HARRY POTTER LOSES AL IN THE SHUFFLE AGAIN

TO-DAY'S DAY LILY

Rain in the night left us with an all day cloud cover & showers in surrounding areas. Figured it would be a good morning to dig up & re-locate some garden plants. We did a lot of landscaping since moving here & our flowerbeds have all totally filled in so we are always having to thin & move things. This morning it was hostas , potentillas, & a small spirea shrub. While digging out the spirea from beside our sun room I was aware of a sucking sound as it came out of the ground. The hole immediatelly began filling with water & running across the flower bed. I was at a loss as to what had happened until I reached into the water filled hole & felt a rubber hose. A garden hose!! Then I remembered I had buried that garden hose along the back of the flower bed about 6 years ago & totally forgot it was there. It runs from the tap to the other side of our sunroom where I keep the outside hose for watering. Cutting hoses & cables is commonplace for me & I'm sure I hold some kind of record with our local cable company for cutting underground cables numerous times over the years. I'm always digging & planting things & those darn cables just keep moving around all over the place on me!! THIS NICE LITTLE CHIPMUNK LIKES OUR NEW POND LOOK

I'm one of those people who always arrives at destinations on the early side & so it was last night when I pulled up in front of the movie theater in Goderich. The Harry Potter movie was starting at 8 so I was there by 7:15 in case of a line up. Luckily the line was just beginning to form so after a short wait I was in the theater & seated by 7:25. The theater steadily filled with teen-agers of which about 60% were giggling, bubbling pony tailed girls. Maybe 35% teen-age boys with backwards baseball hats & 10% with people over 20 of which I figured I may have been the oldest one in the whole place. I always get a kick out of how the seats to my immediate left & right are always the last ones to fill up. Nobody wants to sit near an old guy with a white beard who is constantly looking at his watch & muttering under his breath. And wearing a baseball cap that is actually facing straight ahead is just too much for most teen-agers anyway. Eight o'clock came & went as the theater kept filling up & it was nearly 8:15 before the movie finally started. The few of us who were considerate enough to be on time for the movie, as usual had to pay the price for those who always have to be cool & fashionably late. Ya I know Al, don't sweat the small stuff!! (doesn't it just bug ya when people tell ya that) HEY, WHO SAYS I'M A NICE LITTLE CHIPMUNK!!

The Harry Potter movie seemed very long with it's usual twists & turns & just as in the other Potter movies I was on the backstretch trying to catch up & catch on to what was happening up there on the screen all the time. The special effects were ok but I still think my first Harry Potter movie was lighter & had more neat-o magic stuff in it. All the following movies seemed to get progressively more violent & darker. KELLY UPHOLSTERING THE SEATS ON OUR KITCHEN CHAIRS

I do prefer to watch some movies in a movie theater rather than on DVD though. Can't imagine watching Lord Of The Rings for example on a home television set up. That would be like listening to Pink Floyd through a tin can speaker. I like the theater because of it's big, big, picture & big, big, sound. We have a 42" flat screen piped through our stereo but you do not get the full impact of a darkened interruption free movie theater no matter what you have. But, a lot of movies don't have big sweeping panoramics & special effects with big sound overtures & those kinds I don't mind as much on a DVD at home. But, different strokes for different folks so there ya go!!
(there's another old phrase that has thankfully gone the way of the DoDo bird)

OUR DAY LILY GARDEN

GROANER'S CORNER: Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica - where do they go? It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life. The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life. If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried. The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:
"Freeze a jolly good fellow."

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

SHORT BLOG....I'M OFF TO HOGWARTS IN SEARCH OF THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

NO, THIS IS NOT HOGWARTS, IT'S MORE LIKE..........FROGWARTS:))

Harry Potter fans out there will know where Hogwarts is but for those that don't it's located in a mountainous and secluded region in Scotland, near a wizarding village called Hogsmeade. The only way to reach Hogwarts is through a Harry Potter book or movie. To-night I plan to take the Hogwart's Express leaving platform nine & three quarters near Bayfield at 7:30 which will put me into the Goderich movie theater & Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry by 8. With any luck I shall find out the secrets of the Half-Blood Prince to-night:))

GROANER'S CORNER: Those who study the moon are optimists. They look at the bright side.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

LOOK UP, WAAAAY UP........AND SEE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

