DOGGY DAY SUNDAY

 

THE DOGS & DONKEY SHOW

Before I forget!!  With Cowichan Bay Rick's email reminder this morning I was able to upload yesterday's Coronado Cave photos to our web album this morning.  Click on CORONADO CAVE ALBUM to check out the rest of our cave hike's photos.  My brain just wouldn't co-operate with me last night in trying to remember how to do that.  Thought there was a different upload procedure with re-sized photos but there isn't.  Just had to make sure I uploaded the correct smaller size in Picasa.  RICK saved the day again:))

It was after midnight by the time I had things squared away with the blog.  Live Writer hiccuped but I was once again able to click past the error & it published OK.  The ranch dogs Gleeson & Pearce had me awake about 4 with a lot of barking & that was it for me & I've been up ever since.  Not a lot of sleep last night so it turned out to be a very slow day.                                          CORKY >>>>

<<<< PEARCE

Kelly woke up with a mild case of shopitus this morning so headed off over to Sierra Vista this morning to do some browsing at a Marshall store.  Corky, a neighbor & friends dog came for the day so I spent a fair time just playing with the all the furry guys.  Rolling around on the grass with bouncing & bounding dogs flying around everywhere is my kinda day.  Corky is a big dog with endless energy so we all had a great time.  Little Motormouse doesn't know she's little & just gets right in there & mixes it up with the big guys.  I love watching them all playing & interacting with each other.  6 dogs just a havin fun.  Oh, & one old two legged dog right down on the ground in the middle of the fray as well:))

When we returned from our cave hike yesterday there were some really nice emails waiting for us & I would like to thank the folks from Santa Tresa NM, Denison Texas, & Gravenhurst Ontario Canada for taking the time to write us with their encouraging thoughts & positive comments.  A big thank-you from the Bayfield Bunch folks & you sure set Checker's, Max, & the Motormouse's, tails to wagging:))                                GLEESON >>>>

TO-DAY’S ALIEN FLYING SAUCER CLOUDS (Belle Starr’s Silverado Ranch is over there about the center of that mountain range)  Mule Mountains

I finally uploaded a couple more photo albums to our Picasa Web Album site this morning & that almost brings me up to date with all our photos.  Most of my photos don't make it into the blog simply for logistical reasons but if anyone happens to be interested  you can go to our WEB ALBUM SITE & click on any album you wish.  Many sunrises & sunsets & simple day to day activities in the lives of The Bayfield Bunch.   Lots of boring stuff but there it is anyway.............:))

SATURDAY NIGHT’S CAMPFIRE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And did you know that George Bunting was a Baltimore Pharmacist who was inspired to call his skin creams product Noxzema after hearing a customer say, "It sure knocked out my eczema."  First sold in 1914 it was called Dr. bunting's Sunburn Remedy.

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)

http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

TO-DAY WE FOUND THE CORONADO CAVE

KELLY TAKES THE SAFE WAY DOWN FROM THE CAVE’S ENTRANCE

A few days ago Kelly had been reading a brochure about attractions & things to do in Bisbee when she came across something about a cave.  Well, the mention of caves is just about enough to interest most anybody so this morning we sat down at the computer & tried to figure out where this cave was.  Because it was a Bisbee brochure we thought it's probably in Bisbee somewhere.  After searching up & down a few blind alleys we finally realized we were looking entirely in the wrong area for the Coronado Cave.

ON OUR WAY TO THE CORONADO CAVE WHICH IS NEAR ONE OF THOSE HIGH HUACHUCA MOUNTAIN PEAKS TO THE LEFT OF THE HIGHWAY

The Coronado Cave is located right in the Coronado National Memorial Park.  We had been to the park last March so knew exactly how to get there.  For our drive & hike up to Coronado Peak last March 11 ago check out our BLOG and PHOTO ALBUM for that day.  A few weeks ago when we had taken ranch dog Gleeson for his rabies shot in the Coronado area we had noticed a breakfast Cafe along the way with a lot of cars outside so that was our first stop this morning after leaving the ranch about 9:30.  Had us a big mess of bacon & eggs.  A couple of ranchers came in packing guns so that caught our attention pretty quick.  Being from Canada we sure aren't used to seeing that sort of thing.  Next stop was at a feed store along the way for some dog food & then off to Coronado National Park.

