YAAAAAAY....STELLA IS HOME SAFE & SOUND:))

THIS LITTLE GOLDFINCH WAS HAVING A VERY VIGOROUS BATH THIS AFTERNOON (click to enlarge....Goldfinch is facing left)

Received a phone call this afternoon from Stella's owner to say Stella (the missing Burmese Mountain dog) had just been returned home by a lady who had been keeping her for the past couple of weeks. Don't know all the details but she was apparently well looked after & is now happy to be home. Yaaaaaaay Stella:))

ADDED A TOUCH OF YELLOW TO THE BIRD BATH ON RIGHT TO GIVE IT A BIT OF COLOR

Loaded up the 2 big furry guys this morning & we took the big wheels for a drive up to Goderich & back. Sure was nice to be back in the rigs driver's seat even if it was just for a short time. The Sons of The Pioneers boomed out of the speakers all the way there & back. Max & Checkers were all excited thinking we were off to see their pals, Gleason, Pearce, & Corky, at the Arizona ranch. Had to tell them, sorry guys, not yet.....but soon:))

THE GOLDFINCH AT TOP LEFT IS ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE BIRDBATH AS A LITTLE BLACK CAP CHICKADEE WATCHES FROM THE WATER'S EDGE I WAS TOO SLOW ON THE TRIGGER & ONLY CAUGHT HALF OF THIS BLUE JAY LEAVING THE BIRD BATH:((

Had trouble with our external hard drive yesterday so took it along this morning to the computer place in Goderich to have it checked out. All our travel photos are stored on that external hard drive & I didn't want to take any chances on losing them. I also have most of the photos on DVD's as well but that hard drive is the working copy so to speak. MAX & CHECKERS WERE READY TO RUMBLE THIS MORNING. MAX IS MAD AT ME FOR NOT GETTING HIS BEST SIDE!!
THE BISBEE KIDS ON THE DASH ARE WATCHING THE ROAD AS WE HEAD HOME

With the positive response to last night's blog about Picasa 3 I've decided to throw a few more photo examples in to-night's blog.

I ADDED SOME PICASA 3 SOFT FOCUSING TO THIS PHOTO TO GIVE IT A MYSTIC FEELING. I ALSO USED "GLOW" UNDER THE EFFECTS HEADING TO GIVE THE WATER SOME SPARKLE

(when I look at this photo now I realize I should have cropped a bit more off on the left side to rid that overexposed rock...I will do that to the original later but it just gives you an idea of what you can do.

Kelly comes home Friday so that will mean some real food again. I can cook stuff OK if I have too but I think my main problem is that I'm just to darn lazy to go through all the motions so I just eat stuff like cereal, porridge, & Oktoberfest sausage, etc. Whatever is easy to throw to-gether in a few minutes. Swampin down a tin of salmon is always pretty easy too. I've never been a big food person but I sure do eat enough of the darn stuff sometimes!! But never seconds. I just eat what's in front of me & then quickly remove myself from the area, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CROPPING THE SURROUNDING BACKGROUND OUT TO FEATURE THE FLOWER. AN EXAMPLE OF ADDING TEXT TO A PHOTO

Was doing a little reading up on Microsoft's new operating system due to launch on October 25th of this year. It's called Windows 7 & sounds good so far. I like the fact that it isn't a power hog like XP & especially Vista.

THESE TWO HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER PHOTOS DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF THE "I'M FEELING LUCKY" BUTTON. ONE CLICK OF THE BUTTON BRIGHTENED UP THE PHOTO & I COULD HAVE FURTHER LIGHTENED IT BY USING THE "FILL LIGHT" FEATURE FOUND UNDER BASIC FIXES

Not much else new to-day so maybe I'll just throw the cameras in the van & go see if I can track me down a sunset................:))

COLOR HIGHLIGHTING THE FLOWERS IN "FOCAL BLACK & WHITE"

-Hummingbird feeder & single flower photo were taken with a Nikon D40 & 700mm telescope lens.

-The two RV photos this morning were done with my Canon A720 as was the motorcycle pics yesterday.

-The flowers & pond shots were taken from inside our sunroom through a glass window using a Nikon D50 & 200mm zoom lens.

-The birdbath photos were taken from inside the sunroom as well using the D50 & zoom lens at 200mm

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Life is like a roll of toilet paper.....the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.

