TODAY I SWITCHED OFF THE A/C AND TURNED ON THE FURNACE:))

LILY PADS IN A CREEK

If it weren't for it being a Monday I would have thought it were a Sunday.  Couldn't figure out this morning when I heard the garbage truck coming down the road why they were working on a Sunday.  Long week-ends have a habit of doing that to me once and awhile. 

Our hot humid days are gone and temps today dropped to 55F with a drizzly rain in the air.  That is perfectly fine with this guy and I hope that is the end of that miserable humid weather for this year.  So nice because we can open doors and windows again.  Won't be long and we'll be kicking on the sunroom fireplace and the main furnace. (actually, I did end up turning on the furnace for a bit)  I like that feeling of coming into a heated cozy atmosphere from colder outside temperatures.   Hot chocolate, simmering potpourri and soft ambient music.  Autumn, I just love it more and more every year.

It was 9 years ago today that Kelly and I came across a place with a 'For Sale' sign that we figured had our name on it.  Turned out it did and we moved into our current digs about 6 weeks later on a cold, wet and rainy Halloween Night.  We have been here ever since and for me it marks the longest period of time I have lived in one single place since leaving home way back in 1965.

Be sure to check out RVSUE AND HER CANINE CREW Here's a fellow RV Blogger with a flare for writing.   And, she has the excitement and enthusiasm to go right along with it too.  New to the RV world she is currently making her way around New Mexico with her 2 Canine Pals in a Casita trailer.  I particularly like her take on life and it is always reassuring for me to read another persons thoughts and feelings much akin to my own in many ways.  I particularly got a kick out of her statement,  By nature I’m a loner. (I said LONER, not serial killer, okay?) This Gal has Spunk:))

I was a good Boy today....I cleaned my room:))  Been kind of overdo for awhile but wanted to make sure I had things cleaned up and organized before we head out next month.  As a rule I am basically a fellow who likes to keep things neat and tidy but I have been known to fall off the wagon into the mud from time to time.  And yep, my room was beginning to get a little on the muddy side alright.  Well, especially now since it looks like I will be sharing my room with the Pheebster…..

A shout out and a big thank you to all the folks who send in encouraging emails from time to time.  Very much appreciated I can assure you.  And, to answer the following question in this mornings mail box......... "Thanks for doing what you do, I just wonder if you ever feel the pressure of the daily blog?"  Yes, I certainly do but let me just say this......the pressures and problems I face are generally caused by none other than myself:))

A bit late getting to the computer tonight because I became wrapped up in a TV history series earlier about the Moguls and Movies from their early beginnings in the 1920’s.  If something has to do with the realities of history, chances are I am probably going to be interested in it.

 THE LAST PARAGRAPH:{  I thought the Gypsy G-Mas made a good point in a comment on my blog Sunday night regarding my opinions on Full Timing.  They, in part said, “There's a lot of truth to the 'grass is always greener on the other side'. Although I don't regret our decision to go fulltime, I feel like I now better appreciate a lot of things we had when we were in a stix n brix.”  A point well made and a point well taken……….10-4:{

GROANER’S CORNER:  Tonight’s groaner is a bit long……but it is truly a groaner!!

After Quasimodo's death, the bishop of the Cathedral of Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new bell ringer was needed.
The bishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally and went up into the belfry to begin the screening process.
After observing several applicants demonstrate their skills, he had decided to call it a day.

Just then, an armless man approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bell ringer's job. The bishop was incredulous.
'You have no arms !'
'No matter,' said the man. 'Observe !'
And he began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the carillon.

The bishop listened in astonishment; convinced he had finally found a replacement for Quasimodo.
But suddenly, as he rushed forward to strike the bell, the armless man tripped and plunged headlong out of the belfry window to his death in the street below.

The stunned bishop rushed down two hundred and ninety five church steps, when he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moment before.
As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked, 'Bishop, who was this man ?'.
'I don't know his name,' the bishop sadly replied,
' ................. but his face rings a bell'
WAIT ! WAIT ! There's more
The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist, the bishop continued his interviews for the bell ringer of Notre Dame.
The first man to approach him said, 'Your Excellency, I am the brother of the poor armless wretch that fell to his death from this very belfry yesterday. I pray that you honour his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty.'
The bishop agreed to give the man an audition, and, as the armless man's brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike the first bell, he groaned, clutched at his chest, twirled around, and died on the spot.
Two monks, hearing the bishop's cries of grief at this second tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side.
'What has happened ? Who is this man ?' the first monk asked breathlessly.
'I don't know his name,' sighed the distraught bishop, 'but...'
'He’s a dead ringer for his brother.'

