TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Monday, February 14, 2011

OUR DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY:((

MADE A CAMPFIRE RING THIS MORNING

Where else could I be outside at 8 a.m. in the morning with pajamas on filling bird feeders & not offend neighbors or attract the attention of the local constabulary. On a quiet peaceful Arizona ranch that’s where.

BACK DOOR – 2 CAR CARPORT – SHEDS

We are in such a quandary here because we love this dusty little ranch sooooo much. Of all the places we have looked at in the southwest this one spoke to us the most lovingly. We sent a couple emails to Glen, owner of the property today to see if we could open up some dialogue on the sale of his ranch.

THIS IS THE BRAND SYMBOL RICHARD WIEGAND USED FOR HIS CATTLE & HORSES HERE AT THE FLYING W

The logistics of us buying the ranch are huge. Not only the financial commitment but the fact I am Canadian really complicates things. Kelly has dual citizenship so that is a plus. What to do about medical coverage is a big one we have always wrestled with & never found a clear cut answer. What to do about our house in Bayfield? Would we live here in Arizona for the winter & return to the Bayfield area in the summer? With all the doom & gloom economy forecasts on the horizon is it better to just give up the Snowbird RV lifestyle & resign ourselves to stay in Canada? Those are but a few of the many, many, questions & decisions we have been agonizing over these past few days. We have been going back & forth, trying to decide on what the right decision is for us. Could we actually afford to buy this ranch? Yes we could…… if we sold our house back in Bayfield, but with the crumbling housing market in Canada it could take a very long time to sell our place. In the meantime I’m sure this Ranch will be long gone. Some days we just have to accept the reality of where we are in life.

MORNING WALK AT THE OTHER PROPERTY LAST WEEK

Someone had commented a few blogs ago wondering if we we were losing our wanderlust & could our travels be winding down if we were to locate here to Arizona. My answer to that is ‘no’ & here’s why. We love the Southwest but can only be here for approximately 5 months of the year. It is a loooooong & expensive drive to get here & back home again. (and I haven’t even mentioned gas prices yet) Because we can’t leave Canada until late October or early November we cannot go to places like Colorado, Utah, northern Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon etc because of the cold weather & snow. If we lived in Arizona we would be better located to see those places. We would no longer have to put in those long trips from the northeast to get here. We would already be here. We really don’t have any interest in living anywhere east of New Mexico & we do not want to ever have to spend another winter in Canada!!!!. It is the southwest where we want to be. We like California but it is just way too expensive for us there. Arizona or New Mexico are our two top choices with Arizona being number one. And this would have been so perfect for us here.

CHECKING ON THE FRONT YARD’S POND PUMP

With gas prices skyrocketing & especially in California, I am wondering why there has not been a backlash from consumers this time. Nothing on the news & I have not read anything in any RV blogs about high gas prices. Gas has gone up 30 cents a gallon in the past week here. California is over $4 a gallon & we know we will be in the $5 dollar range this summer & now we are hearing talk of $8 a gallon. Think it won’t happen? Well, it is already happening!! Most of of us know how expensive it is to fill up a Motor Home. How many peoples travel plans are already crumbling underneath them and they aren’t even aware of it yet. Where will a lot of us be next year at this time. Home I suspect:(( For many of us the RV hay day's may very well be over. I feel bad for the folks who are just on the verge of launching their RV dreams & what this is all going to mean to them. Why is there no backlash about the gas prices…..Am I in the dark about something here!!

HERE I AM TELLING JOKES TO THE DONKEY GANG….CAN YOU TELL BY THE LAST PICTURE THAT I TOLD THEM ONE OF MY BEST GROANERS:))

I must admit that at the time of tonight’s writing I have become very discouraged despite starting the day on a super high note:((

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Did you know that the shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room. A fine is a tax for doing wrong & a tax is a fine for doing well.

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

HAD MYSELF A TOTALLY GREAT DAY DOING YARD WORK:))

FRONT YARD AT THE FLYING W RANCH AS SEEN THROUGH OUR MOTOR HOME WINDOW THIS MORNING

I am going to really try & keep this blog short tonight simply because if I don’t I am going to fall face forward on the keyboard sound asleep.

BURNING PILES OF BRUSH IN THE SIDE YARD THIS MORNING

FRONT YARD VIEWS & BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS

I was out the door this morning about 9 & spent a big part of the day on the end of a rake burning piles & piles of bone dry tumbleweed. These dried shrubs are a bit of nasty business because of their tiny prickly stickers that get in your shoes & socks. Behind the house these densely packed Tumbleweeds stretch for as far as one can see. Ray tells me this stuff should be mowed & cut low during the Monsoon season to stop it from growing into the dry 3 foot high tumbleweed state. You can’t even walk through this stuff.

FOUND THIS OLD TUB, DRAGGED IT OUT & FILLED IT WITH WATER FOR THE DEER

Many concerned comments on the well being of Pancho, Sarah & Nellie. Next time over at the Ranch I will pass on all those nice comments when I’m talking to the Donkeys again. Laurie from, SEMI-TRUE TALES OF OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD sent a couple cute baby pictures of Nellie this morning. Laurie & Odel are friends of ranch owners Jeanie & Ray & did some ranch sitting back in 05. Thanks for the pics Laurie:))

WHAT A CUTIE THAT LITTLE NELLIE WAS IN 05:))

NELLIE & ODEL

Kelly & I feel so at home here at this location that we will definitely stay on for a bit. It is soooooo peaceful & is just the type of place we have always talked about we would like to have. And we sure have been talking about the Flying W Ranch these past few days.

