SOME EXCITMENT IN OUR PARK WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

My turn to drive this morning so I picked up my good buddy Richard and off we went to secure a couple coffees and accompanying carrot muffins.  Our travels earlier today took us south of Goderich along Highway 21 checking out a number of side roads leading to the shores of Lake Huron.  At the ends of those roads at the lake are small communities of various types of housing from mobile units to quaint cottages and million-dollar+ homes.

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM OUR MORNING DRIVE AND IT WAS THE LIME GREEN AND GRAY COLOR COMBINATION THAT CAUGHT MY EYE AT THIS SHORELINE COTTAGE/HOUSE

 ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PHOTO SOMETHING CAN BE SEEN IN THE TREES THAT IS NOT OFTEN SEEN ANYMORE.....IT RHYMES WITH 'SHOUT MOUSE'

 WHAT A LOVELY PLACE TO SIT AND WATCH SUNSETS OUT OVER THE LAKE

 A RARELY SEEN HURON COUNTY RUBICON ROOSTER

We had a little excitement in our Park on Wednesday.  Sitting in my recliner quietly reading Wednesday afternoon I suddenly heard a very loud bang.  So loud in fact that it even made the sleeping Pheebs jump right up off the floor.  Checking my watch right away I saw that it was 1:22 p.m.  I slipped outside and noticed a pall of smoke over near the Park's maintenance yard and office less than a hundred yards away.  I dashed back into the house, grabbed my camera, and hurried out to the edge of our property.  A large white truck with the word POLICE on the top front was on fire.  Although I didn't see any flames, I could see smoke billowing out from underneath the truck and up along the sides.  OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) officers were there with fire extinguishers along with other officers in khaki gear.  Our Park's owner was already busy with a garden hose spraying water underneath the truck.  We found out later that this was a 'bomb disposal truck'.  What the heck was going on?????

 PARK OWNER ADAM CAN BE SEEN HERE SPRAYING WATER ON THE RED HOT BRAKE DRUMS

JUST ONE OF THE HALF DOZEN OR MORE POLICE OFFICERS ON THE SCENE

They got the fire out but as a precaution, the fire department was called and arrived to check the vehicle over.  A tactical canine officer was seen with a black dog on a leash and I figured that was probably a 'bomb sniffing dog'.  I took a bunch of pictures of all this excitement and one of the chief police officers walked over to talk to me.  He said what had happened is that the rear brakes on the truck had seized up on it's way from wherever it was coming from (possibly London) and the driver hadn't noticed it.  When the truck arrived at our Park and stopped, the red hot heated brake drums now not being cooled by the air while driving, ignited and set the truck's surrounding wheel well insulation afire.  That in turn caused one of the truck's rear tires to explode and that was the loud bang I heard.

 THE BAYFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVES ON THE SCENE

 ADAM CHATS WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS AFTER THE FIRE WAS OUT 

 THE FIRETRUCK HEADS PAST OUR PLACE ON IT'S WAY BACK TO BASE

 THEY MANAGED TO DRIVE THE BOMB TRUCK AHEAD A BIT TO MAKE ROOM FOR A TOW TRUCK ON IT'S WAY

 KELLY AND PHEEBS CHECKING THINGS OUT

With the truck now immobile, a heavy-duty tow truck had to be called to tow the bomb disposal truck back to London, Ontario.  When the big tow truck pulled in I recognized the name Ross on it.  Anyone familiar with the TV series Heavy Rescue 401 will know that Ross (based in London) is one of the companies featured on that show.

 THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVES AND BEGINS MANEUVERING INTO POSITION

 THOSE TWO SETS OF FRONT WHEELS UNDER THE CAB ARE BOTH TURNING WHEELS

THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER GETS READY TO HOOK UP

 THIS IS THE POLICE OFFICER WHO TALKED TO ME AND HERE HE IS TAKING A PICTURE OF THE POLICE TRUCK GETTING HOOKED UP

 ALL HOOKED UP AND READY TO PULL OUT

Okay, so now for the big question.....what was an Ontario Provincial Police bomb disposal truck and a bomb-sniffing dog doing in our Park????  Kelly talked to Adam, our Park's current owner this morning and he said that while doing renovations to the large onsight shop recently he found some dynamite hidden in the walls.  A call to the police ended up having a bomb-sniffing dog here as well as the bomb disposal truck Wednesday.  It is not known who may have hidden the dynamite in the wall or why.  Maybe the previous owner or maybe the previous owner before that.  It is likely that it will never be known who hid the dynamite there or why.