THE CAVE IS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THAT MOUNTAIN ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY UP

The Park is truly a beautiful place with forests, mountains, canyons, birds, & abundant wildlife.  As soon as you begin the ascent off the valley floor to-wards the park you immediately notice the greenery & off to the left you can clearly see 50 or 60 miles or more into Mexico.  The drive to the vistor center is lined with trees on a gently winding road.  Lots of room in the parking lot to-day & we were the only car there.  The hike to the cave begins right at the west end of the Visitor Center's parking lot but it didn't take us long to get ourselves off the trail.  The Parks people are working on a river bed along there so we ended up walking up the dry creek bed before finding the trail again.  It's a steady uphill climb to the cave & about 10 minutes after starting up we could feel our legs burning.  We still don't have our hiking legs on!!  The path wandered upwards with switchbacks, rock scrambles, stone steps, & easy walking fine gravel for three quarters of a mile.  Mesquite trees, agave, yucca, assorted grasses & cacti lined the pathways.  Mexican Jays & Norhern Flickers darted among the trees.   Breathtaking vistas across the valley to the forested peaks on the other side & a backward glance showed us the Mexican valley floor below with the San Jose mountain range far off on the horizon.  It was a picture perfect day with small white puffy clouds in the endless blue Arizona sky.  A cooling breeze coming up the canyon kept us from sweating the steady uphill climb. 

BEAUTIFUL SCENERY ALONG THE PATH LEADING UP TO THE CAVE

And then, all of a sudden, we were there.  I looked up & to my right & there was the cave opening at the far end of a stony set of man made steps.   Not a big opening to the cave & we could see there was a good bit of rock scrambling right at the beginning to actually descend into the cave itself.  Peering down & into the cave I was aware of how very dark it looked in there.  Good thing we had brought 3 small flashlights.  And I had a lighter in my pocket just in case.

The cave interior extends 600 feet in length with 20 foot ceilings & several crawl ways & short passages.  Stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, & helictites can be found here.  Bats, Coatimundis & Ringtails occasionally use the cave for shelter & warmth although we did not see any trace of animals being in there.  The hardest part  was the rock scramble into the cave right at the entrance.  Once over the large rocks & down the steep incline to the cave floor itself we began to quickly lose the light from the small entrance above.  With flashlights on we slowly headed deeper into the cave.

WE BEGIN TO QUICKLY LOSE THE LIGHT

It was apparent right away that this was more than just a little hole in the wall cave.  We have been to both Kartchner & Carlsbad caverns & this cave reminded us of both those places.  The absolute blackness, the deathly quiet, the still air, & the largeness of the cavern walls & ceilings that our flashlights hardly had power enough to illuminate.  It was the camera flashes that showed us the much larger overall picture.  The floor of the cave was a soft gray kind of stone dust & easy to walk on.  Rocks jutted up & out at odd angles.  A few Stalagmites & Stalactites were illuminated along the way in the soft beams of our lights.  There were dark areas that looked like small passages but we stuck to the larger open spaces & kept moving forward.  Down a bit & then up a bit through a narrowing in the rock & we found ourselves in another very large cavernous room.  Our lightbeams barely reached the far side.  We turned off our lights for a few seconds & stood in the total blackness.  Ahead we could see a faint glow high up on the cave wall so we made our way across the large silent room.  Kelly waited about middle way while I went ahead, scrambled up some rocks, ducked down & duckwalked under an overhang into a smaller double closet space & looked up for the source of light.  And, there it was, a thin ray of sunlight about 15 feet over my head shining through the darkness onto a rock.  Looked like a tough bit of a climb to get up there & while I was briefly thinking about that I heard a sound I didn't like.

WOW:))

Killer bees are a very real problem in Arizona & it was a constant buzzing sound I was hearing.  Peering closer to-wards the sunlight I could make out the tiny shapes of bees buzzing about.  Without further adieu I turned around, squatted down, & duck walked myself right back under that low hanging rock outcrop & out into the bigger blackened room.  I could see Kelly's flashlight below like a starpoint in the vastness of a night sky.  And behind her somewhere further back in the darkness were two other small pin points of light.  Almost like eyes piercing through the night.  The pin points moved & I began to hear the murmur of voices.  Aw yes, another two people have ventured into the this black abyss.

