OH HOW I MISS THE BEST PALS I HAVEN'T MET YET.......

THE KOFA MOUNTAINS AS SEEN FROM SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA WHERE WE WERE BOON DOCKED IN FEB 2010...A FEW DAYS LATER WE MOVED OVER THERE CLOSE TO THOSE MOUNTAINS 

Lawns are turning brown & our large lush ferns are browning & wilting in the heat.  How nice it was sitting in my recliner about 5 this morning listening to the sound of rain on our roof.  Had the patio door beside my chair open & could swear I heard the laughter & giggles of all our greenery outside rejoicing in the refreshingly welcome shower.  It was a nice positive way to start my day.  But, then the thought occurred to me.......hope I don't screw it up!!

BOON DOCKED IN THE KOFA MOUNTAINS...WE HAD TO PLOW A LITTLE MUD TO GET IN HERE THE DAY BEFORE:)) 
Reader's have suggested I maybe include some photography thoughts & tips along with maybe a bit of tech info on some of my photographs so I intend to do that.  Keep in mind I am not a professional photographer.  I'm just like everybody else out here in Blog Land with a camera & an interest in my surroundings.  I'm always happy to share my thoughts on photography though so I'll get started on that in a few days. 

BOON DOCKED ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA 
Another suggestion from Russ over at TRAVELS WITH THERAPY was maybe some interesting things about Astronomy.  This is a hobby of mine that has really fallen by the wayside over the past few years & that was very apparent to me one night a few weeks ago when I took a walk over to a clearing area nearby in the trees.  At one time not long ago I could zip around the night sky at any time of the year rattling off most of the constellations, current planets visible & some of the major stars.  I could point & show you where the center of our Universe is located as well which happens to be at the southern end of the Milky Way in the constellation, Sagittarius or as some might know it as, 'The Big Teapot.' It is tipped slightly to the West in the direction the large 'Scorpion' by the way.  Used to know the exact times & location of the space station going over as well.  Standing alone in the clearing I was hard pressed to remember the names of the July night's constellations I was looking up at.  I don't blame this on my memory as much as I blame it on me not repeatedly being outside under the night sky almost every night of the week refreshing & traveling my mind around from star to star, constellation to constellation & planet to planet like I used to do.  

MAX WAS MY BEST NUMBER 1 STARGAZING BUDDY FOR YEARS & YEARS & YEARS:)) 

As much as I like all our stately Pine trees around us now I sure do miss the open night skies we used to have at the 'old weenie roast ranch' years ago.  Max & I were out for our nightly walks for years & years, Spring, Summer, Winter & Fall.  There is something very special about the night sky that is very hard to explain & I do have some thoughts about all that but will save them for another time. 

BOON DOCKING IN THE DESERT......WE JUST  LOVE IT:))))))) 

One of the main attractions of the Southwest for me has always been the wide open spaces & unobstructed views of the night sky from horizon to horizon.  And, no light pollution in those big black inky New Mexico & Arizona desert skies either.  I am soooooo looking forward once again to heading back into the desert lands of peace & enchantment:))

CHECKERS IS HOLDING THE MAT DOWN FROM BLOWING AWAY
I read somebody's post or comment this morning touching on the subject of traveling with pets.  Of course this is a very dear subject to us.  Having Snow Birded with our 3 dogs for the past 5 years it is sure going to be different with only our little Motormouse this winter.  As most readers know, our two big guys passed away back in April.  As some folks know, it is no easy feat traveling in a small space with two adults & 3 dogs.  I won't go into all the pros & cons of traveling with pets but just want to say we miss our guys dearly & wished they were once again here & coming with us.  But, they are not & that brings up a decision for us.

 

A FIERY ARIZONA SUNRISE AS SEEN FROM SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE

We know our travels will be easier with just the little Motor to look after.  We know the hard work, time & energy that goes into finding & bringing home another great Pal for Cora, Kelly & myself.  We have not talked about it but it's on my mind every single day.  Yes, there is the extra work & inevitable inconveniences.  Yes, it is a huge commitment & responsibility but oh how I miss that love & devotion that only treasured best Pals can bring into one's life.  Oh how I miss the best Pals I have known & oh how I miss the best Pals I haven't met yet.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!! 

Two new blog Followers to welcome tonight.  Levonne from  A CAMP HOST'S MEANDERINGS: AN RV ADVENTURE joins our site as blog Follower 297 & WESTIEWAGGIN' comes in as 298.  Thanks to both of you folks for tagging along with the Bayfield Bunch:))

THIS DAY WE WERE HUNTING CRYSTALS ON CRYSTAL HILL BETWEEN QUARTZSITE & THE KOFA MOUNTAINS 

LAST PARAGRAPH:))  Still plugging away on improving the blog site trying to make positive changes.  I know the simple solution is a white background with black printing, but....... These past 4 days have been a learning experience & I thank everyone for their support & input.  Received some great advice.  Going to try confining some of my comments & opinions to the 'last paragraph' slot of each post & see how that goes.  Hope to shorten up my posts as well by organizing what's on my mind better instead of dumping it all into one looooooooooong post every day.  Well, sounds good in theory anyway....And, tomorrow night we will have a photo look back at a rare happening as the Bayfield Bunch actually pulls together a bunch of fellow RV Bloggers for a great get together in the deserts of Arizona's Kofa Mountains.  Yes, you read that right so be sure to drop by because you are going to meet some of your fellow Blog Land Bloggers:))))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Concerned about what will happen to cities if the polar ice caps melt? Don't be. New names have already been chosen.
-Atlantis City, New Jersey
-Pariscope, France
-Sail 'Em, Massachusetts
-Floodelphia, Pennsylvania
-Helsunki, Finland
-Sao Marco ... Paulo, Brazil

---------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

THE BIG ‘HOWDY DOODY’ WAVE:))

A FAMILY FISHING DAY
I figured this morning it might be a good idea for me & my keyboard to put a fair bit of distance between us for awhile. Saddled up my Motorcycle & headed for the hills. Well, for whatever little hills we have around here anyway.

