A REPRIEVE FROM THE DOG HOUSE

THIS MEANDERING LITTLE CREEK FOLLOWS OUR MORNING PATH FOR AWHILE  (CANON POWERSHOT SX210iS)

By the time I woke up this morning I had myself pretty well convinced my Monday night post about 'differing dishes habit' had a good chance of landing me in the dog house.  It's not unusual for me to get up in the night or following morning in doubt of something I have written in the previous night’s blog and turn on the computer to rewrite, remove or add something.  Thought about removing my 'dishes segment' but decided to take my chances and let Monday’s post stand.  After all, I had written it as a humorous state of fact.  Upon the arrival of Kelly’s email this morning I knew I just might have gotten a reprieve:))

CLOSE CALL FOR LANDING MYSELF IN THE OLD DOGHOUSE………….AGAIN  (NIKON D90)
We are certainly having ourselves some bonus weather for this time of year.  Quite often the trees are bare by now but I'm surprised at how many trees are still sporting their colourful Autumn leaves.  I recall one November in the early 90's when we had snow in the first week of November and it basically stayed for the whole winter.  We hit 50F today under sunny skies.

DA PHEEBS  (CANON POWERSHOT A730iS)

Any Snow Bird packing up in preparation for a long trip south knows that a lot of loading is last minute stuff.  Our satellite dish and tripod along with a couple lawn chairs and a few other things travel in the Jeep but for obvious reasons cannot be loaded up until the day before we leave.  Because of the cold nights and chance of freezing we do not load in any canned goods or stuff like that.  Anything requiring batteries such as flashlights, cameras, radios, etc is kept in the house until the night before we leave as well.  I don't fill the Motor Home's gas tank until the day before we leave because I don't want the rig sitting for a long period of time under the weight of a full gas tank.  Last minute tire and coach batteries check, etc,   Aside from puttering around with small stuff these day I patiently await those last couple of busy days coming up at the end of next week.

<<< THE JEEP IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A JEEP AGAIN  (NIKON D90)

November is not a good month for travel in our area of the northeast.  Winter storms can happen very quickly and unexpectedly as we have just seen along America's Northeast coast.  November is also not a very scenic month as a rule.  Generally, the cold gray days and icy November winds have stripped leaves off trees and the landscape takes on the look of a gray barren waste.  Much of our beginning journey is through flat boring farm land with little to see.  The threat of freezing rain is always possible so we do not waste any time once we hit the road.  Our objective is too clear this whole Northeast region of the country as quickly as possible.  The sooner we can get ourselves south into warmer weather, the better. 

Normally, I avoid the Interstates and much prefer the more relaxed and scenic secondary roads but for the first half of our journey we use the Interstate highways exclusively because they are simply the fastest way to get from point A to point B.   If we decide on our Indianapolis, Little Rock, Texarkana and Gainesville route again this year I look forward to a left turn just west of Gainesville Texas in a little place called St. Jo's.  That turn marks the end of our 4 lane traffic journey and puts us on quiet back roads all the way to Tularosa, New Mexico.  Next Interstate is at Las Cruces but from here on in any Interstate driving is mild compared to the east side of the country.  If we choose the more westerly Chicago route we will be more susceptible to unpredictable weather and will have to play each day by ear as to where exactly we will go.  But, that's all part of the great traveling experience that I enjoy.  Each day is an unknown and I find excitement in that.  Every journey we make is different than the journey before and it's that newness each time that makes RVing more of an adventure for us.

BEECH TREE LEAVES  (NIKON D40 AT 300mm)

And here’s Kelly’s latest update from Cambridge, Ontario…….. “Gabriele (one of Sarah’s twins from Vancouver) had to go to the hospital after supper last night..... couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen, crying and flailing....  a rough few hours, Sabra (Kelly’s daughter) took her to the hospital.....  they put in a ventilator with steroids to open up airways, took chest X-rays.... could be asthma, but too young to diagnose.
Ben & Bri (Kelly’s youngest Son and soon to be Daughter-in-law) came over to help with pumpkin carving, supper,  Derek (Sabra’s husband) took kids out trick & treating,  etc.... pretty hectic...Jay (Kelly’s oldest Son) just called to say Kim (Jason’s wife) is in labour, and at the hospital now... called Jay at work at 2:30 a.m. so more excitement!
Sarah just called from Ben's.... guess she had a bit of a rough night.”

 

THIS IS THE SIZE OF OUR POT PIES IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS…..GOOD THING I DIDN’T STRAY TOO FAR OR I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD CHICKEN POT PIE FOR SUPPER TONIGHT:))  (NIKON D90)

Sure looks to me like Kelly is going to have to get on home here real soon for a big rest.

