THINKING BACK, THINKING AHEAD, AND THINKING WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN DAY IT WAS:))

NOTICE THE HORSE AND CART HEADING OUT THE LANE AT EXTREME RIGHT

Stepping outside into the refreshingly cool pre-dawn air with Pheebs this morning I was quick to check the overhead night sky.  Stars are what I was hoping to see through the pine trees and it was stars I indeed did see.  I knew right away Pheebs and I would be off somewhere this morning and a short 3 hours later we were cruising through the countryside on an absolutely beautiful September morn.  Big white puffy clouds with a cooling breeze in a deep blue sky.  Oh how I love these much healthier Autumn mornings.

FAMILY TIME ON A PEACEFUL SUNDAY MORNING

I HAVE NO IDEA AT TO WHAT KIND OF DUCKS THOSE ARE

I THINK THAT LITTLE FELLER IS DANCING HIMSELF A JIG ON THAT LOG

YEP THESE HERE ARE CANADA GEESE ALRIGHT

Not a long Jeep drive today but we did make a few stops along the way at a few of our favorite spots.  Wished I could put into words the feelings of wellness I experience whenever surrounded by Mother Natures wonders.  We are so fortunate to live in the area we do. 

FOR ME PURPLE IS AUTUMNS FINEST COLOR

SAW THIS YOUNG FELLA JUST A ‘SNORTIN’ DOWN THE ROAD ON HIS OLD FARMALL TRACTOR TOWING A BIG MANURE SPREADER

HE HAD THAT TRACTOR JUST A COOKIN AND IT SOUNDED LIKE A HARLEY GOING BY

While walking past the Jeep one morning earlier this week I caught my own reflection in the side window and stopped to take a photo.  A few days later I got myself to thinking about that photo and figured maybe it was about high time I updated my profile picture on several programs and sites I belong to.  The current photo of me with the sunglasses on my big 229 gallon cowboy hat was actually cropped from a photo taken by Kelly in Quartzsite Arizona back in late January of 2015.  We were at Bloggerfest’s first ever gathering and I was standing arm in arm with Judy Bell better known as ‘The Birdlady of Blogland.  Judy has since hung up her fulltime RV keys, taken a break from blogging and is currently living in the Escapee Club’s Jojoba Hills RV Park Resort in southern California……..Oh ya back to my profile picture……..While passing the rear of the Jeep this morning I again caught my reflection in the window.  A-ha I thought, here is my chance to finally take a crack at a new photo and below is what I came up with.  Now to get my sites changed over……………….

NOT TECHNICALLY PERFECT BUT I LIKE IT BECAUSE MY FACE IS COVERED UP FOR A CHANGE AND HEY, NO BIG GOBY GOOB SUNGLASSES:))

OH DAD REALLY!?!?

Our good friend, neighbor, and all round ace handyman Bruce finished up a little project in our Motorhome today.  As in other rigs we’ve had we wanted a curtain bar put in behind the driver and passenger seats and I knew to have this job done right and look professional I was not the one to do it.  A curtain behind the front seats serves several purposes.  First is convenience in that at night instead of pulling the two halves of the windshield curtains together which can be a bit of a PITA sometimes it is much easier to pull a curtain across a straight bar behind the seats.  Also on cold nights that big up front windshield and side windows can radiate a lot of cold inside the coach.  A curtain not only cuts down on that cold but also is a big help in keeping heat confined to where we enjoy it the most.  The curtain is in two parts and can easily be pulled to either side and secured while traveling.  Curtains can also be pulled closed while driving as well although I haven’t thought of why we might do that yet.  Nice to have the option though.  I also re-strung our Cactus/Cowboy lights this afternoon as well.  Yesireee we’re buzzing about excitingly getting things geared up alright:)) 

BRUCE EXPLAINS A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE NEW CURTAIN BAR

 

KELLY TRIES OUT A SET OF ‘TEST CURTAINS’

