AUNT JEAN DROPS IN FOR A VISIT

NOW, IS THIS ANY WAY TO TREAT A JEEP!!

By the time I had finished washing all the caked on dried mud off the Jeep this morning I knew that we would not be doing that again.  Took me over an hour!!  However, it was good experience for us Friday night as Pete led us along a local bush trail through a number of gully swamping water filled hog wallows.  And, yes we did get temporarily stuck in one of the them.  Pete made it through but we didn't.  He's got bigger tires, a whole lot more experience & his Jeep sits much higher than ours, so there we were, out in the bush stuck in a swamp bog up to our underwear!!!!  Pete started talking about getting a chain to pull us out & I started talking about how I wished I was home, stretched out in my recliner!!  Took me about half a dozen runs at that oozing mess to finally slip, slide & slither our Jeep through the gumbo muck.  I definitely understand the advantages of 4 wheel drive now.....10-4:))

THIS IS PETE'S JEEP.....& HE HASN'T EVEN GOT IT DIRTY YET!!

       

All & all it was good experience though & I have a better understanding into the gear changes, transfer case workings, 4 wheel drive, 2hi-12lo & 46 ahead, & half a dozen wheels going in 14 different directions or something.  As we bumped, banged & jolted along the bush trail I kept asking myself, "what the hell have we got ourselves into!!!!"  Also thought to myself......'nope, we will not be doing this again any time soon.  Jeeping in the southwest is a horse of a different color & I think we'll just gear ourselves for that & stay off the swamper hog bush trails around here......for awhile!!

         

You will notice all the Jeep pictures are blurry.  I never thought to bump up my camera's ISO in the darker forest with the fading light.  And, steering through mud holes with one hand, shifting gears with the other plus trying to swamp a hot coffee down & take pictures all at the same time was just a bit much even for an old multi tasking driver wizard like myself.  I would have got Kelly to take the pics but she was already bouncing around like a ping pong ball.  Yep, we sure got some things to learn & some bugs to iron out alright!!  And tomorrow I will tell you about the trials & tribulations of trying to put the soft top up on the Jeep Friday night..........................  #!!*%>>#+:#%@//

PETE'S SAYING...."HEY, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YA HAD SO MUCH FUN EH"

Our handy guy Bruce came over to day & started work on the little project for the back of the Jeep while I began a big reorganization of our carport storage space. 

BRUCE MEASURES UP THE 'JEEP PROJECT'

My Aunt Jean visiting from Florida dropped in around 3 this afternoon & we spent a couple hours organizing some bins of stuff belonging to my Uncle Harry.  Kelly was home by 4 & we all went out for supper at 'The Docks.'  Coffee back at home & about 7:30 Jean hit the road for Tavistock where she is staying.  All & all a long kinda day & I am totally pooped, so here's the end of another day's post for........The Bayfield Bunch:))

CHATTING IT UP WITH AUNT JEAN ON THE FRONT PORCH TODAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Ever wonder why this country is in soooooo much trouble??  Well, here's why!!!!! The population of this country is 300 million.  160 million are retired.  That leaves 140 million to do the work.  There are 85 million in school. Which leaves 55 million to do the work.  Of this there are 35 million employed by the federal government.  Leaving 20 million to do the work.  2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied with killing Osama Bin-Laden which leaves 17.2 million to do the work.  Take from that total the 15.8 million people who work for State and city Governments and that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.  At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals leaving 1,212,000 to do the work. 
Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons. 
That leaves just two people to do the work. 
You and me.  And there you are 
sitting on your butt, at your computer, reading this silly blog again. 
Nice..........Real nice!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

TODAY WE MET RANDY & PAM WARNER OF THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES

RANDY & AL WITH PAM CHECKING A MAP INSIDE THE COACH

The overnight rain & slightly cooler weather front took a big chunk out of the recent oppressive high humidity & our day was slightly less muggy.  Emphasis on 'slightly less muggy.'

