A TRIP TO LONDON & OUR KITCHEN COUNTER TOP IS DONE

Before shutting down the computer Tuesday night I had a weather warning flash up on the screen predicating severe thunderstorms for the Bayfield area. Slipped outside to make sure all vehicle windows were up & shed doors closed. Radar showed a storm front heading our way from Michigan & would roll through sometime in the night…...but it never happened. The storm split up going north & south of us sparing our little Cora from a traumatic night. She is sooooooo frightened of thunder.

We were finally able to get all our ducks in a row this morning & it was off to London’s Home Depot we went in search of a new indoor/outdoor carpet for our front porch. And, the little Mouse came with us too. We have been taking her more places now since the big guys are gone.

Whenever I have to head into a large city I treat it as a military action. Get in, get the job done & get out!! I was familiar with the area where Home Depot was located so we didn’t have any problems finding it. It’s been a long time since I have been in a big box store like that so I felt like Henry Hayseed as I walked along between the towering orange shelving units of endless merchandise. I’m sure people noticed the wide eyed gawking guy in aisle 36.

THE HOME DEPOT GUY IS WORKING THE BUTTONS TO GET THE FERRIS WHEEL OF CARPETS GOING 
A quick question to a red vested employee with a big smiling face quickly led us to the carpet department. Another fellow with a big smiling face was only to happy to show us the huge rolls of carpet on a revolving ferris wheel type contraption. He reminded me a of a midway Carney as he excitedly punched some buttons activating the big carpet rotisserie. Around & around they went, stopping long enough at our level for us to look at & feel the texture of any particular carpet. A bit of humming & hawing & finally a decision was made. Found it interesting to watch how easily the carpet was cut to the length we needed. My oh my how things have changed from the days I worked at both Simpson Sears & Eatons many, many years ago.
 

THIS IS THE BIG CARPET CUTTING MACHINE CUTTING OUR CARPET

IT'S ME,  HENRY HAYSEED GAZING & GAWKING AT ALL THE REALLY NEAT-O STUFF ON THE TOWERING SHELVES WHILE PUSHING THE NEW CARPET IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE SMILING CASHIER

Within minutes we were out of the store & had the carpet in the car. A quick stop at McDonald’s next door & we were making some fast burgs & fries tracks for the quiet countryside. Henry Hayseed was back in his element again:))
 

LITTLE CORA IS ANXIOUSLY AWAITING FOR MOM TO RETURN WITH THE SNACKS 
June is one of the best months of the entire year in this climate. The burnt looking heat ravaged dog days of summer have not yet begun & the long bland transition from leafless Winter through budding Spring is over.  All the trees are fully leafed out in their finest & freshest styles of the year.  Seemingly endless seas of waving emerald grass spreads along the roadsides out into fields & over the hills.  Shades of green everywhere as corn begins to sprout in a field here & soy beans in another field there.  Flowering Dogwoods & Sumac trees along the bush lines.  Dark greens, light greens, lime greens, we got em all here in Ontario.    June is the greenest month of the entire year & today had to have been one of the best weather days of all so far.  The humidity was gone & we had a nice breeze coming in off the lake.  El Perfecto:))

  
By the time we reached home, Wade, our plumber guy was busy installing our new kitchen counter top, sink & taps.   He also put a new set of taps on our bathroom sink as well.  Nice to finally have that job done & out of the way.

WADE THE PLUMBER GUY HAS THE NEW COUNTER TOP ON & WILL SOON CUT THE HOLE FOR A DOUBLE SINK 

Power washed the rig today including the roof.  I remember last year I never checked the roof until late summer & by then there was enough green stuff growing up there to give our Motorhome the appearance of a Chia Pet coming down the road.  I even insulted the Jeep by washing some mud off the tires.  Fancy that!!

 

POWER WASHING THE RIG'S DIRTY ROOF   

One Thanksgiving years ago when we lived in the old tumble down farm near Fullarton Ontario, 3 of Kelly’s kids came out for the day. Her oldest daughter Sabra brought along a small energized brown whirlygig of a dog that sort of had a cute bat face & liked chasing the barn cats. Max, our part Border Collie was about 6 years old at the time & got a kick out of this little dickens running around all over the place. A friend of Sabra’s had bought the dog as a pup but had soon tired of it & gave it to Sabra. This little dog’s name was Cora & over the next couple years Sabra tried to make a home for her, but with heavy work schedules & some house moves, things just weren’t working out. I always got a kick out of this little brown ball of fur whenever she came for a visit but never dreamed she would one day play such an important role in our lives.
   
One warm summer day about 7 years ago Sabra & Cora dropped in for a visit. When Sabra headed home later that day, she headed home alone. It was explained to me at the time that little Cora was going to stay with us for a week or so to give Sabra a break. It soon became apparent that Cora, who I quickly nicknamed Motormouse, was here to stay.