MOST EVERYTHING YOU SEE HERE IS NOW LOADED INTO THE RIG WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT BLUE BIN AND HEAVY YELLOW 50 AMP POWER CORD

From a writing & photography stand point I’ll sure be glad to be on the road next month.  New things to write about & new things to take photos of.  Sunrises & sunsets again as we make our way along old familiar roadways and venture into new unfamiliar territories.  It's a time of excitement, a time of apprehension, a time of happy moments and a time of concern.  Some days as I sit here wrapped safely in the reassuring secure arms of my of my big old comfy recliner my mind wanders off into the weeds thinking, ‘wouldn’t it just be much easier to stay home, less stress, keep the daily routines intact, stay on track, & don’t do anything drastic to shake up my daily routines.  Heaven forbid we should ever shake up normal routines eh.  And wouldn’t it be much, much, easier on the pocket book as well.  Well the answer’s yes to all of those things & more which I’m sure dissuade many a dreamer to forever remain at home.   All solid reasons I’m thinking why many folks would never consider an RV lifestyle whether it be as Week-Enders, Snow Birds, or Full-Timers.

LOOKS LIKE A BEAN FARM TO ME

I sometimes wonder where we would be had we not come into several fortunate financial windfalls 10 years ago.  When I posed that question to Kelly awhile back she said she figured we would still have found a way to get ourselves into an RV and on the road and I am inclined to agree with her because that is the direction we were agreeably headed after we met back in the summer of 93.  We were both very independent people looking for some kind of change, a challenge, a different lifestyle.  RVing was a perfect fit for us.  I’m guessing chances are we would have become Full-Timers working our way around the U.S. and Canada doing ranch sitting, property security type jobs etc.  We maybe would have even given camp hosting a try except I don’t think either one of us could have put up with that hosting thing for very long.  Fortunately for us we did not have to go that route.

NOTICE THE WHITE DOTS ON THE HILLSIDE…….SHEEP

I AM FAMILIAR WITH THIS PARTICULAR SHEEP HERD AND KNOW IT HAS SEVERAL GUADIAN DOGS WITH IT……ALTHOUGH I HEARD ONE OF THE DOGS BARKING AT ME I COULDN’T PICK IT OUT AMONGST THE SHEEP BECAUSE IT IS THE SAME COLOR THEY ARE

Looking back over the past 10 RVing years I’m happy to say we have no regrets for most of the decisions we have made.  Oh there were a couple RV’s in there a few years ago we could have done without but other than that I’m happy we decided to take a chance on the RV lifestyle in the first place & follow our dreams.  Can’t even begin to imagine where we would be now had we not tweaked our adventurous spirits back then.  We are very thankful for the years of seasonal travel we have put in & I’m hoping we have many more years ahead of us.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An Alphabetic Take On Life::

a.. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
b.. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.
c.. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
d.. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
e.. A closed mouth gathers no feet.
f.. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
g.. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
h.. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
i.. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
j.. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
k.. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
l.. Always yield to temptation, because it may not pass your way again.
m.. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
n.. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
o.. Eat well, stay fit--die anyway.
p.. No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
q.. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
r.. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
s.. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
t.. Junk is something you throw away three weeks before you need it.
u.. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
v.. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
w.. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
x.. Thou shalt not weigh more than the refrigerator.
y.. I believe the only time the world beats a path to my door is when I'm in the bathroom.
z.. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

--------------------

And how's this for an answering machine message done to the song"Camptown Races":
I can't come to the telephone; doo-dah, doo-dah.
Leave your message when you hear the tone; oh, de doo-dah day.
Might be gone all night... Might be gone all day...
So leave a message when you hear the tone.
I'll call you back someday...

