SOME MEMORY PROBLEMS ALONG WITH A FEW PLANKABLE THOUGHTS:))

ALL OF TONIGHT'S PHOTOS ARE FROM BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK HIGH ATOP THE CLIFFS OVERLOOKING LAKE HURON

A big thanks to LAURIE & TEXAS YELLOW ROSE for both reminding me about the editing feature in Live Writer.  I have actually been using this feature ever since beginning with Live Writer several years ago & it has been my main editing tool.  However, because I hadn't used it for awhile my mind's memory recall department failed to retrieve the stored memory bite I needed, when I needed it & I headed off to Blogger's editing program!!  Soon as I read Laurie's first words about Live Writer I instantly remembered.  Duh!!

Some folks may have noticed that I have briefly touched on this before in some of my posts but I am experiencing some increasingly frustrating times with my memory.  Yes, I know, we all do but I'm thinking this is a bit more than that now.  These past few months have been particularly challenging, especially right here at the keyboard.  I was never a real tech smart kinda guy but I was able to learn & figure out my way around a computer not to bad, considering.  My logic based problem solving patterns were in place & I was always keen to learn new things, & did.   But, I noticed a change in all that starting maybe a couple years ago.  I became increasingly frustrated because that I could not seem to sometimes understand the tasks in front of me.  Could not quickly retrieve info from my memory banks as needed.  My memories 'instant recall' feature seemed to be malfunctioning. 

 

Fast forward to now where I am experiencing 'blank spots' which I am particularly noticing as I am working on the blog.  I will go to a site for an address link & then sit there for maybe 10 or 20 seconds trying to remember what I was there for.  I may go to Google in search of a word meaning & two seconds later I am looking at Google trying to remember the word I had come there to find.  It used to happen every once in a long while but is now happening more frequently  Very frustrating to say the least.  If I am out in the garden & decide I need the shovel I may head for the shed to get one but by the time I get there I can't remember what it was I was looking for.  That's fine if it is just once & awhile, but it isn't just once & awhile anymore.  Just figured I would throw this in here right now in case the blog comes to a sudden end somewhere down the line because I can't remember where the heck my computer is one of these days!!  

Have you ever met a Plank person, maybe two, or maybe a whole group of Planks.  Don't know what a Plank person is or what they do?  Don't feel alone, I didn't either.  Stands to reason though that a Plank person would have something to do with Planking.  More than one Plank person may include a whole herd of Plankers out Planking somewhere.  To Plank or to be Planked....this is the question that must be answered.  Well, fortunately right here within our very own RV Blogging ranks we just happen to have a couple Plankers.  They are older Plankers but definitely new to Planking so without further ado lets skip on over to Donna's TRAVELS IN THERAPY & get the whole lowdown on just what the heck this Planking stuff is all about anyway....but wait, I'm not done with Planking yet.

For some of us out here Planking is not something new.  Back in the bad old drinking days we didn't call passing out, 'Planking'.  Some of us just simply crashed into the dirt & stayed there.  Sometimes it was face down in a parking lot while other times it could be face up on sidewalk or a floor.  A crumpled sideways Plank could happen anywhere at anytime & last for hours.  I once Planked out face down in an onion patch.  That was not a good Plank!!  Oh, & there's more............

Having already been to Donna's site & read about Planking I am thinking I am maybe more of a Plunker.  You know, like Plunking one's self down in a a big cushy recliner.  If I am really super tired my Plunk may take on the stumbling looks of a more serious tumble into the chair known as a Ker-Plunk, but not to be confused with a Ker-Plonk which is an entirely different thing of course.  Ok, ok, ok, I am going to Plink myself right out of here.  Remember though, don't ge..........oh, never mind!!

It was with interest I read JERRY'S number 3 & 4 items in his post today.  Number 3 deals with something called, The 7 Links Challenge.  I, like many others, received this as well but have decided I just don't have the interest, energy or time it would take to dig through a bunch of posts for submission.   I'm not a contest kind of guy anyway & it's rare for me to go back & stir up any dust from my older posts.  This 7 Links Challenge has been suggested as a good way to attract attention to one's blog but for me now, I find the priorities from my earlier blogging days are changing.   