Technically, we are only supposed to have one dog here in the Park so felt we had to find a home for her because we already had Max. Well, as many of you know, animals have a way of warmly working their way into our hearts.  And so it was the case with us & thoughts of giving away this little Muffin Face quickly vanished. I bond very deeply with animals & this little dog with it’s pug face, slight overbite & big personality has become one of the best friends I have ever had.
   
Cora soon became the Big Boss around the house but little did she know that ‘Big Boss’ status would soon be challenged a short year later by a big black & white Border Collie dog by the name of……Checkers:))

Our little Motormouse is 13 now with no signs of slowing down & both Kelly & I feel our lives have been so enriched by having her here. She is such a little Sweety Pie & right now as I am writing this she is perched on my recliner right beside the laptop & ready at a moment’s notice for a big Motormouse snuggle:))

KELLY SNAPPED THIS PHOTO OF ME WRITING TONIGHT'S POST

GROANER'S CORNER:((  On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."  The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
So God saw it was good.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."  The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God, again saw it was good.

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."  The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed it was good.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."
But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
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stargeezerguy@gmail.com
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

HAD OURSELVES A HEAVY DUTY HUMID DAY

 

OUR FRONT YARD ORANGE AZALEA BUSH IS IN BLOOM NOW  

With the temperature already over the 70F at 6 a.m. this morning & humidity building we knew it was going to be a hot one....& it was.  I think we topped out today around 85 somewhere with lots of heavy humidity!!

<<< A YOUNG ROBIN COMES IN FOR A DIP IN OUR BIRD BATH

Didn't take me long to get outside & saddle up the Motorcycle.  No long underwear, bulky sweaters, snowmobile gloves, fleece lined boots or jackets this morning.  Nope, just get on er & go, short sleeves & all.  Now, that's how I love to ride a motorcycle!!

HAD MYSELF A COFFEE ON THE BEACH IN GRAND BEND THIS MORNING 

Our annual front yard Spring bird explosion is pretty much over for another season.  Don't know where they all go but by June the ranks have thinned out.  The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks have gone as well as the Nuthatches & some of the Gold Finches.  For some reason we had very few Purple Finches  this year.   Maybe they are all too busy right now raising their families & don't have time to be flying back & forth in front of Al's cameras.  The Baltimore Orioles still put in an occasional appearance as well as a male Cardinal.  A few Blue Jays & Grackles left but very few Black Capped Chickadee's.  The Mourning Doves are always here.

 

BLUE JAYS PICKING UP SOME FALLEN BIRD SEED  

Headed myself on down to have a talk with Ron at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE in Grand Bend regarding an ongoing shorting out problem with our Motorhome when we plug into shore power.  When it comes to Motorhomes, Ron is our 'go to' guy because he knows Motorhomes inside & out.  He showed me what he suspected the problem was & gave me a new 'dog bone adaptor' cord to try out.  We do have a dampness problem here in the Pine forest & he is suspecting that is what it is.  Ron's always a pleasure to talk with because he is one of those 'upbeat' guys & if your not feeling up when you get there, you will be feeling up when you leave.

RON KRAUTER FROM FOUR SEASON'S PERFORMANCE

Am totally enjoying my time whacking weeds with our new Black & Decker 18Volt battery powered weed whacker.  Has a lot more power than my old 'Yardworks' trimmer.  Them there weeds is sure taking a whacking here now!!

<<< MY NEW WHACKER OF WEEDS

Finally fired up the central A/C this afternoon & did it work?  Nope!!  But, after the usual foibles & fumbles we finally remembered to flick the A/C switch on in the fuse box & put the furnace cover back on the inside part of the unit.   We soon had it cold enough in here for a game of ice hockey in the hallway.

 

KELLY BROUGHT THIS RED TUBULAR BEGONIA HOME A FEW DAYS AGO & HUNG IT ON OUR FRONT PORCH

Had an email this morning from blog reader Jim K near Portal Arizona with an update on the Chiricahua Mountain fire.  Here's Jim's email....."Just in case you don't have this link already. It gives updates every few hours, also some good videos available in the sidebar. We had to evacuate from Portal the first night , could see the flames on the ridge line from behind the Portal store , since then lots of smoke and ash but NO casualties to people or structures.  It appears from information we have received that the fire personnel have turned the corner on this one and feel confident it is under control and expect to downsize the number of people actually fighting the fire. Your beloved valley on the other side looks to be safe from harm.  Our side of the mountains is safe also , if a bit scorched. The fire's reach was all the way from Rucker canyon to beyond Paradise . Talked to a fish and game fellow yesterday and he felt good about the wild game and bird life situation , but that remains to be seen until the migration returns.   Read your blog this morning , keep up the good work and stay dry, Jim."  FIRE MAP AREA..........  Thanks for the info Jim & from what I can tell by that fire map it looks like the fire did not destroy old Fort Rucker or the Mary Kidder Rak house & barn.

