ICY WINDS, A FEW SNOWFLAKES & SOME SUNSHINE

WE DIDN'T GET TOO FAR ON OUR ICY COLD MORNING WALK...EVEN THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE IS HOLDING UP ONE PAW BECAUSE SHE'S COLD 

Despite being a couple week’s into Spring we had an icy winter’s wind cut our walk short this morning.  Heavily laden clouds dropped a wee bit of snow on us before clearing skies finally prevailed in the afternoon.  Low on groceries, we headed for the town of Goderich to do a little grocery shopping & banking.  Always like to check once & awhile to see if our $50 is still locked safely away in our life saving’s account:))

Still patiently waiting for this snow load to melt so I can get my lawn rake revved up & utility trailer in operation.  Other years I would have already been out for my first motorcycle ride of the season already.  Not too many complaints though because once it starts to warm up & flowers begin to pop we have a very nice area going on for us here in & around Bayfield Ontario beside Lake Huron.
 
Sure am enjoying my long hot daily showers once again now that we are home.  Wide screen TV & constantly surrounded by ambient music once again 24/7.  My cushy recliner has welcomed me with open arms & my double bed has lots of room for the Motormouse to snuggle in & stretch out every night.  Max loves being back on his favorite couch & our back yard is more easily accessible for the guys than the steep Motor Home steps.  As much as we love our travels in the Motor Home there is much to be said about having a home to come home to for awhile:))

Noticed in the grocery store this morning that prices seem to have gone up since the last time we shopped for groceries last October.  I switched from regular whole wheat bread to whole wheat flat Tortillas bread about 3 years ago & was disappointed to find the company has reduced the circumference of their Tortillas.  Being away for 5 months I noticed the size change instantly.  No reduction in price though.  Guess they have adopted Tim Horton’s strategy of the incredible shrinking coffee cup.  When we picked up our first Tim Horton’s coffee in Forrest Ontario last week after being away I could have sworn the cups had undergone another downsizing.  They have us all hooked on their great coffee…..and they know it!!

Had hoped our free Microsoft Streets & Trips package might have been here by the time we got home but no sign of it yet.  Kelly did send Joani J an email yesterday but no return email this time so we’ll see if anything ever does show up.

SAW THIS IN A EXERCISE FITNESS STORE WINDOW THIS MORNING IN GODERICH....THINK I JUST MIGHT GO IN THERE & GET ME SOME OF THAT STUFF  
Said to Kelly a couple days ago, “guess it’s about time I get my hair cut” to which she answered, “what for, it looks fine.”  So l guess the hair stays for awhile longer.  Boy I sure understand what ‘bad hair days’ means now.  Only other time I had it this long was back in the sixties & most of that era is pretty much lost in the fogs of time now.

Checking in with my old TUMBLEWEED PHOTO GROUP back in Elfrida Arizona this morning I see Ray had a post entitled ‘Out Of Focus’ which deals with ‘depth of field.’  Probably not a familiar topic with most new age digital camera buffs in this ‘auto everything’ age but nonetheless it is one of the basic & required technical understandings of photography.  Ray’s article did prompt me to leave a comment on the site that went something like this….Aw yes, depth of field & f-stops.  Almost a lost art since the advent of auto focus.  Takes me back to the old 35mm days & having to work hard at getting a photo just right.  With all the new technologies & smart cameras these days, plus digital photography & easier to use photo editing programs, we have a tendency to set the cameras on full 'Auto' & click away.  Far less technical things to think about these days & to some extent that can be a good thing for a lot of folks.  If you are satisfied with your 'full auto' results (and I was for years) then that's all that matters.  If you want to add an extra pinch of satisfaction & quality to your photos I suggest you get a little friendlier with your camera manual & see what you really can creatively do with your photography using some of your manual settings.  Or, click on KEN ROCKWELL'S site, find your camera & see what Ken has to say about it & how to better use your camera.  I did & it is working for me, especially when I look back a short few years ago at my photos from then compared to now.  Still a long way to go but I enjoy the hobby & I enjoy the challenge:))

Thanks to reader Larry for pointing out the two duplicate photos in my Monday post.  I have since corrected that.  And we welcome our 258th blog supporter, Tricia.  Thanks for your interest in the Bayfield Bunch Tricia:))

And Mike had the hammer down pretty heavy Monday heading north for Montana over there at TIN TEEPEE/LOG CABIN.  Am assuming by Monday night Mike & Janna were probably home stoking up a big fire in the fireplace with their feet up & a big smile on Mike’s face.