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

I AGREE WITH RICK.....TWO THUMBS UP FOR PICASA 3:))

THIS PHOTO WAS MADE A WEE BIT BETTER WITH PICASA 3

Spent a couple pleasurable hours on the motorcycle this morning cruising around the local countryside enjoying a mighty fine southwestern Ontario morning. Took a few photos from the bike which I will use to show some things you can do with a certain photo program. That yellow bandana tied to the handlebars is my WSI. (wind speed indicator) When that bandana is ramrod straight out pointing back that tells me I'm approaching 750 MPH & it's time to shift into third gear:)) THIS IS THE SAME PHOTO WITH NOTHING DONE TO IT. NOT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF DIFFERENCE BUT THERE ARE SUBTLE CHANGES IN COLOR & SHARPNESS...COMPARE THE INDICATOR BUTTONS & SPEEDOMETER....GRASS IS GREENER & RED BUTTON ON HANDLEBAR STANDS OUT MORE.

Noticed on RICK'S blog this afternoon he was talking about Google's excellent digital photo program Picasa 3. I have been using this program for the past 3 to 5 years now & would recommend it to anyone out there looking for an easy to use free photo program. I see many photos on blogs that are good but could be made a lot better if folks would just take that extra few minutes to work on them a little bit in the Picasa program. Rick explains & gives examples in his blog how to start off with the. "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. That alone can make quite a difference in a photo. "FOCAL BLACK & WHITE"....NOTICE THE YELLOW BANDANA IN THE OTHERWISE B&W PHOTO

Here is basically how I handle a photo in Picasa 3. I get the photo up on the screen & then under Basic Fixes hit that "Lucky" button Rick talks about. I then decide if the picture looks better & it usually does. I then sometimes click the "Auto Color" button next to see if it will adjust the color the way I want. Then I go to Effects & click on "Saturation" & see if I like the way it punches out the colors more vibrantly or not. Then I'll slip up to the "Sharpen" button & stretch the slider bar to sharpen the picture a bit. Then I might go to Tuning & add some "Contrast" to the picture to darken it down a bit maybe or I might use the "Color Temperature" to warm up a sunset. You can also lighten your photo if it's too dark by using the "Fill Light" slider bar under Basic Fixes. Also under Basic Fixes you will find the word, "Crop" & this is where you can really make or break your photo. I do a lot of cropping in my photos & it all has to do with composition. If you don't get the composition right when you take the picture then you have a second chance to re-do the shot in the Picasa photo program by cropping it the way you want. I ADDED "SATURATION" TO MAKE THE YELLOW BANDANA COLOR STAND OUT

There are a bunch of other creative buttons for working on your photos & the best way to learn is just to get a photo up on the Picasa screen & start pressing buttons to see what happens. Everything can be undone very easily so you are not going to ruin your photos. Try the Sepia button for an old time look or turn your color to black & white. Soft focus is very creative & you have slider bars to adjust your softness. I use my "Straighten" button a lot because I have a tendency to get my horizon's crooked. That button alone has saved many a photo for me. Try Focal B&W for another really neat effect. I HAVE TOTALLY EXAGGERATED THE SKY TO SHOW HOW EFFECTS CAN BE ADDED IN "GRADUATED TINT."

AN EXAMPLE OF "CROPPING"

And don't worry.......if you don't like what you create, just undo the changes you made & take the photo back to the way it was. Only takes a few seconds. "SEPIA TONE" GIVES PHOTOS THAT OLD TIME LOOK

I have a professional Photoshop program in our laptop but have never used it simply because I've never been able to understand it. Maybe if I understood it I would still come back to Picasa 3......who knows. You can download the free PICASA 3 here. From there it's just a few more easy steps to download Picasa's sister program, PICASA WEB ALBUMS. ""SOFT FOCUS" LETS YOU PLACE THE SOFTNESS WHERE YOU WANT IT. THIS IS NICE FOR PORTRAITS.

Like I said earlier........I see a lot of OK photos in blogs that could be made better if folks just took the time to make them better with a simple easy to use photo program called Picasa 3. And like Rick..........no, I do not work for Picasa or have anything to gain by recommending it, except.............your photos are going to look a whole lot nicer & that is going to make YOU feel a whole lot better........:)))))) BLACK & WHITE

P.S. And I used the "Straighten" button on all these motorcycle photos to get my horizons level!!

GROANER'S CORNER:)) Why is it called Alcoholics Anonymous when the first thing you do is stand up and say, '*My name is Bob, and I am an alcoholic'?

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 FEW DUMP TRUCK LOADS OF BIRDSEED MAYBE!!