IT WAS 4:07 THIS AFTERNOON WHEN I ‘FINALLY’ HEARD WHAT IT WAS I WAS WAITING TO HEAR:))

A SEAGULL FLYING PAST AN OLD LAKE FREIGHTER IN THE GODERICH HARBOR
Rains came in the pre-dawn hours and continued for much of the morning putting a damper on most outside activities for awhile.  Not wanting to sit in the house doing nothing I compromised with myself and headed for our carport.  Outside but still inside with something to do out of the rain.  I figured it was a good opportunity to continue organizing things that will go South with us this winter.  Lots of little decisions to be made while pre-thinking what we will need and use and what we will not.  I have music in the carport & that often makes my decision making process run a little smoother.  And besides, rainy days are always great for getting things done that are routinely passed over on sunny days.  Don’t know if your still reading ED but one of the CD’s I enjoyed listening to this morning was by W.D. “Arizona” Kennedy.  ‘The Whole Enchilada’  Now that takes me back to Elfrida AZ for sure:))

NORTHERN FLICKER
Still no sign of the Blogger-Word Press problem being resolved.  Bob a Word Press Blogger left this Link which could possibly have something to do with it.  He also wrote, “Word Press did a big security update about the day that happened, so they must have changed something”.  I counted well over a dozen current fellow Bloggers who’s sites have been dumped into the basement of our sidebar and until the problem is fixed those sites are not able to update themselves on my sidebar:((

TWO OF GRAND BEND’S 5 WEB CAMS SHOW STORMY SKIES OUT OVER LAKE HURON AT NOON TODAY…….PHOTO COURTESEY OF THE GRAND BEND YACHT CLUB

NOW HERE’S A SIGN SUMMER IS OVER……IT’S SATURDAY AND THERE IS HARDLY ANYBODY ON THE GRAND BEND BEACH…..GRAND BEND BEACH CAMS Weather-wise our day actually turned out pretty nice after morning rains dissipated.  The welcome change in temperature has finally brought us cooler air, nice afternoon winds and an encouraging string of sun splashes for a short while.  Not only do I have my arms, legs and eyes crossed but I have my fingers crossed as well in hopes we have this time seen the absolute final end to our summer’s heat and humidity.  A FEW PHOTOS LEFT OVER FROM FRIDAY MORNING’S JEEP DRIVE…..THIS FIELD IS ACTUALLY RIGHT IN THE HULLETT MARSH 
SIMPLY ONE BIG ROUND STRAW BALE

I CALL THIS ONE AN ‘OOPSY’ BALE

EVEN MANAGED TO SLIP THE ‘SHADOW COWBOY’ INTO THIS ONE

I’M THINKING THESE COMBINES HAVE JUST FINISHED HARVESTING A FIELD OF BEANS

It was 4:07 p.m. this afternoon when I at last got the word:))  It came quite unexpectedly but no matter it was the question I had been patiently waiting for.  I was tipped back in my recliner with my laptop working on tonight's post when Kelly, a calendar in hand walked over and with these words asked, "which Saturday in October will we leave"??  Well that was all it took and within about 20 seconds we had nailed down next months departure date as Tuesday October 18th.  Now definitely for sure that is worth two big "YAHOUIE LOUIES":))  How nice to once again feel that sense of travel excitement officially revving up for the start of another winter travel season.  Our first stop will be Spencerport New York to visit Kelly's Mother.  We will then leave early Saturday morning October 22nd for Sarasota Florida to visit my Aunt Jean.  From Florida we will head straight for Arizona.   The route from Spencerport to Sarasota and then to Congress Arizona has yet to be determined but know for sure I have already dusted off my Rand McNally Atlas:))  I LOVE AUTUMN’S DEEP NOSTALGIC COLORS
GROANER’S CORNER:(( When Beethoven passed away, he was buried in a churchyard. A couple days later, the town drunk was walking through the cemetery and heard some strange noise coming from the area where Beethoven was buried.Terrified, the drunk ran and got the priest to come and listen to it.The priest bent close to the grave and heard some faint,unrecognizable music coming from the grave. Frightened, the priest ran and got the town magistrate. When the magistrate arrived, he bent his ear to the grave, listened for a moment, and said, "Ah, yes, that's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony,being played backwards." He listened a while longer, and said, "There's the Eighth Symphony,and it's backwards, too. Most puzzling." So the magistrate kept listening; "There's the Seventh... the Sixth... the Fifth..." Suddenly the realization of what was happening dawned on the magistrate; he stood up and announced to the crowd that had gathered in the cemetery, "My fellow citizens, there's nothing to worry about.It's just Beethoven decomposing."
---------------------
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Ozzie!
Ozzie who?
Ozzie you later!

