Peace."

"Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!"

"Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins."

"Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"

An ad for St. Joseph's Episcopal Church has a picture of two hands holding stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that reads, "For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."

When the restaurant next to the Lutheran Church put out a big sign with red letters that said, "Open Sundays," the church reciprocated with its own message: "We are open on Sundays, too."

"Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons-come hear one!"

A singing group called "The Resurrection" was scheduled to sing at a church. When a big snowstorm postponed the performance, the pastor fixed the outside sign to read, "The Resurrection is postponed."

"People are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are."

"God so loved the world that He did not send a committee."

"Come in and pray today. Beat the Christmas rush!"

"When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out alright."

"Sign broken. Message inside this Sunday."

"Fight truth decay-study the Bible daily."

"How will you spend eternity-Smoking or Non-smoking?"

"Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"

"Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."

"Our arms are the only ones God has to hug His children."

"It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."

"Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."

"If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."

"If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."

"Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal fire insurance soon."

"This is a ch_ _ ch. What is missing?" ---> (U R)

"Forbidden fruit creates many jams."

"In the dark? Follow the Son."

"Running low on faith? Stop in for a fill-up."

"If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."

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