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PICASA PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

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

THE FULL TIMING DREAM……I WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT

A FIELD OF BEANS IN RURAL SOUTH-WESTERN ONTARIO

Had it not been for the thunder and lightning knocking our power out about 2:30 a.m. this morning I might have racked up my fourth night of a reasonably good night's sleep.  Motormouse woke Kelly up when she crashed through her door and scrambled under the bed.  Pheebe handled the storm in stride as she took up most of my bed again leaving a small space on one side for me.  When I head down the hall to go to bed now she races ahead of me, jumps up on my bed and picks her spot.  In our house, dogs rule.   And, at the first sign I may be waking up in the morning, I am immediately smothered in big slurpy dog smooches:))

You would think with my miserable mechanical track record I would know enough to leave things alone by now other than trying to change a light bulb now and again.  But, oh no, I had to go out one morning this week and mess with the rig's hot water tank and drain plug.  Just wanted to drain the tank and refill it.  Those plugs are generally as inaccessible as fuse panels.  Took me awhile with an assortment of wrenches, crowbars, hammers and a front end loader to get that plug out and drain the tank.  Of course  when I attempted to screw the plastic plug back in I over tightened it and broke the head off the plug.  Par for the course.  So now the plug's threads are fully inserted with no way for me to remove it.  Even if I had a tool to get it out, knowing me, I would probably screw that up too and just do further damage.  Luckily, we have a fellow here in Bayfield who makes house calls so Lorne from Lorne's RV is going to drop around this week and hopefully fix that up for us.

I remembered JERRY asking why I clean the storage bins out in the Motor Home when we get back from the Southwest each Spring.  In fact, that is a question I frequently ask myself as well.  After nearly 6 months on the road in a lot of dusty and sometimes muddy locations those bins have a habit of getting dirty and somewhat disorganized at times so I generally like to empty the bins and hose them out.  Some of the things in the bins are used here at home in the summer such as lawn chairs, BBQ, etc. so I just leave them out.  For whatever reason, I like to start anew each Fall with empty bins because I have a tendency to organize things a little differently each year.  No wonder I can never find anything two years in a row!!  And why put things up in the rafters?  Maybe if I knew the answer to that question I wouldn’t be putting things up in the rafters.

Tonight the Bayfield Bunch welcomes our newest Blog Follower, Donald.  Welcome aboard my friend and thanks for having the interest and taking the time to stop by.

First thing Tuesday morning many children will be heading back to school in our area and quite a few will be picked up by school bus from the many farms in our rural countryside.  Kelly and I were both school bus drivers for a few years and I am still reminded of those days when I see the big yellow school buses on the road or the occasional little elf like buildings at the end of some farm lanes.   Parents have built these huts or shelters for their kids to wait inside for the school bus on cold frosty wintery mornings.  Below are a few I have come across on my back road photo tours.

 

  

 

Have you ever been bothered by nasty smells in your rig and have had trouble finding the cause.  Check out R SANITY RV ADVENTURES and you just might find out the cause for those smells and how to easily remedy the situation.  Who knew.

BIT OF A MIXED HERD HERE

A question was asked by a commenter as to why I was giving up my dream of Full Timing.   There is both a long and short answer to this question and I will give you the short answer.  First, let me say I have not given up the dream.  I will always have that.  For a major lifestyle change like Full Timing both parties have to totally be on the same page or it is not going to work.  That's it.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  In Canada's Newfoundland the Newfies have finally solved their own fuel problems. They imported 50 million tonnes of sand from the Arabs and they are going to drill for their own oil.  Those Newfies are pretty smart eh:))

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GODERICH TORNADO DAMAGE PHOTOS....5 DAYS LATER

https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/GODERICHONTARIOTORNADOSUNDAYAUGUST2120115DAYSLATER

Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE  http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR

PICASA PHOTO ALBUMS   http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy

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

IT’S JUST THE KIND OF GUY I AM…….

