DESPITE OUR COLD WINTERY WEATHER IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD DAY………..I GOT 2 SOAKERS

It would have been so easy to just stay in our nice warm toasty house this morning rather than venturing outside into the snow & cold but soon as I saw a few sunny rays making their way through the pines I knew there would be no sitting around the house.  With a bad weather forecast on the horizon for the next few days I figured Pheebs & I had better get some outside time in while the getting was good.  And with that thought in mind we were off.  

I HAVEN’T TAKEN MANY WINTER PHOTOS THESE PAST 10 YEARS SO FIGURED I HAD BETTER GET OUT & SNAP ME UP SOME WHILE I HAVE THE CHANCE

THIS LITTLE BIRD LANDED IN FRONT OF ME, SAT THERE FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS & TOOK OFF AGAIN

MARSHY AREAS HAVE FROZEN OVER AGAIN

Country roads were a combination of hard packed snow & ice, farm fields were white with snow & shallow water standing in fields had a coating of ice probably hard enough to skate on.  Had I had a pair of ice skates along I could have given it a try.  Well OK maybe not......probably been about 60 years since I last had a pair of skates on.  We had ourselves a nice mixture of sun & cloud as we plodded our way along sometimes with a window or two part way down down taking photos along the way.   

TRACKS IN THE SNOW WERE MADE BY THE 2 HORSES BELOW

Icy west winds blowing unimpeded across Lake Huron's frigid water swept inland keeping Pheebs & I in the Jeep for most of our morning travels.  Only a couple leg stretch stops so again the majority of my photos were taken from the driver's seat.  I've noticed over the past couple of years I am taking more & more of my photos from either the Jeep or the Motorhome.  Been trying to figure out if I'm just too plume lazy to get out of the vehicle or I've just developed a more comfortable way of taking photos.

Our winter like travels took us north of Clinton around the Hullett Marsh then eventually west over to the shores of Lake Huron north of Goderich.  Heading south into Goderich we slipped on down to the north side of the harbor & spotted 3 large ships at anchor.  Taking on a load of corn for Ireland over on the south side was the large Netherlands ocean going freighter AMSTELBORG.  The Amstelborg is the first large international ship into Goderich's harbor this year & first ship in after the lake ice has cleared sparks a tradition whereupon the Captain of the ship is treated to a top hat ceremony at Goderich's Courthouse.  If you click on the link you can read about that & see Captain Huib Van Der Mijle with his top hat on.

THE AMSTELBORG LOADING CORN FOR IRELAND

I WILL HAVE MORE GODERICH HARBOR PHOTOS IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S POST

THAT IS ONE MIGHTY TALL SUPERSTRUCTURE ON THE STERN & LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE GREEN STEEL HATCH COVERS

From the north harbor Pheebs & I headed back up to highway 21 & slipped our way a few blocks south to SUBWAY.  While Pheebs held the Fort I slipped in & ordered us up 6" Tuna Sub with sweet onion sauce.  Last time we wrestled over a Sub was in Wickenburg Arizona about a month & half ago.  I always love it how Pheebe just takes of bouncing around in the Jeep like a flying ping pong ball when I come walking out of the Sub shop with a yummy Sub in my hand.  It warms my heart & makes me so happy to see her so happy.  She is just the most priceless little dog I have ever had the pleasure of meeting & knowing. 

“NEVER MIND THE PICTURE DADDY-O LET’S JUST GET OURSELVES RIPPED INTO THAT YUMMY SUB”

COMING UP OUT OF THE NORTH HARBOR WE SPOTTED A TRAIN BEGINNING IT’S CLIMB UP THE HARBOR GRADE AS WELL

I THINK THE ENGINEER HAS THE HAMMER DOWN AS WE TRY TO CATCH UP

THE RACE WAS ON TO SEE WHO COULD REACH THE TOP FIRST

HERE WE ARE NOSE & NOSE BUT I GUESS IT REALLY WASN’T TOO MUCH OF A RACE WITH PHEEBS & I DOING 20 MPH & THE TRAIN STRAINING ALONG AT ABOUT 3 MPH 

From the Sub Shop we made our way around Goderich's town square & down to the south side of the harbor.  I was curious to see what the shoreline looked like since all the Inukshuks were taken down & away late last week.  Aside from 2 small stone cairns the only thing to see along the snowy shoreline was a lonesome looking tilted wooden cross with some words written upon it. 