 THE BOMB-SNIFFING DOG AND ITS HANDLER 

Thanks to everyone who has suggested solutions to our Jeep's starting problem.  Excellent suggestions.  When I tried starting the Jeep this afternoon it started right up just fine.  I guess we've got some more thinking to do about the Jeep's future. 

Al's Music Box:)) Bluebird by Paul McCartney & Wings from their 1973 album, 'Band On The Run'.

 SEEN ON OUR TRAVELS THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Little Pete came home from the playground with a bloody nose, black eye, and torn clothing. It was obvious he'd been in a bad fight and lost. While his father was patching him up, he asked his son what happened.  Well, Dad, said Pete, I challenged Larry to a duel. And, you know, I gave him his choice of weapons.  Uh-huh, said the father, “that seems fair.  I know, but I never thought he'd choose his sister!  

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A flight attendant's comment on a less-than-perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

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Ole and Sven went on a fishing trip to Canada and came back with only three fish.
Ole says, "The way I figger it, Sven, each of them fish cost us $400.  Well, at dat price it's a good ting we didn't catch any more of em than we did," says Sven.

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Sam had proposed to young Lisa and was being interviewed by his prospective father-in-law.  "Do you think you are earning enough to support a family?" the older man asked the suitor.  "Yes, sir," replied Sam, "I am."  "Well," said Lisa's father, "think carefully now. There are six of us."
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IT WOULDN'T START!!

I looked up the meaning of the word 'sweltering' today and it said 'uncomfortably hot'!!  I could easily use that word in a sentence saying, 'These have been sweltering days'. I would say it was the hottest morning of this latest heat wave so far.  Sweltering indeed.

 GOLDENROD

Kelly headed off to Goderich in the Subaru so Pheebs and I headed out in the Jeep.  Not wanting to turn myself into a sticky ball of paste first thing in the morning we didn't stop for a walk anywhere.  Besides that, the rule of thumb now is.....don't turn the Jeep off because it might not start again:(( 

 PHEEBS AND I WERE OUT HORSING AROUND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AGAIN THIS MORNING

 WHITEY

 BLACKY

 RUSTY

THE EAST END OF A HORSE GOING WEST

I've been puttering a bit on my front yard project but it's usually after supper when the air is cooler.  We have a large Sunburst Locust tree in front of our deck and sunroom that has overgrown itself sending branches over top of our unit.  It is time to have those branches taken down so we have an arborist person coming in the next few days to take care of that problem.

 IT WILL BE GOOD TO GET THESE BRANCHES DOWN BEFORE THEY GET ANY BIGGER

 I REMOVED SOME PATIO STONES FROM THIS FOREGROUND AREA A FEW DAYS AGO

 I HAVE BEEN CLEANING GROUND COVER WEEDS OUT OF THE FLOWERBEDS

Update on the Jeep......Figured I'd move the Jeep out of the carport and let this afternoon's heavy rains wash the dust off it, but.......it wouldn't start!!

ON THESE HOT AND HUMID DAYS PHEEBS LIKES THE COOL CONCRETE FLOOR IN OUR CARPORT

Al's Music Box:))  A triple whammy tonight featuring three of my favorite cowboy trail songs from 'The Sons Of The Pioneers'.  Blue Shadows On The Trail --- Along The Santa Fe Trail --- Along The Navajo Trail ........ A few posts ago I made a little 'ooopsy in Al's Music Box.  I had the wrong link for a Roberta Flack song.  I have since corrected it but if you missed it, here it is.... The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Driving to work, a gentleman had to swerve to avoid a box that fell out of the truck in front of him. Seconds later, a policeman pulled him over for reckless driving. Fortunately, another office had seen the carton in the road. The policemen stopped traffic and recovered the box. It was found to contain large upholstery tacks.  "I'm sorry, Sir," the first trooper told the driver, "but I am still going to have to write you a ticket."  Amazed, the driver demanded to know the reason.  The trooper replied . . . "Tacks evasion."

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- Mom: Do you think we’re made of money?
Daughter: Isn’t that what MOM stands for?

- It was a very moving ceremony.  Even the cake is in tiers.

- So, today, I told my team about the importance of dried grapes.  It’s all about raisin awareness.

- Yeah. I was in a Zoom meeting when I told that joke and they didn’t laugh either.  It turns out I’m not even remotely funny.

- My mum told me that I can’t drive a car made of spaghetti.  You should have seen her face when I drove pasta.

- Why are Catholics so upbeat after church gatherings?  Because they convert Mass into energy.