 
PEOPLE GATHER TO WATCH AN INCOMING STORM THIS AFTERNOON
With the sound of rumbling thunder out over the lake again I quickly checked the computer’s weather map and saw a storm cell coming in.  Camera's into the Jeep and off to the the cliffs overlooking Bayfield's Beach.  Some great lightning bolts out over the darkening waters of Lake Huron.  Saw half a dozen boats all with the high bow waves racing for the safety of Bayfield Harbour.  Didn't seem to be any wind associated with the storm though and soon the threatening dark clouds turned a pale gray it began to rain.  Cameras back into the Jeep and I headed home.  Kelly had gone to Goderich so this marked the first time Pheebe had been home alone for over half an hour.  Happy to report the house was still intact when I returned:))

YES, THERE WAS A STRANGE YELLOW COLOUR IN THE AIR
Heard later on our 6 o’clock news that this storm which skipped over us caused a lot of damage about 60 miles inland with downed trees, ripped roofs etc.  Environment Canada will investigate once again to see if a tornado actually touched down anywhere.  We still have high humidity levels which are due to be blown out of here overnight with temps once again coming back down around the high 60’s mark.  Now, that is civilized.

I ventured back into Blog Land for a few minutes this morning and noticed GYPSY has happily found what I think just might be the answer at last to her unsettled living arrangement.  In her own words, "Homeless no more!"   In my opinion, the fact she has found a 55+ community is going to be a huge asset for her.  Her post got me to thinking about the 55+ community we have been living in for nearly 9 years now.  Of all the Parks we looked at in our area years ago there was only one that interested us and stood head and shoulders above all the rest because of it's uniqueness, one of them being…….. an Adult Park. 
Of course I am talking about the 5 Seasons Estates just a couple miles northeast of downtown Bayfield, Ontario.
Now, what I'm going to say here may ruffle the usual feathers but I'm sure the majority of folks will know exactly what I am talking about.  Probably one of the greatest things we have going for us in our Park is the fact it is 55+.  That is hugely significant because it means we do not have noisy kids running around or teenagers up and down the streets with their cars.  We have zero crime problems here and again I see that as a direct result of the Park's mature residents.  No noisy drunken parties, no neighbourhood egos, no loud music and no attitudes, (ok, maybe a few)   You could shoot a canon down any one of our quiet tree lined streets at any time of day or night and not hit anyone.  We can bicycle here without the threat of being mowed down and anyone can walk at any time of the night with absolutely no threat to their well being.  I attribute all those positive things to simply not letting younger people and families in here.  That may not sit well with some folks…………. but facts are facts!! 

AFTER THE STORM
With all the crap and garbage going on in our society today it is like we live in a 1950's time warp in our little 60 or so unit Park.  Four of our closest neighbours are single Seniors with the other 3 being Senior couples and actually, we rarely see each other.  Our treed lots are huge compared to any other Park like this that we have ever seen.  In fact, our lot is probably bigger than most homes found in many suburbs.  And, because of the way I have planted trees and shrubs on our lot we basically cannot even see the neighbour's or their houses.
 
We do have a Clubhouse in our Park but it is not an active one and I see that as a good thing because it is just down the street from us and who would want all that extra noise anyway.  There is another Mobile Home Park located a few miles south of us across the Bayfield River.  Fortunately we have some heavily forested land between us because sometimes on a long weekend Saturday night if I'm out walking I can hear the faint whoopin and thumpin of their live outside band.  We are so fortunate that we do not have any of that kind of stuff going on here. 
I've learned a few things over the years and one of them is this, 'if you are in the mood for party noise then go to where the party noise is and be a part of that noise all you want but when it's time to go home, I want to come home to where the quiet is.  We can do that here at the 5 Seasons.  Am I old fashioned?  Nope, if I have to be around people I much prefer to be around mature people.  I lost too many good years being around the other types of people decades ago. 

THE QUIET STREET IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE
Our Park is located in the country and surrounded on 3 sides by forest with the 4th side being farmland.  We have miles of walking trails here where it is possible to walk quiet paths with rarely encountering another person.  Now, how nice is that:))  Our streets are all tree lined with each lot also having it's own canopy of trees.  We basically live in a Pine forest.  Mail is picked up in a mail box hut near the main entrance.  And no, we do not have one of those annoyingly silly wooden arm gates at our entrance either.   Garbage and recycling are picked up Monday mornings.  We can have campfires in the privacy of our backyard whenever we want as well.  We also have our Motor Home parked right on our lot with room to spare, and again, how nice is that. 