However, number 4 looks like something that would be much more up my alley.  Interesting concept indeed.  With the countless thousands of photos I have here, this could be a pleasant challenge.  I like the concept of no words, just a photo.  If I were to do something like this I would probably do it a little different now than I would have a few years ago.  I would probably not enable either the 'Comment' or the 'Followers' section.  Just a simple photo left to stand on it's own for folks to enjoy if & when they happened to drop by:))

 The other popular thing going around right now of course is the new Google+ social network craze.  Undoubtedly a great thing for many folks who like to hang out, socialize & chit chat, but after thinking about it for a couple weeks I have to be honest with myself & accept the fact I just really don't have the interest in any of that.  Thanks to all the folks who have sent me 'Circle' invitations.  I accepted them all of course but please don't wait up for me, Ok:))

I have some thoughts up my sleeve regarding photography & hope to have them in the blog very shortly. And, of course I will continue my Astronomy wanderings as well.  I just don't like to repeat same topics night after night after night so will try to mix up the Photography & Astronomy posts.

Note to ED....thanks for your comment today which cleared things up.  Appreciate that my friend:))

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Motivation is a wonderful thing....when it's working.   Read somewhere that it is sometimes thought of as, 'the need to have a reason behind our actions to achieve our goals.'   Motivation can be an elusive & slippery thing.  Here one day, gone the next.  It is the force that drives those high powered engines of the successfully inclined younger generation.  Oh, it's still here in the older generation as well but I would hardly call the engine high powered anymore by comparison.  I'm sure some will claim to be motivated 24/7 while others may be a little more practical with their feelings & expectations & understand the coming & going part.  I love it when motivation taps me on the shoulder & says, "come on Al, lets take the old head for a spin around the block."  Love those days.  Those are creative days filled with fine thoughts & good feelings.  Good days indeed:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))  A few Aviation thoughts:

From an old aircraft carrier sailor we hear,  "There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky."  And did you know that with all the "Progress in airline flying it is now possible for a flight attendant to get a pilot pregnant."

From a jet pilot we hear, "Yay though I fly through the Valley of Death I shall fear no evil for I am at 80,000 feet and climbing."  From that same pilot we may also hear, "When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, I always have enough power left to get me to the scene of the crash."  If that same pilot were to make it back to base after his harrowing flight he might also say, "You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."   10-4!!
---------------------------------------------------------------
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.

ME & THE KID TOOK THE RIG FOR A SPIN

THIS WAS ME BEFORE I MET PRINCESS KELLY BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 93

Sure was nice to open the patio door this morning & feel some slightly cooler air for a change.  Felt so good in fact that it energized me enough to clean all the interior mirrors in the Motor Home.  Cleaned the inside windshield as well.  With that done, me & the furry Kid strapped on the rig & headed out for our monthly country cruise to shake out a few summer cobwebs here & there.  Always a nice way to keep myself in touch with my travel feelings.

With the heat being the way it has been lately I sure have been appreciating our cool little abode here in Bayfield.  Even I have noticed my absence of grumbling lately.  I think another thing that has helped is knowing we are past the half way point before heading out again in mid October.  Every little bit helps:))

  

SNACKING & RELAXING IN THE 5VER BACK IN OCTOBER OF 06 

I'm sure not doing well in keeping my posts shorter.  Had to cut a couple topics from Thursday night's already way too long post so have included them below in tonight's post.  In removing one of those two topics it seems I made a little blooper which Kelly caught this morning but I have since been unable to correct because of 'Google post editing problem I am now experiencing . 

I had answered a reader's photo question but when deciding to move that topic to tonight's blog I removed my answer forgetting to take out the reader's question.  That happened because I had decided to split the topic into 2 paragraphs in order get away from running too many paragraphs together. Of course I then forgot to remove the first paragraph!!  This blooper did have a positive side though because I was able to add some additional info to it this morning.  