Further along the beach road we came to the dog walking area but with today's onshore icy winds freezing everything in it's path we didn't venture too far.  I did however notice some unusual & beautiful ice formations right down along the water's edge caused by both wind & wave action.  Flying spray whipped onshore by strong winds had coated a line of rocks, bushes, & trees in ice.  Managed to get myself 2 right foot soakers as waves crashed in against the rocky shoreline while I tried to finagle a few camera angles.  But it wasn't the water making things difficult it was the wind & although I had warm gloves in the Jeep I foolishly chose not to wear them.  Needless to say Pheebs & I were back in the Jeep within minutes & as we drove away Pheebs steered while I held both my hands in front of the 2 maxed out dash heater vents. 

 

Our next stop was the car wash to get Sunday's road salt off.  Libby looked all shiny new again but the rubber marks from her Albuquerque blown tire several weeks ago were very prominent.  I kinda doubt I'll get those marks out with rubbing compound but I'll give it a try when the weather warms up.  It was just a hop, skip, & a jump, to the Solo gas bar for a Libby fill-up & doggy biscuit for Pheebs before heading the last 10 miles or so to Bayfield & home.

    

I THINK THIS IS WHERE I GOT THE SOAKERS & IN TOMORROW NIGHT’S POST I WILL HAVE MORE LAKE HURON SHORE LINE ICE PHOTOS FROM TODAY

All & all it was a good day & I took a lot of photos knowing it might be a few days before I get out again.  I know I can always use file photos for my posts but I do prefer to post new photos daily.  For me, keeping things current is important whether it's with my writing or my photos.  If I get a day behind in either endeavor I quickly lose interest in things & before I know it I'm too far behind of where I prefer to be & quickly lose momentum making me prone to grinding myself to stop.........……….. 

 

DESPITE OUR COLD WINTERY WEATHER I WAS ABLE TO CATCH THIS MOURNING DOVE OUTSIDE OUR SUNNY SUN ROOM THIS AFTERNOON

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man calls home to his wife and says,   "Honey I have been asked to go fishing at a big lake up in Canada with my boss and several of his friends.   We'll be gone for a week.   This is a good opportunity for me to get that promotion I've been wanting so would you please pack me enough clothes for a week and set out my rod and tackle box.  We're leaving from the office and I will swing by the house to pick my things up.   Oh!   Please pack my new blue silk panamas." The wife thinks this sounds a little fishy but being a good wife she does exactly what her husband asked.   The following weekend he comes home a little tired but otherwise looking good.   The wife welcomes him home and asks if he caught many fish?  He says,   "Yes!  Lot's of Walleye, some Bluegill,   and a few Pike.  But why didn't you pack my new blue silk panamas like I asked you to do?"  "I did, they're in your tackle box."

OK-OK ALRIGHT ALREADY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

PHEEBS & I MET THIS RASCALLY LITTLE FELLOW ON OUR AFTERNOON WALK

Ok-Ok alright already enough is enough is enough!!!!  My infatuation with our twinkly Christmasy winter wonderland is over & it ended about the time I was on the end of a snow shovel this morning plowing a path through an overnight 5” snowfall.  It’s cold, there’s snow all over the darn place, skies are overcast ‘again’ & our 10 day weather forecast shows no signs of warming up any time soon.  Still very glad we’re not sweltering in 90F temps anywhere but I’ve had enough of this miserable 30F stuff too.  I’m gonna cram myself in a box & mail me out to San Diego California where it’s predicted to be a ‘PERFECT’ 74 degree sunny day:))

STARTED MY MORNING OFF BY SHOVELING PATHS THROUGH THE SNOW

SHOVELED A PATH TO THE BIRD FEEDER STATION

CROSSED JAYS

BICKERING OR SHOULD WE CALL IT BEAKERING

GOT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN

NOT GOING TO SHOVEL THE DRIVEWAY JUST GONNA DRIVE OVER IT

SKIES ARE BEGINNING TO BRIGHTEN

JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO I HEARD SPRING PEEPER FROGS IN OUR FRONT YARD POND & NOW IT’S ICED OVER AGAIN & THOSE POOR LITTLE PEEPERS WILL BE JUST A SHIVERIN……..

Do you know we have been home now for 15 days & I have had to wear my heavy winter lined pants 8 out of those 15 days & the 1 day those pants were in the wash I wore my warm pajama bottoms under my heavier TSC work pants.  Am I complaining about our winter weather yet??  Ya darn tootin I am!! 