Don't know why it is that I can't seem to remember to check my fuel gauge on the bike before heading out. Maybe it's because I don't have a fuel gauge. I always set the odometer to zero after fueling up & when the mileage gets up to a certain point I know my tank is getting empty. Last two times out I have blissfully been on my way to nowhere in particular when I remembered to check the mileage.  Both times I was nearly out of fuel. This morning, a quick calculation with my between the ears GPS system told me the closest fuel stop was all the way back to Bayfield from whence I had just come.  U-turn!!  Made it back to the gas station OK but it bugged me that my slow leisurely trip to nowhere had quickly led me back to somewhere.....the gas station!! I re-launched my journey & spent a few quiet hours wandering the back roads of our beautiful rural & agricultural countryside. I needed that.

Lots of bikes on the road this morning so that meant lots of waves. You may or may not have noticed that when motorcycles meet on the road a customary 'cool' wave is exchanged. Same thing with Jeep owners. There is quite a hierarchy of motorcycle waves of course & being new to the sport a bunch of years ago I had to learn the embarrassing way on how to 'properly' exchange that 'cool' hand gesture. Of course being as new as I was I always gave the oncoming biker a great big smiley Howdy Doody wave with my arm way up on in the air flappin like it was on the end of a puppet string. Kinda like, "hey there big Buddy biker guy, I got a big bike too, see." Took me awhile to realize the guys coming the other way were not responding with the big Howdy wave. They just seemed to casually slip there hand off the handlebar, drop their arm a bit & spread a couple fingers as they rolled on by. Well, at least some of them did. After seeing my big Howdy wave coming down the road most of them just put their heads down in disbelief & rolled on by.  Especially the Harley guys.  The few that did give me a glance probably figured I looked like Howdy Doody too.  Took me awhile to clue in on that but I think I got er down pat now. I hear the Harley driver's have a special wave but I don't know what it is. I do know what it isn't though. It's not the big Howdy wave that's for sure. And, do you know how I can tell a new biker coming the other way? Yep, I see that big Howdy Doody wave coming down the road about a mile away.......10-4:))

The summer months find most Snow Birds at home waiting patiently for their upcoming Autumn & Winter departure dates to warm sunny southern locales. Many of the Full Time folks hang out in the cooler climates of the Northern States or Canada. The folks over at TRAVELS WITH KEVIN & RUTH have been spending their time on the east coast of Canada & have just slipped down into the state of Maine. Most RV blogs I read center around Americas Southwest & Northwest States as well as the Southeast but not often do we hear from people traveling in the Northeast States or Eastern Canada.
Ever thought about cooling your Phannie? Well, the folks over at PHANNIE & MAY sure did & it took them a third A/C unit to do it too. When you get there, Mike will tell you how & why that happened:))


A bit of nervous excitement going on over at Merikay's place these days as her & hubby are looking at buying an RV. A couple days ago she wrote about the FEELINGS OF BEING BOTH SCARED & EXCITED. Oh how I remember those RV shopping days alright. Nothing like some good old nervous excitement to keep you awake half the night that's for sure. It's a big step, a lot of money & a huge decision with an unknown future.  Welcome to Planet Earth:))

And, it's not too late to climb aboard the MOHO YUKON EXPRESS with the gals heading north up the Alaska highway. Check out Sue's great header photo as she kicks her new Nikon D5100 into high gear:))

Not sure what to think about this new Google+ social network I am seeing popping up here & there. We are getting friend requests to join people's ‘circle of friends’ or something & I'm not sure what that is all about. I did have a look at the new Google site but had difficulty understanding the concept. What is it, what does it do? I need someone to give me the 'simple Seniors version’. Seems it might be along the lines of Facebook & Twitter. I'm no great fan of either one of those so am wondering if I really need another social friends network. I rarely use the two I have & it's a chore trying to be socially friendly when deluged with all those game requests, group joining's or sending flowers to a flock of lost Rhinosaucerus's up in Aklavik. Saw something about 'video chat' & that scared me a bit. I'm just not a 'chatter' whether it be on camera or off. I am going to hold on to the Google friends requests I have received until I somehow better understand just exactly what Google+ is & what it does.


I have received some excellent suggestions on how to improve our blog site so have been busy doing some slicing & dicing. I had a lot of stuff on our side bar that wasn't necessary & slowed down the site loading process so some of that is now gone. Next to go may be our Blog Followers list & if I can't figure out a way to condense our Blog Role on the right it may go as well as soon as I can figure out an alternative way to keep up on fellow RV'ers blogs. I don't mind adding people to the list but then I feel bad about having to take some folks off because of the list getting waaaaaaay too long. Google Reader has been suggested but I tried that once & couldn't seem to get a handle on it. I think I better have a look at that again.

Saw another slightly lighter 'Template' on the Travel section of Blogger's dashboard I kind of liked but have to admit I am a bit leery of changing templates. I'm not as fast on my feet around the computer anymore & I'm a bit concerned about loosing what I already have. I changed some of the text colors today (or at least I think I did….but maybe not) in hopes that may make the blog more easily readable. Changed the font style as well. Any feedback would be welcome. I’m publishing this post on the Win 7 laptop tonight so if it doesn’t look any different from before when I publish it then it’s back to the drawing board for Al in the morning.  By the way, just because I am a man doesn't make me too proud to ask for help & take suggestions you know. Well, except I might not ask for directions if I was lost.................:))


GROANER'S CORNER:(( Just a few signs you might be Trailer Trash......
-Your wife's hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.
-You've been married three times and still have the same in-laws.
-You think loading a dishwasher means getting your wife drunk.
-You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia boss.
- If a tornado hits your home and causes $10,000 dollars worth of improvements.
--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

'JUST FOR TODAY'.....MY RESPONSE TO ANONYMOUS COMMENTERS:))

CANYON DE CHELLY'S SPIDER ROCK............ARIZONA:))
I have foregone a lot of photos tonight because this is a long post. 
It was obvious right from the time I climbed out of bed this morning that we were in for another hot one.  I knew the Bayfield Burrito Bums would have to be on the road early to run a few errands in Goderich so off me & the furry Kid went about 9. (yes, yes I know it's supposed to be 'the furry Kid & I')  Picked up some 15 amp fuses for the Motor Home, a power bar along with some groceries & a gas fill up led us right to McDonalds.  It was another lightning hit & run mission through the take-out line & we were soon southbound for home happily munching down our Burrito.  Well, little Cora was doing more happy munching than me of course, not being a big Burrito fan.