THIS IS ONE VERY BIG PLACE AS KELLY WAITS FOR ME TO CHECK OUT THE LIGHT SOURCE.  REMEMBER, THIS IS ABSOLUTE & TOTAL BLACKKNESS WITHOUT A FLASHLIGHT ON

We kept our lights on & made our way back to where the other lights had stopped when we noticed something glowing red was moving on the cave floor.  Oh dear!!  The other lights weren't moving now as we approached, & they weren't talking either.  I ventured a greeting to our unknown & unseen alien visitors & was relieved to hear a pleasant greeting returned out of the darkness.  But wait, the red circle object on the cave floor moved to-wards us with it's.........4 feet!!  Well, the 4 feet belonged to a cute little pooch with an illuminated red color on his neck & the two pin-points of light were clip on hat lights that belonged to a couple from Tucson.  Nice folks & we had ourselves a little 5 minute chat right there in an underground cave in south eastern Arizona on a fine bright sunny day somewhere over our heads & totally out of sight.

MET THIS COUPLE & THEIR POOCH FROM TUCSON IN THE CAVE

Made our way back until we could see the light of the cave entrance again & began our ascent up the steep slope to the large boulders at the entranceway.  Clambered up & out into the sunshine...... & two young guys standing there eating submarine sandwiches.  How nice I thought for somebody to bring us lunch.

I’M HOPING KELLY CAN KEEP THEIR ATTENTION LONG ENOUGH SO I CAN SLIP AROUND & SNITCH THEIR SANDWICHES:))

The two fellows & a third fellow were just finishing up some eats before heading down into the cave.  Warned them about the bees at the far end, wished them well, & away we went off down the trail heading the three quarters of a mile back to the visitor's center. 

A STOP ALONG THE TRAIL FOR A WATER BREAK

All & all it was one of my favorite kinds of days.  We got to go somewhere we had never been & saw things we had never seen.  Now, why can't we do that everyday!!  Nice to get back to the parking lot & plunk ourselves into the soft seats of the car.  Headed off in the direction of Bisbee making a stop at the Safeway store in old San Jose for a few groceries.  We were back at the ranch by 3 o'clock & the rest of the day was spent relaxing & grabbing some zzzzzzzz's.  Sure had another pile of photos to work on again too.

HEADING BACK DOWN THE TRAIL

And, we handed out 4 more Bayfield Bunch cards to-day as well.  Left one in the Morning Star Cafe, & gave the cave couple a card as well as the fellows outside the cave entrance plus the Park management lady in the Visitor's Center.  I think we've still got about 950 cards left so don't think we'll be running short any time soon........:))

THAT VALLEY FLOOR & MOUNTAIN RANGE OUT THERE IS MEXICO

To see the rest of to-days photos go here to CORONADO CAVE PHOTO ALBUM

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Waiter....."Would you like your coffee black?"  Customer..... "What other colors do you have!!"

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

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

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)

http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

FRIDAY…..SAME AS THURSDAY:((

 

To-day was kind of a repeat performance of yesterday so it's going to be a challenge to come up with something to blog about to-night.  Just finished emptying the cameras into Picasa so I've got a pile of photos to go through again.  I really need someone to come out here & take these camera's away from me.  I have totally swamped myself again to-day with sunsets & old farm machinery.  But, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining..........it's a very, very, enjoyable hobby:))

 

Not sure how many people out there are familiar with the, 'NEW TRIBES MISSION' but they have a very active community here in McNeal, Arizona.  This is the aviation division of New Tribes & the community is complete with aircraft, hangers, & an airfield.  They fly missionaries into remote & inaccessible locations.  Kelly's exercise instructor is part of the New Tribes family & her husband is the chief flying instructor here.  She told Kelly her husband would be delighted to give us a tour of the facility & it's different kinds of aircraft so we plan to head the short 2 miles over there one day next week for a look see.