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I wanted to get rid of my old knackered flat screen TV that doesn't work anymore.  The nursing home said they would charge me $30.00 to collect it and dispose of it. Instead, I paid $10.00 and booked an online courier to collect and deliver it to somebody I don't like!

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I CAME UP BLANK

Another hot and humid day complete with mosquitos. Every time I sat down and tried to think of something to write today, I came up blank............... 

Al's Music Box:)) Funny How Time Slips Away by Billy Walker was released as a single in 1961.  The song was written by Willie Nelson.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man was sitting in a bar and noticed a group of people using sign language. He also noticed that the bartender used sign language to speak to them.  When the bartender returned to him, the man asked how he had learned to use sign language. The bartender explained that these were regular customers and had taught him to speak in sign. The man thought that was great.  A few minutes later the man noticed that the people in the group were waving their hands around very wildly. The bartender looked over and signed "Now cut that out! I warned you!" and threw the group out of the bar.  The man asked why he had done that and the bartender said, "If I told them once I told them 100 times - NO SINGING IN THE BAR!!

- An insurance agent's wife was learning to drive when the brakes failed. "What should I do?" she cried. "Brace yourself, and try to hit something cheap."

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WE DODDLED AROUND A FEW COUNTRY ROADS

A hotter day today than yesterday so needless to say, I kept my outside activities to a minimum.  Pheebs too.  We had Subie's sunroof open before we even left the carport because it was just that kind of a perfect weather morning before the day got too hot.

ON MY, THE HEAVENLY SMELL OF NEW MOWN HAY

We doddled around a few country roads marvelling at late summer's still lush green rural countryside topped off by a big clear deep blue sky.  Being a holiday Monday, there was very little traffic on the roads.  Not that there ever is a lot of traffic compared to other places, but how nice not to spot another vehicle for as far as I could see ahead or behind me.  Reminded me of some of those long and lonesome miles-wide valley roads in the Great American Southwest I always loved so much.

 PHEEBS AND I STOPPED TO CHAT WITH A FEW COWS ALONG THE WAY

AND THEY WERE QUITE CHATTY TOO

 GOLDENROD

Home again, and wanting to get a few things done in the front yard, I kept myself on light duty and relocated a few night lights and a couple lawn ornaments.  Moved a few patio stones, took a few pics, and quickly retreated out of the heat into the cool confines of our house.  They said today was the hottest day of the year and tomorrow is predicted to be even hotter.     

 ALONG A FOREST PATH ACROSS FROM OUR HOUSE I CAME UPON THIS LITTLE FELLA SNOOZING BENEATH A TOADSTOOL THIS AFTERNOON

 HE TOLD ME HE IS A GOOD FRIEND AND COUSIN  OF  THE FURRY GNOME WHO LIVES ABOUT A HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF US IN THAT MEAFORD ONTARIO PLACE

 WELL YES THERE IS A RESEMBLANCE TO FURRY ALRIGHT

 WE CHATTED FOR A BIT BEFORE HE FELL ASLEEP AGAIN

After 22 plasmapheresis treatments, Kelly called a halt to it.  She doesn't feel they are working as well as they did in the beginning and it has been very hard on her arms.  We were due to go to London today but she called Friday and canceled the appointment. It's an open-end cancelation and she can resume the plasmapheresis treatments at any time if and when needed.  In the meantime, she is finding that one of the pills she was prescribed a while ago is actually helping with the itching without making her sick. 

 IF YOU THOUGHT THERE WERE TWO FROGS IN THIS PHOTO YOU WOULD BE HALF RIGHT......THAT CHARMING LITTLE CHAP ON THE LEFT IS A TOAD

Al's Music Box:)) The Homecoming by Hagood Hardy from the 1975 album, 'The Homecoming'.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Things You Learn in Texas::

- Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
- There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas.
- There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas plus a couple that have not been identified yet.
- Onced and Twiced are words.
- It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
- People actually grow and eat okra.
- "Fixinto" is one word.
- There is no such thing as "lunch." There is only dinner and then there is supper.
- Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
- DJeet? means "Did you eat?"
- You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
- You measure distance in minutes.
- You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
- All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
- You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
- The local papers cover national and international news on one page but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
- The first day of deer season is a national holiday.
- 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm." 

- We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
- A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.
- We don't need no stinking driver's Ed . . . If our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

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- Happy Labor Day!
Oh wait… we live on a farm. Never mind!

- What do nuclear plants serve their workers for the Labor Day party?  Fission Chips.

- Why did ancient Egyptians have a hard time recruiting laborers?  It was a pyramid scheme.

- What do you call a snake that works for the Government?  A Civil Serpent.

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