We crossed the new bridge span just south of the Hoover Dam about a week & a half ago but were disappointed in the fact we did not get a good view of the bridge itself or what's below while crossing it.  IVAN, who is boon docked in the area at the moment took the time to slip down below the span & get some photos showing it’s immense size.  His photos also show the low water level of Lake Mead right at the Hoover Dam.
  
In regards to last night’s Groaners Corner….. If you drive by a Jiffy Lube & see have a dozen women sitting in the waiting room with one guy in the corner reading a National Geographic magazine with a smile on his face & clean fingernails…….that guy will be me.  None of that grease Monkey stuff for this guy.

ALMOST BACK TO OUR WARM TOASTY HOUSE 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline:::
If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.
If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are depressed, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.
If you are delusional and occasionally hallucinate, please be aware that the thing you are holding on the side of your head is alive and about to bite off your ear.
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
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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.

TAPPING OUR TOES WITH THE 'GOLDEN OLDIES:))'

TAPPING OUR TOES TODAY TO THE 'ROCKING OLDIES' (ALL OF TODAY'S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH MY CANON POINT & SHOOT)

Well, it’s Monday morning & the start of a new week.  Raining but a bit milder at 45F.  Time to pick up the routines of where we left off last November.  First order of business was to head off to the town of Mitchell to visit my Uncle Harry.  He’s doing well & will be turning 95 next month.

UNCLE HARRY & KELLY GROOVING TO THE TUNES

While in Harry’s room the loudspeaker announced the 'Rocking Oldies,' a Senior’s Band from Ingersoll Ontario was playing in the entertainment room at 2 p.m.  Harry expressed an interest in hearing them so off we went.

THIS FELLOW DID A GREAT JOB ON HENRY MANCINI'S 'MOON RIVER'

Being a musically oriented person I always enjoy live music.  I am always amazed how a number of people each possessing talented instrumental skills can come together to create harmonious sounds.  I like to watch each of the musicians & see how they play their instruments & I listen for the sounds of those individual instruments as well.  Also listen to voices & try to pick out the harmonies & tones.     

THESE LADIES DID FINE ON SOME HARMONIES

The folks in today’s group were all Seniors & as I watched the drummer I wondered about his past & what groups he may have played in years ago.  What was his story, who was he as a young man.  Another older fellow did a bang up job on his harmonica playing Henry Mancini’s ‘Moon River.’  They finished up their gig today with a rousing rendition of Hank William’s, ‘I Saw The Light.’  Keep in mind these people were Senior Citizens & never took a break in the whole hour they played.  Good stuff you guys.......Seniors rock:))

NOT EXACTLY TORONTO'S BIG CNE STADIUM.......BUT WE CAN PRETEND CAN'T WE:))

While Kelly, Harry & I sat in the front row I couldn’t help but think back to the days when Kelly I hit a few other live bands in the early 90’s.  We would would drive into Toronto’s east end & hop a ‘Go Train’ to downtown Toronto heading for the old CNE Stadium.  We rock & rolled to the likes of Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles & Neil Young in that Stadium.  Another time we drove downtown to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens & boogied the night away to ZZ Top & George Thorogood.    I was reminded of those days as we watched the Senior’s group this afternoon & I saw the parallels.  Was that Don Henley on those drums, was that Keith Richards on guitar at the far end & was that Neil Young we saw playing harmonica so well.  Maybe eh:))

We visited with Harry for awhile after the concert & then it was time to go.  We had to drop off our Income Tax forms in a small town on the way back so off we went in the pouring rain.  The ownership for our Jeep had gone missing so we had to stop into a license bureau & get that all straightened out as well.  Following that we made our way home to find happy barking dogs & wagging tails waiting for us at the door.  Turned the television on just in time to hear the weatherman telling us to expect snow tomorrow!!!!