I am going to cut right to the chase tonight & address some of the issues over my last two blog posts.  Someone asked why I bothered to respond to Max's comment in regards to  'writing about myself so much.'  I felt Max did not have an accurate overview of my blog.   I tried to explain to him publicly that yes, there is a lot of me in the blog & here is why that is.  Other Blogger's will understand but for people not familiar with the Blogging concept I can see where wrong impressions can be gathered. 

In the same theme of not understanding the blog concept I soon received another Anonymous comment saying this,  "Have you ever heard the phrase ‘self praise is no praise’? You should try it sometime!  Thanks for the comment Mary.  It was the word 'Praise' that bothered me most about this one.  Praise is not one of the front line words in my vocabulary so to make sure I totally understood the meaning of the word I scrambled off to Google for an explanation.  I think to apply that Praise phrase to my Max explanation was incorrect, too heavy & over the top.  Mary, I just don't think you understood my explanation to Max.  Nothing to do with praise of myself as you & that phrase allude too.

The next comment I wish to address is this one....
Commenter says:  "It sounds to me like what you are saying is ‘I want to dish it out’ but ‘I can’t take it’. Very similar to ‘having my cake and eating it too’. Neither of these will work. If you can’t accept criticism, it’s pointless starting a new blog because the criticism’s will just be transferred here and as a previous commenter already stated you’ll be known as a hypocrite. Maybe you could just answer the question as to why you’re so angry?"    long time blog follower.
AL says:  Yes, long time blog follower, that is exactly what I was honest enough to say & I make no bones about my thin skin.  You are correct in what you say.  It is true that I can dish it out far better than I can take it.  No point in me trying to hide that.  If the truth be known I think most people are probably the same way but some hide it better while others wouldn't admit it if it fell on them.  You are right about it being pointless to start a second blog & put my name on it because the feedback would spill over into this blog.   That's why I have so far not done that or figured out a way to do that.  That frustration leads into the word 'anger.' you mentioned.  I won't pull any punches here either.  Dam right I'm angry, aren't you, aren't a whole lot of people on this planet right now.  If your not, you should be!!  I am not a member of the Ostrich society with my head stuck in the sand!!  To deny there is a lot of bad stuff going on in this world is a sure fire way to obtain a free Ostrich membership.  Dam right I'm angry when I see the gullibility, the deception, the lies, the thievery & sheer stupidity going on all around us daily.  It angers me what the religions of the world get away with, the treacherous governments of the world, the dictators, the greed, the senseless killings, the politics of starving countries, the totally out of control drug problems rampant everywhere, the ineptitude, the big company scams & on & on it goes.  The list is endless, unless of course one has their head stuck in the seemingly safe security of hard packed sand where their tiny world is wondrously wonderful, falsely secure & all ticky boo pretty & nice!!  What drug problem you ask....get your !!#%&*% head out of the sand!!!!  Dam right I'm angry & you should be too!!  Despite my anger I do thank you for your comment.  I feel it was justifiable constructive criticism.
I will attempt to address the following commenter's remarks paragraph by paragraph. 
Commenter says:  "I barely read your blog to be honest, and it is entirely as a result of the design. I would suggest going minimal. If you are using wordpress, there are many minimal themes. There is also themforest.net which has nice cheap themes that are simple to implement."
AL says:  I know you are trying to be helpful here but I am satisfied with my blog at it's current Blogger home.  If the design bothers you that much I suggest you NOT read it in it's present design form.'   You may already be doing that with that RSS stuff or whatever which I don't really understand.  I designed my blog with the tools available at Blogger.  Maybe not as professional looking as a well designed website but I put my blog site together with the following reasons in mind.  First, there is more to my blog site than just words.  My site is a combination of photography, writing & my creative interest in color & design. (as limited as it may be)  I did not want my blog looking like a standard newspaper article with black printing on a white background.  One of my hobbies is photography & one of the best backgrounds for digital photos is a black background.  Photos on a white background do not carry the same punch.  I enjoy writing so in order to write on a black background I had to chose a color & so on & so on.  You may notice my printing is a tad larger than other blogs too & that is to make it easier to read for older tired eyes.  A fellow Blogger once described my site as something that looked like a Kindergarten project.  So be it.   It's my blog & shows that I at least have a creative imagination.  I am comfortable with Google's Blogger format, know my way around the neighborhood & prefer to make whatever changes I am able to make within that format................................
Commenter says: "I think the point I am trying to make is that you mentioned you wanted to change up the blog as a way to make it more interesting to you. I disagree with that. The look and feel of a blog is not really relevant in comparison to other more important aspects of the blog."
AL says:  I could not disagree with you more!!  Of course the look & feel of a blog is relevant.  I do not understand where you are coming from with a statement like that.  What more important aspects of the blog?  It is all important to me.  All of it!!  The writing, the photography, the design & yes, the Kindergarten colors too:)) 
Commenter says:   "What will make the blog interesting, and keep you interested in writing is the actual writing, and has very little to do with the design."
AL says:  Again, couldn't disagree with you more.  It's the combination of my writing, photography & travel hobbies that pull it altogether & make it interesting for not only me but others as well.  I don't base that on my own theory, I base that on the thousands of favorable & positive comments from readers of my blog over the years. (no Mary, I am not Praising myself here)  My blog does not stand on it's writing alone, nor it's photography.  It is a combined effort with each complimenting the other.
Commenter says:   "It sounds to me like you know this deep down inside, as you mentioned that you wanted to start a second blog and say what you really want to say. I suggest you do so. I also suggest you don't start a second one. I few things can result... One would be that people will read the "dirty" blog, realize they don't agree with you, and stop reading both. Others will read the "dirty" blog, decide they do agree with you, find the "clean" one, determine that is disingenuous or at the very least, that you are playing both sides and stop reading. In the end, you will maintain two blogs, which is a pain in the butt, lose readers because they don't respect you etc."
AL says:  I agree with you here & feel that your insight is right.  Just want to clear up the word, 'dirty' though.  Nothing to do with sex.
Commenter says:   "So far, I have subscribed to 50 RSS feeds, and to be honest, I am pretty tired of looking at pictures of flowers all the time. There is a pretty heavy slant on those who are overly religious, overly republican, and in general, not much like me." 
AL says:  I am not understanding your 'heavy slant' reasoning.  Are you referring to me or the people on my blog roll as being over religious.  You may get that feeling from some folks but you will definitely not get that feeling from me.   Your reference to overly Republican falls totally on deaf ears here.  I am not politically oriented whatsoever & I simply throw a single blanket over all politicians.  Republicans Reshmublicans!!  Democrats Kabooblymats!!  Liberals Schamiberlas & Conservatives Gablurbatives!!  All the same type of people, all cut from the same cloth, same deceptions, same lies, same, same, same regardless of who is in power.  When oh when will people ever wake up to that.  Nothing like politics or greed for money to bring out the absolute worst in otherwise good people!!  I know these statements won't win me any friends but think about it people.  Just stop & think about it!! 
Commenter says:   "So if you come out of the closet so to speak, you end up building a framework of content on your site that leads others to like minded blogs. It is a win win and I hope you go for it."
AL says:  Well dear commenter you just may have successfully, but temporarily, hauled me out of the closet a bit here alright & whether it results in a solid framework or a shaky house of cards remains to be seen.  I've got my money on the card house for now.
Commenter says:  "You can't please all the people all the time, but you certainly can gain the respect of all the people all the time if you staunchly stick to your own idea of what you care about."
AL says:  Let's hope that is the case & I do thank you for your 'constructive criticism.'
And now, to the last commenter.  This is a tough one to respond too but I do believe it needs a response.
Commenter says:  "One change I recommend you make to improve your mood is to remove the continuing references to your past dogs. You loved them, now they are gone and you need to move on. When you burn your hand in the flames it will only get better when you stop putting your hand back in the flames. Putting the rest of us through it will not help your blog readership. I for one can't help but respond by thinking oh my god he's got his dogs pictures in here again.
AL says:  First, I asked for constructive criticism & this is what this commenter has given me.  The commenter is simply stating what he thinks.  However, I feel this comment is a good example of how NOT to write a comment unless you are an insensitive person who doesn't care about how another person feels because if you did care you would not write something like this in the manner it is written.  It reminds me of a time in school years ago when the assignment may have been, 'write a paragraph to someone who has lost a couple members of the family telling them why you don't like them occasionally talking about or showing photos of them.'   Had this commenter's paragraph been handed in I would hope the teacher would have handed it right back with the instructions to rewrite it showing some understanding, compassion & caring.  None of that came across in the commenter's comment except for three words......"You loved them."  The commenter got his/her point across alright but it was not done in the sensitive manner it could have been done. No, I am not angry, but I am disappointed & I suppose if I really thought about it more, maybe I would feel sorry for this person's lack of feelings & understanding regarding the loss of our two beloved dogs.  Will I post more photos of Max & Checkers?  Darn right I will & you can count on it:))
Now, to sum up................. 
Some may wonder why I would take the time to respond to the above 'Anonymous' commenter's.  Well, they took the time to respond to me asking for constructive criticism & I didn't feel their comments dropped below my line of 'Sarcastic, Rude, Condescending or Demeaning.'  They had some good suggestions along with what I think were some misconceptions about me or my blog.  All's I did was try to answer them in a mature way that reflects how I feel.  Despite my elusive hermit like ways I do care what people think & I do care about what people say.  No Mary, I am not Praising myself here, just telling you what I think & how I feel.
I know this post is way over budget again but I do have a few more things to say before wrapping this all up & moving on.  I think this has been an interesting & rippling couple of blog days here in the otherwise placid waters of Blog Land.  Judging from mine & other people's posts & comments I feel we have stirred things up a bit, broached some thought provoking issues & expressed some ideas & concerns.  A few other bloggers have expressed their feelings on all this & it was interesting to read the comments on their posts.   I feel Donna K from TRAVELS IN THERAPY sums up her post very nicely on behalf of many Blogging folks out here in RV Blog Land.
Still lots more to say about all this but let's save that for another day, another time:))
  