KELLY POINTS OUT TO MOTORMOUSE THE ATTACK FROG THAT CHASED ME AROUND THE YARD YESTERDAY

It's been awhile since I've had to get up early for my job but I was on the road by 8 this morning on my way to pick up a young fellow & his nurse with the mobility van. They were off for a day at Church Camp on the shores of Lake Huron. Nice morning for a drive & it was paved scenic back roads all the way. Great way to start the day. Brought the van back home with me because I had to return at 4 & pick them up. Same thing to-morrow & Friday. THE CAMP'S BUNKHOUSE COMPLETE WITH LOTS OF LAUNDRY.....MEMORIES OF CAMP HUH:))

Watched the International Space Station fly over last night again. When we lived in the old farm house years ago we used to see it lot because we didn't have any trees to block the view like we do here. You can see the space station as well. First, you will need to know when the ISS will be visible in your night sky so if you go to SPACE STATION you will see on the left side a place to click on under "Sighting Opportunities." Select your country & then what city you are near. You will get a schedule of when the Station is in your neighborhood plus which direction it will enter & exit the sky. It will tell you how many degrees high it will be & how long it will be visible for. It's a tad brighter these nights because the space shuttle is docked to it making it easily identifiable. There is no mistaking the ISS from all the satellites tracking around the sky because it is very visibly bright & hustles right along. I might try following it with my telescope to-night because I'm curious to see what color socks the astronauts are wearing to-day. Ya right!! RESIDENT SPIDER (LOWER LEFT) WITH ALL IT'S CAPTURED YUMMY GOODIES ABOVE IT

Still no responses to my motorcycle for sale add so I pulled it off the internet a few days ago. We are a 20 cylinder family & it is still by far the cheapest way to go anywhere. Might get a little cold & wet on the way with a few bugs in the teeth & hair that looks like the east end of a horse's mane going west but that's the way it is & that's the way it will be!! Wished there was an easy way to take it with us to the southwest in the winter but there isn't. Our motorhome & car work really well to-gether at the moment without adding another 600 pounds of motorcycle to the back of the rig. Had thought about towing a trailer big enough for the car & bike inside but that would be way to costly for us & add a lot of stress to the rig. And like everything else, there would be a whole list of pros & cons to go along with the whole venture as well adding even more people stress for us. THIS YOUNG ROBIN IS JUMPING FOR JOY AFTER HIS SATURDAY NIGHT BATH

Traveling with bicycles is something Kelly & I don't see quite eye to eye on. She likes to take them & I would prefer to leave them at home. They take a real road grime beating on the back of the rig plus we don't use them very often. Different if we were going to an RV Park & sitting there for 4 months with nothing to do but ride bicycles around the park block 105 times a day!! Oh well, it's just another little thing on my honey-list of un-winnable discussions:(( NEIGHBOR'S RED LILY

GROANER'S CORNER: What do you call a melon that's not allowed to get married? Can't elope.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now......AL.

A LITTLE MONDAY MORNING GARDENING PROJECT

COULD THIS BE AN ANGEL ON THE MORNING TRAIL.....IF SO, SHE'S BEEN EATING WILD RASPBERRIES ALONG THE WAY


Bit of rain in the night to freshen up a sunny Monday morning. Kelly didn't have to go into work until noon so we actually had the whole gang out walking on the trail this morning instead of just me & the two big furry guys. THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE IS HALF ON & HALF OFF CHECKER'S BED


Our frog pond in the front yard had become all but invisible this summer with all the growth around it. Hard to gain access to it let alone even see it so out came my saws, clippers, rakes, & shovel, We had planted a Daphnia shrub on the north side of the pond closest to the house about 6 years ago & it had become too huge. The winter's snow laid a bad beating on it the last couple years & we had it's sagging branches tied to-gether with miles of binder twine. Decision was made this morning......& out came the Daphnia. For me, destroying a plant is the absolute last option but sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. Had the root system not been so intense I would have tried transplanting it but by the time I hauled it out of the ground the Daphnia was well on it's way to that big warm greenhouse in the sky. MONDAY'S FINISHED GARDEN PROJECT....THERE WAS A HUGE DAPHNIA WHERE THOSE CEMENT SLABS ARE NOW


We have some fair size frogs in that little pond & while working away a big one swam across the pond toward me. He just kept on coming as he scrambled up out of the water & over the pond's rock edge. It was obvious I had trespassed onto his territory & he wasn't backing down. Just short of my boot he stopped & with all his frog intensity totally focused those two big bulging eyes on me. Oh Oh, could this be an attack frog. I gingerly took a step back & he boldly took a hop forward. Five more steps & 6 more hops. This was getting serious!! A loud croak from the pond probably saved my life as it momentarily distracted him & I was able to make my get-away. By the time I came cautiously back he had taken up position on a rock beside the pond & there he remained for the next several hours while I worked away on my little garden pond landscape project. I later detected a tiny green smile on his little frog face when he realized I was actually making his world a bit nicer for him:)) THIS LARGE ATTACK FROG IS HAULING HIMSELF OUT OF THE POND TO GET ME!!