By the look of this morning’s weather across the mid west I’m glad we made it home last week with relatively good driving conditions.  Only fly in the ointment was a bit of rain & hail in Arkansas.  Speaking of hail it looks like RETIRED ROD got clobbered pretty good last night in Kansas City.  He will be out checking for damage to his vehicles plus Motor Home this morning.  JOHN & JUDY are somewhere on I-40 well east of Tucumcari New Mexico eventually heading home with what looks like some nasty weather ahead of them.  Odel from SEMI TRUE TALES went in for knee surgery this morning in Tucson but hopes to be on his feet shortly running with Forrest Gump.  JERRY nearly had to go in through his rig’s passenger side window when he locked the keys in the Motor Home while JEAN & SKIP have been keeping an eye on the HORNBY ISLAND EAGLES via a web cam feed.  And it looks like Doug over at LIVING OUR DREAM probably spent a frustrating 5 hours in a Sierra Vista garage waiting for a diagnosis on their truck problem....which never came!!

I think it was Russ over at TRAVELS IN THERAPY who asked awhile back about the night sky in our area as compared to the Southwest.  Arizona is known to have some of the darkest skies in the U.S. & especially the southeast area where we have been spending some time in the winter.  It is so great at night to see zillions of stars stretching from horizon to horizon.  It’s just too bad those nights are so darn cold during the winter in Arizona.  I have to say that our Bayfield area also has a very dark night sky for viewing stars but unfortunately we live in a pine forest with a very limited view of the sky.  It has certainly curtailed my nightly stargazing since moving to our present location nearly 8 years ago.  Also looks like my nightly walks with Max over the years have come to an end as well.  He just can’t walk too far anymore:((  I have always tried to encourage Checkers to come out but she has never liked the dark.

And a FINAL word on the Saturday 'Pulled Post' thing.  Received a second comment from one of the 'Anonymous' commenter's this morning which I had at first planned on responding to here in the blog but have since changed my mind on that.  I will be handling any further personal affronts on my character differently than I have been.  I will no longer publish rude or sarcastic comments which I have done a few times in the past & I will no longer make any mention of negative comments or use them as subject matter in my posts.  Nor will I stoop to the level of becoming involved in a flame war here in Blog Land with either 'Anonymous' commenter's or a fellow blogger.  For all I know maybe they are one & the same.  I have read all the comments & emails reader's have sent in the past few days & am taking everyone's advice on this matter.  I may be a bit of an old dog but I'm not that old that I can't learn a few new tricks......Thanks folks, I have heard what you all have said:))

GROANER'S CORNER:)) 

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR OIL

Women:

1. Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 since the last oil change.
2. Drink a cup of coffee.
3. 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.

Men:
1. Go to O'Reilly auto parts and write a check for 50 dollars for oil, filter, oil lift (AKA kitty litter), hand cleaner and scented tree.
2. Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O'Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.
3. Open a beer and drink it.
4. Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5. Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7. Place drain pan under engine.
8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9. Give up and use crescent wrench.
10. Unscrew drain plug.
11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil; get hot oil on you in process.
12. Clean up.
13. Have another beer while oil is draining.
14. Look for oil filter wrench.
15. Give up; poke oil filter with Phillips screwdriver and twist it off.
16. Beer.
17. Buddy shows up; finish case with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.
18. Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.
19. Throw oil lift (AKA kitty litter) on oil spilled during step 18.
20. Beer. No, drank it all yesterday.
21. Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22. Install new oil filter making sure to apply thin coat of clean oil to gasket first.
23. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24. Remember drain plug from step 11.
25. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26. Hurry to replace drain plug before the whole quart of fresh oil drains onto floor.
27. Slip with wrench and bang knuckles on frame.
28. Bang head on floor board in reaction.
29. Begin cussing fit.
30. Throw wrench.
31. Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss December(1992) in the left boob.
32. Clean up; apply Band-Aid to knuckle & scotch tape to Miss Decembers boob.
33. Beer.
34. Beer.
35. Dump in additional 4 quarts of oil.
36. Beer.
37. Lower car from jack stands.
38. Accidentally crush one of the jack stands.
39. Move car back to apply more oil lift (AKA kitty litter) to fresh oil spilled during step 23.
40. Drive car.