GROANER'S CORNER:((  A few Hippopotamus Truths.............
What do you call an insincere hippo?
A hippocrite.
How can you get a hippo to do whatever you want?
Try hipponotism.
How do hippos commute?
In a hippopotabus.
What did the hippo get when he started exercising every day?
Hippopotamuscles.
How do you vaccinate a hippo?
With a hippodermic needle.
Where should you bury a dead hippo?
In a hippocrypt.
What happens to hippos who get too cold?
They get hippothermia.
What do you call a hippo who thinks he's sick?
A hippochondriac.
Ok, ok, ok............that's enough of that!!
---------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

WELL, I SURE DID GET AN EARFUL TODAY:))

DUE TO THE HOT HUMID WEATHER LATELY  EACH OF TONIGHT'S PHOTOS  HAS A SMATTERING OF COOL SNOW IN IT......PHOTOS WERE TAKEN THIS PAST MARCH WHEN WE VISITED CANYON DE CHELLY IN THE NORTHEAST AREA OF ARIZONA 

Ooooosh, it was another one of those stand still & sweat kind of days.  Humidity levels are up again & the main objective of the day was to stay cool.  We decided it was a good morning to slip down to the Ritz Villa care facility & visit my Uncle Harry this morning.  He is doing reasonably well despite his age but is still on medication for pain in his lower back.  His spirits were good & he was mentally alert.  I think Uncle Harry is going to live to be 110:))

 

Some of you folks spotted the error I made with that 5th wheel right away in Thursday night's post.  Yes, it was the front leveling jacks that I had not fully retracted.  Don't know why I didn't see & understand that danger at the time, but I didn't:((

Can you imagine the shock of opening up your mail & finding out the tags for your Motor Home had gone up 78% over the past year.  Yep, happened to the MTNAIRE TRAVLERS alright!!