Noticed a few days ago that Ivan is on the move again with ROADTRIP 09.  Some of you may remember his trip up the Alaska highway a few months ago about the same time WANDERING WILLY was up in that neck of the woods too.  Looks like Ivan swung through BC & Vancouver Island on his way south from Alberta this time & right now is somewhere around Barstow, California.  Not sure where he's headed but I'm guessing he's in search of warmer weather somewhere.  Aren't we all this year:((

Last night I blogged about my confusion with the Picasa photo editing program & it's upgrades.  When I opened the program to-day I somehow had the new version again.  I hope it stays this time!!!!

Google offers something called, 'Google Alerts' & we downloaded that awhile back to try & get a handle on who visits our Bayfield Bunch blogsite & how did they find it.  For the most part I don't really understand how this program works but to-day we found out we somehow landed on this FEEDJIT Double Adobe blog site.  Also landed on another site called TECHNORATI.  Nice to be picked up by other sites I guess but it's a little scary in a way too because we bloggers have little or no control where our blogs go & who picks them up for whatever reasons or uses.

Would like to thank everyone again for all the nice comments & emails that have been coming in.  Very much appreciated by the whole gang here at the Bayfield Bunch:))

Fired up the rig's generator to-day as well as the rig itself.  Occurred to me last night that we hadn't started up the motorhome since arriving at the ranch over a month ago & with these below freezing night time temps I was a little concerned about the battery.  But, no problem as it started right up, & unlike last summer I remembered to turn it off again before it ran for over 5 hours like last time!!!!  Hmmmmm, wonder if I remembered to turn off my motorcycle before heading south in October.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Why is psychoanalysis quicker for a man than than a woman?  When it's time to go back to childhood, he's already there.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

PUTTERING IN THE GARDEN

 

SOME SERIOUS DONKEY TALK GOING ON HERE

When I read posts from our fellow northern bloggers I am reminded how fortunate we folks in the southern parts of the States really are.  Our weather isn't the best down here in a lot of places but it is sure one heck of a lot better than what I am seeing up north.  I had better stop my grumping about the cold nights.  We hit 77F this afternoon:))

Kelly was off to exercise classes at 9 so I started pulling a lot of the dead summer flower stocks out of the flower beds & worked on another little adobe brick step down from the wrap around porch deck.  Sun was hot & I was actually down to short sleeves for a few hours.  Kelly's Yoga class is in Bisbee to-morrow morning so I'll hang out here & continue with my little projects.  Figured out how to start the ATV so that makes things a bit easier for hauling around dirt & bricks now.

CLEANING OUT SOME FLOWER GARDENS

The Facebook controversy continues over privacy issues & BITS FROM BILL has another post out to-day dealing with even more shady ways of big business.  Always something huh!!

<<< Y’KNOW PONCHO, I THINK THAT DOG’S CRAZY

Picasa has just released their newer Picasa 3.6 photo editing program yesterday so I upgraded last night but I don't see anything different from Picasa 3.  I actually went from Picasa 3 to Picasa 3.5 a couple of months ago & noticed some positive differences right away but then just a week or so ago my 3.5 mysteriously reverted back to Picasa 3.  So now I went to 3.6 & it looks the same as Picasa 3.  Confusing??  You bet it is & I don't know what's up with the Picasa folks but I sure hope they stop messing around with their photo editing program before they totally screw it up because there is not another photo editing program out there to compare with the ease & simplicity of Picasa.  All my photos are done using Picasa.

Mentioning Picasa reminded me about one of the most asked questions that come across my desktop...... what kind of a camera do you use?? I have blogged about this 3 or 4 times before so I will keep it short.  I have a Nikon D50 with an 18-55mm lens, & a Nikon D40 with a 55-200mm lens.  I also carry with me at all times a Canon Powershot A720IS & I have an 80mm Stellarve Refractor Nighhawk telescope that I can adapt to either one of my Nikons giving me a telephoto lens equivalent of 700mm.  I also carry a 2X tele-converter that doubles the power of any lens it is matched to.  All my cameras do a great job for me & as an advanced amateur they are all I need for our simple travel blog.  I've had my Nikon D50 for about 4 years, my D40 for 2 years & my Canon A720 for about a year & a half.  All cameras were purchased at HENRY'S camera shops except the Canon which I picked up at Wal-Mart.

