HAD TO GET MYSELF RESCUED OFF OUR OWN ROOF TODAY

NO IDEA WHAT TONIGHT'S FLOWERS ARE BECAUSE WE HAVE A BUNCH OF FLOWERING SHRUBS & WILDFLOWERS THAT I CAN'T IDENTIFY 

It’s true, I got myself up onto our carport roof this morning but couldn’t get myself down again. We have a Mulberry tree behind our carport & Kelly noticed the branches were stretching over & rubbing against our carport roof. Only way to trim those branches back was to get up on the roof with a saw & clippers. Climbing up ladders leaning against a building has never been a favorite thing for me to do & I have avoided doing that for a long time now. As I stood & looked up at the roof edge I figured because it wasn’t very high I could probably handle it although the whole idea was against my better judgment. Went up the ladder with my clippers & bow saw just fine & made the transition onto the roof. It’s transitioning off the roof that is always the tough part.
 

WE ALWAYS HAVE A GENEROUS HELPING OF WILD MUSHROOMS GROWING AROUND OUR PLACE 
It’s a steel roof we have on the carport so there was no problem for my running shoe traction, or so I thought. Trimmed up some branches & moved closer to the edge to get another branch when I made the mistake of stepping on a clump of pine needles. That was the instant end of any traction I had & my feet went out from under me & the clippers flew out of my hand & over the edge of the roof.

THIS PHOTO SHOWS THE STEEL ROOF ON OUR HOUSE WITH THE PESKY PINE NEEDLES & WHAT LOOKS LIKE DUST IS ACTUALLY A FINE SLIPPERY PINE POLLEN 

I was on my back now slowly sliding down the roof towards the edge. I was able to brace my feet on some of the large headed roofing screws & stopped myself. Carefully pushed back up the roof & away from the pine needles & roof's edge. Made it to my feet again OK but the experience had unnerved me. When it came time to climb down off the roof a few minutes later I just did not feel comfortable transitioning from the roof to the ladder. Made a couple attempts but I was too nervous about it & afraid of falling. Not likely a fatal fall but definitely an ‘ouchy’ fall that could end up with a broken arm or leg. So, there I was, stuck on my own carport roof.  And not even a peanut butter sandwich in my pocket for later either because I gave up eating peanut butter last week......again!!
AWWWW NUTS!!  NOW WHAT DO I DO!! 
The Motor Home was only a few feet away & had it been 50 years ago I might have been able to jump onto it’s roof. Walked back to the other end of the carport & considered climbing down the Mulberry tree, but once again, maybe 50 years ago that might have worked. It was about this time that I noticed our Park’s maintenance man, Ron go by on his ‘skid-steer’ machine. He had a big bucket on the front & I knew he could extend that up in the air so without further ado I called to Kelly who happened to be home on a rare day off.  I asked her to go get Ron & have him come back with his machine. Well, minutes later Ron came rolling into our driveway with a big smile on his face. Kelly, also with the same big smile on her face had already grabbed a camera. Yes, I felt a little foolish alright but better that than feeling the pain of a broken arm.

IT'S RON & HIS BIG YELLOW MACHINE TO MY RESCUE 
Ron raised the front end loader up as high & close as he could & I didn’t waste anytime making the short hop into the security of that big solid steel bucket. Glad to get down & get my feet back on the ground again 10-4!!  I will not ever be doing that ladder thing again….not ever, not never. I am through with shaky ladders & roof transitions!!
  

THANKS RON:))
GYPSY just traded in her big Ford dually pick up truck on a nice little Toyota Highlander. Getting used to a different set of wheels is always a challenge & especially in this newer age of techno wizmo’s & gizmos. Very easy to get one into a state of muddle for sure.
  
A lot of folks have more than one computer in the house these days. Lots of people are also on sites like EBay, Craigslist & Amazon. Always lots of wheeling & dealing going on. I wonder what the chances are of two people in the same household, using the same EBay account at the same time could unknowingly bid against each other.......on the same item!! Well, guess what, it happened to one of our fellow bloggers who many of us know. Check out KAREN'S POST & scroll down to the words….”Oh, speaking of Father’s Day.”

Hank & Herald, our Park’s two handymen, came today & installed the new carpet on our porch. Along with my staining of the deck a week ago this completes our front porch & deck project for the summer. It was Hank & Herald who built the carport that I was stuck on earlier today too. Sure was glad Ron got me down off the roof before those guys showed up to do the porch carpet. I could have undergone a rather grueling razing for being stuck up there on the roof of our own carport.