 

Lizzie Jack comes in as our latest Blog Follower & we here at the Bayfield Bunch say, welcome to our travels LJ & nice to have you aboard.``

I appreciate & thank everyone for their comments on last night's post.  All comments are helpful in giving me new food for thought & direction & yes, I did pick up some ideas from the comments.  I am trying some new things with our blog roll idea on the side bar so you may notice things shifting around there over the next little while.  I have some things duplicated right now but I will get that straightened out & once I know what I'm doing I will let you know what I am doing.  The Shout Box will stay & I am still adamant about not cluttering our site up with advertising.  Someone commented about the blogs background color appearing different but I haven't made any changes & it still appears black to me here.   Somebody else mentioned about the Bad Nick link being broken so I hope I now have that fixed.  Somebody commented they didn't like Bad Nick but I will let Bad Nick deal with that one.  Remember, I am just trying to add some thought provoking alternative thinking here.  Like I've said before, I enjoy creative change & am always open to new ideas.  Sometimes I get things right & sometimes I do not.

Max in Virginia left me a comment that actually put a smile on my face this morning.  Max said. "One new idea might be to quit writing so much about yourself."  Well Max, I actually am inclined to agree with you.  However, the problem I have here is that I am one of the main characters in this cast of characters at the Bayfield Bunch.  I am the guy who writes my blog, so yes the opinions, ideas, thoughts, humor & everything else you see all comes from me.  I often use myself as a foil for humor.  Better that I talk about my own foibles, criticize my own mistakes & lament about my own current modes & moods than yours or somebody else's.

KELLY CHATTING IT UP WITH SOME OTHER FROSTY SIGHTSEERS

I don't know how many other blogs you read Max but if you have read my blog for any length of time you will see that I try to vary my content every day.  Rare for me to write a blog entirely about myself & you will not see a blog coming from my keyboard that details my every waking moment day after day after day.  What you will see is a blog with varying topics & subject matter not only from paragraph to paragraph many times but from day to day as well.  In fact, my posts have of a habit of jumping all over the place from one topic to another occasionally.  And yes, sometimes those topics include me.  On my site you will frequently find links to other Blogger's sites because of interesting things I think they have written.  You will find my thoughts & links to new Bloggers as I try to cast some exposure their way.  New Blog Followers are welcomed & old friends remembered.  When traveling I try to bring photographs & descriptive comments & feelings to readers about the beautiful & sometimes not so beautiful things & places we see.  And, to do all this every day Max ,requires a whole lot of me in the blog.

THE STONE WALL TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER IN THE TOP PHOTO IS THE WALL KELLY IS STANDING BESIDE IN THE BOTTOM PHOTO   

My blog is different than some in that I do not write my blog like a detached magazine article.  I write from a first person point of view & tell you what I think & how I feel about what I see.  Not just what I do!!  I know my blog at times may come across as me talking about myself, which is true, but it is my way of conveying my thoughts in a matter I feel comfortable with.  So, to sum things up Max, let me just say that I understand & agree to some degree with your comment & I can see your point of view.  Thanks for taking the time to say what you think.

As a last word on all this for today let me just say I intend on answering a few more Anonymous comments over the next few days.  This may come as a surprise to some readers but I did not take the 'Anonymous' comments about Thursday night's post in a negative way.  However, I do get very upset with rude, sarcastic, demeaning & condescending types of people & their comments who try intentionally & deliberately to be hurtful.  That happened last winter but I didn't take any of today's 'Anonymous' comments that way.  In fact I felt one was a good example of constructive criticism & the other one brought up some very good bones of contention.  One last Anonymous comment came in tonight that set me back in my chair a bit but I will have something to say about that one as well.  Sometimes constructive criticism, even though it is given with good intentions, can step right up & smack a feller right in the face.  In Thursday night's post I asked for ideas, suggestions & constructive criticism & today I got an earful & that is exactly what I was looking for.  I thank you all for your input.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Evidence has been found that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. However, all the league records were unfortunately destroyed in a fire. Thus we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled.

---------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

INITIATING SOME BLOG CHANGES & LOOKING FOR NEW IDEAS:))

ALL TONIGHT'S PHOTOS ARE MEMORIES FROM OUR 5TH WHEEL DAYS WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED IN COLUMBUS,NEW MEXICO BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2006 

For the first time this summer I have had to do some watering around the property.  Ferns were beginning to lilt & plants were getting droopy.  Planted two more Virginia Creepers, a climbing Hydrangea & another Trumpet Vine this morning.  I now have to keep my bedroom window closed up tight because I have a fear of those vines creeping in my window some night & carrying me off to far away places.

ROCK HOUND STATE PARK NM...OF COURSE KELLY WANTED TO PUSH THIS ROCK BACK TO THE CAMPSITE , LOAD IT ONTO THE TRUCK & BRING IT HOME WITH US FOR OUR FRONT YARD 

Nice to see JEAN & SKIP pop up on our Blog Roll this morning.  They are taking some time off from house renos & doing a bit of camping not far from home on Vancouver Island.  We met Jean & Skip in Borrego Springs California last winter.  A quiet couple with many of the same interests & thoughts about RVing & life that Kelly & I have.  Nice folks:))

With the words, "I'm a fiber fanatic that has fallen in love with RVing. My love is wet felting. Love to spin" Well, I had to go have myself a look see what a 'spinning, wet felting fiber fanatic was all about.  Or, was that a spinning fanatical fiber who felt wet?  Well anyway, better check her out for yourself at TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A RV LOVIN FIBER ARTIST.

IT'S ALRIGHT MAX, THIS RV LIFESTYLE IS GOING TO GET BETTER SOON....PROMISE.

I did try my luck with the Motor Homes leveling system & that troublesome rear jack again.  Three times I lowered the rear jacks & three times I had to jack the passenger side leveler back into place.  The tension on the two lifting springs seems the same as the jack on the other side.  Lubricating the cylinder hasn't helped.  I think we will just accept the fact it is unusable & work our way around that.  We carry leveling blocks that we can use for the passenger side rear if we have to.  If the coach was newer & we were Full Timers we would replace that leveler completely but at this stage of the game we will just deal with the problem as we go along.