Live Writer threw an error message at me last night about 2 minutes into the publishing process but it was a different one than I usually get so I waited a couple of minutes & tried again.  Success, but it sure had me doing some jumping up & down for a few minutes!!       10 A.M.  MORNING MOON >>>

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Men are like fine wine: They all start out as grapes, and it is your job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd want to have with dinner.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

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

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)

http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

TO-DAY WE MET BELLE STARR:))

 

BELLE & HER FRIEND HOGAN

I heard Belle's welcome before I even saw her.  "Come in, come in" came  the voice from behind the old wooden door as we made our way to the white stucco & Spanish arched Silverado ranch house.  "Hello" she said as she pushed her wheelchair back from the doorway.  I knew from the instant I saw her that this was a very special lady.  Her eyes sparkled & her faced beamed a smile that made you feel welcome regardless of who you were or how you felt.  Belle is a vibrant 83 year old young cowgirl with a mighty big positive attitude.  She was dressed in a bright yellow outfit with a touch of western wildness to it.  Had her cowboy boots on too.  She made us right at home & had us sit down there by the door.  Within minutes of talking to her I could tell she was truly one of the those wild west characters we have all read so much about many years ago.  I could see the mischievous fire in her eyes & hear that young cowgirl passion for life in her voice.  It's all still in her despite having fallen & broken a hip this past August.  She is in a wheelchair now but her mind is still alert, alive, & still out there riding the open range.

We needed a few groceries to-day so had decided to slide over to Douglas Az for a few things plus pick up some extra apples & carrots for a stop at Belle Starr's Silverado Ranch on our way home.  We had read a bit about Belle & received a couple emails from other RV'ers who had stopped there.  One person said to take some food treats for the animals & that is what we did.

View Full Album

We visited with Belle for a bit & met Hogan, a fellow from over near Naco who helps Belle & keeps an eye out for her safety.  More about Hogan later.  Told Belle we'd slip out & feed the gang our apples & carrots & then drop back in before we left.  We then headed out to feed the many donkeys & horses.  The majority of donkeys & burros are little fellers & it wasn't long before Kelly & her bag of apples & carrots were swamped along the fence line with a multitude of hungry little donkey faces pushing & nudging each other for the coming snacks.  Many horses including miniature breeds  right up to a big Clydesdale were busily munching a good feed of afternoon baled hay.  A colorful plumaged Peacock strutted about keeping an eye on us while many pigeons fanned the air from overhead.  A white Peacock & Golden Pheasant shared a pen with chickens & doves.  A pair of Geese honked their protests behind us much of the time.

 

GOLDEN PHEASANT

A replica of the original Belle Starr's cabin is on the property along with other weathered western artifacts.   This is not a commercial looking fancy pants tourist type place.  This is a down to earth realistic & rustic western ranch with prickly cactus, stones underfoot, a good deal of Arizona dust, & probably a sprinkling of rattlesnakes in the summertime.  Belle is unable to get out & tend her 'kids' now & has to rely on friends & volunteers to help out at the ranch.  Boondocking RV'ers are very welcome here.  No full hook-ups but water & a dump station are available & Belle does have Wifi.  There are boondocking spots close to the ranch house plus farther back on the ranch property.  If any of you boondockers out there are looking for a unique experience then Belle Starr’s Silverado Ranch is the place to head for.  Come on out & give Belle a hand around the ranch for a few days or weeks.  This is a very special lady & any help she can get would be very much appreciated.  We will be dropping by to see her again & are seriously thinking of stopping in there for a week when we leave the ranch here in January.  I don't know how to ride a horse, can't hammer a nail into a board straight & changing a light bulb is still a big challenge for me but I'm sure there is something we could do there to help Belle out for a week or so.  I'm pretty darn handy with a shovel I have got myself mighty darn good at milking chickens......so there!!

Belle has lived a full life with a colorful past to boot so I will put some links in here for anyone interested in reading about a feisty young gal from Kentucky who made Arizona her home after challenging worldly travels.  And it only took her 45 minutes to buy the ranch after she saw the 'For Sale' sign on it while driving by many years ago.  And, this gal not only rode horses, but rode motorcycles to boot!!

Belle Starr....... what a lady!!