 

HAROLD & HANK INSTALLING OUR FRONT PORCH CARPET TODAY 
Another fellow blogger noticed something in my post’s photo of our little Motormouse a couple days ago. Thought it was a good piece of awareness that John from THROUGH GATES OF GRACE sent me in an email & figure it might be helpful to other GPS owners. John, in part wrote: “While looking at your photo this morning of "Little Motormouse" sitting on the passenger seat in your motor home, I believe I might have seen your GPS in the basket on the floor. We kept ours in our vehicles for some years without ever having a problem. During our travels this past winter season, our GPS (Doctor Zaius) up and died. When I investigated further by reading on line and talking to the smart guys at Best Buy, I was told that the number 1 reason GPS units go to the happy hunting ground early is due to heat in vehicles. Sometimes the death is quick but more often it happens over time.”

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The police were going door to door warning everyone to evacuate because the river was rising. One door they came to, the man said "GOD will save me". The river continued to rise and he was forced to move everything to the second floor of his house. A man in a boat came by and offered to save him. Again he said "GOD will save me". Pretty soon the second story was flooded and he was forced to get on the roof of his house. A helicopter came by and tried to save him and yet again he said "GOD will save me". It wasn't long before the house was completely covered and the man died and went to heaven. He confronted God with "Why didn't you save me, GOD?" And God said " I sent you the police, a boat and a helicopter. Why did you stay in the house?"
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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.

MAPS CAN HOLD MANY GREAT MEMORIES

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN AT THE ARCH'S....... MOAB UTAH 

Thought I would have a look at the map this morning & see what neck of the woods MIKE & PAT McFALL were hanging their hats in the past few days. I knew they were in South Dakota somewhere west of the Badlands but wasn't sure where.

SOMETIMES IT'S JUST TO ROCKY FOR LITTLE DOGGY PAWS 

Geography, as well as history were always a couple of my favorite high school subjects & I still enjoy pouring over maps looking at roads, towns & routes. Whether it be paper maps, State Atlas’s, Google Earth, MapQuest or Microsoft’s Streets & Trips, I enjoy using them all. It happened to be Streets & Trips I looked at this morning to find Mike’s location.  And, I did find the little town of Custer.

PHOTO TAKEN FROM DOWNTOWN SEDONA ,ARIZONA
For me, looking at maps is like listening to old music. Each song brings back it’s own set of memories, just as a map's towns & highways bring back recollections of dates, places & thoughts of great traveling days gone by. Toledo, Cinncinatti & Interstate 75 bring memories of a few trips to Florida beginning in the summer of 64. The trans Canada highway from Halifax to Vancouver with countless towns & happenings in between can keep me glued to a map for many miles & smiles as well.

RIFLE FALLS, COLORADO
Each Province & State I have traveled holds a treasure trove of memories for me. From State Parks, historic sites, scenic overlooks, busy cities with their chaotic traffic patterns to dusty little Texas towns with boarded up main street store fronts. Georgia swamps, downtown Washington DC, the great Canadian Prairies, Miami Beach, Tucson, Vancouver Island’s Victoria harbor & a little speck of a place in northwest Ontario near the Manitoba border called Oxdrift. So many great travels, so many great memories & a few great people along the way.

NEAR MOAB, UTAH 

It didn’t take long for my time in Map Land this morning to get myself all wound up thinking about the upcoming winter & our southwest travels.  In fact, my enthusiasm bubbled over so much that I even managed to broach the subject to Kelly of, "when do you think we can get out of here this year?" 

A QUIET SPOT NEAR ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA 

Date of departure is important because that determines just where we can head for right off the bat when we leave here.  A November departure means we have to get as far south as fast as we can to avoid any ice, snow & freezing cold temperatures.  An early to mid October departure means we could head straight west for the southwest corner of Colorado & hopefully get there before the snow does.  It is an area I have been wanting to see for a long time now.  A September departure (highly unlikely) could mean the same route but with a bunch of great stops along the way.  The South Dakota Badlands come to mind.  I have been through that neighborhood before (Mt. Rushmore) but not the Badlands.

BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA 

I did manage to get a verbal October departure out of Kelly this morning but nothing official yet.  With 4+ months to go, any number of things can still happen between now & then.  Just the fact of sitting down with a road map up on the screen was good enough for me today.  Looking at that map knowing we might be heading for an area we have never been before is a great part of the excitement for me.  And, in my world, that is what the RV lifestyle is all about.  Traveling & staying on the move searching out new horizons, new adventures & new memories:))

NEAR AJO, ARIZONA 

GROANER'S CORNER:((     A police officer had just pulled a car over. When he walked up to the car a man rolled down the window and said, "what's the problem officer?" To which the policeman responded, "I stopped you for running that red light behind you." Just then the man's wife leaned forward from the driver's seat and said with a very loud voice, "I told him to stop at that light. But did he listen? No. He just kept right on going."
The man then turned to his wife and yelled "Shut up will ya!" The policeman continued, "And just before the light I clocked you doing 50 m.p.h. and the speed limit is only 30." His wife then leaned forward again and squawked "I told him to slow down. But did he listen to me. No! He never listens to me."
And again the man shouted at his wife "Listen Agnes, I told you to SHUT UP!"
The policeman then looked at the woman and said "does he always talk to you this way?"
To which the woman responded, "Only when he has been drinking."

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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.

ADDING FUEL, PROPANE & WATER TO THE RIG......JUST IN CASE

One of the advantages of being an RV Snow Bird is not only having a cozy permanent home while not traveling but also having one’s mobile home close at hand. We are fortunate enough to have ours right here at home in it’s own driveway. With all the unpredictable weather miseries these past number of months, having an alternative water & power source is always reassuring.
 

GOOD THING WE HAVE ENOUGH ROOM HERE AT HOME FOR THIS BIG MONSTER!! 

Little Cora & I hopped into the Motor Home this morning & headed off on the 20 minute drive to Goderich. Topped up the propane tank, added a hundred dollars worth of gas to the fuel tank, picked up some fuses, split a McDonald’s Fajita & grabbed a head of Romaine lettuce at Food Basics for my YUMMY MORNING SHAKES.  Also added some water to the rig’s fresh water tank when we got home so we’re good to go in case of any unforeseen weather emergencies or power outages.

I LIKE TO PICK UP FUEL & PROPANE HERE BECAUSE THERE IS LOTS OF ROOM TO MANEUVER AROUND PLUS THERE IS A MALL AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARKING LOT FOR GROCERIES ETC.  HIGHWAY 21 IN THE SOUTH END OF GODERICH ONTARIO

 

OUR LITTLE MOTORMOUSE YODA  KEEPS AN EYE ON ME WHEN I'M DRIVING 
Had someone inquire if things were alright after missing a post on Friday. (thanks Judy) Yes, we’re hanging in there. There are always hills & valleys & some of the valleys have just been a little deeper & a little longer than usual these past couple months.

How pleased I was a few days ago when I thought I’d try my blog's ‘Search Bar’ again, & it worked. With that little problem cleared up everything appears to be working fine despite all the recent Google problems. I’m a bit surprised that not a lot of other Bloggers have received the new Blogger Dashboard site yet.

Kelly & I went to Mitchell Saturday morning to visit my Uncle Harry who is experiencing some painful discomfort in his lower back. He is still doing pretty good for 95.

Noticed we have a new blog Follower today so welcome aboard Jana & thank you for your interest in the Bunch:))

Returning home a couple days ago I heard a man’s voice in our living room as I came up the steps to our front porch. I knew Kelly was at work so quickly came in the door to see what was going on. Our ambient music was quietly playing through the stereo but a man’s voice in the corner of the room was coming out of the right hand speaker. He was saying something about an unknown spacecraft having landed in a swamp somewhere. I knew the man’s voice had nothing to do with the familiar piece of music on the stereo so stood there for a few seconds trying to make some sense out of what I was hearing. Felt like I had stepped into the Twilight Zone.

The man’s voice was clear & measured, & hadn’t I heard this voice before somewhere? And then, he mentioned about the unknown alien craft landing in a place called, Grover's Mill. I recognized that name right away & at that point realized what was happening & what I was hearing. I few days ago I had been listening to some music on my IPod/Bose combination while outside doing some painting. Later placed the IPod & Bose on top of my right hand speaker column thinking I had turned the IPod off. Apparently I hadn’t.

What I heard when I came into the house was Orson Well’s, ‘War Of The Worlds’ broadcast from October 30th, 1938. I had recorded that show one time years ago & it is in my music library. That is what was playing when I came into the house but the mystery for me, is this. After the IPod being silent with it’s dark dial for a couple days, how & why did the IPod seem to turn itself on & select War Of The Worlds to play. I do understand I may not have turned it off properly but it had been silent for over a day & a half………. until I returned home Friday afternoon to hear it playing. Strange happenings again but I am sure there is a logical explanation somewhere.
 

GROANER’S CORNER:((
American Rocket Scientist: We put a man on the moon in 1969.

Russian Rocket Scientist: Big deal! We're going to send a team to the Sun.

American Scientist: You're mad! They'll be burned up before they even get close.

Russian Scientist: We're not that stupid! We're sending them up at night!

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