FACEBOOK USERS: DID YOU KNOW…WE DIDN’T:((

GODERICH HARBOR TUESDAY MORNING

Kelly is much more a Facebook person than I am & on Wednesday she read something on Facebook that neither one of us knew about.  Did you know that in your 'Messages' folder there is another part to it called 'Filtered Messages'.  Filtered messages are messages someone can send you that is not on your 'friends' list & here is the problem with that as we understand it.  When a message comes in from someone on your friends list a red dot appears to let you know you have a new message.  If a message comes in from someone not on your friends list a red dot does not appear so you have no idea someone has sent you a message.  Both Kelly & I have just found messages in our ‘Messages’ section that have been sent to us over the past number of years & we had no idea they were even there.  Can you imagine how bad we feel about that right now.  Readers messaging us with questions, long ago friends dropping by to say hello, some requests, some advice, suggestions, well wishes, etc.  A message from a friend saying their dog had died, we never knew.  A lady requesting my permission for her to use some of my photos for abstract painting, I never knew.  Samuels Hotel/Restaurant in Saltford just north of Goderich nearly 2 years ago requesting permission to use my Hullett-Marsh Blue Heron atop a stump photo for a fund raising project.  Never knew about that & would have been happy to have them use that photo.  A fellow RV'er wondering about boondocking sites around Congress just a month ago or so.  Did not see that message and it just goes on & on.  Both Kelly & I feel this is very poor on Facebook's part not to have some kind of notification for users regarding messages coming in from people who may not be on their 'friends list'.  To check your 'filtered messages' go to your 'Messages' button top right & click that.  Next look for the faint words 'Message Requests' & click that.  Now click on 'See filtered requests.'  Like us you may be surprised at how many messages are there that you never knew about.  My apologies to all you folks who sent us messages over the past years that we never even knew about....................:((

THIS IS MY BLUE HERON ON A STUMP I WAS REFERRING TO

My main reason for driving to Goderich a couple days ago was to pick up a big bag of birdseed at the TSC store.  This morning Pheebs & I went back to Goderich to get the big bag of birdseed at TSC that I had totally forgot to get by the time I got to Goderich last Tuesday morning.  Welcome to my aging lifestyle:((

A COLD & DAMP OVERCAST THURSDAY MORNING ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH

Now here’s a little something I haven’t quite been able to figure out.  On the birdseed bag the weight always remains the same yet every year those big bags of birdseed get heavier & heavier.  Too embarrassed to ask the one armed elderly lady cashier in a wheel chair with a patch over one eye to carry it out for me I struggled & weaved across the parking lot like a drunken sailor under the weight of several kegs of demon rum.  Ok, Ok, so the lady wasn’t elderly or in a wheelchair & actually did have possession of both her arms & eyes but I was still too embarrassed to ask the young girl to carry the big bag of birdseed out for me…………….

THIS MOURNING DOVE HAS IT’S FEATHERS FLUFFED UP AGAINST THE DAMP COLD

OK GUYS LET’S ALL GET ALONG NOW

A swing through McDonalds up the street netted us a coffee & muffin before taking ourselves for a drive down around Goderich’s south harbor.  The Amstelborg was gone & in it’s place tied up alongside the grain elevators was the Capt. Henry Jackman.  Just a few hundred yards astern & faced in the opposite direction floated the Radcliffe R Latimer taking on a big load of salt at the Sifto Salt Mine.  Two large freighters were still tied up on the north side of the harbor & I think that is the most freighters I’ve ever seen in the harbor at one time.

COAST GUARD VESSEL ‘CAPE DISCOVERY’ ON A TRAINING EXERCISE IN THE HARBOR MOUTH

At the dog walking area along the beach I stood on Lake Huron’s shoreline thinking to myself of the huge contrast to what we normally see in the South-west each winter.  No big lakes looking like oceans in the mountains & deserts of Arizona or New Mexico except of course if one made it over to western California & the Pacific Ocean it’s very self. (which we haven’t yet)  Again with cold winds whipping in across the water Pheebs & I were soon back into the warm Jeep headed for home.  Also noticed driving by where the Inukshuks once stood even the tilted wooden cross I took a picture of a few days ago was gone.  Maybe I just missed it……………

A FEW LAST NORTH HARBOR PHOTOS FROM TUESDAY MORNING

SHIP’S ANCHOR

ANCHOR CHAIN SHADOW IN THE SNOW

A HEAVY ANCHOR LYING ON THE DOCK >>>>>>>>>>>>

Now it’s very unusual for Kelly & I to visit with people but we did walk over to our good friends Gayle & Richards place this afternoon.  It has been years since the 4 of us have sat down for coffee despite them being 2 of our best friends.  I have known Gayle & Richard for over 40 years.  They, like us, are very private people & not into visiting either so like them we are very respectful of each others privacy.  You may remember it is Richard & I who occasionally get together for our country road coffee tours through the summer months & as soon as area roads dry up we’ll be out dusting up our tires again.