MORNING DOVE.....AND YES, I KNOW I'M PRETTY

Spent a few relaxing hours to-day learning more about my front yard bird pals. Yesterday I was convinced the notorious Grackle Gang had driven all the other birds away but this morning it looked like a big bird convention in the front yard again with birds flying around every which a way. Even a few new ones that I have been looking for in my bird ID books. The feeders went strangely silent after lunch & it wasn't until I saw the neighbor's cat lurking about that I understood why. OH OH.....LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER CRITTER IS WASHING UP BEFORE THE BIRDSEED BUFFET DINNER TO-NIGHT

Figured there is no way to solve the messy eating Grackle problem so I will just have to buckle down & get myself a full time 80 hour a week job that pays enough to spend all the paychecks on birdseed. Our RVing friend Gerald lives just around the corner from us & drives a walloping big gravel truck for the summer months so figured maybe if I bought in bulk I could get Gerald to drop me off a couple of big dump truck loads of birdseed every couple weeks. I think the Grackle Gang has me in the palm of their feathered feet:(( AWW COME ON DAD TAKE US FOR A RIDE IN THE VAN

Kelly headed off to Cambridge early this morning to pick up her daughter & two grandkids & then head over to Spencerport, New York. I left shortly after for my eye appointment with the Optometrist in Clinton. Seems I have the start of cataracts in both eyes but not to the point where I need anything done yet. Said to come back in a year & he would see how the cataracts were coming along. My eyeglass prescription had changed a bit but not worth spending over $600 for a set of new glasses!!!! I have trouble reading small magazine print & smaller print in blogs but that's just the way it will have to be for another year until we see which way we're going with that cataract thing. I HAVEN'T GOT A POSITIVE ID ON THIS FELLOW YET

THIS REDWING BLACKBIRD SEEMS TO HAVE SOME KIND OF GROWTH ON IT'S BREAST UNLESS THAT'S A CROP OF SEEDS IT'S CARRYING

Have been noticing subtle changes in the flower gardens as the approaching season change begins to set in. Once lush lime colored ferns are taking on a hard edge look as fronds darken & decay around the edges. Our round canopy Basswood tree is beginning to shed a few large leaves & the day lilies are finished for another year. Some flowering shrubs are growing tired & sagging under the weight of old summer growth & leaves on our Virginia Creeper vine & Sumac trees are showing early stages of fall color. We are approaching my all time favorite season of the year............Autumn:)) HAVEN'T BEEN USING MY UTILITY TRAILER MUCH THIS SUMMER

ANOTHER SIGN OF THE AGING PROCESS........EVERYTIME I SIT DOWN ON THE TRAIL FOR A REST THE BUZZARD'S BEGIN GATHERING!!

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Just came across this exercise suggested for seniors to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It seems easy, so I'm passing it on. The article suggested doing it three days a week. Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5 lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, then hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax. Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10 lb. potato sacks. Then 50 lb. potato sacks and, eventually, try to get to where you can lift a 100 lb. potato sack in each and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.
After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks; but be careful. 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 LOOK BACK AT BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS....2004

A BIG RV WAVE FROM THE COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS......and yes, those are real Cottonwood trees in the background

Our hottest day of the summer occured Sunday with the highest humidity I've felt for years. Much the same to-day but not as intense. We were finally forced to kick on the A/C yesterday.LAKE TEXOMA IN TEXAS.....ON OUR WAY TO BIG BEND....Kelly's checking the map because she probably thinks we are lost

When I first put the bird feeders up a couple weeks ago I thought my biggest problem was going to be chipmunks in the feeders but that paled compared to the problem I'm having now. Gangs of Grackles have taken over the feeding stations dumping the birdseed on the ground. They swoop in scaring the other birds & then hang on the feeders swooping the seeds off the feeders with sweeping motions of their beaks. I've had to stop filling most of the feeders because of the waste so bird city is temporarily on hold until I can figure out some kind of solution.