BELLE STARR.....A REAL WESTERN RANCH

BELLE STARR'S SILVERADO

BELLE STAR & HER RANCH

BELLE STARR....TRAVELER REVIEW

 

Hogan is a friend of Belles & lives over near the Mexican border at Naco.  I'd say he's about my age & has himself a business of selling old classic cars.  They're not exactly in great or even good condition but he's got a pile of them with parts to spare.  Check out HOGAN'S CLASSIC CARS.  He may just have a little something for everybody over there.  And Sarge, if your reading this, I noticed on his site he's got himself 3 1953 Hudson Hornets in there amongst other things.....even a 55 Studebaker truck & a 51 Ford Coupe.

HOGAN & BELLE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  You have to stay in shape. My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and now we don't know where the hell she is.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

MY SMUG MUG SITE  (I am finally working on updating this site)

MEMORIES OF DAY’S GONE BY

 

WINDY SKIES OVER THE VALLEY

No doubt about it!!  This is the longest & worst wind storm we have ever had to endure.  Although the satellite dish is still standing we have no television signal which tells me the dish has shifted in the high winds.  All 3 legs are spiked into the ground plus a heavy water jug is suspended underneath the tri-pod to add extra weight.  Despite that I expect the tri-pod to be flattened at any time.  I was jolted awake at 2 a.m. by a series of particularly heavy wind gusts that shuddered the whole coach.  It's 3 a.m. right now & the motorhome is rocking back & forth like a small boat upon a storm tossed sea.  Can seasickness be far away!!!! 

Never did go back to bed so worked away at organizing my Picasa Web Albums until sunrise.   Gonna be a loooooong tired day now:((

I was really surprised at not having an error message come up while publishing Live Writer Monday night.  I'm slightly optimistic the problem may be fixed.  The key words there are.....'slightly optimistic.'  Don't want to get my hopes up & have them dashed by an 'Error-400' message again!!  Kelly informed me it wasn't the internet she used to 'fix' the problem but the solution was right in our own computer all the time.  Something to do with program files.  I’ll have to get her to explain it to me.  (as if it would do any good)

And a big welcome to new followers Rod & Connie from ROUND THE CAMPFIRE.  Nice to have you onboard & hope the ride doesn't get too boring for you.

 It's the end of the day now & because of my lack of sleep it turned out to be a very draggy day.  Rained most of the morning so I stayed in & continued to work on my Picasa Web Album stuff.  Kelly was off to Yoga.  The winds finally diminished around noon & we put the slides out again.  It has been pretty crowded in here with 12 paws, 3 wagging tails, & 4 humanoid feet stumbling around.  Our Star Choice satellite somehow survived the winds assault intact but with all the twisting & bending we had no television this morning.  Took a bit of wiggling & re-aligning this afternoon but we snagged the satellite & all is well in Televisionville once more.

PLEASE MAKE THOSE BIG BAD WINDS GO AWAY MOM:((

Enjoyed reading some more of 'me 'n Henry' to-day & came across a paragraph that I really connected with.  Walter Swan the author is talking about his graduation from the eighth grade. (Quote)"This was the last year I ever went to school & the teachers really tried to teach me something, but I tried not to learn just as hard."(Un-quote)  That line sure brought back memories for me & I understood exactly how Walter Swan felt about that.  He goes on to say, (Quote)"We were kind of poor & things were really bad about now & this really bothered my Mother.  My shoes were all worn out & my clothes were not much better.  My shirt had been washed so many times that it was more white looking than it was blue.  My pants had so many patches on them that they looked like a quilt made into a pair of britches.  But they were going to have to do.  There just wasn't any money to buy new ones." (Un-quote) 