THAT BREAK IN THE WOODS LEADS TO THE START OF OUR PINE FOREST TRAIL AS  MORNING SUNLIGHT CASTS LONG SHADOWS ACROSS OUR PATH  (NIKON D40)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  "I cant believe it," said a tourist in Billings, Montana. "I’ve been here an entire week and its done nothing but rain. When do you have summer here?" "Well, that’s hard to say," replied a local rancher from near Big Timber. "Last year, it was on a Wednesday."

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

A GREAT FAMILY GATHERING FOR KELLY:))

KELLY’S FAMILY FROM LEFT TO RIGHT…BEN, SABRA, SARAH, KELLY, REBECCA, JASON

When I first met Kelly back in the summer of 1993 she was living in Cambridge Ontario and still had 3 of her children living with her.  Sabra, Jason and Ben.  Sarah was already in Vancouver and I think Rebecca might have been in Japan.  I was living in Stratford at the time about an hour's drive west of Cambridge.  Needless to say whenever I went over to Kelly's it was always a bit of a culture shock for me.  Despite being 49 at the time I had never really been around an active happy family before and certainly not teen agers.  Her kids always had friends dropping in and hanging out.  The place was a beehive of activity. The term I would most often hear the guys use with each other was, "Hey Buddy' so it didn't take me long to nickname Kelly's kids and all their friends, the 'Hey Buddy Gang.'

IT’S THE GRAND TUBBY GANG

This was all a great learning experience for me and one of the first things that impressed me right from the beginning and continues to this present day is how well behaved and how well mannered all of Kelly’s Kids are.   And, how well they all get along.  No bad apples in this bunch.  They were, and still are, a great bunch of mature trouble free young people and I think that is a direct result of Kelly's personality.   She was one of those Mom's who sidestepped some main stream traditional ways of thinking.  Her independent nature, sense of value and logical approach to life has been passed on to her children and I believe that has stood them all in good stead over the years.   Just like their Mom….they are all good people.

THE TWINS ARE SUITED UP FOR HALLOWEEN

But, I must tell you something about the very first time I walked into Kelly’s house in Cambridge and specifically, walked into her kitchen.  I don't think I have blogged about this before but it was something I saw that day that I still see (to a much lesser degree) today.  We have never talked about it and yet after every meal this little ritual has quietly taken place every day for the past 16 years since we have lived together.  I am an only child and grew up with adults in the house.  My Mother, my Stepfather, my Uncle and my Grandfather.  Every night after supper my Mother would clear the table with help from my Uncle and after rinsing the plates off would stack the dishes beside the sink in a neat and orderly fashion.  The sink was filled with hot soapy water and the dishes washed and dried.  That is the routine I grew up with.

BROTHER AND SISTER……JASON AND REBECCA

When I first walked into Kelly's kitchen I was staggered by the HUGE pile of dishes all heaped in the sink.  Looked like a bomb had gone off or a whole crowd of people had just stampeded through the kitchen and dumped their dishes willy nilly into the sink.  I had never seen dishes stacked so high in a sink like that before, but as I said, this was my first experience with grown teen agers.  Not just one, but three of them.  It seems teens are always eating, always on the go and always making a mess.  I had to understand and accept that this was the way it was. 

Now, fast forward to today.  Same after meal routine for Kelly and same after meal routine for me.  And, here's how it works every day.   After supper Kelly sets her dirty dishes kind of willy nilly in the sink and that's it.  I walk over to the sink, pick up each dish, rinse it off and stack them all in a neat and orderly fashion beside the sink.  Sometimes one of us may wash the dishes right away but as often as not they get washed the following morning.  No matter if we are on the road or at home we both have our little after meals routine.  And, we have never discussed it simply because there is nothing to discuss.  We are both comfortable in our little habits and see no need to reform the other in new ways of willy nilly or neat stacking:))

  

BROTHERS JASON AND BEN              THE GANG IS ALL SET FOR HALLOWEEN

Great to see Kelly visiting this weekend with her whole family.  Not often anymore they can all get together under one roof.  Also great for her to see all the Grandkids and especially the two little ones from Vancouver which I'm thinking may be for the very first time.  Despite all my grumbling and blustering these past 3 weeks about our delayed departure I am glad in the end that it worked out the way it it did and Kelly had the opportunity to spend this time with her family.  Not being a very family oriented person I sometimes forget and fail to understand just how very important the love of family can truly be.  Oh, so much for AL to learn and so little time left for him to learn it.

Halloween night 9 years ago was cold & pouring rain. I remember that specific night because it was the night Kelly and I drove out of the old farm house lane near Fullarton Ontario for the very last time.   We had happily lived in that old tumble down house for over 7 years.   Halloween night Kelly had gone on ahead of me in her little 323 Mazda loaded with last minute household things. I wasn't too far behind her with our 97 Dodge Ram pick-up truck loaded to overflowing with the very last of our possessions. Just enough room in the cab for Max & I. It would be another couple of years before we met Checkers & the Motormouse.  So, with windshield wipers slapping back and forth I headed into the darkened night with the truck heater whirring away keeping Max & I warm & toasty.  I think a couple doggy songs were even sung along the way.  We finally made the 40 minute drive through the cold rain to our new adventure and our new beginnings.  Yes, it was Halloween night alright but despite a nasty 'trick' the weather had played on us, it was a real 'treat' to be moving into our very own warm & very cozy little place.