THIS PHOTO IS SELF EXPLANATORY

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my blog lately.  Not only about it's content but it's appearance as well.  You may notice I have already begun to make changes to the site but I also realize I have to make other changes as well to stimulate my writing interest or just pack it all in & get on with other things.  The format has basically remained the same for years now & being a fellow of change I think I am way overdue for something creatively different.  A 'makeover' if you will.  My blog has always revolved around traveling & the RV Lifestyle & that will basically remain unchanged but I'm looking for a new direction.  Something different, something refreshing.  Same old, same old gets tiring & doesn't work for me after awhile & I have been in 'same old' mode for quite awhile now.  I need a challenge, some new ideas & suggestions.     So, I throw it out to my faithful readers or anyone else with an interest.  Any ideas on how I can make my blog not only more interesting for you but for me as well??  And, I cautiously say, constructive criticism is welcome too

THIS WAS OUR SET UP THE FIRST YEAR THE BAYFIELD BUNCH HIT THE ROAD & THOSE ARE THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND SOUTH OF CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO...UNBEKNOWNST TO ME I HAD MADE A VERY SERIOUS 'BEGINNER'S ERROR' HERE THAT IS VISIBLE IN THIS PHOTO, CAN ANYONE SPOT IT.   I DROVE FROM CARLSBAD THROUGH EL PASO TEXAS, DEMMING & COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO, DOUGLAS, TOMBSTONE, PATAGONIA,  NOGALES & FINALLY TUCSON BEFORE AN  ALARMED GARAGE GUY AT BEAUDRY RV QUICKLY POINTED OUT MY MISTAKE.  WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE WE DID NOT SUFFER SOME MAJOR DAMAGE......OR WORSE!!!!

I have always had a lot of respect & admiration for people who are able to step up to the plate, say what they think & not worry about the repercussions from expressing their point of view.  Oh, how I wish I had the courage to do that.  I am talking about folks like Debra from FIND AN OUTLET, Mike from MOBILE KODGERS & Nick from BAD NICK.  I have recently added these 3 fellow Bloggers to a separate side bar which in fact is part of the changes I am working on.   These are 3 people I identify with & understand.  I appreciate their no nonsense, down to earth, logical & common sense approach to life.  I believe they see the world as I see it.  A world for what it is & not for what many would have some of us believe it is.   Nick's main blog is THE GYPSY JOURNAL - NICK'S BLOG.   But it is his aka Bad Nick blog concept that really perks my interest.  Many times I have thought of doing this myself & setting up a separate blog where I could truly lay out what I really think!!  But, it's this dam thin skinned personality of mine that holds me back.  I would just have to write it & post it with no feedback.  No feedback at all, good or bad.  I am influenced by feedback so my writing would just have to stand on it's own.  Just write how I feel, post it, let the chickens fly to the moon & move on to my next post.  Will I do this?  Not likely, but it sure has been heavy on my mind for quite awhile now........10-4!!  

AND THIS IS THE GANG I SHARED MY BED WITH EVERY NIGHT.....BUT I LOVED IT & WOULDN'T HAVE HAD IT ANY OTHER WAY...MY BEST PALS OF EVER:)) 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The following conversation is long, practical, makes sense & if you make it to the end I think you will understood the meat of the matter.  The conversation takes place aboard an Alien spaceship & revolves around the decision whether to contact the people of Earth or not.  They have a perfectly logical conversation & arrive at a perfectly logical decision.  Well, in my books anyway.......... 

Imagine if you will ..the leader of the fifth invader force speaking to the commander in chief...

"They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"Meat. They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars?"

"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."

"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."

"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they're made out of meat."

"Maybe they're like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."

"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take too long. Do you have any idea the life span of meat?"

"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."

"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."

"No brain?"

"Oh, there is a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat!"

"So... what does the thinking?"

"You're not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat."

"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"

"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you getting the picture?"

"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."

"Finally, Yes. They are indeed made out meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."

"So what does the meat have in mind?"

"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the universe, contact other sentients, swap ideas and information. The usual."

"We're supposed to talk to meat?"

"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there? Anyone home?' That sort of thing."

"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"

"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even whistle by squirting air through their meat."

"Omigod. Whistling meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Both."

"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome, and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in the quadrant, without prejudice, fear, or favor.

Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"

"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say?" `Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"

"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they only travel through space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."

"So we just pretend there's no one home in the universe."

"That's it."

"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you have probed? You're sure they won't remember?"

"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."

"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

"And we can mark this sector unoccupied."

"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"

"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in the G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."

"They always come around."

"And why not? Imagine how unbearable & how unutterably cold the universe would be if we were all alone."

---------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

REINING IN MR. BLABBERFINGERS!!

A RELAXING WARM SUMMER AFTERNOON FOR 2 OF THE BAYFIELD BUMS:))

The goal of tonight's blog is to make it shorter.  Old Mr. Blabberfingers here has been getting very long winded again lately.  I will have to try prioritizing & organizing my thoughts better rather than just dumping a whole head full of jumble into the blog every night.