I AM WATCHING AN EAGLE FISHING OUT OVER THE LAKE

I have started an AUGUST photo album & will continue to add photos to it as the month progresses. Thanks to everyone for the nice photo comments. I'll be happy when we're back on the road again & I finally have some new scenery in front of my lens!! A STOP IN MARATHON TEXAS AT A QUAINT LITTLE BAKERY FOR SOME COFFEE & DONUNTS

Kelly is off to Spencerport New York in the morning to spend a few days with her Mom & Dad. They are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary this week & family members are rallying for a get to-gether. Kelly's Dad's health continues to deteriorate & this may be the last full family gathering. TOTALLY EXHAUSTED BUT AT LAST WE ARE OFFICIALLY HERE:))

I didn't have any photos for to-day but while looking back through our archives I came across a few pics copied from prints of our first major RV jaunt down to Big Bend National Park, Texas in December of 2004. I don't have a lot of pics from that trip because we lost a bunch in a 2007 computer crash. They weren't that great anyway because back in those days I had just started out in the digital camera age with a 1 Megapixel cheap little camera from Staples. But hey, it was the start that got me back into photography after about an 11 year photography drought. CHRISTMAS MORNING 04 AS KELLY USES THE BINOCULARS TO GAZE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE RIVER TO THE RUSTIC LITTLE MEXICAN VILLAGE OF BOQUILLAS dEL CARMAN

We were driving a Class C Ford Gulfstream back then & Max was our only critter. We had a short window of vacation time because we were both working & had to be back right after New Years. We went all the way down to Big Bend & back in less than two weeks. I was desperate just to see some mountains & cactus again & that was the closest spot I could find to us on a map. Heading south I remember scanning the flat horizon for mountain peaks ahead as we slipped south of Fort Stockton, Texas. And finally there they were, just disant tips at first, but with each mile the mountains just grew & grew & grew:)) I have never lived in the mountains but for some strange reason I always feel at home in them. PLAYING A GAME OF STICKS WITH MAX IN THE RIO GRANDE RIVER...... THAT'S AMERICA ON THE LEFT SIDE & MEXICO ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RIVER

It was a short but memorable stay in Big Bend & it solitified in both of us our desire to pursue the RV lifestyle someday. I remember Christmas Eve sitting atop a high rock cropping at the end of a long uphill path with the Rio Grande river below us & watching the beautiful sunset over the distant Chisos Mountains. Moments to remember. We stayed at the Rio Grande Village campground that night & I remember Christmas morning hiking along the banks of the Rio Grande in Boquillas Canyon & feeling so much alive. Second night was in the Cottonwood Campground after hiking the awesome Santa Elena Canyon. ON OUR WAY TO SANTA ELENA CANYON WHERE THE SPLIT IS ALONG THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE TO THE RIGHT

We began our return trip by heading through the dusty little Texas towns of Study Butte, Terlingua, & Lajitus, before rolling through Big Bend Ranch State Park & on to Presidio. From there it was north to Fort Davis where we just arrived in time at the McDonald Observatory high atop the Davis Mountains for a big 'out under the stars,' Starparty. That was a very cold but memorable night & I shall always remember it. HIKING IN SANTA ELENA CANYON

The next morning it was pedal to the metal as we raced across the States on our hurried dash for home. I will always remember the depression & discouragement I felt at having to come back to the ice & snow of our Canadian winter. POSING FOR A PICTURE IN THE CHISOS BASIN CAMPGROUND

The following winter was spent in Canada but we've been fortunate enough these past two seasons to once again make it to our beloved American southwest with each stay being longer than the one before & hopefully this year will be a full 6 months. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay:))

A COLD MORNING........LOADING UP ON HOT TACOS AT A ROADSIDE STAND IN TERLINGUA, TEXAS

GROANER'S CORNER: You know your getting old when everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt, doesn't work!!

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

OUR SOLAR INSTALLATION AT SLAB CITY, CALIFORNIA

A RAINY DAY IN BIRDLAND

Good thing I decided not to take the motorcycle out for a morning cruise because a band of thunderstorms formed over the lake & came ashore with thunder & lightning dumping tons of water on the area. Good for all plants though because things were getting a bit dry. TWO BATTERIES UNDER THE STEPS

In a rare shopping mode last week I dropped into the new Habitat for Humanity store in Goderich & bought a dusty old spice rack for 50 cents & a $5 boom box complete with cassete tape deck. Both items well used but I wanted the boom box to play my old cassette tapes that I had painstakenly made from library CD's back in the mid 80's. Also had some natural bird song tapes from my old Stratford Field Naturalist Club days that I wanted to try out on our front yard birds. Worked great yesterday as the taped bird sounds seemed to draw in more birds.

TWO ENCASED BATTERIES IN A BIN BESIDE THE OTHER TWO UNDER THE STEPS

Had an email from some friends in southern Arizona inquiring about the solar system we had installed on our motorhome in December of 07 in Slab City, California. Gathered all the info to-gether & sent them a reply this morning. Figured I would also put that info into to-day's blog plus our photos & blogs from the 3 day period we spent at the Slabs. Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain is at Slab City as well & we were there..........................
To J & R: Wasn't readily able to lay my hands on the paperwork for our solar installation but the following is my slightly foggy recollection of what we have.