RANDY & KELLY DART ACROSS THE BUSY HIGHWAY

Message on Facebook this morning from Randy Warner from, THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES  saying they would be rolling through Bayfield on their journey north somewhere around noon.  We had been in touch a couple weeks ago so we knew they would be heading into our neighborhood.  Only place we could think of with a parking lot big enough for a large motorhome with a car on back was a place called the 'Docks' just off highway 21.  Randy phoned when they got to Grand Bend so we knew they would be in Bayfield in about 25 minutes.  Kelly & I drove over to the Docks & found the parking lot full of cars.  The Docks is a restaurant & it was lunch hour!!  We saw Randy & Pam come over the bridge & one look told him he was not going to get into that parking lot.  Randy threw a blinker on & pulled over to the side of the road.  It was a Friday & the highway was busy but he jumped out & came across the road to where Kelly & I were.  A quick handshake & the 3 of us hustled back across the highway to the safety of their Allegro Bus Motor Home.

PAM & KELLY IN THE ROADRUNNER

Met Pam inside & we all had ourselves a quick RV chin wag for about 20 minutes.  Covered a few of the normal bases such as computers, routers, phones, routes & destinations, etc.  We knew Randy & Pam had a ways to go yet today so didn't want to hold them up alongside the road.   Slipped outside for some more pics, handshakes & goodbyes.  Kelly & I were no sooner back across the increasingly busy highway & Randy had the  Allegro Bus wheels rolling.  Grabbed a few last pics as he hit the big diesel air horn & they were northbound & gone.  Been following Randy's blog for about a year now so it was nice to finally meet the person behind the keyboard.  Nice fellow.

RANDY EXPLAINING HIS ROUTER SETUP

Later in the day Kelly tracked down an unsuspecting Jeep owner.  She had noticed a jeep wrangler parked at the Tucker Communications Office in Bayfield different times during working hours & because of the problems I'm having trying to figure out the hard & soft top dilemma she went in & asked the guy if he could come over after work & help her poor mechanically challenged & totally frustrated husband to get the hard top off the Jeep & the soft top on.  And that's how we met Peter today.

KELLY TAKES ANOTHER DEER PARK LODGE RESERVATION

OK, fast forward................Now, it's nearly 9 p.m. & we just got home from a mud, water, mosquito & branches in your face kind of jeep foray through a heavily wooded forest near by & I will save  our last '3 hour Jeep lesson for tomorrow's blog.  Am just needing a little R&R at the moment.  And, another coffee...... two thirds of my 7 o'clock coffee got jolted right out of it's holder & dumped into the Jeeps transfer case & I later found my top denture on the passenger side running board:))  We went a muddin!! 

PETER SHOWS US HOW TO PUT THE SOFT TOP ON........'OHHHHHHH', WE HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN:((

AND PETE LEADS THE WAY THROUGH AN APPLE ORCHARD TO THE FOREST BEYOND

 

'OH OH'....... THIS COULD GET SERIOUS!!

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Here are 5 good tips for our fine hard working women folk......

1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on! And doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

STILL ENOUGH HAIR LEFT TO CUT AT AGE 94

STAYING COOL IN THE HEAT

Although we knew it was outside waiting for us, the humidity once again ambushed us as soon as we set foot outside the door this morning.  Kelly went into work for a few hours & I, like a big softy, stayed in where it was cool.

TOOK THESE PICS ON OUR WAY TO VISIT MY UNCLE THIS AFTERNOON

Sold our mini-van today.  When we bought the Jeep a week ago I immediately contacted our friend & neighbor Bruce who lives here in the park.  I knew his small standard shift pick up truck was not in the best of shape & I also knew Bruce's lower back problems were not getting any better.  He spent too many years flying in Canadian helicopters off Canada's east coast in a search & rescue capacity.  It took a toll on Bruce's back.  Our mini-van is automatic so there is no having to push on a clutch all the time.  That is definitely not good for an injured back!!  Comfortable seats & power this & that make it a back friendly vehicle to drive.  Ran the idea by Bruce a week ago, & today he dropped by to say we had a deal.  Bruce is also a handyman so the van is perfect for his tools & projects.  He has done some excellent renovations in our RV & looks after our place in the winter.  Having Bruce own the van kind of keeps it in the family so to speak & he said we can have visitation rights.  Always makes me happy when a well intentioned plan comes together in a good way:))

OUR MINI-VAN IS SOLD

Kelly & I slipped down to the Ritz Villa in Mitchell today to visit my Uncle Harry.  My Aunt Jean from Florida was there & we were able to make further arrangements regarding Harry's ongoing care.  He has pretty well lost all mobility in his legs now but we were able to get him up & sitting in his walker while Kelly cut his hair.  It is always so sad to see loved ones deteriorate in their Senior years.