Our weather changed sometime in the wee morning hours as a cool front rolled in blowing all the humidity out of town.  How nice to wake up with cooler temps.  Because of that my energy levels were up & I took a notion to clean my room.  Yep, that's right boys, I am one of those lucky fellers who gets to have his very own room.  Just because a guy gets married doesn't mean he has to lose all his neat-o stuff.  And, a boy needs his room.  I used to have model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, football player posters on the walls & just groovy guy's stuff all over the place.  Remember Sam Etcheverry & Normie Kwong?  Yep, those were two of the Football guys I had up on the wall.  And then there was my stack of wrestling cards on my dresser.  Whipper Billy Watson, Gorgeous George, Argentina Rocca & YUKON ERIC who's autograph I actually got at an A&W in Stratford Ontario one time.  But, I'm off the track already............... My room today is still a bit like my boyhood years although the airplanes are gone & the football players have long ago run their final yardages.  In the past 10 years or so they were all replaced with large Astronomy posters of Planets, Galaxies, Star Clusters, & Nebulae.  Had some old Humphrey Bogart movie posters up as well.  I like my room because it's my place, my space.  The clunky old television that once dominated the windshield in the Motor Home now sits ahead of my bed.  I have cable TV, Stereo, DVD, CD & even a dual cassette tape with a Teac equalizer.  Mind you, with the exception of the TV, I haven't used any of that old technology for years, but hey, it's mine & it's in MY room.  How many of you remember the Beach Boy's song, 'In My Room.'  Well, there ya go eh:))

I happen to like trees.  I have always liked trees & it has always been difficult for me to cut one down.  But, orders came down from headquarters a couple days ago saying the two Mulberry trees in our back yard had to come down....or else!!  Mulberry trees have a Raspberry looking purple fruit & at this time of year those little purple Mulberries drop from the trees all over the ground.  They squish & cling to the bottom of shoes & are easily tracked into the house whereupon they stain floors & carpets.  I thought the purple sploosh marks on our living room carpet were looking kinda cool but my opinion was not shared by the Boss, so the trees had to go.  Luckily they are not very big & I was able to use a Swede saw to cut them down instead of my fume belching & maddenly noisy chain saw.  I will go to great lengths to avoid any kind of noise!!!  We have a neighbor who seems to have an excessive obsession with his leaf blower so I go to great lengths to avoid my neighbor!!

  

MULBERRIES, MULBERRIES EVERYWHERE!!!

Now, keeping true to form I will stick to my opening paragraph objective & carefully back myself away from the keyboard.  I did get sidetracked a couple times but was able to get er back on the rails before I blathered myself into the ditch again.  So, I leave all you fine people to get on with reading some other blogs, which I may add are written by some of my very fine Blogger friends out there....Toodles:))

KELLY & CHECKERS AT HICKIWAN TRAILS ARIZONA...FEBRUARY 7TH 8:53 A.M. 2008 

GROANERS CORNER:((  It's not whether you win or lose, but how you place the blame.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

ATTENTION CENTERS AROUND THE MOTOR HOME THIS MORNING

A MYSTERY PHOTO TONIGHT......COULD THIS BE A MYTHIC BIRD OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY, PERHAPS AN ANCIENT CONDOR TAKING FLIGHT  INTO THE STARRY NIGHT SKY,  A UFO OR PERHAPS THE  FAR OFF ORIGINS OF LIFE IN FAR OFF SPACE TAKEN WITH MY CAMERA TELESCOPE??   PERHAPS IT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE.......
Seems I often have to go back & make corrections to the  previous day's post.  Yesterday I posted about a possible problem with a Jeep brake line & all the way through the paragraph I kept referring to the problem as having to do with the gas line.  That was incorrect!!  It was the brake line I was talking about.  I have since made the corrections.  It's a good thing Kelly gets up enough courage to read the blog some mornings!!



We recently picked up a slight stone chip on the upper passenger windshield of the Motor Home.  Figured we had better get that fixed before it cracked further & sent long spidery cracks across the windshield.   The SPEEDY GLASS fellow was able to come right to our place & repair it in about half an hour.  Very interesting to see the whole process & Murray from GODERICH SPEEDY GLASS was happy to explain the various steps as he went along.  Murray has been with the company for over 30 years & certainly knew what he was doing.  Turns out he is also one of those western Cowboy enthusiasts like myself.  I was quick to notice a few western style logos on his van & that tipped me off:))
      
THANKS MURRAY FOR A JOB WELL DONE......IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE:))  (click any photo to enlarge)


If there is any one thing I do not like about Motor Homes in general it is the sometimes problematic hydraulic leveling jacks.  We sure have had our fair share of leveling jack problems over the years.  About 6 weeks ago I figured I would fire up the hydraulic jacks to make sure they were working alright.  They weren't, & I wasn't surprised!!   Had the same problems last summer & actually ended up at the HWH Leveler place in Moscow Iowa on our way south.  Aside from replacing a fuse that time they didn't find any problem with the rear passenger side leveler either.  I tried replacing some fuses a month ago but that didn't seem to do anything so I just gave up on the problem.  This morning Kelly remembered the HWH bill from last November so we dug it out & noticed that it was a 15 amp fuse the guy had replaced.  I had replaced a 10 amp fuse a month ago.  So, out to the Motor Home I went with a bit more patience than usual & wedged myself between the driver's seat & the steering wheel where the fuse panel inconveniently lives on the firewall.  Noticed two 15 amp fuses in the hard to get at fuse panel so replaced them both.  Hauled myself up into the driver's seat & started up the Motor Home.  I wasn't too hopeful as I reached down & flipped on the hydraulic switch on a panel beside the seat.  What the heck!!!!!!!  Unbelievably the panel lights lit up which told me there was finally power to the the control box at last.  Will wonders ever cease, will Hippopotamus's fly.  But wait.......this was not the end of the hydraulic lift problem...Nosirreeeee!!

IT WAS THOSE 2 BLUE 15 AMP FUSES I REPLACED


These hydraulic leveler problems first started with our Motor Home in the fall of 2008 while doing an overnighter in Oliver Lee State Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico.  The right passenger side lift would not retract & we could not move.  Luck was with us that time because we were parked on dirt.  I was able to dig a hole behind the lifter, place a scissor jack in the hole & then carefully back the Motor Home up about 3 inches centering the lift over the jack & then jack the lift up into place.  We had that lift looked at a few days later in Los Cruces but they could find nothing wrong with it.  The lift has never been trustworthy ever since.

Decided to try out the system today so lowered all the lifts to the ground & leveled the coach.  Figured if push came to shove I could always use my Oliver Lee method to retract that problem lift in case it didn't come up.  Well, push did come to shove!!!!  Three of the lifts came up with no problem but the problematic one did not.  So, there I was once again under the Motor Home digging a hole in the ground just like at Oliver Lee years ago.  Twenty minutes later I had the lift jacked back up into place.  I have left the scissors jack in the hole & will try the system again tomorrow.  My theory is that the problem lift may just need to be used & loosened up.  We'll see.................
  