Our solar system was installed by SOLAR MIKE'S SUN WORKS
in Slab City, California. I know we got two solar panels on the roof with numbers like 120 or 130. I think that has to do with watts or something. They are Kyocera panels I think & there should be some pics in our Slab City Installation album which I will put a link in for below. We also had 4 new batteries installed, 1 monitor, 1 control panel, & 1 2500watt power inverter plus lots of wiring. The inverter is bigger than we needed but it was used & had just come out of a fifth wheel while we were there. Those people were going to an even bigger set-up. Our total cost was somewhere around $3,000+ I think. Installation took a day & a half & you can read about it here....
-INSTALLATION DAY
-OUR LAST DAY AT THE SLABS

The photos from our 3 day stay at the Slabs are here...
-http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/35DEC19SOLARINSTALLATIONDAY
-http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/34DEC18SLABCITYWHATELSECANISAY
-http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/36DEC20LASTDAYATTHESLABS

Kelly had done a lot of research on the internet about solar installation & most people on the RV NET FORUM recommended SUN WORKS in California so that's where we went. The LIVE.WORK.DREAM couple had their 5ver outfitted for solar there as well after we did. And Slab City itself is worth a look see just for the experience of being there. You can camp out in your rig anywhere. Lots of colorful characters at the Slabs:))

2500 WATT TRACE INVERTER AS SEEN FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE BIN

Our system has been trouble free ever since & we have never ran out of solar power or even come close to running out. We sometimes run the generator for a few minutes in the morning while coffee is brewing. Wouldn't have to but I like to keep the generator up to speed plus if you have a few cloudy days you can always bump your batteries up with the genny so it's good to keep the generator primed & ready to rumble. We can do pretty well everything with solar that we do with electricity except use a slow cooker or micro-wave for long periods of time. Television, lights, etc all work just the same as if you were in your house. INSIDE SOLAR PANEL MONITOR SHOWING A TYPICAL CLOUDY DAY READING

Photos show 2 batteries under the top step passenger side where the old battery was, 2 batteries in cases in the adjoining bin with the white inverter behind. Next 2 pics are the 2500Watt Trace inverter from the bin on the driver's side. Next photo is inside the coach showing the solar panel monitor. Numbers in the high 1300's mean your drawing in lots of good power on a sunny day. It's cloudy & raining right now so the panels are only drawing 1272. Next 2 pics show the control panel for the system & you can see on the monitor that our batteries are 85% charged. If we have a bunch of cloudy days & they drop into the 70% range I just plug into shore power & they are fully charged to 100% in no time or run the generator to charge them. Driving also charges the batteries. SOLAR CONTROL PANEL IS THE ONE WITH THE BLUE BUTTONS

Hope this gives you a basic idea of solar power. The initial cost is a bit expensive but we have already nearly recouped all that money in saved Park fees over the past couple of years. RV Park fees are one of the biggest money drains RV'ers face. Let us know if you have any other questions & maybe we can answer them. There are some maintenance procedures for the batteries but it's kind of standard I think.....AL. CONTROL PANEL SHOWING WE HAVE AN 85% CHARGE ON THE BATTERIES
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GROANER'S CORNER: A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was a nurse said 'No change yet'.

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

CANADIAN HEALTH CARE.......AND A GREAT GOLF IDEA

PHOTO ABOVE shows the Nikon D40 camera & Stellarvue Nighthawk telescope combination I'm learning to use for the bird photos. My left hand is on the tightening knob for tilting the 720mm scope lens up & down. Directly below that is the knob for swinging the lens left & right. Below that, visible on the tripod is a crank for raising or lowering the camera & lens on the tripod. The round gray knob directly above my watch is one of two focusing knobs on the lens. My right hand's forefinger is back on the trigger of the camera & it also runs the exposure compensation button while my thumb adjusts the exposure by turning a dial on the back of the camera. By the time I've made all the adjustments the bird I'm trying to take the picture of has probably already left the country. Beside me on an unseen table sits a second Nikon camera with a 200mm zoom lens, my bird ID books, a pair of 7x35 mm binoculars, & a cup of cold coffee:))
LARRY, CURLY, & MOE......THE GOLDFINCH BROTHERS

With the current problems regarding the American health care system going on in the States right now we have received a few email inquiries from RV friends. There is soooooo much mis-leading information south of the border. My Aunt Jean in Florida also emailed us yesterday with a few questions about what kind of health care we have here in Canada. She writes.......
"Are your doctor visits paid for, or do you have a co-payment? What about hospital stays & surgery? Does the plan pay for any medications? I'm sure you need a referral from your primary doctor to see a specialist of any kind, & approx. how long is the wait to get an appointment. There is such a debate going on down here about Healthcare, one doesn't know what to believe. I presume the rules & payment plans have changed from when the program was first introduced back in the 60's." I've meant to ask you about your OHIP,(Ontario Health Insurance Plan) & how that works BEFORE the age of 65.