COOL AUTUMN MORNINGS AND MY BEST PAL PHEEBS

These cool early Autumn mornings with their glistening heavy dew spread over the land are in my opinion just the best of mornings that mornings can be.  Foliage at it's thickest, colors quickly reaching their finest hues for the entire year.  Crickets fill the Autumn air with song and the air itself has an ethereal feel to it as the Earth slowly rotates North bending the Sun's cooler rays even lower across all horizons.  From now to mid October there hangs in the air a nostalgic magic, a calming of the Spirit, a feeling of well being and a sense of passive apprehension for the coming winter months ahead.  It is the soothing calm before the storm and the sighing of relief after a long hot summer.

HEADING OUT OF OUR FORESTED PARK INTO A COOL BRIGHT CLEAR SUNNY MORNING

CAN YOU FIND THE SPIDER??

‘A-HAAAA’ HERE’S THE LITTLE FELLER NOW

EARLY AUTUMN MORNINGS ARE THE BEST TIME FOR FINDING SPIDER WEBS

Pheebs and I spent a little time in the Hullett Marsh surrounded by a sense of peaceful serenity.  When we go there it is like we are in a large cocoon or protective bubble insulated from the trappings of the outside human filled world.  No traffic sounds, no people noise, no conversations, no pressure or stress, no timetables, no nonsense.  As temporary as it all is it is always my absolute best time of day each and every time Pheebs and I go there.  We are so fortunate to have a calming wildlife area only 20 minutes from our house.  Little did I imagine way back in the late 80's when I first stumbled upon the Hullett Marsh while living in Stratford that one day I would actually be living so close to it. And I never could have dreamed how much pleasure this Marsh would one day hold in store for me and my best Pal Pheebs:))

COOL AUTUMN MORNINGS ARE JUST THE BEST OF EVER

And let me a take a minute to tell you about why I like traveling around with my best Pal.  We never have a disagreement and she's always happy with wherever we go whenever.  She never criticizes me, holds a grudge, loses patience or gets mad at me.  No matter what I talk to her about she always listens and never has an opposing or conflicting opinion.   My schedule is her schedule and her time is my time.  We interact so well together we can predict each other's moods, modes and moves.  With a few words and even just a look I can wag her tail and without a word and just a look of her own she can melt my heart.  She never tells me where to go and never loses patience no matter how many times I stop to take a photo of something.  Pheebs never complains or gets mad about anything and she always wants to be close to wherever I am and never wants to go home until I do.  If I could happen to find even the tiniest fraction of my dog's ways in myself I can't even begin to imagine how happy and content that would make me feel inside.   Whoever coined the phrase, 'man's best friend' has to be the wisest being in the entire Universe.  You can have your religions and you can have your views but give me my dog and I will give you my shoes………..

MY BEST PAL PHEEBS:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( We’ve begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet, so we bought a dog. It’s cheaper, and you get more feet.

How is a dog and a marine biologist alike? One wags a tail and the other tags a whale.

A Canadian psychologist is selling a video that teaches you how to test your dog’s IQ. Here’s how it works: If you spend $12.99 for the video, your dog is smarter than you.

Why did the dog walk into the bar? He was looking for the man who shot his paw.

I spend three minutes every day choosing a TV channel to leave on for my dog. Then I go to work, and people take me seriously as an adult.

What do you call a cold dog sitting on a bunny rabbit? A chili dog on a bun.