 <<< THREE SISTERS IN THE KITCHEN

I didn’t enlarge all the photos tonight because the camera quality was very poor on some of them.

Oh, and what great masterpiece of a meal did I come up with for supper this evening?  Well, that's easy.........porridge:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((    We’d finally built our dream home, but the contractor had a concern: the placement of an atrium window for our walk-in shower. "I’m afraid your neighbours might have a good view of you au naturel," he said.

My middle-aged wife put him at ease. "Don’t worry," she said. "They’ll only look once."

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

SITTING IN DARKNESS LISTENING TO ‘THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE’

A PEACEFUL DRIVE THROUGH OUR RURAL COUNTRYSIDE THIS MORNING
We don’t always miss everyday sounds……..until the sounds cannot be heard anymore. Could be a television in the background, furnace coming on, a whirring fridge motor or the recycling of a water heater. At 6:59 this morning we had all those sounds. At 7 a.m. we did not. It was all part of a 4 hour pre-planned electricity shut down by our power company. Everyone affected received a telephone call a few days ago by the company informing them of the power interruption while they worked on some area maintenance issues.
I skittered about this morning filling jugs of water and lining up some candles. Brewed my cup of coffee, fed the furry guys, grabbed a shower and whirled up my routine breakfast shake. Just made it into my chair with laptop in place as the lights blinked out right on time at 7.  Now it was just candlelight and the glow from my laptop computer screen.  I was enveloped in silence, and silence has never been my friend.  Took me a few minutes to think of my music library on the laptop.  Then, I remembered Simon and Garfunkel and quickly accessed my library and sure enough, there it was, the ‘Sounds Of Silence.’ It was a great song in the mid 60’s and it was a great song this morning again as I sat quietly in my chair:))  ♪♫ Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. ♫♪

A RELAXING STROLL THROUGH A COUNTRY CEMETERY It was 7:45 before the morning sunrise cast enough light through our darkened windows allowing me to blow out the 5 candles I had set around. But, now what to do with the remaining 3 hours. Pheebs was raring to go for a morning walk so off we went.  We couldn't coax Motor to go though, she doesn't like the cold mornings.
On our return I could see it was going to be a nice day so threw the cameras in the Jeep and headed off out into the countryside.  I don’t take Pheebs along when I have camera gear in the Jeep.  Fired up my iPod, plugged it into the Jeeps sound system and spent a couple relaxing hours cruising along with the, 'Sons Of The Pioneers:))  Still a fair few coloured leaves left on many trees so it made for a scenic drive.
<<< MANY LEAVES ARE DOWN NOW BUT THERE ARE STILL BURSTS OF AUTUMN COLOURS TO BE FOUND
343 is a memory number for me.  All the years driving for the Stratford Airporter years ago my driver's number was 343. Many times my words, "343 to 687" meant I was calling my home base in Stratford or "343 to 352" meant I was calling another driver with my vans two way radio. "343 to 510" meant I was radioing a dispatcher in Kitchener Ontario and “343 to 99" put me in touch with a dispatcher at the transportation desk in terminal 2 of Pearson International Airport in Toronto Ontario. Whenever I see that number now whether it be on a digital clock or as in today's case, my Blog Followers list I am always reminded of my 13 years transporting people to and from the Toronto Airport.  With that thought in mind we welcome JOOL as our 343rd Blog Follower.  Noticed some of Jool's interests include, RV Living, Full Time RV, Casita Travel Trailers, Women and Single RVers.  Welcome aboard Jool, nice to have you along:)) 

From time to time I receive questions about photography and am I professional photographer.  Jool wondered this and inquired about my camera equipment in a comment on Saturday's blog.  First, no I am not a professional photographer.  Just a guy with some camera equipment who enjoys photography as a hobby.  I have 4 cameras.  My two main cameras are a Nikon D90 and and a Nikon D40.  The D90 carries a Nikkor 18-55mm lens and the D40 carries a Nikkor 70-300mm lens. Both lenses are interchangeable with either camera.   The camera I carry with me on my belt every day is a point and shoot Canon Powershot SX210is and my fourth camera which generally resides on a table beside my chair is a point and shoot Canon Powershot A730.  All fine cameras that do add to the final photographic image but if you are not aware of your surroundings, a camera can be of little use.  Some folks might be interested in my SEEING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE post which I wrote back in July. 

EVEN THE HULLET MARSH WAS QUIET THIS MORNING
GROANER'S CORNER:(( 
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day.
The Russian said, "We were the first in space!"
The American said, "We were the first on the moon!"
The Blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads.
"You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said the Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're going at night!"
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.