WORKSHOP SHED ON LEFT & WATER PUMP HOUSE ON RIGHT

I am totally enjoying myself doing some actual physical work again & it is exactly what I have needed. I love a challenge & it feels so great to go to bed with good old tired muscles again. Haven’t had this much fun in years. Regardless of what finally shakes out here this week we will definitely leave at some point with a great feeling inside knowing the clean up improvements we have made to the property. We have a habit of doing that from time to time:))

LOTS OF ROOM FOR A WHOLE HERD OF CHICKENS HERE…THAT YELLOW STUFF IS THE NASTY TUMBLEWEED THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARED OUT EVERYWHERE

ROLLING AN OLD BURNING BARREL UP THE LANE THIS MORNING

Tomorrow I will continue working on the grounds & we will continue our discussions about…..the Flying W Ranch:))

TEST PHOTO OF TONIGHT’S MOON WITH THE 70-300 NIKOR LENS THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE NIKON D50 WHEN IT FELL….LENS IS STILL SHARP

SPOOKY EYES IN TONIGHT’S SUNSET OVER THE MULE MOUNTAINS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

----------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

--
THE BAYFIELD BUNCH
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

Saturday, February 12, 2011

THE DONKEY’S HAVE BEEN FOUND ALIVE & WELL:))))))))

Here is the email we received this morning from Jeanie & Ray….“The donkeys came home last night! Sheriff's car was at our gate around 9:30pm. Donkeys were heading south out of Elfrida down the middle of Central Hwy. The deputy herded them 3 miles to the hay place on central hwy and got them in a pen then came and got us. So glad to have them home, sure was a job getting them loaded. We are starting a trailer loading training TODAY. no more bad loading experiences for them or us. Thank you so much for all your support and help, we so appreciate you....
I'll let you know when we come by.”
Jeanie
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay:))

HEADER PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM ATOP THAT HIGHER ROCKY RIDGE ON EXTREME LEFT

Had a question about our header photo. Commenter Phil asks, “Al, I am intrigued by your new banner photo. How did you get that angle? A nearby tall mountain & telephoto lens? You seem to be too high for that, and the hike would have been a real struggle. A hang glider?” To answer that question I will refer you to my blog post on the day I took that photo…A COLD WINDY DAY IN THE AJO HIGHLANDS. Most of the photos in todays post are from that particular day I took the header photo.

THE WHITE DOT AT TOP CENTER IS A COUPLE FROM LONDON ONTARIO IN THEIR 5TH WHEEL…. WE FIRST MET THEM IN CANNONVILLE, UTAH A FEW MONTHS PREVIOUSLY. THEY ARE IN COSTA RICA THIS WINTER…ADVENTURES WITH MnM

IT WAS QUITE A HIKE TO THE TOP OF THE ROCKY RIDGE BUT BOTH CHECKERS & MOTORMOUSE CLIMBED RIGHT TO THE TOP WITH US…THE LITTLE MOUSE NEEDED A BIT OF HELP COMING DOWN…MAX STAYED IN THE MOTOR HOME RECOVERING FROM A SORE LEG.

THE FLYING W RANCH

Kept myself busy today raking up a lot of brush on the property. I enjoy that sort of thing so I was right in my element. My fourth hobby besides travel, blogging & photography happens to be landscape gardening, so with lawn rake in hand I enjoyed a fair few hours in the sunshine today just cleaning up a lot of dead scrub grass.

LOTS OF RAKING TODAY

Jeanie & Ray popped in this afternoon & we’re soooooooooooooo happy about getting their donkeys back. Took them until midnight Friday to get Pancho, Nellie & Sarah loaded in the trailer & taken home to their cozy corral with lots of hay & water. Jeanie said there were no signs of trauma to them but they were pretty quiet this morning. Sarah came over to Jeanie & rested her head up against her. Still a mystery as to what happened to them or where they were but when they were spotted they were walking down the road in the dark headed for the ranch about 2 miles away. The gate they got out of a few nights ago was a strong steel gate & it was definitely broke down by humans. It may never be known what happened but the main thing is, the donkeys are home now safe & sound:))

THE DONKEYS WERE WALKING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ROAD HEADING FOR HOME WHEN THEY WERE FOUND

We all sat in the front yard for awhile today with birds, birds, everywhere. And, we had 3 deer come to within about hundred feet of where we were quietly sitting. We sure fit in here & it is soooooo nice to be alone with nature all around.

I didn’t let myself get too upset Friday about my broken camera. I bought that Nikon D50 new about 5 years ago & took thousands upon thousands of trouble free photos with it. Never a problem with that camera. Considering the fact I use my cameras almost every day I am actually a little surprised I have not incurred more damage to my photo equipment. I don’t baby my equipment & these Nikons have proved very durable despite some fairly rugged handling at times.

So, what will I do now? Well, it’s already done. I was on the internet first thing this morning looking for the best deal on a Nikon D90 body. Found one & it is on it’s way:)) Because of the amount of dust I had on my D50’s sensor I had to basically retouch ever single photo I took with it, especially if there was a lot of sky visible. I will so enjoy not having to do that anymore. I do have dust on my D40’s sensors too but at least it’s not as bad as the D50 was. Dust is just a normal way of life out here in the southwest.

So, what is the scoop with the house & property here where we are staying. Well, lets just say Kelly & I did a lot of chin wagging & brain storming again today & I can tell you this…..we have postponed our area departure now for a few more days…..or maybe a little longer. Sunday I will continue my natural exercise program by continuing with the yard work. With 40 acres here at the Flying W it just might take me a couple extra days:))

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes a couple new blog followers today. Thanks for climbing aboard Donna K:)) TRAVELS IN THERAPY. Russ Krecklow rides in as Blog Follower 228 & big welcome to you as well Russ.