So, with apologies to Hobopals here goes again......  "Hobopals asks.... "I have a Nikon D40. I really don't know what lens I have on it--it takes pretty good pictures. If you were to recommend one good all around lens for travel (and you could only have one), which would it be?"  Al says....  Can't honestly give you a recommendation for that simply because I am not familiar with the lenses available but I am sure there are some great lenses out there that would fit the 'best for travel' idea.  I carry two cameras with two separate lenses covering the field from 18mm to 300mm & figure that is the general range you would be interested in. 

Fellow RV Blogger FRED WISHNIE emailed me this morning saying he has a Tamron 18-270mm lens which has not been off off his camera since he got it.  Back in the old 35mm days my camera's were Pentax's & all 3 of my lenses were Tamron.  Here is an excellent no nonsense photo info site that I like & think you may find very helpful....KEN ROCKWELL 

Received this comment from commenter Ed this morning about my photo question blooper...."
Is this part of your 'new' blog. Creating suspense, driving up interest or testing the waters to see if there is any interest?"  No Ed, this is none of that,  I made a simple mistake.

TAKE A LOOK AT MY DOUBLE 'LENO' CHIN & YOU WILL KNOW WHY I HAD TO GROW A BEARD WHEN I GOT OLD ENOUGH!!!! 

I am now wondering if anyone else is having a problem editing their posts.  Blogger Dashboard > Posts > Edit.  If I click on the post title or click on View I get a blank white screen & if I click on Edit I get a screen followed by a Blogger error message.  This site was working fine a week ago.  As soon as this problem is cleared up I will make the correction in my post regarding the photo question blooper. 

While reading John's RV LIFE ON WHEELS about his DRIVE DOWN MEMORY LANE I was reminded of a post I wrote a few years back called, A LIFETIME OF OLD CLUNKERS & some nice one's too:))  It is a look back at the many vehicles I have had over the years & lists all 43 of them as best I can remember. A few old photos along with some text as well. Our Jeep now makes number 44.  This count does not include RV's & Motorcycles.

A COLD DAY AT THE BEACH

I only subscribe to one Astronomy site.  It comes once a week, it's short, easy to understand, has no advertising & keeps me up to date on what's happening in the sky overhead including new discoveries.  Each week may feature a different part of the sky, talk about where a certain Galaxy is located or point the way to a far off Star Cluster.  Check out........................

ONE MINUTE ASTRONOMER 

In the early beginnings of my sky wanderings I read about, and through my sky charts, found a real treasure trove of stars.  Often referred to as the 'Jewel Case' it can be found by looking south during the summer months towards the constellation Sagittarius.  It is at the southern end of the Milky Way.  Views are great with the naked eye but a good pair of binoculars will bring into view some of the beautiful jewel like star clusters to be found there.  The key is to keeping those binoculars rock steady.  I well remember the first night I began finding these gems, one after the other & it just deepened my excitement, my interest & my feelings about the mysteries of the Universe.

Kelly is pretty much the Captain of the good ship Lollypop here.  She makes all the inside environmental decisions such as how cool she wants the house in summer to how warm she wants to be in the colder months.  I know better than to touch the thermostat.  The Captain decides what we are having for supper every night & how much of that supper I will be eating.  I know better than to touch cooking utensils & that includes the BBQ.  She takes charge of the TV remote from 6 to 10 & takes priority on who gets into the bathroom & shower in the mornings.  I get to dress myself but I suppose that's why people point & stare when I'm out in public.

 

OUR FIRST TRIP WITH THE RIG  KELLY TOLD ME TO TIE THE CAR ON THE BACK..............SO I DID:))

The Captain feeds the Kid every morning but I am able to sneak in a Burrito once & awhile when me & the Kid head to town.  The Captain frowns on my cleaning abilities but I do manage to sweep a few floors, vacuum a carpet or two & clean an occasional window when she's not looking.  And, she makes me do the dishes.