Looking ahead to this winter's travels in the Southwest we are hoping to do more traveling than sitting this time.  The past 3 years we have spent a fair bit of time in the Elfrida/McNeil area Ranch sitting & we have enjoyed our time there to the max.  Liked it so much we were very seriously thinking about buying some property there last winter.  But, things didn't work out & time marches on.  Haven't heard back from the Ranch folks yet but if time schedules work out we may spend a month or month & a half this time.  The last 3 years we stayed 2 & 3 months.  Depending on the ranch folks travel plans there may be a chance we won't make it to the Ranch at all this year.  We'll just have to wait & see how Jeannie & Rays travel plans shake out.

RELAXING DAYS & A LITTLE LANDSCAPING AT THE RANCH:)) 

Whether we stay awhile at the Ranch or not I would like to travel a little further afield this year to see new areas of the Southwest.  If Mexico wasn't in the bad state of affairs it is in we would head down there but no chance of that now.  Of course we will probably hit some of our old haunts like Yuma & Borrego Springs because it is always nice to touch base with old memories.  In our travels I have found that the first time visiting an area is generally the best time.  Everything is new & exciting & that to me is what traveling is all about.  For example, we love Borrego Springs California & have been there 5 years in a row.  It is just the greatest little place.  But, I found the last 3 years there were not as exciting as our first two times there.  After visiting the same place year after year everything just gets too predictably boring for me.  Subsequently, our stays in old familiar places are great for maybe a week but then it's same old, same old time again.  Not that these places are not beautiful areas, it's just that my mind constantly craves new challenges, new adventures & new memories. 

THE 'ELEPHANT'S KNEES' NEAR SPLIT MOUNTAIN CALIFORNIA...THIS AREA IS ABOUT A 2 HOUR DRIVE EAST OF SAN DIEGO


No ideas yet where we will go but I'm sure a plan will begin to formulate soon.  Many times those plans come from the minds of fellow RV Bloggers or RV folks we have met along the way.  I remember a couple years ago having breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club in Bisbee Arizona with LAURIE & ODEL.  They mentioned a place in California they thought we would really like & that is how we ended up in LONE PINE the following year. 
RV friends Bea & Herb talked about Nevada's VALLEY OF FIRE one time when we first met them about 4 years ago in southern Arizona & that was how we ended up there this past March.  It was also Bea & Herb who thought we would really love CANYON DE CHELLY & wouldn't you know it, we ended up there last March as well. (click any of the above links for our blog about these places) 
RV friends Mike & Maureen talked about how much they loved the 4 Corners area when we first met them in CANNONVILLE UTAH back in November of 08.  Guess where we are hoping to be in about three & a half months from now:))  If it wasn't for the blasted megopolation of cities, traffic chaos & people I'm sure we would have made it to the California coast by now too.  Maybe this year if we can find an uncongested secret passage through the morass of humanity & find a quiet little beach front spot on the ocean for a few days.  Can Rhinosauceruses fly!!

SPLIT MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA


It wasn't the American Health Program opinion that caught my attention in JANNA'S post this morning, it was the fact of Janna being on the phone speaking to the medical people on Mike's behalf.  Not being a phone person I can so identify with Mike maybe just not wanting to get on the phone.  It is simply having the best person for the task, do the task.  We all have our likes & dislikes & things we prefer to do or avoid.  If one lives or travels alone there is no option, you have to do everything yourself whether you like it or not.  I have experienced that & know it to be a good thing in the long run.  Living alone, a person is always better organized & in touch with everything.  It's just the way it has to be or your life quickly becomes unmanageable.  Living with another person is a whole different ball game.  Ideas, plans, chores & household tasks are generally shared, & for good reason.



Kelly likes to cook & I do not, so that one is a no brainer.  Kelly's not that interested in all the yard work so that is my department & I look after that.  I enjoy driving more than Kelly so I happily take on those responsibilities too whether it is driving the Motor Home or the cars.  I'm not as good at keeping things clean as Kelly is so she handles most of those chores.  Dust could be a foot & half deep on the TV & wouldn't notice it but if a wall picture is slightly askew I will catch that right away.  I am pretty good at sweeping floors & doing dishes though.  We both do our own laundry except when we are on the road & end up heading for a Laundromat together.  Kelly doesn't like the idea of having to dump the Motor Home's tanks so I have always done that.  I don't like talking on a telephone so Kelly handles that department simply because she is far better & more comfortable doing that.  If I am on the telephone talking to somebody about something important chances are good I am going to forget something in the conversation.  Kelly will ask me, "what did so & so say" & as often as not I won't remember.  Same thing if a call comes in to our answering machine & I am standing right there.  I don't pick up the phone because if the person on the other end has any info or whatever, chances are that I may forget to accurately relay that to Kelly.  By letting the answering machine take the call, Kelly is sure to get the intended & word for word message.  It boils down to whichever individual is best suited for whatever task & that is one of the great advantages of having a partner.  Only disadvantage I see with the sharing of tasks is one partner can eventually find themselves out of touch with some the tasks the other partner has taken over.  I look after bill payments like credit cards etc but Kelly looks after the payments regarding our park here so right now I could not accurately tell you what our lease payment is here, how much our last telephone bill was, our cost for electricity last month or when it's time to reactivate our Verizon program for travel again.  If I were living on my own I would know & be on top of all those things!!  And, if I were living on my own I would have to do all the telephone stuff too.  However, sometimes another person can speak far better for us than some of us can speak for ourselves.  It's just the way it is & is one of the advantages of sharing things with a partner!!  Anyway, just a few thoughts on likes, dislikes & some advantages of living alone or with someone.

ON YES, ABOUT THE PHOTO........ IT'S THE CHIP IN OUR MOTOR HOME WINDSHIELD VIEWED FROM INSIDE THE MOTOR HOME., BUT OF COURSE YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT....RIGHT:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  If aliens are smart enough
to travel through space, why do they keep abducting
the dumbest people on earth?

---------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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