TODAY THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MET ANOTHER FELLOW BLOGGER:))

 
LITTLE MAX MEETS THE MIGHTY MOTORMOUSE
Well, 31F this morning is better than 24F Sunday morning so we had better consider the very real possibility we have a heat wave rolling through.

 
LITTLE MAX MEETS THE FABULOUS PHEEBS
I came across a blog about 8 months ago that caught my eye. I liked this Bloggers no nonsense and realistic understanding of life and I liked her interesting writing style. She is passionate about her beliefs and is not afraid to get her opinions out there.  She gets a fair amount of flak sometimes but I admire her spunk and honesty in dealing with that.
Today we met fellow Blogger Debra Argosy from, FIND AN OUTLET.  Debra is an animal person and has taken in many area stray and mistreated dogs and cats over the years, sometimes at risk to her own safety. A special person indeed:))

DEB AND JIM
Deb & her partner Jim along with furry little Max rolled into the Ranch today about noon.  Deb & Jim are from nearby Bisbee and we had been corresponding by email for awhile.

 
YEP, THESE FOLKS LOVE THEIR LITTLE PALS ALRIGHT
We always appreciate meeting down to earth people and we found Deb & Jim just that kind of couple. With our common interests, likes and dislikes, I don’t think any of us took a breath for the whole 5 hours we sat outside on the Ranch house porch enjoying the warm Arizona sun.  We just rolled easily from topic to topic.

 
Of special interest to Deb and I were our blogs.  We were able to compare notes, ideas, and feelings.  Deb & I are both people who write how we feel.  I would have to say today’s blog conversation with Deb was the longest conversation I have ever had with a fellow blogger about blogging, which by the way, happens to be one of my favorite topics.  Had we stayed on Darby Wells road longer over near Ajo a few weeks ago I’m sure RV SUE & I would have had some longer talks about our blogging thoughts and ideas as well.
 
AL, DEB, AND JIM
All the best guys & hope to see you down the road again sometime.
In Sunday’s blog I talked about maybe having to change some of our future traveling plans.  There is not a single reason for this, but several.   One of those reasons has to do with medical insurance we Canadians have to purchase before traveling in the States.  I don’t think you folks here in the States have to do that when you travel in Canada but I’m not sure about that. 

For us, whether it be for 6 months or 6 days, if something seriously happens while we are here in America we are basically not covered by our normal insurance which in Ontario is called OHIP.  My additional insurance coverage this year to travel in the States was around $800.  In 07 I had a kidney stone problem in Colorado that my insurance paid for which was around $700.  I was then penalized for having that stone for the following 2 years by having my rates hiked. 

I know for a fact many RV’ers have been stopped in their tracks by high insurance costs & those high premiums have abruptly ended RV travels for many Canadians.  And, many folks cannot even get coverage at all anymore depending on the severity of their illness.  Traveling in the States without insurance is a huge gamble for any Canadian but it is gamble many folks choose to take.  A serious injury or illness far from home can mean instant financial ruin for anyone.  Medical costs are huge and bills have to be paid.  A serious hospital stay or injury can quickly run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and with no insurance coverage the individual is on the hook for the entire amount. 

Because of my recent and upcoming medical encounters our insurance company is once again involved.  How much of our as yet small medical costs they will cover remains to be seen.  Remember, we are dealing with an insurance company here and that means their focus is on their profit margin.  One thing is certain, I will once again be penalized for submitting medical bills and my insurance rates will of course escalate next year.  How much at this point remains to be seen.  It could of course become cost prohibitive for us, or depending on future medical findings, coverage could become non existent.  And no, I am not being negative nor am I complaining, I am simply being realistic with my thinking.  But,  not wanting to get ahead of myself too far let me just say I will not be stopped from traveling by some insurance companies profit line!!!!