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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/
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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.

EXPLAINING THE DECISION TO PULL SATURDAY'S BLOG POST

IT HAS BEEN A COLD, DAMP, GRAY DAY HERE COMPLETE WITH RAIN & SNOW

Well, it turned out to be a rather non productive day.  Got me the usual case of post travel blues.  Always hits me a few days after getting home from the Southwest every year.  Kind of a headachy lethargic state of dis-interest is probably the best way to describe it.  I’m needing a good dose of Spring Tonic.  Sunshine & warm weather!!

 
HAVE DECIDED TO USE SATURDAY'S PHOTOS AGAIN BECAUSE SOME MAY HAVE NOT SEEN THEM......ON MY WAY TO  LAKE HURON TO CATCH A SUNSET.  WE LIVE ABOUT 3 MINUTES FROM THE LAKE:))

We are under gray sky’s, a few degrees above freezing & very damp.  Right now just after supper it is snowing & by the looks of the weather map we may have some thunderstorms inbound across the lake.  I am anxious to get at all the yard work but the piles of snow are taking their sweet time melting.

   

DEER PARK LODGE WHERE KELLY WORKS FOR THE SUMMER

A preliminary walk around our small piece of property tells me it was a very tough winter.  Broken tree limbs, shrubs bent double to the ground, one small cedar tree snapped in half & another young pine with it’s top broke off.  The freezing temps have damaged some new cedar trees I had planted last year as well.  Going to be a very big clean up this Spring but I don’t mind that part.  Just good to have something physically productive to do.

OLD SOL

Figure I owe folks an explanation as to why I pulled Saturday’s blog.  It had to do with a subject that was touched upon in another blog regarding decisions many people face when deciding to chose a full or part time RV lifestyle.  It had to deal with whether to be away from family for varying periods of time.  Children & Grandchildren seemed to be of prime concern.  I wrote a post on my opinions on that subject being careful to emphasize it was only my point of view.  I went to some length with background history to explain where I was coming from with my thoughts.  I knew while writing it I was on thin ice because it was a sensitive topic that I really knew very little about, except for how I felt about it.  Just as I stay away from topics like Politics, Religion & Sports I should have stayed away from the topic of Parents & Grand Parenting as well.

 

CAN YOU SEE THE OLD SCHNAUZER DOG BEGINNING HIS JOURNEY ACROSS THE SUN 

 

First few ‘anonymous’ comments I saw this morning regarding my Saturday post were very scathing & because I had doubted my own post in the first place I felt right away that I had made a mistake in posting it.  I felt my post had missed it’s intended understanding by a country mile.   So, before upsetting any more people I made a quick decision & took the post down, comments & all.   Wrote a second post with a short explanation & then turned off the computer to ponder why I had written the Saturday post in the first place.

What happened next surprised me to say the least.  Kelly came into the living room where I was crumpled into my recliner early this afternoon & asked, “have you read the comments on the last post you wrote?”  About that point my heart sank into my shoes because I figured some more personally negative comments had poured in & I was already feeling bad enough without needing to feel any worse.  Took me awhile but I finally did get up enough courage to venture over to the computer & delicately clicked on the first comment, then another & another.

Can’t tell you enough how all those incoming comments picked up my spirits as I began to realize that my Saturday post was indeed understood after all by the majority of readers & not as misunderstood as the first 'anonymous' comments coming in this morning suggested.  Had I over reacted again.  Judging from the latest comments I would now have to say that I did.

Some folks are able to let things slide on by or roll off their backs.  Great if you are able to do that but I have never been one of those people.  I always take everything to heart.  Always have, it's just the way I am.  Not the easiest road to go down but it is the road my personality walks. 

 
I sincerely thank everyone for their support, reassurance & understanding. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((   The Indians asked their Chief in autumn if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing an answer, the chief replies that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood & be prepared.

Being a good leader, he then went to the next phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter to be cold?"

The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed."

So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes", the man replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

So the Chief goes back to his people and orders them to go and find every scrap of wood they can find. Two weeks later he calls the National Weather Service again: "Are you absolutely sure that the
winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replies, "the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"

--------------------------------------------------------------
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.