STILL ENOUGH HAIR TO CUT AT AGE 94

We left the nursing home in a thundering rain storm but soon drove out of it & were disappointed to see it had not rained at all back home.  Computer weather shows a good healthy dose of water headed our way tonight though.

RAINING HARD WHEN WE LEFT THE NURSING HOME

Some of you folks may remember a few weeks ago when Kelly & I encountered an injured Great Horned Owl on the trail.  Despite our efforts & the efforts of others the little fellow didn't survive.  A few days later, Gypsy from ON THE ROAD AGAIN sent us the following email which she had just found in her email account...............

'Wisdom of the Owl'
Owls are the holders of wisdom, capable of seeing the unseen. With keen eyesight they glance into the soul and are totems of truth.  For as long as humankind has recognized animals as teachers, wise men and women have recognized traits worthy of respect in both wild and domestic creatures. The cultural and spiritual significance of certain animals transcends geographical boundaries, unifying disparate peoples. Not so the majestic and mysterious owl, which has over many millennia served as the focal point of numerous contradictory beliefs. Though owls have been regarded with awe and fascination, they have also inadvertently served as agents of fear. Since owls are nocturnal, human-owl encounters tended to occur at night and likely when the bird was swooping silently down to earth to grapple with prey. Yet even as some shied away from the owl, calling it an agent of darkness, others recognized the depths of awareness in beautiful owl’s eyes.

In the classical Greek tradition, an owl could often be found perched on the shoulder of Athena, goddess of wisdom, while owls could ward off bad luck in Roman lore. It is in Native American mythos, however, that the owl attains its own unique identity. Owls are patient messengers, bringers of information and the holders of wisdom, and they are capable of seeing the unseen. With their keen eyesight, they can glance into the soul to discern meaning and motive, and they are totems of truth. Unlike our distant forebears, we may never encounter an owl in the wild, but we can nonetheless internalize the wisdom of the owl by attuning ourselves to its most venerable qualities. Fully integrating the medicine of the owl into spiritual existence is a matter of considering how we might open ourselves more fully to the wisdom that can be found in the larger universe.

Should you find your efforts blocked as you commune with the owl, remember that it was not always revered as an icon of wisdom. This denizen of the nighttime has overcome many prejudices in its long association with humankind. To reveal those hidden elements of the self that impact your life for better or for worse, you must often make your way through the darkest parts of your soul as if you yourself are the nocturnal hunter. There is indeed darkness both inside the self and outside the self, but like the owl you can transcend it by drawing nourishment from the insights you receive when you penetrate it.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I think health nuts are going to feel awfully stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.  And, in keeping with that theme, did you know good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. (I don't write these things folks, I just pass them along)

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

CLEARING UP A POSSIBLE JEEP MIS-CONCEPTION:))

 

SAYING OUR GOODBYES TO THE RANCH GANG EARLIER THIS YEAR & HEADING ON DOWN THE ROAD  (All photos taken by Jeanie at the ranch)

I am short of photos tonight so am going to include some file pics just sent to us from the ranch folks.  They show our morning departures from the ranch both this year & the year before.

   

SAYING OUR GOODBYES IN MARCH OF 2009 & HEADING FOR HOME

The prime focus for myself & countless thousands of other people today was to simply remain as cool as possible.  The record breaking heat wave continues with each day seemingly hotter than the day before.  By 9 a.m. this morning I had to retreat into the house after the humidity began turning me into a big sticky sweat ball.

             

CLEANING THE CORRAL.....DOESN'T LOOK LIKE KELLY'S GOT TOO MUCH 'STUFF' ON THAT SHOVEL!!

Sure glad we made the decision 3 summers ago to have central air installed.  One of our better decisions for sure & much more comfortable for our doggy guys too.