NUTHATCH ON A SUET FEEDER

Kelly wrote the following response to my Aunt Jean......
"There is not much difference after age 65. Except you get your prescriptions for $4.00 per script. Also after 65 you get a free eye exam every year. ( pay for your own glasses though. But you get most of that back on your income tax refund. All Dr. visits are free, you are allowed 1 complete physical per year. ( no co-pays ever) you can go to your doctors as often as you want, he can request any blood test he deems necessary. Hospital and surgery free. Ambulance has a co-pay, but not much. You do need a referral for any specialist. I had to see a cardiologist for a stress test and waited one week. Then was referred to Kitchener for a myocardial nuclear infusion , that wait was one day ! I was really impressed. One thing to remember though, neither Al or I have had to deal with a long term major illness.
I know there are pros and cons, but for us, we are thankful to have the care we do without payments of any kind. We can walk into any hospital in Canada and receive free care. I realize that is why our gas it more, a bottle of wine is more etc, etc... I'd rather pay a little more for things and not worry about how to pay for a health care plan...
Anyway... that is my opinion Jean for what it's worth .... Kelly (P.S. I wish Dental was included, have never understood why it isn't)" FEMALE GOLDFINCH ON LEFT....MALE ON RIGHT NEVER KNEW A MORNING DOVE HAD SO MANY SUBTLE COLORS

You can see Kelly is much more knowledgeable on this medical stuff than I am. Only thing I know is if I cut my finger she told me to just put a band-aid on it, shut up, & don't whine!! THIS RED BELLIED WOODPECKER WAS MOVING UP THE PINE TREE SO FAST I ONLY GOT ONE POORLY FOCUSED SHOT OF HIM

Noticed a fair number of RV folks are golfers. I've tried about half a dozen times over the years to get interested in the game but it just never grabbed me. Even bought a used set of clubs back in the early 80's hoping that might spur me on, but it didn't. I'm not one for competitive sports at all & maybe that has something to do with it. There is one thing though that I really liked about golf.....the golf course!! To me, golf course are so beautifully landscaped & go hand in hand with Mother Nature. I love all the shades of green blending to-gether. Golf courses are so scenic with their flowers, trees, ponds, sculptured sand bunkers, & winding pathways for the golf carts & people traffic. Long sweeping fairways bordered with towering trees against deep blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds makes for picture postcard landscapes. The few times I played, it wasn't the game that caught my attention, it was the scenery. Always thought how nice it would be to just leisurely enjoy the peace & tranquility of the golf course without having to undergo the stress of smashing a little white ball all over the place with a metal club......And then this morning I had a "light bulb" moment regarding golf courses:)) MALE RED WING BLACKBIRD

Seems kind of unfair to me that only small select groups of people are permitted to exclusively use golf courses. If I owned a golf course I would set aside a special day (maybe 3 or 4) every week for Seniors & special interest groups like walking & hiking clubs, photography clubs, bird watchers, nature clubs, artists, horticultural organizations, environmentalists, etc. Bus the Seniors from the care facilities, nursing homes, & Seniors clubs to the golf course then arrange for volunteer golfing people to transport the Seniors around the fairways on the golf carts. I'm sure somebody could come up with a way to safely carry wheelchair folks on some kind of tram pulled by a small vehicle of some kind as well. Think of the endless enjoyment older folks would get from being able to move about in such a beautiful setting. Set up a nice afternoon lunch in the clubhouse & just make it a great outing for the folks. The peacefulness of a golf courses lends itself perfectly to bird watchers, nature photographers, & artist types. Smooth golf cart pathways make for healthy walking. Horticulturists would love the landscaped gardens & all the environmentalists would be a happy bunch indeed. Awwwww, if only:(( But, it's not likely ever going to happen because it's not likely I am going to own a golf course anytime soon.........................But, if I do.....:)) GREAT NORTH AMERICAN PORCELIN BIRD:))

GROANER'S CORNER: Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

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