Once again I would just like to say thanks to everyone for all the favorable comments & emails. Thanks to the folks on the Follower's list as well for taking the time & having the interest to read our blog. And to Donna out there somewhere.....yes, that young Robin's picture in yesterday's blog was taken with my Nikon D40 attached to my Nighthawk telescope. EVEN MR. GARDEN SLUG DESERVES TO HAVE HIS PICTURE TAKEN


Had an email to-day from a blog follower who saw the photos I took last Saturday at the Goderich Car Show. He included 4 photos of a 1936 all Stainless Steel Ford so I have uploaded those pictures & info about the car to our CAR SHOW ALBUM. Only 4 of those cars were ever built. The pictures are at the end of the album. THIS IS CHECKER'S FAVORITE SPOT IN THE FRONT YARD UNDER A BIG CEDAR


GROANER'S CORNER: A Blonde was weed-eating her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat which was hiding in the grass. She rushed her cat, along with the tail over to WAL-MART! Why WAL-MART??? Because WALMART is the largest RETAILER in the world!!!

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SLOWLY APPROACHING A CHANGE OF SEASON

BROWN EYED SUSANS

It's one of those days that had a hint of early fall. Temperatures were cool under a heavy overcast this morning. As a rule the season begins to change about mid August with the coming of colder nights & cooler days. I have a feeling it may be earlier this year because we have not really had any summer weather. I have always liked the first stirrings of early Autumn in the late August air. There is a cozy feeling about it, a sense of quiet as the hustle bustle & stress of summer draws to a close. It is not only a change of seasons, it signals the coming change of mundane routine as well. And it's this change I look forward to. Time to shake off the lethargic summer & begin anew the plans for winter ahead. If you are RVing snowbirds like we are it is a time of excitement & anticipation. Still months away but to-day's weather reminded me of the coming change. A YOUNG ROBIN

I'm thinking we have a squirrel living in our china cabinet. Kelly keeps all her stuff in there & while looking for some brown sugar to put on my oatmeal this morning I came across quite a stash of nuts. Figured I'd better take a picture before she got home just in case the squirrel decided to re-locate it's stuff. Must be one very smart squirrel though to actually put the nuts in labeled cans. I've always said that animals are a whole lot smarter than we humans are & by golly here is living proof!! MUST BE A SQUIRREL IN KELLY'S CUPBOARD

Had an email this morning from fellow blogger JERRY in which he made mention of beards. Well, that got me to thinking of why I have a beard. No, it wasn't to try & look cool like Hemmingway or one of the ZZ Top guys. Not even to look like Harry Potter's Professor Dumbledore. I simply grew it.......to hide my face!! I've always had a jutting chin that tried it's hardest to bend itself up & touch my lower lip. A few years back I also developed a bit of a floppy chin waddle where my head is glued onto my neck. Figured the best way to hide those two problems was to simply cover those areas with a bunch of hair......walla, a beard!! It has worked so well that I am now in the process of growing my hair longer in hopes that it will eventually cover up the rest of me. And now you know.............................:)) AN OLD WOODEN FOOT BRIDGE IN THE HULLETT MARSH

GROANER'S CORNER: How can you tell if a lamb is embarrassed? It looks sheepish.

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CARS & MEMORIES......MEMORIES & CARS

CADILLAC

An email from a friend in Bayfield yesterday informed me of a car show up in Goderich to-day so under threatening dark clouds & sprinkles of rain I grabbed my raincoat, crossed my fingers, threw a camera over my shoulder, & headed up Porter Hill line to Goderich.56 FORD

The rain sprinkles gave way to warming sun splashes between the gray clouds & the day turned out just fine. I was surprised at the number of cars at the car show in Goderich's downtown area called, The Square. I'm guessing a couple hundred cars maybe. There was something there for everyone & it was nice to feel all the memories coming back as I walked around taking photos. 58 EDSEL

The decade between 1955 & 1965 were the most memorable for me when it came to cars. I was a young young boy growing into my early teens & cars in those days were absolutely everything to young fellows. We knew all the cars, makes, & models. Knew about the engines, the carbs, lake pipes, fender skirts, baby moons, 4 speeds, & just about anything else you needed to know about a cool car. 1929 ESSEX