A FEW LAST PHOTOS WHICH DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO LAST SUNDAYS POST

WE HAVE SEEN MANY GREAT THEATRE PRODUCTIONS HERE AT THE ‘HURON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE’ OVER THE YEARS JUST OUTSIDE OF GRAND BEND ONTARIO

SIGNS OF SPRING ARE SLOW COMING THIS YEAR

MAPLE SYRUP BUCKETS TAPPED INTO A BIG OLD MAPLE TREE

WE WERE SURE SURPRISED BY ALL THE NEW WIND TURBINES WHICH HAD SEEMINGLY EXPLODED OUT OF THE GROUND NORTH OF GRAND BEND OVER THE WINTER

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ:))

No rain today but with all the moisture in the ground & temps around the freezing mark we had us real cold & damp overcast day.  A lot of snow has been knocked down by Wednesdays rain but I think we have another icy weather front moving our way bringing more wintery weather & as I write this tonight it is snowing again.

THINK I’LL JUST MAKE MY 2016 NEST RIGHT HERE IN ALL THIS NICE WHITE FLUFFY STUFF

GROANER’S  CORNER:(( Smith goes to see his supervisor in the front office.  "Boss," he says, "we're doing some heavy house-cleaning at home tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff."  "We're short-handed, Smith,"   the boss replies. "I can't give you the day off."  "Thanks,   boss,"   says Smith,   "I knew I could count on you!"

THINK I’LL HAVE MYSELF A WADDLE OVER & ‘AWWW GEEZZZZZ IT’S EMPTY’

A FEW MORE PICS FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF GODERICH HARBOR TUESDAY MORNING

Sorry for opening with the weather topic again folks but for us right now in this area weather seems to be the main event.  Woke up to more new snow on the ground which had me out re-shoveling my pathways.  Snow continued on & off for most of the morning then quit altogether by afternoon as temperatures came up.  Rain began shortly after 3.  Snow eating rain is good.

THIS ROAD LEADS TO THE BIG SIFTO SALT MINE AHEAD

WONDER WHAT SHIP BUILDERS OF YEARS GONE BY WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT INTENTIONALLY PUTTING BIG HOLES IN THE SIDES OF SHIPS

Biggest challenge today was to find something useful to do & I did find a challenge in cleaning up & re-arranging my bedroom which of course I never use anymore because I sleep in my living room recliner now.  Anyway moving some stuff around seemed to help me feel I was doing something constructive so I did manage to get about half a bite of feeling good for awhile.

A FEW MORE TUESDAY MORNING ICE PHOTOS

Rest of my day alternated back & forth between reading, watching TV, & banging around on the computer.  With no sunshine forecast until a week from today I may be forced to pull a rabbit out of my hat as far as getting myself motivated. 

A COLLECTION OF TUG BOATS IN THE HARBOR

I’M THINKING THIS FISHING BOAT IS IN DIRE NEED OF A NEW PAINT JOB

A STERN VIEW OF THE AMSTELBORG LOADING CORN FOR IRELAND

YOU MAY NOTICE THE GOOSE IN THIS PHOTO BUT DID YOU SEE THE 2 GOOSES IN THE VERY FIRST PHOTO AT THE TOP OF THIS POST…..YES I KNOW I SAID ‘GOOSES’:))

Oh how I wished I was a handy person because there are some interior renovations we would really like to do, but……  I think we have pretty much finally decided to concentrate our efforts on our house here at the 5 Seasons Estates instead of looking for a house & property in the country like we have been doing for the past 4 or 5 years.  House prices & properties in this area are over the Moon & realistically way beyond our reach.  I might just think about re-doing our front yard this summer.  Now that is something I can do:))

THESE ARE THE LAST OF MY LAKE HURON ICE PHOTOS ALONG THE SHORELINE JUST SOUTH OF ‘THE COVE’ IN GODERICH

At the time of posting tonight it is still raining.  Watching the 6 o’clock weather report the people in the know are now saying this cold wet snowy weather is probably going to last for the next couple weeks with still no warm up in site.  In fact it’s likely we’ll wake up to snow flurries in the morning again.  I gotta go find me a rabbit!!

HEY, WONDER IF THERE’S ANY COFFEE LEFT IN THAT TIM HORTONS CUP

THINK I’LL JUST HAVE ME A WADDLE OVER & HAVE MYSELF A LOOK

AWWW GEEZZZZZ IT’S EMPTY

DAMMIT NOW I AM DEPRESSED ABOUT ALL THIS SNOW!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A new business was opening and one of the owner's friends wanted to send him flowers for the occasion.   They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card,....   "Rest in Peace."  The owner was angry and called the florist to complain.  After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was,   the florist replied,  "Sir, I'm really sorry for the mistake,   but rather than getting angry, you should try to imagine this: somewhere, there is a funeral taking place today and they have flowers with a note saying,...'Congratulations on your new location!'   "