KELLY & JIM CRACKING OFF A FEW SHOTS
Here is how and why the realities of travel change may be necessary.  Based partially on the above reasons we may have to consider Georgia or northern Florida as a closer destination to home in the future if for no other reason than plain simple logistics.  At best, we are only a two day drive from the Canadian border and home.  Also a less costly flight taking only a matter of hours could be an important factor.  Friend of mine years ago fell off a ladder in Florida severely breaking a wrist.  No insurance coverage so his wife loaded him up with pain pills and quickly drove him back to Canada where his wrist was operated on several days later under our OHIP coverage at no charge.  Good thing they were not in Arizona or California.

Other reasons influencing our future travel plans are the following…..The bulk of Kelly’s family is in New York, Florida and Ontario.  My only two aging and remaining family members are in Florida and Ontario so these factors combined with others (warmer weather) are all things that we have had under consideration.

<<< MAX IS GETTING AN IROQUOIS HAIR LIFT
So, where would we stay in Florida or Georgia if we decide to pursue that option??  An RV Park….Never!!  Boondocking….not likely because we just don’t feel it’s the way to go there.  How about a small 3 to 5 acre totally private piece of property with a small house or mobile on it in a quiet north western rural part of the State??  Now you know what we have been doing on our computers these past days.
It’s a buyers market out there with a lot of properties on the market at great prices.  I have logged a fair few hours these past days flying over northern Florida properties in my Google Earth plane.  Kelly finds the properties through Real Estate sites and I fly over them to see how close the closet neighbors are and what part of the State the properties are in.  No visible neighbors would be our number 1 priority.
 
SEE YA GUYS…….TAKE CARE AND THANKS FOR DROPPING BY
Anyway, none of these plans are written in stone and my heart remains in the Southwest, but just wanted to share with readers what we are thinking….and why.  If I have anything screwed up about the insurance companies, their policies or medical coverage either in Canada or the States maybe somebody could accurately straighten me out about some of that stuff.  In fact someone just straightened me out about a bird I had misidentified in Sunday’s blog.   It’s a Scaled Quail and not a Gamble’s Quail.  I stand corrected…..again:((

ALL THE BEST LITTLE MAX
GROANER’S CORNER:((  The patient was lying in bed, still groggy from the effects of the recent operation. His doctor came in, looking very glum.
"I can't be sure what's wrong with you," the doctor said. "I think it's the drinking."
"No problem," the patient said patiently. "I'm sure by tomorrow you'll sober up."
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
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.

CHRISTMAS DAY….THE QUIET WAY:))

SNOOZING WITH TEDDY
It was another very cold night with temps down around the 24F mark again.  We normally just use a small electric heater plus our propane fired Legacy Blue Flame heater but last night we actually kicked on the rig’s rarely used furnace.  One has to be ever mindful of water pipes in these kinds of temperatures.  Should add that winter temps are always colder here in southeastern Arizona because of the higher altitude we are at.  Around 4300 feet above sea level I think.  It is called the high desert.  Last winter this area was rocked with record breaking cold temperatures.  Water lines and water pumps were broken and decades old Prickly Pear cactus froze and died.  Folks will definitely be warmer down around Yuma way:))

HAD TO BREAK THE ICE IN GLEESON & PEARCE’S BIG WATER DISH THIS MORNING
Had myself a perfectly fine Christmas morning finishing up my little corral cleaning job.  Big Arizona sun in the morning sky and Sand Hill Cranes in the air overhead.  Distant mountains all around held the Valley in a quiet silence.   Certainly not everybody’s idea of a fine Christmas morning and years ago it wouldn’t have been my idea either.   But, for me, it was a right place to be:))

IT WAS A WORKING CHRISTMAS MORNING FOR PHEEBS & AL

HAD A LITTLE PROBLEM KEEPING MY HELPER MOTIVATED
We have sometimes been asked why we just don’t go to Florida for the winters because it is half the distance from the southwest. Perfectly logical question and one we have been asking ourselves as well lately, especially in light of recent medical developments.  My heart is in the Southwest and always will be. I think readers well understand my love for the scenery and the way of life. The wide open spaces, the great boondocking sites, the lack of people congestion and traffic chaos. And of course the whole history of the West.  I think I am one of those fellas who was just simply born on the wrong side of the country.