In the late 60's & into the 70's cars took on a box like sameness look & the golden age of the adventurous Detroit auto designs was over. Before that we could tell a Chev from a Ford coming down the road a mile away. We knew who was going by the house just by the sounds of the cars. The old Ford flat head eight's had their own sound just as the Chevy 283's did. (hope I got that engine size right) I remember the big stir when Chevrolet unveiled their 1959 Chev. What a huge revelation in design that was with it's big sweeping fins & equally sweeping dash. Back in those days we only had a few car dealers in the small village of Tavistock but every autumn you could feel the excitement in the air as the anticipated delivery of the new models was expected. They arrived & were kept under wraps sometimes until the big day came when they were unveiled in the showroom. It was standing room only in the dealerships as the town's people flooded in to see the new cars. It was a level of excitement & anticipation I don't think I have ever felt since. It was a magic time for a young boy & as I walked around looking at the cars to-day I could feel a little bit of that excitement bubbling again. 1932 CHRYSLER

I have uploaded to-day's car photos into their own photo album & you can find them HERE. Click on the slide show when you get there & see if you can feel a little bit of that same excitement I felt to-day . Maybe they will stir up a few pleasant memories for you too:)) 60 CHEV

GROANER'S CORNER: A hamburger walks in to a bar and asks for a beer. The bartender says, "I am sorry but we don't serve food in here."

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DECIDED TO FINALLY READ MY CAMERA MANUALS

WE HAVE SOME MIGHTY STRANGE BIRDS IN OUR OUTSIDE JUNGLE THIS YEAR:))

The first order of day this morning was to load up the two big furry swamp hogs & take them to the beach & ker-plunk them in the lake. Although I hosed them down yesterday after our romp in the Hullett Marsh they still had mud caked in their fur this morning. They love swimming in the lake anyway so it was a pleasant start to their day. DEERPARK LODGE BEACH THIS MORNING GETTING THE MUCK OFF THE TWO SWAMP HOG DOGS

Took the motorhome to Goderich yesterday morning & added some fresh gas to the tank. Sitting for months at a time is not a good thing & I try to take if for a run at least once a month. It always starts right up & runs like a top. It's like it's namesake.....Workhorse. It just wants to get back on the road & do what is was designed to do........work!! We are going to have to make a big financial decision about tires in a couple of months. They are in reasonably good shape but they are the rigs original aging tires & time is running out for them. There is a brake re-call on these motorhome models too but after reading all the politics & problems on RV NET around the issue I'm not sure what we'll do about the problem. So many pros & cons regarding the recall. Why can't people just make things right in the first place!!SPLISH SPLASH I WAS TAKING A BATH!HEY, THROW ME A BAR OF SOAP WILL YA!! WELL, WHADDYA THINK HUH

Been spending some time with my camera manuals over the past few days. Figured it's about time I understood how these darn fangled things work. I'm finally getting a little bored with the "automatic" settings & the time has come to kick it up a notch. The cameras are cable of doing amazing things if one takes the time to figure out just how to make them do that. The more I read the more muddled I get but out of that muddleness sometimes comes.....lightbulb moments. I've had a few of those lately so that has been just enough to encourage me to not give up & put the manuals down. You may start to see some oddball photos emerging in the blog but they will just be a result of my experimention into a more creative area of photography using some, "new found knowledge & equipment:))" Am hoping to aim for a little more quality & a little less quantity The only photos taken on "automatic" to-day were the 2 beach pictures. THIS IS OUR CEMEMT BIRD BATH COMPLETE WITH WAVES & AN ASTILBE FLOWER IN THE BACKGROUND

With envy I read LAURIE & ODEL'S blog this morning & could identify with their stirring hitch itch feelings. Quite simply, after being camped in one spot for awhile, it's that urge to hitch up your trailer or car & move on down the road in search of greener pastures & new adventures. Not all RV'ers get hitch itch but for those of us who do, it is what RVing is all about. I have always had the travel bug & that gnawing hitch-itch feeling just kind of follows me around each & every day. These past few RVing years have been great but they have left me extremely restless during our time at home here in Ontario. Most folks are content to stay put, secure in their daily routines, family priorities, job commitments, etc. Nothing wrong with that unless your like me & suffer from the affliction of.........hitch-itch!! DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS FLOWER IS BUT IT WAS GROWING AT THE FOOT OF THE BIRD BATH

GROANER'S CORNER: Did you hear about the snail that got beat up by two turtles? At the police station they asked him, “Did you get a good look at the turtles that did this? He said, “No, it all happened so fast.”

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