IT MAY BE COLD BUT SNOW SURE CAN MAKE THINGS PRETTY

SOOOOOO NICE TO SEE BLUE SKIES TODAY

Shoveled off neighbor Monica’s back porch this morning knowing her arms are gonna be really tired after her long flight back from Florida.  Shoveled me a few paths out & around the carport & Motorhome but none of that driveway shoveling anymore.  With Libby’s 4 wheel drive we just plow through the darn white stuff instead of shoveling it.  I could go out & take more snow photos but I’m already tired of our short exposure to Winter like weather.  Gad Zooks can you imagine the mental mess we both will be in the day we can’t go south anymore:((

PHEEBE LOVES RACING AROUND IN THE SNOW

THIS CANADA GOOSE IS KEEPING A LOW PROFILE ALONG THE POND’S ICE EDGE

PHEEBS & I HEADED OFF DOWN THE PINE FOREST TRAIL THIS AFTERNOON

Happy to say we did end us up with a real pretty day when our oppressive cloud cover finally broke up in late morning.  Sunny enough this afternoon for Pheebs & I to head out for a walk over by the pond.  I could see she was interested in something down by the water besides a single Canada Goose along the edge of some pond ice.  A closer look & I spotted a young Raccoon.  Very rare to see a Raccoon out in the day time & it didn't appear to be very afraid of us so I was particularly careful to keep Pheebs away from it just in case.  Luckily I was able to get a few photos before it headed off into the woods.

AT FIRST I THOUGH PHEEBS WAS INTERESTED IN THE CANADA GOOSE BUT NO IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE

WHAT’S THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE??

SPOTTED THIS RACCOON BY THE POND’S WATER EDGE

NOT TOO SURE ABOUT PHEEBS ROCKY RACOON HEADS UP THE BANK

ROCKY & PHEEBS KEEP EYES ON EACH OTHER

 

AS PHEEBS & I CLEAR THE AREA ROCKY COMES BACK DOWN THE POND BANK

PHEEBS IS STILL KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT RASCALLY FELLOW

AND THAT RASCALLY FELLOW IS STILL KEEPING AN EYE ON PHEEBS

So when one is stuck in the house due to either too cold or too hot a weather what does one do??  Well don’t know about all the Ones in the world but Kelly bakes cookies & today it was Molasses cookies.  And what does Al do when stuck in the house??  He eats Molasses cookies that’s what.  I think I ate about 105 of them……:))

BAKING UP A BATCH OF MOLASSES COOKIES

OH & HANGING A FEW CURTAINS AS WELL

Years ago starting in about the early to mid 80’s somewhere I was a sweater guy during the winter right up to about the Spring of 2000.  Can’t remember how many sweaters I had but I had a lot of them & I wore them most ever day during cool & cold weather.  I was driving for ‘Airports Anywhere’/’Stratford Airporter’ for many of those years & I never liked wearing big bulky winter coats while in the driver’s seat.  Too restrictive & too hot in the vans.  Winter or Spring jackets were the norm for me with a nice warm sweater, shirt, & T-shirt underneath.  I remember an all white bulky one, a dark burgundy one & another lighter sweater with a pastel pink & gray diamond pattern to it.  Since packing in the Airports job back in the summer of 2000 I don’t think I ever wore a sweater again.  Still don’t & all those sweaters of mine from back then must have found their way to area Goodwill stores because I sure haven’t seen any of them for years & years:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of an enormous forest fire.  Smoke at the scene was too thick to get any good shots, so he frantically called his home office to hire a plane.  "It will be waiting for you at the airport!" he was assured by his editor. As soon as he got to the small, rural airport, sure enough, a plane was warming up near the runway.  He jumped in with his equipment and yelled,  "Let's go!   Let's go!"   The pilot swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air. "Fly over the north side of the fire,"   said the photographer,   "and make three or four low level passes."  "Why?"   asked the pilot."  Because I'm going to take pictures!   I'm a photographer,   and photographers take pictures!" said the photographer with great exasperation and impatience.  After a long pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"

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A Preacher was standing at the Pulpit giving his Sunday sermon, when a note was passed to him.  The only word written on the sheet was "FOOL".  Looking up at the Congregation,the preacher smiled and said  "I have heard of men who write letters and forget to sign their names, but this is the first time I have seen a man sign his name and forget to write the letter."