She also holds me responsible for any & all stormy seas brought on by me stirring up the normally calm placid waters of Blog Land on occasion too. 

I've had to relinquish the now confusing technical reins on the computer for the most part but hey, at least I don't have to answer the telephone when it rings.  I'm not allowed to make the morning coffee & I'm not allowed to eat any of the Captain's specialty foods or drink her morning orange juice.   But hey, am I complaining?  No sireeeee, I like it here aboard the good ship Lollypop.  Me & the Kid got the most best Captain a feller could ever want:))      

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  To post a reader's question & then deliberately not answer it would be a totally rude & blatantly inconsiderate thing to do.  I am hoping Ed's comment was not said in an accusatory manner & is just a simple misunderstanding.

WHEN OUR FRONT YARD SUMACS TAKE ON THESE COLORS WE WILL KNOW IT IS TIME TO GET THE BIG WHEELS ROLLING ONCE AGAIN..........:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( "The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop." 

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

SO HOT TODAY NOT EVEN THE SQUIRRELS WERE FLYING!!

Ever wished you could have some kind of 'Dream Recall' button implanted in your mind somewhere?  Something, that with the twitch of a nose, the raising of an eyebrow or the tweaking of an ear would instantly activate & play in it's entirety the dream you were just having.  So many times I am off with old or new & often deceased friends or family members on some great disjointed or bizarre adventure to familiar or strange places.   Not unlike a Harry Potter movie sometimes.  

Whether it be distant Galaxies, old home towns or darkened castles, the dreams are always there every night.  They are there during the day as well.  Dozing in my recliner brings them on too.  And oh, how disappointing it is to be pulled out of a good dream.  And to know you are being pulled out of the dream is the hard part as the subconscious mind struggles to remain where it is & the waking mind struggles to regain consciousness. 

Sometimes when I am becoming annoyingly aware of that transition from dark to light I consciously try to hold on to the dream, but it is a losing struggle & as the conscious world begins to take over, the dream suddenly fades into obscurity. 

Oh how many great adventures & memories are lost each night & how many old friends once again fade away, lost in the shadows of our minds, waiting for us to return once again in our dream state to seek them out & begin anew another journey, another adventure:))

By the time I am fully awake, only snippets of memory remain, if any at all.  This is the time I would like to twitch my nose, raise an eyebrow or tweak an ear to activate my implanted Dream Recall button & replay the adventures of where I have been & what I have seen.

ANY IDEA WHAT THIS LITTLE FELLOW IS JUDY?

And speaking of adventures.....Harry Potter certainly had himself knee deep in monstrous fire breathing dragons, magic wand duels & invisible cloaking devices Wednesday night.  Of course, & as usual, it was hard for me to know what all the plots & twists were all about again but that doesn't really matter.  It's the big visuals, big sound & big special effects that always attract me to those types of magical movies. 

I especially love Hogwarts, the ominous dark old castle with it's many foreboding long hallways & huge cobwebbed rooms of antiquity. 

Hogwarts is the ancient school of Wizardry where young boys & girls travel through a time portal to board the Hogwarts Express taking them to the school of Wizardry in hopes of studying the ways of magic, sorcery, & things beyond.  Love the concept, love J.K. Rowling's creative imagination & loved the whole movie series.   No, I did not read any of the books but know I would have really enjoyed them if I had. 

Didn't maybe understand all the little plots & twists along the way but I am glad to have been a part of the movie followers being whirled through time warps, transported in a flying car & the old Hogwart's Express train.  Happy to have been hurled over cliffs, chased my monstrous snakes & thoroughly zapped by lasers of fire & ice.  Thanks for having me along Harry, it has been an excitingly memorable journey these past 6 or 7 years.  I'm gonna miss ya guy:))              

IVAN has a great photo of a couple Wolves on the trail that is in competition for publication in Field & Stream Magazine.  It is a photo contest & you might want to slip over & cast a vote for Ivan's great very up close photo.  He's in the hospital now recovery from wolf bites....'NO, JUST KIDDING':))

There are probably as many Astronomy sites on the web as there are stars in the sky but a simple little site I have had on my desktop for years is EARTHSKY.   It tells me what Constellations & Planets are visible each night & was a big help years ago in sending me out each evening in search of what was currently in the night sky.  But, it was mainly the star chart page in my SKYNEWS magazine that blazed the trail into the night sky for me.