Several years ago the house across the street and down from us a tad was occupied by a single lady who's health finally forced her to sell.  A young 55+ couple from London Ontario bought it because they loved this beautiful forested Park so much.  In less than 2 years they couldn't stand it here any longer and were gone.  Tooooooo quiet!!  I think he liked it here and would have stayed but she couldn't handle being away from the shopping malls, big box stores, trendy Shoppe's and boutique craft places, fancy restaurants and all her friends.  The very things that we love so much and drew us to this Park were the very same things that finally drove that couple out of the Park.  They were accustomed to the bright lights social life and had to get back to the city.

THE LONDON COUPLE COULDN’T HANDLE ALL THE PEACE AND QUIET WHEN THEY LIVED HERE IN THIS HOUSE
Now, I can see a few folks right now with a question on their minds that might go something like this....'if your Park is such a great place, why is it you talk about wanting to leave there and live in the country??  Good question by the way and I will try to keep my answer as short as I can, if that's possible.  When Kelly and I met we were both living in big cities.  She was in Cambridge and I was in Stratford.  Kelly's life as well as mine before that had been spent mainly in large towns and cities.  Always in communities and always around people.  Had Kelly and I not mutually decided we had had enough of that way of life we would never have found our way to the old abandoned farm house near Fullarton Ontario that we made liveable and stayed for 7 years.   It was that 7 years of country living that changed everything for both of us.  Not just me, but Kelly as well!!  It spoiled us both, but spoiled us in a good way.  We will probably never live in a town or city again unless we are carried there on stretchers. 
Had we come right here to the 5 Seasons Estates Park without spending those years on the old farm I would probably not be as restless as I am now.  It is because we have lived in the country that we understand the difference between community living and rural living.  It is why we both would love to return to country living some day. 

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:))  Ed left a comment on my post last night that hit the nail square on the head for me.  In part he said, " remember how much you liked the old farm property that you lived on prior to your move into Bayfield. You need a new challenge, another small piece of ground (3-4 acres) would be perfect for you to create another 'jungle' for your summers."  Ed is right and that is the bottom line for me which I have blogged about many times before.  Yes, we have a really nice place here but the challenge has gone out of it for me.  Yes, there is still maintenance and puttering and I'm sure a lot of folks would love to be doing just that but I have always needed a bigger challenge and am always at my personal best when I have my teeth into a new project.  Not puttering!!  Oh how I envy JB in Alberta and MIKE in Montana with their ways of life.
The best days I had this past winter were the days we spent at the Lazy W Ranch near Elfrida.  I was busy, I had my teeth into something and by the time we left that property, it was looking a whole lot better than when we had arrived there.  With the slight possibility that we had a chance at buying that place, my head was ablaze with ideas. Unused muscles were once again back at work as I spent hours clearing brush, etc.  I had even figured out where the new Coyote proof fencing was going to be.  Even had a spot figured out where visiting RV'ers could park their rigs.  (yes, you read that right:)) My mind and body were alive again both mentally and physically.   And, how nice is that.  What a great time I had for a short while working on another dream.  It's just the kind of guy I am.  With my original dream of full timing slipping further and further away each year and age creeping up on me, I need a new challenge, a new interest, a new project.  A new dream.............

GROANER’S CORNER:  One of Microsoft's finest technicians was drafted and sent to boot camp. At the rifle range, he was given some instruction, a rifle, and bullets. He fired several shots at the target. The report came from the target area that all attempts had completely missed the target.
The technician looked at his rifle, and then at the target. He looked at the rifle again, and then at the target again. He put his finger over the end of the rifle barrel and squeezed the trigger with his other hand. The end of his finger was blown off, whereupon he yelled toward the target area, "It's leaving here just fine, the trouble must be at your end!"
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GODERICH TORNADO DAMAGE PHOTOS....5 DAYS LATER
https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/GODERICHONTARIOTORNADOSUNDAYAUGUST2120115DAYSLATER

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PICASA PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy


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