SAYING 'SO LONG PARDNERS' TO MY 2 BEST RANCH PALS, PEARCE & GLEESON IN  09

Judging from some comments on last night's post I had better clear up a misconception I may have created lately with my 'Jeep tales.'  First let me say, I love our Jeep:))  Yes, it's true, the Jeep is not as easy to get in or out of as our mini-van that's for sure.  But, that is not the Jeep's fault just as it isn't my motorcycle's fault that I have difficulty getting on & off it as well.  When I get off the bike I have to generally & embarrassingly reach back, grab my lower right pant leg & pull my horizontally straightened leg off the seat & let it drop to the road beside my other leg.  The problem is simply mine........I have short legs!!  Guess that explains why I have never been a runner.  I'm built more like a quarter horse I guess.  I can move very fast for a short distance & that's it.  Although I did surprise myself last winter when I had to run to the aide of a downed ultra-kite pilot in the desert having big troubles with his chute & kite in high winds near Borrego Springs, California.  But, here I go getting way off topic again.

 

THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE IS SAD ABOUT LEAVING HER PALS

Let me just say that I am really enjoying getting to know the different Jeep characteristics & it takes me back to my very first car in 1963 which happened to be a 61 Volkswagen Beetle.  There are many similarities between that little bug & this little Jeep & in future blogs I will talk about those similarities, plus more observations, events, & discoveries as as they occur.  And yes, they have been occurring alright:))

FEEDING THE CHICKENS ONE LAST TIME

Had a mobility van run this afternoon & although I had the settings on the A/C maxed out it just barely kept us cool.  I remember last summer we only had to run the A/C in the house 2 or maybe 3 days out of the whole summer but we are already way over that & it's only the first week in July.  However, in only 5 weeks it will be mid August & that is when our weather pattern changes for the year & the very first early stirrings of Autumn will be felt.  Night time temps will drop & days will be cooler.

LOADING UP THE MAXELL BOY IN 09

Thought I had better throw that little bit of early Autumn factual encouragement in for Donna over there at the CAVE DWELLINGS who at the present time is having quite a time with herself.  She's 'down' with a nasty case of 'Hitch Itch' as she is yet again caught in another phase of........'yearning to travel.'  Well, I sure know what that feels like alright!!  Maybe y'all could drop over there & cheer her up a tad before husband Dennis sticks her in the recycling bin again.

I KNOW IT'S A SAD MORNING CHECKERS BUT IT'S TIME FOR US TO GO NOW:((

Say it isn't so!!  Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is turning 70.  If Ringo's 70 already, where the heck does that leave the rest of us.  Ohhhhhhh, say it isn't so:((

MY PAL CORKY'S 3 MONTH OLD PUPPY PICTURE....HE'S A BIG BOY NOW:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And here's a question for the Doctor.....Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life........is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer.  That's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.  "Now, that's my kinda Doctor:))"

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

SO, YOU DON'T THINK IT SNOW'S IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA EH!!

THOUGHT THESE SNOW PICTURES FROM ARIZONA MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE IN THE MIDST OF OUR HEAT WAVE RIGHT NOW.....'YES, ARIZONA!!'

  

The past couple of winters Kelly & I have had some great times 'ranch sitting' for some RV friends of ours near McNeal, Arizona.  Ranch owners Jeanie & Ray just sent us some photos they had taken at different times when we were there.  This group of pics is from a freak snowfall we had one morning 2 winters ago.  And who says it doesn't snow in Arizona eh!!

 

AND, JUST WHO ARE THESE TWO CUTIE PIE LITTLE RASCALS??  HINT....THEY ARE BROTHER & SISTER:))

Had planned on taking another baby Robbins photo about 4 days ago but when I went out to the nest it was empty.  The little feathery guys had already flown the coop.  And speaking of babies.....some of you may remember last winter when one of Kelly's twin daughter's gave birth to a set of twins herself out in Vancouver.  Well,  here's the gang now.   Mom, Pop, & kids are all doing fine.  The two little round faced bowling balls are Gabrielle & Adara.  Their Mom is Sarah (Kelly's daughter) & some of you folks out there on Canada's west coast might recognize their Dad, Bradley Shende.  He is on Global Television doing segments on a program called Connected Life which has to do with the internet & especially internet safety.

BRADLEY, SARAH, GABRIELLA & ADARA   (Both photos have the Bayfield Bunch watermark on them but I did not take the photos.)