A SCALE QUAIL SKITTERS BY THE RIG
In the past few years we have tried to come up with some kind of a practical idea on how we can assure us a warm place ‘down south’ in the coming winters. We considered moving to British Columbia to be closer to the southwest but it was just not practical. We considered full timing at one point but we just couldn’t get that plan off the ground either. Each year we have looked at properties both in New Mexico and Arizona but in the end it is always the long distance of travel that causes us to pause and reconsider our thoughts.

 
We have an older aging Motorhome. Our financial resources will not last forever and we are a couple of slowly aging Senior travelers. At this stage we have to be realistic about our future and we have to be realistic about future medical challenges.
 
DROPPING OFF A LOAD OF BUNS
Traveling days end for everyone regardless of who they are and we are finding ourselves having to ask ourselves some unavoidable and necessary questions. Will we have to alter course, bring the bow around into a fresh head wind and set ourselves a new course. No, not planning on giving up traveling (Egads)……just maybe plotting a course change in the future with steerage into new seas closer to home.  Sometimes we just gotta do what we gotta do and simply make the best of it.

PHEEBE RUNNING FAST ALONGSIDE THE SPEEDING ATV
Wished I could tell you we were out exploring some new hiking trails or scenic mountain roads today but once again we never ventured far from the rig. We have been spending a lot of time on our computers looking at future travel option ideas and areas.  The winds of change are once again a blowing……………….

DID SOMEBODY MENTION FOOD………
GROANER’S CORNER:((  In Africa, some of the native tribes have a custom of beating the ground with clubs and uttering spine chilling cries.
Anthropologists call this a form of primitive self-expression.....
In North America we call it golf.
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
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.

SOAKING UP SOME VERY WARM & WELCOME SUNSHINE:))

I’M AFRAID ALL I HAVE TONIGHT ARE JUST A FEW ROOSTER PICTURES

The icy winds finally subsided Friday night bringing our early Saturday morning temps up to 24F.  Coincidentally, my computer weather monitor was showing 24F back home in Bayfield as well.  Still better to be cold in southeast Arizona than southwestern Ontario, right.  They tell me this is a dry cold…………….

Guess I shouldn’t be complaining too loudly about the bad weather.  Check out what Chuck & Geri from HAPPY TRAILS are having to put with over in New Mexico’s Truth or Consequences.  Now, that is something to complain about.  And, complain loudly about too!!

Stayed in the rig most of the morning until the sun finally had enough strength to begin warming things up.  By early afternoon we had ensconced ourselves in our loungers beside the Motorhome and just simply sat quietly soaking up Sol’s good old warmth.  It was another very low energy day for me so I’m afraid I do not have a lot to write about tonight.

Looks like we are off to the Tucson Hospital again next week.  The Nurse Practitioner phoned today saying the Urologist, Dr. Funk in Tucson wants me back to the clinic next week for an ultra-sound to check out a possible problem with one of my Kidneys.  Unrelated to the Kidney Stone.  Said they would try to get me an appointment for Tuesday or Friday.  Can you say……….. ‘IN-N-OUT BURGER’:))

My memories of Christmas as a small boy are the memories of Christmas I choose to carry with me today.  It was a different time back in the late 40’s and early 50’s.  A different society, a different way of life, a different set of values, and a different way of Christmas for a young boy growing up in those times.  From those days and from those memories, I wish everyone well for the Holiday Season.

YOU TALKING TO ME, YOU TALKING TO ME…..

GROANER’S CORNER:((    A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon. "How do you know what to say?" he asked.
"God tells me."
"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"

---------------------------------------------------------------Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
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.