AND YEP, I EVEN HAVE A REVOLVING FIBER OPTIC LAMP IN MY ROOM TO REMIND ME OF THE NIGHT SKY WHEN I AM SLEEPING 

We all know where the Big Dipper is & it was from here using the Dipper as a focal point that I began looking for the same familiar star patterns in the sky that I was seeing on the pages of my Skynews magazine & in my larger NIGHTWATCH book with it's pages of star charts.  I first found the big W in the North sky which is the constellation Cassiopeia & soon I was on to the wonders of the Pleiades known sometimes as the Seven Sisters or Subaru.  Yes, it is this tight star cluster in the Autumn/Winter night which the Japanese Subaru automobile is named after.

I have decided as I go along with my Astronomy thoughts that I will not go into any great detail on Astronomy because all that is available on the internet.  What I will tell you is about some of my own favorite constellations, when & where they are & my thoughts & feelings about the night sky. 

In the meantime I leave you with this, which, when I first read it years ago was like a brilliant light bulb going off in my head.  It was not only a verification of my thoughts but it was a major piece of the puzzle in my struggles to understand, The Big Picture.'

ASTRONOMY vs ASTROLOGY

"Astronomy is a science that compels us to seek beyond ourselves and our small world, a science of discovery that enriches our lives by exercising our brain and our intellect. It empowers you to think clearly and rationally. It improves and sharpens critical thinking skills." It may even encourage you to free up your mind to think beyond conventional religious beliefs.

"Astrology disempowers you. By placing your future in the accidental configuration of planets and stars, you avoid taking responsibility for your actions, you fail to make decisions based on your own best self interest, and you give up the power to control your own destiny. Belief in astrology results in a degradation of critical thinking skills, which, combined with the loss of power to control your own destiny, can only serve to degrade your life, not enrich it."
"Be in charge of your life. Experience the mystery, awe, and excitement of observational astronomy.........

THE LAST PARAGRAPH(s):  A reader commented on my Wednesday night's post regarding me being off to the final Harry Potter movie & in part says, " I am not sure why, but I would have not thought that you would have been a Harry Potter fan" :) 

Inside the walls of this at times blustery old Cursmudgeon there still lies the excitable imagination of a small boy. A small boy still looking for the lost magic & mystic in life.  A small boy on the station platform wanting & waiting to be whisked away on the Hogwarts Express to a land of enchantment & wonder. 

Do we not all have a part of that small child in every one of us.  That yearning for those early childhood days of innocent fun & laughter before any of us knew anything about the realities & truths of the world we were all about to embark upon.  We were told fantasies, we were given books & we were made to believe.  It has taken me many, many years of searching to understand & undo some of those beliefs.  It will take me many more years to love & appreciate the fantasies.  Say, is that the train I hear approaching?  I sure hope so..................

HOLLYHOCK 

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Leaving Minnesota for Colorado, I decide to make a stop at one of those rest areas on the side of the road. I go in the washroom. The first stall was taken so I went in the second stall. I just sat down when I hear a voice from the next stall... - "Hi there, how is it going?" Okay, I am not the type to strike conversations with strangers in washrooms on the side of the road. I didn't know what to say so finally I say:

- "Not bad..."

Then the voice says:

- "So, what are you doing?"

I am starting to find that a bit weird, but I say:

- "Well, I'm going back to Colorado..."

Then I hear the person say all flustered:

- "Look I'll call you back, every time I ask you a question this idiot in the next stall keeps answering me."

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