Also had myself a fine working day with two thirds of my run to London this morning taking me through our beautiful rural countryside.  Dropped off two people at Parkview hospital around 10:15 & then high tailed it north right back out of the city as fast as I could.  Had a couple of hours to kill before my next pick up back in Clinton so I leisurely took the back roads & enjoyed the scenery stopping here & there for a few photos with my small Canon Powershot A720. 

FINALLY GOT ANOTHER ONE FOR YA MIKE

Assuming all you folks are not totally bored of my Jeep observations lately I will once again tell you a few more things I have learned this past week.   If you were to go into your washroom, get down on your knees beside the bathtub, & then attempt to swing your right leg over the top into your tub you would have an idea what it is like trying to get into a Jeep Wrangler.  From the ground to the lip of the body panel is over 2 feet off the ground so while standing beside the Jeep you have to get that right leg & foot up high enough to swing over top that lip & drop it down nearly 7 inches to the floor of the Jeep.  At this point I am quite a sight with the right leg up over 2 feet off the ground & inside the Jeep while the left leg is ram rodded to the ground outside the Jeep.  Right hand clinging to the steering wheel, look of fear on my face & the left arm hanging straight down at my side like a wet noodle.  If I was Catholic this would probably be the opportune time to make one of those cross signs on my chest.  Also.....'memo to myself'......  Do not eat a big bowl of Chile beans half an hour before attempting this maneuver & do not wear tight fitting pants while attempting this feat.  Coupling those two things with the leg up position climbing into a Jeep could result in a rather catastrophic mis-adventure!!  Oh, the hazards of a newbie Jeep owner......but there's more!!

To confuse this Jeep entry procedure even further we have running boards on the sides & the first bunch of times trying to enter the Jeep with some sort of dignity I tried putting a foot on that & hoisting myself up with my right hand on the steering wheel, or was it the left hand.  First time I nearly launched my self over top the Jeep & the second time I started with the wrong foot on the running board & very nearly ended up in some kind of big wiggling puddle of embarrassment on the ground.  I kind of liken it to putting the wrong foot in a stirrup when mounting a horse.  JB would know a whole lot more about that than me.

 

As you can probably tell by now.......this is quite a learning process & not unlike trying to get a big old wet & floppy bag of socks into a laundry hamper.  That nearly 7 inch lip did give me an idea though.  If we were to take the seats out of the Jeep we could bring the garden hose over & fill up the tub so to speak.  Jeeps are made to handle water & actually have drain plugs in the floor.  In this heat & humidity it would make a perfect shallow wading pool for us.  These Jeep designers are quite the creative thinkers you know.  Imagine driving down the highway sitting in half a foot of sloshing water.  Jacuzzi on wheels.  It brings 'boating' thoughts to mind & that reminds me......I've got to dust off my crowbar & somehow get that hard top off the Jeep before the summer is over!!!!

THOUGHT THIS WAS AN INTERESTING GROUP OF NUMBERS ON THE JEEP'S SPEEDO A FEW DAYS AGO....111000 km's

Kelly handles all the phone calls coming into Deer Park Lodge whether she is at Deer Park or at home here (call forwarding) & she feels today has been the busiest the phone has ever been since working at Deer park over the past 7 years. 

FIELDS OF WHEAT IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

And just for fun I checked our Sitemeter minutes ago & noticed in the past few hours we've had visitors to our site from, Trinity North Carolina, Mindoro Wisconsin, Victoria BC, Kitchener Ontario, Pipe Creek Texas, Washington DC, Wichita Falls Texas, Edwardsville Illinois, Mountain View California, Winnipeg & Brandon Manitoba, Lucan Ontario, Wolverhampton England, Dallas Texas, Tullahoma Tennessee, Fort Huachuca Arizona, Okotoks Alberta, Roanoke Virginia, Yuba City California, Bothell Washington, Shady Springs Virginia, San Diego California, Colorado Springs Colorado, Ottawa Ontario, Athol Idaho, Verona Wisconsin & Tucson Arizona, just to name a few.  Don't know who all you folks are but thanks for dropping in on, The Bayfield Bunch:))

COOLING OFF FROM THE HEAT TODAY

GROANER'S CORNER:))  During a recent password audit, it was found that a red head was using the following password:
'MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofyWashington'  When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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