  

AUTHOR MARY KIDDER RAK'S HOUSE & BARN

   

A FEW HISTORIC BUILDINGS STILL STAND AT OLD FORT RUCKER.....WOULD HAVE BEEN A SHAME TO LOSE THESE  IN THE FIRE    

Looks like we have ourselves a couple new Followers this week.  Jim Melvin from JIMBO'S JOURNEY looks like he has himself a nice solar setup on top of his what I think is a Lazy Daze coach.  And 'Kenneth' wraps it up as our 284th Follower.  Welcome to both you guys & we thank you for your interest.

CHIPPY, ONE OF OUR RESIDENT CHIPMUNKS LIKES HANGING OUT  ON THE ROCKS AROUND OUR FROG POND 

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She
puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the
other sisters, 'Was I getting in or out of the
bath?' 
The 94-year-old yells back, 'I don't know.
I'll come up and see.' She starts up the stairs and pauses 'Was I going up the stairs or
down?

The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen
table having tea listening to her sisters; she shakes her head and says, 'I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.' She then yells,'I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door.'

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL:))

ARIZONA’S SULPHUR SPRINGS VALLEY KINDA GROWED ON US

SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE LAZY W RANCH NEAR ELFRIDA ARIZONA

A short sharp & intense storm thundered in off the lake Sunday night bringing with it a Tornado watch for areas about about an hour south of us.  Storm passed & all was well but we sure got a lot of rain in a short period of time.  Our eyes were on the radar weather map first thing this morning to see if we could make a quick run to London Ontario about an hour or so away between storm fronts & pick up a section of carpet for our porch.  If & when it will ever dry up enough for me to stain our front deck adjoining the porch is anybody’s guess.

RUCKER CANYON ROAD IN THE CHIRICAHUAS

Ray from my TUMBLEWEED PHOTO GROUP in Arizona sent me the following update on the Chiricahua Mountain fires.  “  It’s still going strong, less than 25% under control (how do you control a wild fire???). So far the fire fighters have saved Portal and Paradise. Latest estimates put the burned acreage at close to 60,000 acres. Today is typical: hot, very dry and (using weather bug) highest gust so far 46 mph. We can see the fire from home, mainly very thick smoke but at night we see the glow as the fire has topped the mountains and is trying to head for the Sulphur Springs Valley.”  Of course Ray’s email got me to thinking about the Sulphur Springs Valley again.

 

HIKING IN THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS

MULE MOUNTAINS ON THE VALLEY’S SOUTHWEST SIDE

All Full Timers know that at some point they will have to make the decision to come in off the road & re-establish a home base again.  But, where to do that.  As Kelly & I have Snow Birded back & forth to the Southwest from Ontario I have often thought of where to settle down & establish a home base if we did not have one here in Bayfield Ontario.  The easy part of that thought is knowing what section of the country we would prefer & for us that is the Southwest.   But, where in the Southwest?

THE TURKEY CREEK AREA AT THE BASE OF THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS ON THE VALLEY’S NORTHEAST SIDE

We have traveled around these past few years to a fair few locations & seen many things.  The thought is always in the back of my mind as we travel through different areas about whether I would want to live there or not.    Both Arizona & New Mexico would be high on the priority list.  Sometimes you just drive through a place & keep on going & other times something reaches out & tugs at your feelings .  And, so it has been with southeastern Arizona & the Sulphur Springs Valley.  We have spent more time here in the last 3 years than anywhere else in our travels & the area has kind of grown on us.  The valley was not exactly love at first site though.  It is a very dry valley & has fallen on hard times over the years & it took us awhile to make the mental switch from green lush summer Ontario to this valley of yellowed winter grass & small bare trees.   The hard times of the valley is reflected by some of the dusty little towns & tired looking ranches, but that only added to our interest & growing fondness for the valley.  It took us awhile to see & appreciate the beauty between the mountain ranges.  Once I traded in my baseball hat for a cowboy hat the valley began to feel like home to me.  I should also add that it was the late 1800’s history of the Sulphur Springs Valley & surrounding areas that intrigued me as well.  And, I should throw something else in here.  We have only ever seen the valley in the dry winter months & never when it has had it’s best foot forward during the greens of Spring & Summer.

SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS ON THE VALLEY’S CENTRAL EAST SIDE

The valley is sparsely populated in comparison to many other areas & traffic on the roads is light, if any sometimes.  There is a lot of history in Cochise County & that is still reflected in the way of life there.  Some ranches still look much they way they did back at the turn of the Century.  You will not find any four lane highways here loaded with 18 wheelers or on & off ramps although Interstate 10 does cut through the Valley’s northern edge from East to West.  In fact, the only traffic lights in the whole valley are in one city/town which happens to be Douglas at the southern end of Cochise County.  Wait a minute, I think Wilcox & Benson might have a light or two but that is about it.  You will not find swanky suburbs with gated communities & streets lined with Palm trees.  Nor will you find manicured Malls & rows upon rows of big box stores & fancy restaurants.  Nope, the Sulphur Springs Valley still remains with one foot in the past & the other foot on a lonesome dusty back road somewhere.  And, that is just the kind of place & pace that appeals to us.  Just the kind of place we could easily hang our hats & set a spell:))

EAST OF ELFRIDA IN ARIZONA’S COCHISE COUNTY

I will always remember the Lazy W Ranch we boon docked at for a few weeks this past winter & how it had such a large impact & pull on me while we were there.  If there was no border between these 2 countries & the price of the Ranch could have been negotiated we might still be there.  Last time I checked about a week ago the secluded 40 acre Ranch was still for sale.  Not a fancy place by any means but it’s small one floor adobe brick ranch house with big front porch looking across to the Swiss Helm Mountains had everything we would have called home.  A starry night sky from mountain top to mountain top with fiery sunrises every morning & fiery sunsets at the end of every day.  And lots of sunny days in between:))  We knew the Sister of the man who came to the west from New York City years ago & built the house by hand.  Yep, it was our kinda digs alright.  Just the kind of place where a feller could get himself good & dusty enough each day to make himself feel real darn good about where he was……………..10-4:))

  

AND THIS IS THE DUSTY LITTLE RANCH WE FELL IN LOVE WITH……THE LAZY W

No rain soaked weather fronts came through Bayfield today & as a matter of fact it turned out to be hot, humid & sunny with temps hitting the 80F mark.  I was too cheap to turn on the A/C so blasted myself with a big fan beside my chair.  Did we get to London…..Nope.  Kelly ended up with a heavy work schedule at Deer Park Lodge today & never made it home until mid afternoon. 

WE FOUND POSSIBLE EVIDENCE OF AN OLD INDIAN VILLAGE AT THE BASE OF THOSE GRANITE ROCKS ON THE RIGHT

Little Cora & I did make to the TSC store in Goderich this morning to buy a battery operated Black & Decker grass trimmer they had on sale though.  Couldn’t get my noisy fume belching gas lawn mower fired up a month ago so decided at that time to reduce our grass area again & just use my hand push mower.  Besides, with my new age thinking that, ‘quieter is better,’ a hand pusher & battery operated trimmer was much more to my liking.  I especially liked the idea that the Black & Decker grass trimmer battery charger will fit all other B&D re-chargeable tools too.  Do I have any other Black & Decker re-chargeable tools?  Nope!!  Am I ever likely to get some?  Probably not, but I liked the concept:))

DRAGOON MOUNTAINS ON THE VALLEY’S NORTHWEST SIDE

If tonight’s blog looks a little different it’s because I’m using our Win 7 laptop with Live Writer’s latest version.  Usually I do the blog on Win XP with Live Writer’s older version while home for the summer.

SUNSET OVER THE MULE MOUNTAINS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  ‘Ode To Arizona’…..author unknown

The Devil wanted a place on earth.
Sort of a summer home:
A place to spend his vacation
Whenever he wanted to roam.
So he picked out Arizona.
A place both wretched and rough.
Here the climate was to his liking
And the cowboys were hardened and tough.

He dried up the streams in the canyons
and ordered no rain to fall:
He dried up the lakes in the valleys,
Then baked and scorched it all.
Then over his barren desert
He transplanted shrubs from Hell.
The cactus, thistle and prickly pear --
The climate suited them well.

Now, the home was much to his liking.
But animal life, he had none:
So he created crawling creatures
That all mankind would shun.
First he made the rattlesnake.
With its forked poisonous tongue:
Taught it to strike and rattle
And how to swallow its young.

Then he made Scorpions and Lizards
And the ugly old Horned Toad.
He placed spiders of every description
Under rocks by the side of the road.
Then he ordered the sun to shine hotter.
Hotter and hotter still.
Until even the cactus wilted
And the old Horned Toad looked ill.

Then he gazed on his earthly kingdom.
As any creator would:
He chuckled a little up his sleeve
And admitted that it was good.

'Twas summer now and Satan lay
By a prickly pear to rest.
The sweat rolled off his wearthy brow.
So he took off his coat and vest.
"By Golly," he finally panted
"I did my job too well.
I'm going back where I came from
Arizona is hotter than Hell!"

--------------------------------------------------------------EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.