After reading that paragraph I kind of slipped into a quiet reflective mood for the rest of the day remembering my early childhood which was similar to Walter's but not as harsh.  Our parents did the best they could back in those days with what they knew & what they had.  When he talks about the Outhouse I remember that well.  Heating water on a coal/wood stove for washing, once a week baths, bringing in water from a pump outside, coal oil lamps for when the electricity went off, no television, wind up clocks, buckled galoshes on cold winter feet , a hand crank phone on the wall, bedpans, wooden sided refrigerator where you put a big block of ice in the top part, no such thing as a supermarket & fish was pedaled on Fridays from a man pushing a wagon around my little home town of Tavistock Ontario, Canada.  Knives could be sharpened the same way & milk was delivered by a horse drawn wagon.  A big old wooden floor model radio was the main source of entertainment in our house & my Mother, my Grandfather, my Uncle Fred, & me, would gather around it Sunday night's for 'Our Miss Brooks, The Great Gildersleeve, Amos & Andy, & many other great old time radio shows.  Arthur Godfrey in the mornings, Gunsmoke & Gangbusters on Saturday nights.  We had a crank up Victrola with old 78 RPM records which I would constantly listen to.  My Mother could play piano by ear & it was always a great treat to listen to her.  I would sit on the piano bench beside her and she would play my favorite, Greensleeves.  Our house always had music in it & I'm very grateful for that to-day.  Whether it was the radio, the Victrola, or an old record player years later, there was always music in the house.  To this very day I still surround myself with music. 

And, as I sit here to-night typing this, listening to my music, I feel very sad after reading & reflecting on Walter Swan's memories of his life because in many ways it connects with my own.  I know this is Tuesday but it just feels like a Sunday night to me & I'd like nothing better right now than to just go back & turn on that big old floor model radio, tune in Fibber M'Gee & Molly, gather round in the living room with my Mother, my Grandfather, & my Uncle Fred to listen & laugh once again to a simple humor that is all but gone now.   A way of life, a way of family, a way of remembering.  Some day's there are just too many old memories to think about.............................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  How many politicians does it take to change a lightbulb ?
Two. One to change it, and another one to change it back again.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

BIG ARIZONA WINDS TO-DAY

 

NEIGHBOR’S OLD BUILDINGS WITH THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS IN THE SUNRISE

By the time I got out of bed this morning Kelly was already on the computer doing battle with Microsoft's Live Writer.  She had read my post last night about being unable to find out where to un-install LW so she had her bulldog teeth into the problem.  Didn't take her long to dig up the un-install info on the internet but it also came with another option.  The site she found also came with a Microsoft Live download repair so we have decided to try that first before trying the un-install.  The repair wizard found 5 repair fixes to MS Live applications.  I'm hopeful this will work but I am not optimistic about it.  Been in these spots before & fixes do not have a good reputation for working.

I am going to keep the blog short (ya, I know....I always say that) & try to load a photo album plus pics & see if that works.  If you see a photo album in this blog you will know it did.

Last night we got a wake up call about 11 as to what to expect to-day in the way of weather.  One of those 44 car speeding express trains came roaring out of the mountains last night & slammed in to us broadside waking us both up.  The motorhome shook, shrieked , rattled, & rumbled, for about 5 minutes & then just as quickly as it had come......the big wind was gone & it was quiet for the rest of the night.

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Wind warnings on the news this morning told us what we were in for & sure enough it didn't take long for the winds to pick up & start blowing real darn good by late morning.  We pulled our slides in before I went to my photo group because the winds were trying their best to rip the slide awnings off.  While at the photo group we watched many big tumbleweeds tumbling across the parking lot outside as the wind kept increasing.

By the time I got back shortly after 3 the air was just a howling & the rig was just a rocking.  We decided to eat in the ranch house so had another big feed of turkey with all the dressing.  Beaks & feet.  Inside the ranch house you would never know there was a big 44 car freight train wind a goin on through.  Had to take some blankets out for the chickens because the wind had nearly clean blew all their feathers off.  The donkeys were hangin on to the fence posts & the two ranch dogs were in the house watching television.  Charlie the cat was reported eastbound at an altitude of about 300 feet somewhere over El Paso.

Ok, I'm going to load this blog full up with photos right now & an album to see what happens.  Want to try it early in case I have to transfer everything over to blogger again......which I fully expect I will have to do.  All photos are of this morning's sunrise which I took outside in my pajamas.  No Jerry, they are not red:))  And a note to Fred & Wilma.......To-day at the photo group I talked to another person who is having the same Live Writer problem you are.  It scatters her photos asunder as well.  Looks good when she composes the blog but when it's published her photos & text are not where she had placed them!!!! 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Doctor! I have a serious problem, I can never remember what I just said.
When did you first notice this problem?   What problem?

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